Pushing the Boundaries: Critical Perspectives on the Participation of Children in South and Central Asia

Abstract

Children, Youth and Environments 17(1), 2007 Pushing the Boundaries: Critical Perspectives on the Participation of Children in South and Central Asia Claire O’Kane Freelance child rights consultant Kampala, Uganda Ravi Karkara Save the Children Sweden, Kathmandu, Nepal Citation: O’Kane, Claire and Ravi Karkara (2007). “Pushing the Boundaries: Critical Perspectives on the Participation of Children in South and Central Asia.” Children, Youth and Environments 17(1): 136-147. Introduction The social norm in South and Central Asian cultures, like most in the world, views children as the property of adults, passive recipients who should listen to their parents, teachers and elders and respect all that they say. Children, particularly girls, children with disabilities and younger children are not encouraged to express their views. Yet, a paradigm shift is taking place, as recognition grows within society of the benefits of listening to young people and involving them in decisions that affect them. In diverse settings across South and Central Asia, young people are coming together as a positive force for social change (O’Kane 2003). Empowered children and youth are raising their voices and working in partnership with adults to bring about positive changes for children and adults in their local and national communities. Through their efforts, boys and girls are breaking the silence that has for so long fostered their marginalization. They are challenging forms of discrimination, inequality, abuse and exploitation, and are providing powerful illustrations of their roles as active citizens. Yet, participatory practice with young people continues to be the exception, rather than the norm. Greater efforts are required by a range of actors to scale up and institutionalize respect for children’s participation in all settings affecting their lives, including their families, schools, workplace, communities, as well as in broader policy development and practice. Pushing the Boundaries: Critical Perspectives on the Participation... 137 This special issue of CYE offers an international forum to review and advance the field, developing its potential through cross-cultural dialogue, self-reflexive critique, and critical synthesis. This collection of papers brings together a critique of child participation practice from the South and Central Asia region. Drawing upon three papers (Chatterjee, Evans, Jensen) and three field reports (Lolichen, O’Kane, Pradhan) from varied settings in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal, it explores the ideology underpinning child participation work, including changing paradigms of childhood, and highlights a series of critical issues including diversity, power, ethics, representation, sustainability and impact assessment. The importance of working with children in this wider context ensures attention to broader socio-cultural, political and economic issues such as poverty, child work, conflict and displacement. Case studies provide illustrations and analysis of different approaches to child participation including child-to-child practices, participatory research with or by children, child-led organizations and children’s participation in community development. In our search for ethical, meaningful participatory practice with young people of different ages and abilities, key challenges are explored, lessons for good practice are analyzed and practice standards offered. Critical synthesis also enables us to reflect on the themes that have not been addressed in this collection in order to identify key gaps in knowledge and practice developments. Exploring Ideologies: UNCRC and Children as Citizens The existence and influence of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC 1989) in promoting children’s participation is cited by all of the authors contributing to this collection (see Chatterjee, Evans, Jensen, Lolichen, O’Kane, and Pradhan this issue). The UNCRC has been used as a framework and a tool to promote the principle of children’s participation. No longer seen merely as recipients of adults’ care and protection, children are recognized as social actors and rights holders—individuals whose views and opinions should be expressed and taken seriously. Children have rights to access information, to express their views, and to form their own associations. With children’s evolving capacity taken into consideration (Article 5), a range of participatory rights (Articles 12-15, 17, 23, 29 and 31) are established for all children, irrespective of gender, disability, ethnicity or religion (Article 2 concerns non-discrimination). Furthermore, the need for stronger accountability structures is asserted in Article 4. International child-focused...