prijava
SARAJEVO, October 13 (FENA) - UN Convention on the Rights of the Child serves as a reminder to the world that children need special attention, that they are particularly vulnerable category and it is the responsibility of states to exercise all rights for each child, said the UNICEF Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rownak Khan, in an interview with FENA, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention.
Interview by: Alma Zukanović
She emphasized that the Convention, the most widely ratified human rights treaty, is a measure of how much states protect every child and exercise their rights.
She recalled that UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore recently sent an open letter to the children of the world during the UN General Assembly, highlighting the eight biggest challenges for all children in the world, adding that each of these challenges is closely related to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Among other things, Khan stressed that the global challenge represents 30 million displaced and migrated children, but also a large number of children without legal identity, without an official birth certificate meaning they are 'invisible'. She also said that many children are concerned that they will not have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe in the future because of the climate changes.
However, Khan stresses that each Member State, which signed the Convention, should accept responsibility for the fulfillment of all rights for each child and to report periodically to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. BiH submitted its fifth and sixth reports this year.
She said that in that report the Member States present how mechanisms within the institutions were implemented for each child's right.
Khan points out that UNICEF's main partner is the government, and that UNICEF is analyzing the situation to understand how children in that country live.
"It is important for us not only to know the data, but to understand the reasons for denying the exercise of their rights, and who is responsible for that," Khan explained, adding that they are making a work program for the next five years.
When it comes to BiH, she said that they are currently focusing on pre-school education, because data show that many children in BiH do not have the opportunity to attend pre-school education, but also the quality of education to enable children to enter the labor market after they finish school.
In the field of health, Khan said they have worked to improve systems for early identification and intervention of various types of disorders, as well as to have been engaged in inclusive education.
They also paid attention to the problem of violence against children, social protection, the exercise of special rights, which include benefits for particularly vulnerable categories of children and in the last few years their focus has extended to young people and empowering them to participate in society.
“The principle of fairness is the basic principle that we follow, which means that every child should have a fair chance, especially marginalized and vulnerable children, namely: children with disabilities, in rural areas, Roma children, and lately migrant children and refugees, ” she explained.
Speaking about bringing the Convention on the Rights of the Child closer to as many people as possible, she said that the Convention is not always 'readable' and clear to everyone, especially children, therefore they plan a number of activities this year. Part of these activities, she added, will be held in schools where they will ask children to help them create a version of the Convention that is child-friendly and adjusted for the present time.
She also emphasized that they are working with celebrities and people in the media to help them bring the Convention closer to citizens, as they want to make it accessible to everyone.
“Children will still be born, but their problems will continue. Every child should be happy and it is our responsibility to make it possible for them,” said UNICEF Representative in BiH Rownak Khan.
(FENA) A. B.
