Rights, Responsibilities and Realities

Keynote Address by Vanisha Mishra

Votualevu College, Nadi

15 April 2009 – Fiji Children’s Day – The Media Voice for our Children

[Greetings]

Happy Children’s Day to you all!

[Thank you] – Management, Staff and Students of Votualevu College

[The Blue Ribbon Project] Thank the student council for the initiative

Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which I shall speak more on later, states
that children must be kept safe from harm and protected against violence. They must be given
proper care from those looking after them. If you think you or anyone is in real danger then you
should speak to an adult you trust.

I could not have thought of a better, more worthwhile place to begin a program such as this, then
in a school. Article 29 states that schools should help children develop their skills and personality
fully, teach them about their own and other people’s rights, and prepare them for adult life.
Personal and social development programs in schools as well as drama, music and art help raise
awareness of the message to respect other cultures and to respect each other. In committing to a
program such as the Blue Ribbon Project you are helping achieve the goals indicated in this
article.

The truth is, adults don’t just think of boring things but also want you to enjoy yourself. It is
really important to remember to have a balance in your life no matter how young or old you are.
This is also a message that my parents keep relaying to me!

[Where did it all begin for Fiji?]

The Government of the Fiji Islands ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child in 1993. The CRC as it is commonly called is for all those of you who are under the age of
18. The CRC describes the commitment that our Government and other governments have made
to recognize the rights of children. The Convention has 54 articles, mostly relating to the rights
of children, but also articles about how the United Nations checks up on what the Government
has done.

Some people find the idea of “children’s rights” quite difficult. They think it is about children
and young people getting everything they want and not having to listen to adults. But this is not
so. With rights come responsibilities and children (just like adults) need to learn about their
rights and the responsibilities that they entail. In essence, children’s rights are human rights.

For example, Article 6 – you have the right to be alive, survive and develop through life. Article
13 demonstrates the co-existence of rights and responsibilities, under Article 13 of the CRC you
have the right to say whatever you believe as long as it does not harm or offend other people.
You also have the responsibility to respect the rights and freedom of others. Similarly Article 15
– You have the right to join and form groups and to make friends – as long as it’s not harmful to
other people. In exercising your right, you have the responsibility to respect the rights and
freedom of others.

[Where did it all begin for me? A Story for the Students]

It took a twelve year old to inspire a twelve year old.

At the age of 12, without even realizing it, I became aware of my destiny. I heard of a young boy
no older than I who traveled through India speaking to child laborers and bringing to light their
stories. Craig Kielburger later founded an organization called Free the Children the largest
organization of children helping children. This ignited my interest in issues affecting children
and young people. That was the beginning of my journey, a journey that began ten years ago…

My trip to India allowed me to see similar things to what Craig saw. I saw children going to
school in their brightly colored uniforms but as the same time I saw children working in an
assortment of jobs. Article 32 of the CRC states that governments must protect you from doing
work which would be dangerous or which could harm your health or interfere with your
education. Article 34 states that you have a right to be protected from sexual abuse. And Article
35 states that you have a right to be protected from being abducted or sold. There are also things
that people should never make you do against your will, like make you marry someone.

However, later I was to realize that I did not need to travel as far as India to see these things, they
were happening in my own country! Up in the hills of Naitasiri, in Taveuni, Kadavu – places
closer to home.

I started off small – researching issues on the internet, sharing them with my friends at school
and through the Girl Guides movement in Fiji and with my family. Article 42 states that you
have a right to know your rights – make a conscious decision to learn about your rights and their
accompanying responsibilities.

Upon reaching secondary school, I wanted to make more of an impact, so I started an

organization called Girls in Action, which aimed to help children in our country. We worked to
help the children of prisoners through the Prisoners Fellowship. It was at this time that I became
involved in youth issues internationally. I was the international children’s representative for the
African Child Foundation but very quickly realized the work I wanted to do was rooted firmly in
Fiji.

There is a marked difference between the ways youth work is done in Fiji now compared to ten
years ago. In ten years, I’ve experienced more active youth involvement in issues affecting
young people. Young people are now given more of a voice, or rather demanding to be heard. We
are demanding that there is “nothing about us without us”. Look at us today – you have initiated
a project to protect children in your school and you have invited me (someone closer to your age)
to deliver this message. This was unheard of ten years ago.

In the last ten years, there has been an increase in organizations and individuals working with
youth and actually including youths in consultative processes. I have myself experienced this
change; I am approached more and more to give my views on policies and programs. No one
asked me ten years ago. And now children at the age of 12 are included in decision making
processes. Young people are demanding that their participation be seen more than symbolic and
tokenistic in nature. I would know - I am one of them!

