 |
"Nothing
but bread and a beating" |
Mohan was just six, as the strange
men arrived in Bihar. His parents were working in the field and he was playing.
His father was promised that things would be better for his son, he would be
allowed to learn, watch films and would even be given new clothes. And he would
earn money. To prove this 500 rupees were given to the family, approx. one US
dollar. They took the young boy with them. "I did enjoy good food for the
first three days", recalls Mohan, and also the fact that from then on he
only got Chapati, bread. He was given no money. He was locked in a room full of
weaving looms with twenty other boys. Only under armed guard was he allowed
outside to relieve himself. The children woke at the crack of dawn and knotted
until sunset. The children could see nothing after this, since staring at the
knots all day had made them night blind. They slept next to the looms,
"Sometimes I cut myself while knotting. If I cried, they beat me with a
rod", says Mohan staring at his scarred hands.
[Petra Pinzler, in: DIE ZEIT vom 15.09.1995]
The following overview provides a
quick reference to the other texts available on the subject of children's rights:
An overview of the reports and
press articles
[To view the texts described
here simply click on the underlined title in the passages below or use the links
at the top left of this page. Whichever method you choose, the text is opened in
a new window and you can return to this page by closing the window]
|
1)
The text entitled "problems
faced in the protection of children's rights" details some of the
serious difficulties that still exist despite adoption of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child in 1989. This text provides a shortened
version of a speech made by Heiko Kauffmann, spokesperson for the German
human rights organization ProAsyl. The
speech starts by highlighting the extent to which children are still
being exploited worldwide and in doing so outlines the history and
motives behind the adoption of the UN children's rights convention. The
second chapter is dedicated to the especially difficult area of child
refugees. The situation in Germany is used as an
example. The child refugee, Pit, and the way in which he was handled
illustrates the inherent problems of Germany's asylum system - even when
the person seeking asylum is a child. |
 |
2)
The second text is an extract from a position
paper by the
German children's relief organization terre
des hommes. This paper deals with the main issues
contained within the UN children's rights convention, as well as
addressing difficulties experienced during implementation of the rights
cited in the document and especially the difficulties surrounding child
protection.
3) The third,
fairly comprehensive text, contains extracts from a report by terre des hommes
marking the 10th anniversary of the
adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1999: "A
decade for children".
The text includes chapters on the Convention's basic principles, its
content and changes that have been made to it. It also includes a
(sobering) conclusion 10 years after adoption, as well as case studies
and examples of violations made against the Convention's provisions as experienced
by terre des hommes on the ground (Haiti, India etc.). Terre des hommes
makes recommendations for the protection of children's rights and
delivers 10 principles about the way in which children should be
treated. |
 |
4)
We have also put together some short press
articles as examples of the sort of violations being made against
children's rights, as well as texts criticizing inadequate implementation
of the children's rights convention. This section also includes
information on what can be done to prevent child labor. Successful
international initiatives against exploitative child labor are also
presented |
|
|
5) The page "quotes"
includes quotations and pictures on the issue of children's rights. |
[Back to
top of page] [Human
Rights start page] [Illustrated
overview]
