Everyone must know children's rights.

‘Everyone must know children’s rights’ was the concluding message reiterated by the UN Samoa representative Mr. Jorn Sorensen who delivered one of the key remarks at the official opening of the 84th Extraordinary Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, in Apia Samoa.

‘Everyone must know children’s rights’ because the safety and the well being of our children begins with us as humans and as parents, he added.

Out of the 54 Articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 42 emphasizes the need for everyone from children, to young people and adults to understand, recognized and accord the children these rights so that they enjoy a life where all their needs and their entitlements to be protected,  to be educated, to be healthy, to be heard and more, are provided for.

These days, our children are being exploited in many ways, most commonly across the Pacific as child vendors, scavengers in dump sites, victims of sexual arrangements and abuse, bullying and school violence.

These are some of the distressing issues affecting our children for which the Convention aims to end. However, the true meaning of the Convention is often misunderstood.

Nevertheless, the work of the UN led by the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, regional organisations such as the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the State parties to the Convention and all other stakeholders, is not defeated.

Because every child count, and every child deserves every right. The work is never done.

For the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2020 is an ‘extraordinary’ year. Being it, the first time that the Committee has convened its 84th Session away from its normal setting in Geneva or New York.

The idea of bringing the 84th Session to Samoa according to the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Luis Reyna is part of the Committee’s work to enhance real and direct participation by Governments, NGOs and other stakeholders in the process to review the implementation of the Convention.

He added that it has always been a challenge to bring the Pacific to Geneva, which resulted in low participation and lack of constructive dialogue to truly understand the progress on the implementation of the Convention, and the real issues threatening the lives of Pacific children.

Choosing the Pacific for its first outreach session, he added, was the opportunity to engage directly with the stakeholders in the Pacific, especially the Pacific children.

The ‘meet the children of Samoa event’, was the highlight of the first day of the Extraordinary Session.

It was a ‘mind opening’ event for the Committee to hear first hand from the children, their thoughts, their experiences on the challenges of life as Pacific children. Voicing their ideas on how to overcome these challenges, were well articulated that it impressed the Committee as well as the audience at this meeting.

After all, if this Convention is about and for the Children, then any decision on what is best for them should be based on an understanding of their needs and challenges from their perspectives.

The Session will continue throughout this week with the Committee meeting representatives from Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Tuvalu to assess and review their obligations under the Convention.