'Don't do what you wouldn't like to be done to you'.

Byline: Anna Hassapi

EDUCATION Minister Andreas Demetriou yesterday called children and youth to refrain from violence during a speech he gave at the launch of Children's Rights Day events to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention on Children's Rights.

At a time when juvenile delinquency appears to be strongly on the rise and teachers say it's a daily struggle to control school violence Demetriou said: "Don't say what you wouldn't like to be told. Don't do what you wouldn't like to be done to you. Don't search for your identity in conflict and violence just because it gives you a sense of power. Find it in your goodwill, constructive relations with others, and the pleasure of your presence. There is your strength."

Labour Minister Sotiroulla Charalambous who also addressed the event said many children found it hard to cope with the pressures of today's society and ended up going off the rails.

"Even in our country it is now a given that many children will spend a large part of their childhood under conditions of family tension, conflict, abuse and humiliation and often resort to drugs, antisocial behavior and juvenile delinquency and abandon schools and families," she said.

"Pressures, tensions and the complexities of contemporary society, coupled with the weakening of traditional support networks, make the Cypriot family more vulnerable, with negative consequences on children," Charalambous added.

According to officials, even though huge strides have been made in securing more rights for children across the globe, Children's Rights Day serves as a stark reminder that millions of children across the world, and even some in Cyprus, are still being subjected to abuse and exploitation.

Leda Koursoumba, Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights said that the state should aim in reaching a point where children in Cyprus can actually enjoy the rights provided in the relevant UN Convention. Last week Koursoumba called for more child-friendly courts that would encourage children to come forward in abuse cases without feeling intimidated by the legal process.

"It is our obligation to secure and protect the rights of children," she said yesterday.

"The child has a right to life and development, so everyone has an obligation to provide children everything they need to have a good life today, develop normally, and make use of its potential in full," said Koursoumba.

The legal basis for children's rights stems from the UN Convention on the Rights of Children, and it encompasses the idea that all decisions made for the child should be taken based primarily on the child's best interests.

"The Convention is the basic tool that covers the framework of children's human rights including statutory, political, financial and cultural rights without any discrimination on race, colour gender, state, language, religious, financial state, disability, or any other condition of the child or its parents or legal guardians," saidd Koursoumba.

The Convention provides that children have the right to health, education, social security, exercise, play, entertainment, free time, culture and adequate standard of living, protection from any kind of abuse, discrimination, exploitation, substance abuse, injustice and conflict.

It also provides that they have the right to participation, which means taking a child's opinion into account. They should be informed of decisions that affect them, and they should have freedom to form and express opinions.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2009

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