THE CHILDREN'S BILL OF RIGHTS

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OK, WE ALL HATE EACH OTHER. BUT WHO HATES KIDS?

YOU HAVE TO BE A REAL SICKO TO DENY THE BASICS TO A CHILD:
FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER, MEDICAL CARE, EDUCATION, TOYS, TREATS

WORLDPEACE.ORG
"Building a Culture of Peace"
The kids are all right.


That's Right: Da Keiki Get One Inalienable Right Fah Treats & Toys Too, Braddah! NO? Den YOU Tell 'Em, Eh???!!!

Those of you who have experience with the wee folk already know this. I don't care if you're a Bushman from a boereplaas in a bantustan or a bourgeois from a banlieu in Belgium, you recognize the innate desire of parents to provide the basics plus a modicum of joy for their offspring. If you're any kind of a parent yourself, your life pretty much revolves around feeding, clothing, housing, doctoring, teaching and loving your babies. Even as they metastasize into teens, you do whatever you can to make their lives as good as possible.

It is this tremendous sense of personal responsibility for our own children that is the foundation of all human societies. The difference in philosophy between Left and Right, liberal and conservative, in the modern American sense of those terms, comes down to whether you extend that responsibility to other people's children or not. American conservatives operate under a Zero-Sum Theory: The pie is fixed, we can only fight amongst ourselves for bigger shares, like starving rats. Anything you get is coming out of my share, and vice versa. Liberals & progressives recognize that the whole pie can be expanded, and even duplicated. They operate under no theory, only a recognition of the actual facts that, if we all work together, we can all live better. They reject the dog-eat-dog model of today's Republicans and "libertarians," especially as regards the next generation.

The fact that the Right can extend their mean-spiritedness to helpless children is the ultimate condemnation of a pathological condition, not a political philosophy. Classic conservatism was even more inclined to use the resources of society to benefit the disadvantaged than classical liberalism, in the British sense of those terms. Liberalism meant laissez-faire, government hands-off of the private concerns of society. But even the most doctrinaire free marketeers of the 19th Century recognized that there were certain social ills which simply had to be dealt with collectively. And no one who was fundamentally human could turn away from a hungry, homeless, unhealthy child.

Until now. In America, the old notions of conservatism and liberalism got all jumbled up, like so many things here. Contemporary conservatism is comprised of equal parts inhuman corporate voraciousness and psuedo-Christian punitive exclusionism. I've got mine, screw you. The only concern for other human beings lies in the primitive desire to see them punished even for the misfortunes that befall them, to make Old Testament pariah's out everyone who is "not like us." Today's conservatives actually say things like, "I hope all you queers die of AIDS," or "Somebody should shoot that liberal." The right-wingers in our legislatures regularly vote to punish even children for such terrible sins as poverty, immigration, or membership in a perceived minority.

This is the sign of a morally and politically bankrupt "movement." Any ideological legitimacy that the Right may ever have had is now gone. All that is left is greed, hate, envy, fear, anger, selfishness, violence, ignorance and prejudice: Sociopathy, not philosophy. It is nothing but mental illness to deny our responsibility to care for our own, to heal the sick, feed the hungry, house the homeless, and most of all, to ensure a better future for all of our children.


PBS KIDS GO!: NOT FOR OURSELVES ALONE
"Kid's Bill Of Rights"
Yeah, Kira. Adults, too.

' Kira, Age 11 -I think kids should be able to vote in something they believe in. Caitlin, Age 11 -Kids should have the right to protest if they are feeling unjustly treated by adults or other kids. Susanne, Age 8 -Kids should have the right to go to bed whenever they want. Jessie, Age 8 -I want a right to help the kids with no family. I want to find more homes for them. Irina, Age 11 -All special days or national holidays we have are celebrating grown-ups like Christopher Columbus. I think us kids should have our own day celebrating us. We could be in charge for once. '

CYBERSCHOOLBUS: UN.ORG
"An 'International Bill of
Rights For Children' "
No black helicopters here, kids.

' The Convention's objective is to protect children from discrimination, neglect and abuse. It is the principal children's treaty, covering a full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. It grants rights for children in peacetime as well as during armed conflict, and provides for the implementation of those rights. The Convention serves as both a rallying point and a useful tool for civil society and individual people, working to protect and promote children's rights. In many ways, it is an innovative instrument. '

UNICEF: MAGIC: MEDIA ACTIVITIES AND GOOD IDEAS BY WITH AND FOR CHILDREN
"Summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: ENGLISH: Child-Friendly Version"
Ratified by every country in the world EXCEPT The United States and Somalia, due to US conservative opposition: "States RIGHTS!!!" Nice company we keep...

