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UNICEF promotes Children’s Rights on CRC’s 25th anniversary
View(s):As part of a campaign launched to commemorate the 25th anniversary of ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UNICEF Sri Lanka, together with its partners, have organised a children’s hackathon and a photo exhibition to enable school children become stakeholders in promoting child rights in Sri Lanka.
At a recent press conference held at the BMICH, to announce the launch, UNICEF and its partners, along with local celebrities, pledged to undertake a campaign to lobby for child rights in Sri Lanka, and to ensure the implementation of the provisions adopted in the CRC by world leaders 25 years back.
A UNICEF press release issued in this regard states that CRC is the most widely accepted piece of legislature where 194 countries are signatory to, and the Convention guarantees the basic rights of children, including right to education, health, protection from violence and abuse, etc. Subsequently, Sri Lanka ratified the CRC in 1991, it adds.
The CRC offers a global vision where children survive and develop to their full potential without discrimination, and are protected and encouraged to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
According to UNICEF’s Sri Lanka Representative, Una McCauley, there had been tremendous progress made since the ratification of the Convention by Sri Lanka, in terms of free primary health and education as well as legislature to protect children from violence, harm and abuse.
“We all have a common responsibility to protect the rights and wellbeing of the children,” she stressed.
The activity lineup such as the Hackathon and the photo competition, is intended to celebrate CRC’s anniversary, the quantum of work done since it came into force in Sri Lanka, the achievements made and to see to the continuation of work by creating awareness.
In the Hackathon, students representing their respective schools will work together as a team to develop an innovative tech-based solution in relation to issues faced by children in Sri Lanka, primarily the vulnerable and the excluded. Accordingly, students will develop a project idea to create awareness and to put forth an innovate solution to address particular issues concerning children. The best project idea proceeds to a Hackathon and the winning solution will be presented to the UNICEF Innovations Lab, affording an opportunity to the winners to become UNICEF Innovation Champions 2014.
The campaign is orgnaised by the UNICEF in partnership with the Education Ministry, ICTA, Google and Microsoft. The competition is open to all the schools island-wide, and the registration deadline is September 30.
Titled ‘Children in Focus’, a photo competition based on the themes, ‘Children of Sri Lanka: Life, Moments and Right’, is also running parallel to the UNICEF’s CRC campaign.
Conducted under the three categories of Open Pictorial- Colour, Open Pictorial- Monochrome and Children’s- Colour, the competition is conducted by UNICEF in partnership with Canon, Metropolitan and Rotaract Shutterbug.
Whilst stating that the CRC’s 25th Anniversary is a key milestone for the Government, UNICEF partners as well as the children worldwide, Una McCauley said, “Sri Lanka has much to celebrate in terms of progress towards survival, development, protection and participation of children.”
“This competition will put those into focus, and we are excited about seeing the photo competition entries in the coming months,” she added.
The best photos will be featured in the UNICEF’s 2015 calendar and in other visibility items, while the winners will also receive gifts, courtesy Cannon-Metropolitan. The deadline for this competition is October 15.
-Dhananjani Silva