UNICEF and IKEA instruct children on their rights
From May 29 to June 1, 2009, UNICEF and IKEA were carrying out an annual joint action timed to coincide with the International Children’s Day celebrated on June 1. During those four days, all young visitors to IKEA shops located in Moscow and St.Petersburg as well as their parents could take part in an exciting and informative game. At the entrance to IKEA shops, they were all given forms with questions about child rights. In the shops’ display area, children could find cues to the questions in the form of UNICEF information boards. When exiting from the shop, children were awarded for their efforts and given prizes in exchange for their completed forms: small flags and badges, puzzle games and photo frames, and, of course, a CRC child passport. Both children and their parents were happy to take part in the action. “That’s great! It looks real,” exclaimed 9-year-old Sasha upon receiving a UNICEF Child Passport. Now, Sasha will be able to learn, all by himself, about his rights, as the Child Passport describes, in a child-friendly language, all his rights set forth in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The thematic area for the joint action – child rights – was identified for a definite purpose. In 2009, the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is commemorated worldwide. It is for this reason that UNICEF and IKEA decided to get message across to children and their parents about young citizens’ basic rights and call upon adults to protect child rights – and to do all this in a playful, child-friendly manner. It is already for the fourth time that UNICEF and IKEA have arranged their joint action to coincide with June 1. This year, Ikea shops based in St.Petersburg joined the action for the first time. For ten years now, UNICEF and IKEA have been cooperating in the area of child protection. We seek to capture the attention of adults focusing it on children’s needs and problems. Since 2005, IKEA has donated about $1.5 million towards UNICEF projects in Russia. One of the principal areas of UNICEF/IKEA cooperation is implementation of projects aimed to eliminate social exclusion of children with disabilities and foster an environment conducive to the development, to the maximum extent possible, of their potential and facilitate communication with their peers.
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