TOMORROW, on Universal Children’s Day, UNICEF Australia is celebrating the things that matter to children with the release of a very special report, by children, for children and the adults who care and support them.
To mark 25 years of child rights for every child, everywhere, UNICEF Australia asked Aussie kids about the world they live in, what’s important to them, what makes them feel safe, what they worry about, who they worry about and whether they feel included in the decisions that affect them.
Their answers made up the Things That Matter report, to be shared by UNICEF Australia with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, in Geneva, and government leaders charged with protecting the rights of children in Australia.
From Aussie children, UNICEF Australia learned:
· They worry about children who live in poverty and who are homeless and needing care.
· Their own worries concern the absence of family and friends, especially where they perceive them to be in danger.
· The most important thing to them is family, and keeping their family together.
· They want to feel safe in their community, and what makes them feel safe and secure may be different to what the wider community needs to feel safe. Children told us they are very affected by media reporting on local and global issues and it contributes to how secure they feel.
· They feel included in decisions, but mostly at home. We need to do more to include their voice in big decisions that affect them.
The Things That Matter report will be released online tomorrow.
Source: UNICEF Australia
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
