AIDS conference and some reflections on UNCRC

From November 21 to 23 last year (2012 was that last year? already? wow.) national and international stakeholders, academics, healthcare providers, scientists, and children convened in Kigali for the Rwanda National Pediatric Conference on Children Affected and Infected by HIV and AIDS.  There were presenters from organizations like Partners in Health, UNICEF, World Vision, USAID, WHO, UNAIDS, and more.  It was sponsored by the Rwanda Biomedical Center.  Rwanda is making great strides toward supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and preventing new infections of HIV and it’s exciting to be a part of it all.  The theme of the conference was, “Strengthening Community Ownership for Equitable, Effective and Sustainable Response to HIV Among Children in Rwanda.”  There were motivating keynote speakers, encouraging and enlightening researchers presenting their work, and engaged and involved children and youth.  Oh, and Q&A sessions that went on and on and on and on and on.... followed by crazy-cool entertainment when we were all too tired to still be there.  I mean, it was a professional international conference but it was still in Africa -- it began every day a few hours late and went on into the evening past the time Americans are hungry for dinner.  Then almost every Rwandan there was eager to make his or her thoughts heard on the microphone.  Rarely were there actually questions posed during the Q&A, but mostly comments, encouragement, and criticism.  At the very end they surprised us all with a performance by the Urban Boyz.  If you don’t know this group, look them up.  They’re all the rage in Rwanda.  Some of us volunteers became sillier than the teenager girls in attendance.  

Researchers working all over Rwanda presented their work on services for families affected by HIV, HIV prevention, sexual behaviors and beliefs, child labor, the field of social work; all of them looking at community integration in the care of people living with and the prevention of HIV and AIDS.  Those who were unable to present, shared posters.  So much information.  There’s some great  investigating and creative thinking happening in Rwanda.  I left motivated and encouraged and proud of working with a country making so much progress.

children and youth performing for the conference (I do need to admit it was a little strange that whenever there was a lull in conference activities they'd make the children get up and perform.  But I think they really enjoyed showing off their choreographed dances)

One of the best things about the conference was that there was a simultaneous youth and child conference going on in another hall.  The youth were presented with the information, held discussions, and at the end of it all, presented the adults with their recommendations for a way forward.  

if you look closely, perhaps you can see the very small girl presenting the children's recommendations for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Rwanda

In my opinion, this was the best part.  As you know I spent a year intensely studying the role of youth and family development in the bigger picture of community and international development.  Yes, I’m getting ready to talk about the UNCRC.  We spent countless hours poring over it last year, how could I forget about it? 

Section one of article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (opened in 1989, entry into force 1990) reads, “The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice.”  

And then article 15: 

1. States Parties recognize the rights of the child to freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly.
2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of these rights other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public) [sic], the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

Children with the right to freedom of expression?  Freedom to meet together? Freedom to information?  To disseminate information? Free access to media of the child’s choice?

What?

Do kids know they have the right to these freedoms?

These, even to my American ears, are bold and liberal words.  To think of the power these young, bright, pure, not yet jaded by the limitations and disappointments of our modern cultures could have if they got together and made their voices heard.  Why, they could possibly change us all.  I wonder if they would say we’re handing them a planet and a society that’s barely fit to live in.  No wonder America is reluctant to become party to this convention.*  We might be told by our children that we should use less nonrenewable resources, eat less, be kinder to each other, let everyone have healthcare, and make schools a little safer.  

Now, it's likely that there are some articles of this convention that are not being upheld here, as I am certain there are in most countries, but I was so proud and impressed to see these two being implemented so publicly and by the Ministry of Health.  Whenever the Minister of Health spoke at the conference she spoke in Kinyarwanda and addressed the children, expressing that they are the reason we’re having the conference so all effort should be made to include and involve them.  

Our time is seeing evermore awareness and pursuit of the rights of children.  In most developed countries children are no longer part of the industrial workforce and even where they are, it’s widely known they shouldn’t be.  We know that children should have enough resources for social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development, even in developing countries where this isn’t always possible.  And I believe that there are individuals and organizations striving to make this a reality. 

I also believe we have a ways to go.  

In a culture where children are required to go to school from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, memorize information in a language that is foreign to both them and their instructors, and usually don’t have the opportunity to take this memorized information somewhere (upper secondary, tech school, university - all usually out of the question); feel the burden of their family’s poverty and their country’s overpopulation; live with generational trauma; feel, sometimes in a very tangible way, the burden of the worst epidemic in the world that is particularly focused on sub-Saharan Africa; and complete, on a daily basis, a number of household chores keeping them from play and study (things which my culture would consider vitally important to child development) ... It is my hope that I somehow may be able to show a small portion in of Rwanda’s children in this small village that they have a voice and it can be heard.

I will do this in Rwanda and I will continue when I’m back home. 

*All UN member states have signed and ratified this convention (some with declarations and reservations, arguably rendering it invalid), meaning they are held accountable to international law, EXCEPT the United States, South Sudan, and Somalia.  The United States helped draft this convention and signed it in 1995, but has failed to ratify.  The US has adopted the two optional protocols, however, protecting children from involvement in armed conflict and prostitution, trafficking, and pornography. (sources: United Nations Treaty Collection: Convention on the Rights of the Child; United Nations Treaty Collection: Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict; and United Nations Treaty Collection: Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. http://treaties.un.org/)

The UNCRC is a controversial, yet interesting document that can help shape the way we all see and value our cultures’ children. 

Rwanda Health PCV's with Dr. Agnes, Rwanda's Minister of Health

Miranda, Kayla, and me.  after the conference we went out for my birthday. 

It's likely that some reflections on education and development will soon follow as I have been helping a young man prepare for the National Exam, have lately witnessed several children working (and loitering) while school is in session, and have been added to the school timetable in two secondary schools beginning next week.