IYAC: Disingenuous “Children’s Rights”
“OK, kids. We’ll listen to you, as long as you say what we want to hear”.
If ever there was confirmation that the club-wielding ogre known as the Child-Protection Movement has completed its brutally effective hijacking of the Children’s-Rights Bandwagon, this has to be it. Now watch me as I drown in my own sarcasm.
In just one day’s time at a still undisclosed venue in London, “Child Representatives” (speaking on behalf of the Children’s Republic), corporate interests (acting out of nothing but compassion and original thought) and the leading lights of Britain’s State-Sponsored Child-Protection Cartel (no vested interests there, then) will meet in a closed, cult-like “International Youth Advisory Congress“.
What a wonderful turn of events it is, that these selfless figureheads of the Child-Protection Movement have suddenly performed an about turn, and decided to consider the opinions of young people before they propose the Children and Young People’s Global Online Charter, whose internationally relevant recommendations must be an open case from beginning to end! How brave of the historically dispassionate organisers – Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and their allies in the police force, to risk dealing with the conflicting attitudes and opinions of happy-go-lucky youth! Think again.
The anatomy of a state-sponsored sham
Applications for attendees were closed (on the site’s homepage) from the very beginning. Oh, but hang on… one redeeming feature. This only applies to children and young people (aged between 14 and 17). Of course, if you are one of a number of…
“organisations who have a vested interest in ensuring the safety and security of children online”
…you are more than welcome to put yourself forward. But 14-17 year olds, please… move along now. Go to the separate “Children’s Site” where we have arranged a series of entertaining games for you to numb your pain with. Cut out some paper men and take photographs of them… its so fun and liberating!
And those of you who we have “vetted and jetted” in to the UK, after leaving adverts on totally fair and unbiased websites need only worry just that little bit about being belittled, categorised and patronised by the middle-class values of our organisers:
“We are looking for forty young people from around Europe to come to the five-day residential event All travel expenses will be covered, and accommodation and meals will be provided on site The young people will be chaperoned at all times by staff from CEOP and partnership agencies including the NSPCC; and interpreters will be available to translate for non-English speaking children. Full safeguarding procedures will be put in place and made available to teachers and parents prior to the event, and we are able to cater for young people with a range of special needs and disabilities.”
Nappies, emergency wet nurses and sun cream are optional, it appears.
And as for dissent, no need to worry. We choose who goes before “consulting” them anyway. What harm can come from an organised, tokenistic freak-show with a set outcome? It’s like asking the treatment clientèle of NARTH associates how they would like to be cured. What can possibly go wrong?
And what’s more, when the show has ended, we can claim that… THE KIDS AGREE WITH US!!! Even though they are not old enough to be informed about this kind of thing… unless they agree with us, m’kay.
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Semantics: seeing I to I, or not?4 comments on "IYAC: Disingenuous “Children’s Rights”"
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I agree–it does seem as if the real views of young people are not going to be allowed to ‘sully’ this event. A general question: what can be done to give young people more input to the decisions that affect them? We could support lowering of the voting age, but this measure, even if enacted, would make at best a marginal difference. I do take heart though from individual success stories like Summerhill School in England, with its approach to education that involves empowering young people (optional lessons for example). Not long ago, the school, which had long been persectuted by the inspectorate won a significant victory in forcing the government to let it be inspected through a system that was more appropriate to its particular ethos. There has been another inspection since then, which has been much more positive. But how can this be replicated elsewhere–and for youngsters whose parents are not rich enough to pay for it?
One saying I’ll always remember “It takes a Community to bring up a Child”, not a parent or parents, not a government and not a corporation.
I think It highly suspicious that the choices of sites are the Youth side and Corporate side don’t people understand the dangers of using corporations to run there childs lives I say good luck to them and there screwed.
More in tune with the article even most of young might have a seriously negative response about us as prejudices like homophobia and the more extreme paedophile-phobia was created while people were young.
There right to speak will never help us until they have a right to think something that is ripped out of most while still young.
This is nothing more than a show, orchestrated to provide a platform as a basis to spout the personal agendas of those who have organized the event. It has little to do with Children as equal Humans. If people cared about Children’s rights there would be a child suffrage movement and a movement to limit – nay end – the unjust indoctrination of youth into religious sects. It all falls into the category of values. It doesn’t matter how much smoke these people blow. There will always be only one truth, regardless of the popularity of it.
This remind me of Live Aid 07, where some rich people got together, partied till the sun came down meanwhile talking about the poor environment, then they probably got in their gas guzzlers and their private jets and went home, nothing was done. It’s all just a load of steam.