[And where do adults fit it?]

Sometimes in working with young people and advocating their rights, we tend to become very
defensive about our young people and forget the worth of the adults involved. I think educators
and instructors have a great role to play. Sometimes young people forget this – we think we
know it all. I however, will tell you that at 18 you think you know it all – at 22 you realize that
you know nothing at all! And that adult that you may not want to listen to – guess what – they
usually are right. (I’m probably going to be reminded of saying this by my parents the next time I
try to argue with them!)

With the adults present here today, I encourage you to think back to an experience, an
opportunity or a relationship that you had as a child that helped you become successful or
overcome adversity. It was probably through the help and guidance of someone older, now these
young people need you to be that person for them.

The truth is that our society feels less chaotic, less volatile, and less controversial when young
people assume the role of silent sponges. Students in my class who sit in lectures, take notes, and
don’t ask for clarification make it easier for me to complete the lesson. That’s how it was for the
first few lectures I ever gave. You’ll probably agree that children who follow the rules without
questioning them cause less stress – but what are they learning? It is our role as instructors to
teach children how to think, not what to think.

We would then just be creating a generation of future leaders who don’t question, we are creating
a generation of voters who will not be critical, we are creating a generation that in the past let
awful things happen to innocent people. Adolf Hitler who was responsible for the deaths of
millions of people said, evil men succeed because the good do nothing. If we don’t encourage
our young people to question and have engaging minds, what are we heading towards?

While I was in the United States of America, I visited the holocaust museum, it was a heart
breaking experience. I saw paintings done by children, the paintings done by younger children
were full of color and vibrant hope. The paintings however, done by older children were more
sad, and used a lot of dull colors. I left the museum thinking, I’m going to do what I can to help
make sure something like this never happens again – let’s do this together. Adults and children.

I read once that there are three types of adult attitudes toward young people – young people as
objects, as recipients, and as resources – these lie along a continuum.

Style 1 – young people viewed as objects – when adults are in control, with no intention of youth
involvement. Style 2 – young people viewed as recipients – when adults are in control and allow
youth involvement. Style 3 – young people viewed as resources – when youths and adults work
in partnership and there is shared control. Ideally, we would all like Style 3, where youths and
adults work together in partnership and there is shared control. This is a little harder to achieve in
reality.

But youth will only learn leadership by being leaders. Although mock leadership situations may
effectively teach basic skills, youth need real-life opportunities to address genuine needs. If they
aren’t allowed to lead on their own, young leaders will lose interest. And in the most genuine
youth development experiences, where youth are truly viewed as resources, both youth and
adults learn. I’ve learnt from old and young alike. My 12 year old brother continues to school me
every day! And I am constantly kept on my toes by my colleagues at work, who are all much
older than I am. When adults open themselves to the possibility of sharing leadership and power
with youth they can experience personal growth as well.

When we say or hear other people say that youth are the leaders of tomorrow, it seems like youth
are just “practicing” at the moment and that their input is really meaningless right now. But
youth can positively impact the community as well, now and in the future. Many adults struggle
to see youth leadership experiences as anything more than positive youth development.

I think the educators in this school are doing a wonderful job at realizing these things, all of it
being witnessed by the launch of this project today.

If we change the way we view youth, we change the way we utilize youth.

[Where to from here?]

This year the Pacific Youth Festival will be held in Suva and I am terribly excited! This festival
brings together over 800 young people from over 25 different Pacific Island nations. The
Ministry of Youth and all the relevant stakeholders are working tirelessly to ensure that the
Festival is a successful and productive one. I’ve tried to take an active role as part of the National
Organizing Committee, looking specifically at the symposium aspect of the festival.

Applications and expression of interests for the Fiji delegation for the Pacific Youth Festival
opened a few days ago and will close on April 20th. I look forward to seeing you there, there is so
much I am looking forward to learning from you all! I am also eager to tell you about an exciting
research that is in the process of being conducted in Fiji by my colleague Dr. Patrick Vakaoti and
I, with the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA), on youth
leadership models in Fiji (this is the first time our leadership models will be documented – I can
see your school featuring in this report!) under the Pacific Leadership Program (an AusAID
Initiative). I hope to share the results of this research with you at the festival!

I look forward to seeing you all in July; I look forward to your input, your innovative ideas and
enthusiasm to improve the situation for children and youth in the Pacific. My journey began ten
years ago, when I was but a child, and it’s continued into my youth and I am sure it will continue
for many years to come!

We are the generation the world has been waiting for - let your voice be heard!

In the spirit of youth,

Thank You.