' Article 1 Everyone under 18 years of age has all the rights in this Convention. Article 2 The Convention applies to everyone whatever their race, religion, abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from. Article 3 All organisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child. Article 4 Governments should make these rights available to children. Article 5 Governments should respect the rights and responsibilities of families to direct and guide their children so that, as they grow, they learn to use their rights properly. Article 6 All children have the right to life. Governments should ensure that children survive and develop healthily. Article 7 All children have the right to a legally registered name, and nationality. Also the right to know and, as far as possible, to be cared for, by their parents. Article 8 Governments should respect children's right to a name, a nationality and family ties. Article 9 Children should not be separated from their parents unless it is for their own good. For example, if a parent is mistreating or neglecting a child. Children whose parents have separated have the right to stay in contact with both parents, unless this might hurt the child. Article 10 Families who live in different countries should be allowed to move between those countries so that parents and children can stay in contact, or get back together as a family. Article 11 Governments should take steps to stop children being taken out of their own country illegally. Article 12 Children have the right to say what they think should happen, when adults are making decisions that affect them, and to have their opinions taken into account. Article 13 Children have the right to get and to share information, as long as the information is not damaging to them or to others. Article 14 Children have the right to think and believe what they want, and to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Parents should
guide their children on these matters. Article 15 Children have the right to meet together and to join groups and organisations, as long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights. Article 16 Children have a right to privacy. The law should protect them from attacks against their way of life, their good name, their families and their homes. Article 17 Children have the right to reliable information from the mass media. Television, radio, and newspapers should provide information that children can understand, and should not promote materials that could harm children. Article 18 Both parents share responsibility for bringing up their children, and should always consider what is best for each child. Governments should help parents by providing services to support them, especially if both parents work. Article 19 Governments should ensure that children are properly cared for, and protect them from violence, abuse and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them. Article 20 Children who cannot be looked after by their own family must be looked after properly, by people who respect their religion, culture and language. Article 21 When children are adopted the first concern must be what is best for them. The same rules should apply whether the children are adopted in the country where they were born, or if they are taken to live in another country. Article 22 Children who come into a country as refugees should have the same rights as children born in that country. Article 23 Children who have any kind of disability should have special care and support, so that they can lead full and independent lives. Article 24 Children have the right to good quality health care, to clean water, nutritious food, and a clean environment, so that they will stay healthy. Rich countries should help poorer countries achieve this. Article 25 Children who are looked after by their local authority, rather than by their parents, should have their situation reviewed regularly. Article 26 The Government should provide extra money for the children of families in need. Article 27 Children have a right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and mental needs. The Government should help families who cannot afford to provide this. Article 28 Children have a right to an education. Discipline in schools should respect children’s human dignity. Primary education should be free. Wealthy countries should help poorer countries achieve this. Article 29 Education should develop each child's personality and talents to the full. It should encourage children to respect their parents, and their own and other cultures. Article 30 Children have a right to learn and use the language and customs of their families, whether these are shared by the majority of people in the country or not. Article 31 All children have a right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of activities. Article 32 The Government should protect children from work that is dangerous, or that might harm their health or their education. Article 33 The Government should provide ways of protecting children from dangerous drugs. Article 34 The Government should protect children from sexual abuse. Article 35 The Government should make sure that children are not abducted or sold. Article 36 Children should be protected from any activities that could harm their development. Article 37 Children who break the law should not be treated cruelly. They should not be put in prison with adults and should be able to keep in contact with their families. Article 38 Governments should not allow children under 15 to join the army. Children in war zones should receive special protection. Article 39 Children who have been neglected or abused should receive special help to restore their self-respect. Article 40 Children who are accused of breaking the law should receive legal help. Prison sentences for children should only be used for the most serious offences. Article 41 If the laws of a particular country protect children better than the articles of the Convention, then those laws should stay. Article 42 The Government should make the Convention known to all parents and children. 54 articles in all. Articles 43-54 are about how adults and governments should work together to make sure all children get all their rights. A convention is an agreement between countries to obey the same law. When the government of a country ratifies a convention, that means it agrees to obey the law written down in that convention. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 16 December 1991. That means our government now has to make sure that every child has all the rights in the Convention '

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