Children’s Rights


The Working Group on Children’s Rights shares resources, perspectives and projects to understand and advocate for children’s rights as expressed in the UNCRC and as experienced by children in diverse contexts around the world.

Working Group

Ana Oliva Marcilio de Souza, Brazil
Anne Sivanathan, Malaysia
Angela Fowler, United States
Connie Duran, Mexico
Pat Furman, Canada
Karen Graham, Wales
Margo Greenwood, Canada
Martha Llanos, Peru

Meenakshi Dahal, Nepal
Michelle Barreras, United States
Pamla Boulton, United States
Sam Hall, Boulder, United States
Vashima Goyal, Singapore

Liaison:  Kirsten Haugen, United States

wff-childrensrights

Mission

The mission of the Working Group on Children’s Rights (WGCR) is to promote the rights of the child through study, reflection, and dissemination of information about the multiple perspectives and contexts for children’s rights.

Announcing the Global Action for Impact Network: Local Projects, Global Impact

World Forum Foundation Child Impact InitiativeIt is our aspiration that by recognizing local projects of any size, this network will positively impact children and their communities and create a global movement that transforms our world, one local initiative at a time. We invite you to join us in this journey. Together, we are positively impacting millions of children around the world.

“When people share local, innovative ideas with a global community, approaches and solutions emerge that enrich and empower communities to build a better world for children and all of us.”

Be inspired by the work of others, or submit your initiative to become part of this network (see criteria below).

 

By Becoming a Recognized Initiative of the Global Action for Impact Network (GAIN), You Will…

  • Positively impact the lives of children.
  • Receive international recognition for your work.
  • Be counted, along with other programs, as we measure the global impact of local initiatives.
  • Inspire others by your work to launch initiatives of their own

 

You Can Submit Your Initiative for Recognition If:

  1. It addresses an identified local or organizational need (no initiative is too big or small)
  2. It includes a child centered and rights focused approach
  3. It has an identified contact/leader to enroll the initiative, adhere to guidelines and take responsibility for submitting brief, periodic updates.
  4. It is current and has a specific time frame (start and end date)
  5. It aligns with the mission and values of the World Forum Foundation.

Submit Your Project

Or, sign up for more information and updates, including the upcoming launch of the new GAIN website.

GAIN is coordinated by Karen Graham, United Kingdom, with support from the Working Group on Children’s Rights.

 

World Forum Spotlight on Children’s Rights

The World Forum Spotlight on Children’s Rights recognizes people and programs that exemplify the Spotlight principles:

  • sharing a belief in/view of children as strong and capable contributors to their education, families, and communities
  • demonstrating a respect for children as individuals and current citizens of their larger community
  • demonstrating thoughtful/meaningful support for children’s sense of agency
  • demonstrating a commitment to promoting this child-centered view of rights throughout their community

Past recipients include:
Anne Sivanathan and the Inclusive Outdoor Classroom, Malaysia
Connie Duran and Paxia / Puerta Abierta, Mexico
 

Additional Resources

Voices of Children Documentary

What would it look like to document children sharing their views, ideas, and experiences regarding their rights?

Could we create a more inclusive and complex conception of human rights through listening to and observing young children in diverse contexts around the globe?

Voices of Children is a short documentary film created by an international team of educators and filmmakers in response to these challenges. The film is available to families, educators, advocates, and policy-makers as a provocation to reflect, dialogue and take action.

Children’s rights was a major focus of the 2019 World Forum on Early Care and Education. The final version of The Voices of Children documentary was shown, as well as major explorations on children’s rights in sessions on refugees, stateless children, unregistered children, gender issues, indigenous peoples, children with special needs, children impacted by poverty and malnutrition, and children denied access to play.

A Positive Image of Children’s Rights: A discussion with members of the Working Group on Children’s Rights

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A Beginning – Images of Rights: Children’s Perspectives Project (part 1 of 3)

This article introduces the Images of Rights Project, provides context and background and invites readers’ participation. It is the first of three Exchange magazine articles by the World Forum Foundation’s Working Group on Children’s Rights, which together explain the core principles of provision, protection and participation in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), explore a range of children’s rights issues, and invite you to join our Images of Rights project.

Implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Global Successes and Challenges (part 2 of 3)

This article discusses the history of children’s rights and the development of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), highlighting the ways in which several countries have interpreted this document. It is the second of three Exchange magazine articles by the World Forum Foundation’s Working Group on Children’s Rights, which together explain the core principles of provision, protection and participation in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), explore a range of children’s rights issues, and invite you to join our Images of Rights project.

Children’s Rights in Action: Children and Adults as Partner Advocates (part 3 of 3)

This article focuses on actions on behalf of children’s rights, including the World Forum Foundation’s Working Group on Children’s Rights, and the Images of Rights and Voices of Children projects. It is the third of three Exchange magazine articles by the World Forum Foundation’s Working Group on Children’s Rights, which together explain the core principles of provision, protection and participation in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), explore a range of children’s rights issues, and invite you to join our Images of Rights project.

A Conversation About Children’s Rights

by Ellen Hall and Alison Maher – Response by Pam Boulton

Do Children have rights? How can they be active participants in the classroom? And what does this have to do with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child? Ellen Hall, Alison Maher and Pam Boulton, of the Working Group on Children’s Rights discuss these questions and more in this article from Exchange magazine, May/June 2012.

Seen and Heard: Children’s Rights in Early Childhood

By Ellen Lynn Hall and Jennifer Kofkin Rudkin (foreward by Bonnie Neugebauer). Teachers College Press, 2011

Using examples from a Reggio-inspired school with children from ages 6 weeks to 6 years, the authors emphasize the importance of children’s rights and our responsibility as adults to hear their voices. Seen and Heard summarizes research and theory pertaining to young children’s rights in the United States, and offers strategies educators can use to ensure the inclusion of children’s perspectives in everyday decisions.