WA children’s rights outlined in Statement of Commitment
The rights of WA children and young people have been outlined in a new Statement of Commitment from the Commissioner for Children and Young People.
This Statement outlines nine key rights for all WA children and young people, including the right to:
Be safe and feel safe everywhere
Belong and be me
Be treated fairly and humanely
Contribute, make decisions and be listened to
Education and lifelong learning
Explore, express and create
A healthy life
Play, have fun and be active
Be loved
Commissioner Colin Pettit said that the statement was informed by the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, and the views of WA children themselves.
“I hope that this statement will provide a simple guide for children to understand their rights and also guide the community’s collective efforts in ensuring our children and young people are safe, healthy, happy and learning,” Mr Pettit said.
“As we celebrate Children’s Week, it is a timely reminder to think about the children in our lives – in our families, our workplaces or more broadly in our community – and whether or not we are doing all we can to uphold children’s rights.”
Australia is one of many nations to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, now more than 25 years old, which outlines the fundamental rights of children world-wide.
“My predecessors and I have consulted with thousands of children on a range of wellbeing issues and children raise the same key factors that are important to their wellbeing – family, friends, education, culture (for Aboriginal students) as well as being respected and acknowledged,” Mr Pettit said.
“Everyone has a responsibility, including family, carers, the broader community and children and young people themselves, to work together to deliver these rights.
“At an organisational level, it is important that children have the opportunity to have their views heard, to raise concerns when they feel their rights, such as being safe, are compromised, and for these concerns to be responded to accordingly.”
The Commissioner’s Statement of Commitment was informed by primary and secondary school students and the Commissioner’s Ambassadors for Children and Young People.