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This UN in Russia issue is dedicated to the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children
Ten years have passed since the 1990 World Summit for Children (WSC) attended by more than one hundred heads of state, set goals to be achieved for children all over the world. During this last decade, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the cornerstone of all our efforts, our hopes and our ambitions, has been ratified by every country in the world except two.
Against this background, in September of this year, the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children will bring together political leaders, representatives of NGOs and civil society, young people and children to review progress towards the World Summit goals, and to discuss to what extent the aspirations of the CRC are being fulfilled.
But the Session will also have another important objective: to establish new goals and endorse new priorities for children and young people for the next ten years - the "new global agenda for children". In preparation for the Special Session, the Russian government, with substantial contributions from NGOs, has prepared the End-Decade Report, acknowledging progress, recognising problems and outlining future priorities.
We all acknowledge that not all the goals of the WSC have been achieved: in many places, the situation of children is worse now than it was ten years ago. Despite the ratification of the CRC and all the efforts that have been made to bring national legislation into line with it, the Convention continues to be honoured more in theory than in practice. Children continue to suffer from the harmful effects of poverty, neglect, conflict and discrimination. This is, sadly, true to some degree in every country in the world – no country can claim that it protects all its children effectively, and that no child is deprived of his or her rights. To add to the "old" problems, new ones have emerged in recent years – for example, the threat of HIV/AIDS, and the dangers of substance abuse – drugs, alcohol and tobacco. In Russia, even the substantial achievements of mother and child health and basic education are being threatened by rapid social and economic change. The falling birth rate here makes it more important than ever that every child born in Russia should be wanted, loved, protected and provided with all the support of family and society, to equip him or her for participation in the life of the country and the building of a democratic society.
So, this is no time for complacency about our children’s future. What we have all learned over the last few years is that we will make no progress for our children unless we are all ready to work together. The goals and objectives the world adopts at the Special Session in September will be everybody’s goals – government, NGOs, local and regional authorities, parents and children themselves. From the Special Session, we believe, will grow the Global Movement for children – a broad alliance of all these partners. The Movement will have several major tasks: it will advocate for the fulfilment of children’s rights and monitor their implementation; it will take concrete action together to change the world for children; it will involve children and young people themselves in identifying and solving their problems.
Rosemary McCreery,
UNICEF Representative in
the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus
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The nationwide competition "My Words from the UN Tribune", devoted to the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children, was held jointly by UNICEF and the Local Initiatives Foundation. Taking part in it were more than 1,000 children from 165 cities in 57 different regions of Russia, as well as Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Armenia. The ages of the contestants ranged from 6 to 17. They submitted more than 1,500 written compositions, drawings, paintings and photographs to the contest. Some of these are being printed in The UN in Russia.
They say that childhood is the happiest time of one’s life. But is that true for everyone? Unfortunately, no. Many children today do not have parents, and children’s homes are overflowing. Quite a few children have parents who drink and torment them. Meanwhile, society looks upon this with indifference. With each passing day, the number of children begging for a handout increases. Many of them are forced to beg by their parents: there’s no easier way to make a little money; people will give more readily to a child than to an adult. Then the "parent" (to use the term loosely) takes the money away and gets drunk. Does anyone stop to think about the children who have no roof over their heads, who sleep in strange hallways, in basements, or in the crawlspaces at the tops of high-rise buildings? They tell me that there are laws which protect the rights of minors. These, though, are on paper; they don’t apply in real life.
Just
who does protect us? Sure, we can rely on our parents – those of us who are
luck enough to have some. Or, on those nice people who we’ve yet to meet. But
what can those who aren’t so lucky do?
And now you come to the conclusion that nobody will take care of you, except you yourself. In this cruel world, you can rely only on yourself. Whoa! – I’ve figured it out, all by myself.
Anastasia Antonova,
Kotelniki, Moscow Region, 9th Grade
A lot of parents have to choose between being content in their family, or earning money. My parents, like most, have chosen the latter. Who nowadays can turn away from a wonderful, rich life? Practically no one. Nowadays, families are getting richer and richer, but at the same time, they’re not very content, since a lot of teenagers are needed more by their friends than their parents, who work from morning to night. The result of all this is, that the family budget is in perfect order – unlike the upbringing of the children. Eventually, it will turn out that, at best, the child will be oriented towards his friends, who are not always too good; at worst, he’ll become a criminal.
