Essay Sample on Children's Rights: Participation in Decisions

Children have rights like adults. Considerably, some rights are specifically designed for the children to not only guide but also protect them from their individual needs. The changes in ideas about children have made more scholars and scientists come out and state the rights of children and the youth at large. They try to answer the question of whether they should be allowed to participate in the decisions made about their well-being and protection. The young people are neither termed as the property of their parents nor are they considered helpless objects when it comes to charity. They are human beings who require to be protected hence the reason they are subjected to their rights. A convention on the rights of children and youths has been established to ensure that young people develop to their full potential. The reasons make it possible for the people to view the kids as an individual and a member of their own family and society at large. Therefore, it is essential to understand the rights that surround and protect the children not only in one country but globally to understand why they should be considered and upheld fully. This paper seeks to examine the various ways that the children should be considered to have similar rights, just like those of the adults, and to actively participate in social activities.

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The convention states the rights and responsibilities that are appropriate to the youth depending on their age and development stage. As a result of global manifestations of problems such as violence and sexual exploitation, adhering to youths' rights is an essential response that attracts a wide range of comprehensive policies and programming. Strategies help to focus more on harm caused to these children rather than the desecration of their rights. It is the high time that we stop considering the youth as victims since they are rights-holding an individual dignity, and integrity should be respected. Youth are not considered citizens in a constitutional sense since they are not allowed to vote, and in some countries, they are discriminated against. Most adults claim that this is what citizenship entails.

Children who take the responsibilities seriously are rendered as silent and remarkably invisible once they are compared with the adults' society. In the United Kingdom, the work was given to the children at home sometimes is emotionally and physically demanding, that results in social isolation. The youth are denied the chance to be involved in leisure activities together with their peers. The children experience some of the harshest invisible forms of poverty that deny them the rights to social citizenship that would accept them in adulthood. According to Aldridge and Becker (1995), for the youths to grow as expected and become responsible adults, they should not be denied the opportunity to participate in social activities as they are citizens too. Once they are engaged in society, it will be easier for them to identify solutions to the different issues they are enduring (Christensen et al, 2017).

The youth participation in the community, as well as the nation, has proven to be complicated. Once they are denied the chance to participate and exercise their citizenship, they are left with no choice than to accept and face the un-listening and prejudging world. The ability to bring clarity on the nature and requirements of the useful children in their protection has proven not to be fruitful despite the struggles. Conversely, dependency understanding of the youth is widespread where children's rights are a concern since the approach justifies the response given when the issue of children protection is mentioned. In contrast, the rights of the youth need the respect and implementation of these protection rights will require the participation of the children as well.

Youth participation is a requirement by the United Nations (UN) Convention and the convention on the rights of the child (CRC). The widely endorsed international human rights that contain 196 accessions (CRC) advocates for children under the age of 18 years to be given the right to participate. According to article 12, children's participation can have an essential impact, especially on the different processes, and the results yielded. The youth are aware of the problems that they go through. Once they are allowed to participate in these processes, they will air their views and give the possible solutions that they feel should be implemented. Children should be viewed as survivors and active participants when solutions are being made rather than just victims and burdens.

Another issue that has been raised is the girl effect in development. Most of the nations in the world have focused more on the girl and forgotten the boy child. However, some of the united nation members have come out to defend the boy. Some programs have been implemented that will be used to protect the boy the same way that the girl child is being offered. For decades, the UN agencies have developed donors who have consistently catered for the girls' education and other needs, especially in the developing countries. The project is said to be 'protecting' and 'saving' the adolescent girl (Skalli, 2015). It became more visible after it was associated with 2000 million development goals (MDGs) that were implemented to bridge the gender gap and ensure gender equality. The initiative became the talk of every nation, and after a few years, changes became visible.

