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‘A right can only exist as long as one respects that of others’ |02 August 2014

Former Mauritian ombudsperson for children Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra, who is on a friendly visit here in the Seychelles, addressed a crowd of headteachers, teachers, officials from the National Council for Children (NCC) and students in an exchange of good practices on the rights of the child.

During the eight years which she served as the ombudsperson for children, she has gained a lot of experience and wanted to share this as well as certain techniques which she has discovered to be useful.

Also present at this talk, which took place at the SITE auditorium, Mont Fleuri was Judge D. Karunakaran, the ambassador for women and children Dr Erna Athanasius, along with officials from the social affairs department.

Family has always been the pillar of every society. Parents are always being encouraged to educate their children at a very young age on what is right and what is wrong. Proper management of domestic conflicts is of the utmost importance if we want to reduce the general tension that is so negative for individuals and society as a whole.

“Discipline all our kids at a young age. They will listen and they will understand. Put in place boundaries but then again let them get away with little things so as to satisfy their curiosity,” said Mrs Aumeeruddy-Cziffra.

She assured the audience that “communication is the key to solving any problem. Especially when it comes to children, they need a place where they can express themselves about all the troubles they are facing”.


As the elected ombudsperson for children her mandate was to:

(a) Ensure that the rights, needs and interests of children (0- 18 yrs) are given full consideration by public bodies, private authorities, individuals and associations of individuals;

(b) Promote the rights and best interests of children;

(c) Promote compliance with the Convention.

In addition, Mauritius is the only country in Africa to have an office of ombudsperson for children.    

When speaking to the press, the NCC director Ruby Pardiwalla said that “there is nothing extraordinary with children’s rights; it is the same as the human rights charter. Since children are a vulnerable group like women and disabled persons it is necessary to protect them from any form of abuse”.

The audience received various examples pertaining to Mrs Aumeeruddy-Cziffra’s work. “It is not good to speak of rights without respecting the right itself and being able to assume the responsibilities which accompany it,” she pointed out.
 
Of course, Seychelles is not an exception, since the NCC has time and again raised awareness on the importance of knowing your rights and responsibilities but the society needs time to accept and implement it as it should.

It is also said that in a democratic country, it is important that everyone has the same rights. Children as well should have equal rights. Right to shelter, food and education should be the same for all. Unfortunately, there are many countries worldwide that cannot provide such basic needs for their population
Throughout the talk, the audience got to learn the different methods and activities which take place in Mauritius.

An example is a 16-day campaign in favour of children's rights. It is called 16 days and 16 rights whereby children manifest in various activities. June 1 coincides with the International Children’s Day and June 16 is the African Children’s Day.

Mrs Aumeeruddy-Cziffra commented that she is not in favour of sending parents to jail for offences such as neglect but that they should be rehabilitated and that a mentor be placed in their household so as to help them overcome the past issues.

Moreover, violence in the family is becoming more alarming. Adult should be able to negotiate among themselves in a civil manner and not violently argue in front of their children. Most of these children grow up believing that being violent is the way to solve issues.

Also, she feels that children should be included in discussions which are related to them, because this helps them develop a good sense of maturity.

“Although there is an increase in the number of cases regarding violation of the rights of the child, it is the result of our many awareness programmes,” Mrs Pardiwalla pointed out.

She continued that “corporal punishment is not the solution”, and proudly told the press that parenting classes conducted monthly are becoming more popular and there is a change in attitude.
 
“Throughout our organised workshops and the distribution of leaflets, children are coming forward with their issues,” she added.

Mrs Aumeeruddy-Cziffra concluded by saying that “we can all be ombudspeople for children”.


S.A.

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