Knowsley youngsters ‘step up’ for children’s rights

Two young people visited 10 Downing Street on Friday to raise awareness of children’s rights on behalf of all young people

Claire Lyons, 17, and Christopher Browne, 17, delivered messages written on footprints from children across the country telling the Prime Minister why children’s rights are important to them.

The trip marked the start of a year of action on children’s rights.

The Knowsley youngsters joined a group of 17 young people visiting Downing Street. The footprints they handed over to the Government featured messages from over 3,500 children on why children’s rights are important to them.

Claire 17, said, “Children’s rights are important because without rights we are not equal. We don’t want to feel voiceless just because we are young. We shouldn’t have to defend our rights. We want adults to take responsibility and be as passionate as we are about having and respecting children’s rights.

“My message to David Cameron is…I have a right to be heard and to know my rights are being taken seriously by him, the government and adults. I have the right to go out and socialise with my friends without the fear of being stopped and seen as a gang. We shouldn’t be seen as problems to be fixed because it’s unfair. We are coming up with good ideas that can help things get better for everyone, not just children.

“It was exciting to go to Downing Street and I feel really proud to have handed in thousands of children’s footprints. This will show the Government that children’s rights are important to us. We deserve to know about our rights and to feel that adults are doing the best they can for us.”

Christopher, 17, added, “It’s been amazing to be here today. It’s a really important moment for children and young people – every child has a voice and should be listened to.”

The children’s messages were received twenty years after the UK made a legally binding agreement with the United Nations to uphold the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The treaty requires that children be respected as human beings with views, feelings and ideas of their own.

Only two UN member states have failed to ratify the children's Convention, making it one of the most widely supported human rights treaties in the world. Unlike the UK, many countries have made the Convention on the Rights of the Child part of their domestic law.

The council’s Rights and Participation Team will now support SPARK, Knowsley’s children and young people’s forum, to plan twelve months of action to celebrate the anniversary year. The young people will work in partnership with The Children's Rights Alliance for England CRAE and UNICEF to seek greater rights for children.

Photgraphed Claire and Christopher deliver thousands of messages on children’s rights to number 10