Launch of Child Rights Education Week

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Children, young people, schools, community organizations, families, and the government are invited to promote and protect the rights of children in New Brunswick on the occasion of the Child Rights Education Week, which will be held from Nov. 16 to 22.

This year’s slogan is All different, all equal. A schedule of events for all the activities being held in the province is available on the website of the Child and Youth Advocate. Many organizations have events on the calendar.

“This year, the Child Rights Education Week is designed to emphasize the right that children and young people have to non-discrimination: they are all different, all equal without distinction based on gender, disability, origin, social condition, language or culture,” said Child and Youth Advocate Norman Bossé. “The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the child as a subject of law, and Nov. 20, the day of the adoption of the convention, commemorates this important anniversary.”

The office, in co-operation with various youth organizations including Right to Play, UNICEF Canada, and other advocates for Canadian youth and children, created a national website dedicated to the week. The site offers educational resources for teachers, educators, parents, and children for celebrating the rights of the child. Children and young people from across the country will also have the chance to participate in a national postcard contest on the theme of non-discrimination. The goal this year is to strengthen the dialogue on rights, inclusion and respect in schools through play activities.

Among the activities planned during the week in New Brunswick is the launch of the Strategy for the Prevention of Harm to Children and Youth during a legislative breakfast on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fredericton. The strategy was developed jointly with the Executive Council Office. It is designed to provide provincial co-ordination, involving stakeholders from all levels, for the implementation of the right of the child to be protected against any form of harm in accordance with Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Staff from the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate will also meet with young people and children during the week in schools to encourage them to have their voices heard. The team will also attend cultural activities, such as Battle of the Arts, to remind New Brunswickers to be open to what young people have to say.

“We need a better understanding of the rights of children and youth in order to make our province a place that is conducive to their development,” said Bossé. “Education and awareness are the means of achieving that goal.”