Switzerland fails on children's rights

In February 2003, UNICEF released the results of its survey of 13,000 Swiss children between the ages of 9 and 16. Conducted between January and March 2002, the survey found that 48% of participants felt they had a say in family matters, as compared to 39% who thought their views mattered at school and just 7% who believed they had a voice at the community level. In short, children felt that they were not sufficiently involved in the decision-making processes associated with living in a democracy.

Reflecting on the findings, one expert quoted in the article (Reinhard Fatke, an education specialist at the University of Zurich) pointed to the fact that Switzerland ratified its UN Convention on the Rights of the Child much later than other European countries. He also pointed to the political structure in that country, which involves a division of responsibility among 26 cantons rather than a central government (which might have the power to introduce reforms).

Click here for the full article on the swissinfo site.

Source

Article forwarded to the Young People's Media Network on June 3 2003 (click here to access the archives).