Ilya Grishin, Yekaterinburg, Age 13
Who will protect me from my own parents?
There are three of us sisters in the family: me, Vika and Alina. After the third, Alina, was born, Mama started to drink more and more often. She’s been getting drunk for 10 years now. She’s gone from being a pretty woman to a skinny old crone. She isn’t home for months at a time. She only comes home because her broken hand or fractured skull has to heal. Then, my life becomes hell. She’s always insulting me; she used to beat me, but now I hit her back. The five of us live in a room that’s only 12 square meters. Our father has given in to everything. He doesn’t like it when I complain to him. He might hit me. He’s now started saying that I’m already 15, and I can earn money myself. He’s openly suggesting that I take up prostitution. Last month, Mama wanted to poison us. She put 10 pills in the soup that Vika and I were making. It’s a good thing we noticed! The children’s room at the police station, and the precinct Inspector, know our family very well, since they come to our place often. They keep promising to take away Mama’s parental rights, but for some reason they won’t do it. The one outlet I have is my friends and school. The principal is really nice; she’s also my Russian teacher; Anna Mironovna is trying to get me out of that hellhole, and save me both materially and morally. I’m the editor of the school computer newspaper, Brigantine, which Anna Mironovna runs; she made me learn how to work on the computer. I write articles, and also work on the regional youth newspaper. Two of my articles have been printed in the city’s Krasnoyarsk Gazette.
You might get the impression that I’m a beaten, dirty, unhappy girl. Nothing of the sort! I’m a pretty, slender, tall young woman. I know how to carry on an interesting conversation, dress well, and take care of myself. For some reason, though, I’ve gotten so tired of fighting with my parents recently that I’ve started thinking a lot about committing suicide – just going out and hanging myself.
Why am I in this world? Who needs me? Who will protect me? Who will help me? Who will answer these questions for me?
Irina Landysheva, Krasnoyarsk, Age 15
It’s just one step from a normal life to the life of a drug addict. Many take this step without stopping to think about the consequences. In order to go back to a normal life, however, you have to follow a very long and difficult path.
Some adults simply don’t notice such problems among their children or their friends. Sometimes, an addict’s parents will turn away from him, without even trying to help; although many do everything possible to relieve their child of this awful affliction. But no one can help an addict who won’t help himself. If a person has the will and wants a life free of narcotics, he can win. Of course, will and desire are not enough in themselves. You must have the support of people who love you.
I want to call upon all people to fight against drug addiction, and beg all grownups: pay attentiom to your children more often, support them in all things, and look into their inner world more deeply!
Julia Syreishchikova, Kozmodemyansk, Marii El Republic, 11th Grade
Right now, I’m not at home; I’m in a special school for troubled teenagers. I’m starting a new life, you might say – turning over a new leaf. I don’t really want to remember how I made Mama cry, how I used to steal; how I used to roam the streets alone, drinking liquor—I almost started using drugs. I understand, now, that I’ve got nothing to be proud about. Here, at the special school, I realize that I ruined my childhood by being a hooligan.
I can’t say that now I understand, that I’ve looked inside myself – there’s so much different stuff mixed up inside me. I don’t want to be bad, mean, weak or jealous. Can I be otherwise? In a word, I most often feel unhappy with myself. Even though there’s this little inner voice telling me that I can overcome all the bad things inside me, that I can overcome all my stupid habits. I’m not always going to be fighting with myself.
Knitting calms my nerves. I took up knitting here, in the special school. Boy, would all my old buddies be surprised!
My unhappiness with myself makes me be more demanding of myself, and others. I’ve already begun to understand when I’m not right, and when grown-ups aren’t right, too. Only, for some reason, it’s more difficult for them to see and admit their mistakes than it is for us.
Aleksei Kushnir, Octyabrskii Workmen`s Settlement, Volgograd Region, Age 14