Most of the youths are violated, not because they cannot stand out and defend themselves, but because they do not have a clear understanding of their rights as citizens. According to the convention on the rights of the child (CRC), youth have a right to air their views freely. The adults and the society at large should listen to them and also ensure that their participation in all the activities concerning their families, schools, local communities, public services, national policies, among others, is visible. Also, at world vision, they ensure that the children's meaningful participation is considered a critical strategic priority that helps ensure that the societies know the child's well-being and the citizens are well informed. In developing countries, the youth are not allowed to participate in those social activities, unlike in developed countries where they are recognized. Their rights to be citizens are no longer acknowledged as they seem to be unrecognized.

The youth are likely to play as essential agents of transformation if allowed. They have the capability of being involved in the decision making processes that are per the evolving capacities. Once the children learn to communicate and give their opinions, they are likely to take responsibility and make proper decisions since they will develop a sense of belonging, enjoy justice and solidarity. If this is implemented, there will be few cases of indiscipline in schools that are later brought to the local community. They will feel that they belong somewhere hence will not opt for immoral acts or drug abuse. In most cases, these immoral acts are brought by denial that the youth endure since they do not feel the sense of belonging. Some also engage themselves in these acts since they want to be recognized by the adults. Well, in as much as this is the wrong method to use, they are left with no choice since they are not allowed to participate in the community activities. Conversely, if they were allowed to air their opinions, it would be easier for them to air their views, and a conclusion will be drawn that will not favor the youth, but it will be of benefit to both of them.

The issue of participation, according to CRC, is guided by a specific number of principles. The guiding elements were composed of the agents that work with the United Nations on children's participation rights. The article states that any child who is capable of forming his or her views has a right to express those opinions freely. The state parties should ensure that in matters affecting the child, the idea given by the child is issued due weight depending on the age and maturity of the child. In some situations, youths are denied the chance to address their views since they are considered immature. The adults neither allow them to talk nor listen to them as they believe that the opinions coming from youths are invalid. It is the high time that they understood that the youth could have learned something from school that can be implemented in society and benefit all of them. Despite their age, they are also human beings and have rights to participation, especially on issues concerning them and the community. In such a situation, a representative may be necessary or any other body. The idea is to ensure that the views the child would have raised are aired out.

The United Nations (UN) claims that through a representative, the child will raise their opinion. However, in a situation where the child can hold a dialogue between the youth and the adults, then there is no need for the representative. However, the representative is required to defend the youth in case the adults harass them. It is therefore clear that the United Nations have recognized the participation of the children in the societal activities only that the citizens do not understand them. In some nations, dialogue between an adult and a child is considered disrespectful, as they believe that the child does not have any opinion to rise; thus, they should only consider what the adult tells them. In as much we fail to agree, this is a form of child's rights violations (Seymour, 2012). They are denied the freedom of speech that has been stated in most of our nation's constitution. Most of the countries that are guided and ruled by a democratic government they all have a right to speech. However, most people assume that this is only applicable to the adults and the children are not to be involved. Such assumptions are wrong, and they cause the community to deny the children their right to participate in social activities that require their opinions.

Besides taking part in children's level of involvement, the scholars and advocates have agreed that the broad participation of children should be adequate and meaningful to bring forth an engagement. Adequacy is said to be the appropriateness of the involvement that takes into account the cognitive and emotional developments. The children's interests are also considered, especially when assessing the care required, as well as the participation needed. The youth do not only require participants to be recognized as citizens but also need to embrace both cognitive and emotional developments. The dynamic concept, childhood, is evolving, which makes it essential for the children to be allowed to participate and come up with ways to offer the best protection and care that they need now that they are developing. The inclusion of children and youths is also included in article 13, in CRC. It extends further to the rights of the mentally and differently-abled youths. By use of the rights-based approach, promoting children's participation, significant child protection is essential to their development and growth. The results of this approach are to bring out the best initiative that will implement the agreed competencies that will later be applied to emergency settings.

The child protection in emergencies (CPIE) has outlined the skills and behaviors that the child protection workers are expected to possess. The skills and practices are essential as they enable them to talk to the youths freely, allowing them to give their views. Most of these child protection workers act as a youth representative, especially in judicial hearings, where the child is not able to talk for him or herself (S...