Recently I was visiting a friend in New Delhi and I was explaining to him about the purpose of my visit. The question he had asked me stumped me completely. He had asked “What rights can a five year old child can have?
I answered and agreed the bareness of the question but I wanted him to hear the spirit of my answer. I said that a five year old child may not/ need not have rights as his parents provide for him in every aspect of his life. But the number and quality of rights that the world enshrines on our children are for two purposes:
Awareness: To help parents and others understand that children do have rights and some are as simple as 'Child has the right to express'. What he expresses may not be acceptable and it is up to the parents to convince the child how it is not in his/ her best interest to pursue but it is important that they allow him/ her to express.
Deterrance: Only when we have rights that the violators can be held accountable. For example, if a child's rights to not be transferred out of his culture without his /her consent, it is under this violation that one can be held accountable.
I answered and agreed the bareness of the question but I wanted him to hear the spirit of my answer. I said that a five year old child may not/ need not have rights as his parents provide for him in every aspect of his life. But the number and quality of rights that the world enshrines on our children are for two purposes:
Awareness: To help parents and others understand that children do have rights and some are as simple as 'Child has the right to express'. What he expresses may not be acceptable and it is up to the parents to convince the child how it is not in his/ her best interest to pursue but it is important that they allow him/ her to express.
Deterrance: Only when we have rights that the violators can be held accountable. For example, if a child's rights to not be transferred out of his culture without his /her consent, it is under this violation that one can be held accountable.
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