Say Yes, Winter 2003: Editorial

UNICEF’s flagship publication, The State of the World’s Children Report is published in December every year. This year, the report focuses on the issue of child participation which is a relatively new concept in the thinking surrounding child development. So what is child participation, and why is it so vitally important? The article entitled ‘For Every Child …’ which we’re running in this issue attempts to address this question. Put simply, however, participation is about adults listening to and involving children in the issues which concern them and, most importantly taking note of what they say.

Unfortunately, listening is not one of the more common human virtues, particularly with respect to children. The old maxim that ‘children should be seen and not heard’ still holds sway with far too many people. With the best of intentions of listening, it is all too easy to offer an encouraging smile but no real ‘ear’ to the ‘outpourings’ of our children. When they are not listened to, this failure of ours to listen properly, can frustrate their emotional and intellectual growth.

Children are also human beings and they are understandably affected if their opinions, views and observations are ignored by parents and adults. The child is involved in a continuous process of emotional, psychological and intellectual development and having their communications ‘bounce back’ at them is bound to have a depressing effect. It is no surprise that the child who does best at school and in life in general is used to being listened to from the earliest age.

The good news about child participation is that adults, realising its importance in building the next generation, are now taking the idea more seriously. In this context, the ground-breaking involvement of children in the United Nations Special Session on Children (UNSSC) in May 2002 was symbolic of how government and civil society leaders everywhere are becoming more conscious of the necessity of listening to children and taking what they say into account when making decisions which affect their lives.

Ultimately, the process of child participation begins in the home. As parents, we need to be aware that listening to our children is as vital to their development as proper nourishment, for example.

Far from being ‘seen and not heard’, children should be ‘seen and heard’.

Edmond McLoughney
UNICEF Representative, Turkey

PS: We’d very much like to hear readers reactions to this issue, so please feel free to contact us with your comments and suggestions.

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