After years of intense effort, the results of the ROAD TO GENEVA (RTG) NGO-Youth Coalition research on the state of the human rights of children and youth in St. Lucia has been published, and the 1st ever UN CRC NGO shadow report submitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. RTG, a collaborative action research project led by youth, is a unique partnership between youth and 6 NGO’s concerned with their care and protection: RISE; AIDS Action Foundation (AAF); National Youth Council (NYC); St. Lucia Planned Parenthood Association (SLPPA); National Council of/for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD); St. Lucia Blind Welfare Association.  The project was developed in response to government’s 2009 invitation to provide the NGO alternative or shadow report on the UN CRC. The 6 NGO’s combined resources and expertise and engaged children and youth to discover from their peers just how well, or not, children and young people’s human rights are being realized in St. Lucia, and offered youth the opportunity to heighten their awareness and that of the general public on children’s rights, to provide a space in which their voices could be heard, and to work alongside youth-supporting adults to achieve these objectives.

St. Lucia’s latest UN CRC government report, received by the UN in February 2011, is for the first time being complemented by this shadow NGO report reflecting the results of the RTG project. Further, it is hoped that youth involvement will be institutionalized as recommended by the UN CRC, and that this NGO-youth coalition may be included in the long-overdue mechanism for monitoring and recording of St. Lucia’s UN CRC implementation efforts.

The Finnish Embassy has graciously supported the final phase of this project to publish and submit the report to the UN, disseminate the results nationally, and continue efforts to make St. Lucians aware of the UN CRC.  To celebrate the Embassy’s support and the long awaited publication of the report, RISE will be handing over the first copy of the printed report to Ambassador Mikko Pyhälä on Tuesday 10th July 2012 at 8am at the RISE office in Gablewoods Mall.  Copies of the NGO report are also being submitted to the government, through the Division of Human Services & Family Affairs, the agency responsible for the State CRC report, as well as to other relevant government agencies and to UNICEF. The report and the research results are available at: St. Lucia's First UN CRC Shadow Report.

Other supporters of the RTG project included the National Community Foundation, Spinners Club and the Embassy of Kingdom of the Netherlands in Trinidad &Tobago.

What would make your life better? Many youth responded that if they worked hard, got a good education and stayed away from violence, their life would be better. And a few said that they are happy with their lives just as they are. Highlights of the responses include:

“Stop crime”

“that in st. Lucia they would have less violence and more educational opportunities.”

“My life would be better if I was getting better grades in school.”

“If there was no crime, no preference and more love in this country.”

“I think that if my life would be better if St. Lucia was free from violence”

“If there were more clubs in my area”

“Financial aid to further my education”

“More job opportunities”

“More extra curricular activities in my community”

“To be treated with respect and equality by other people.”

“Well just entertaining us by having talk shows, activities to enlighten the youth cause being a youth is nice but also frustrating. Thank you.”

“Finish secondary school with 1’s and distinctions and attend “A” level

‘Things that would make my life better: If my parents were not so financially stressed and it may be easier for me and would have probably done so much better.”

“What would make my life better is knowing that I can walk on the street and know I am safe.”

“I think the life I have now is good, so I am not thinking of a better one more than this.”

“The thing that would make my life better is for me to get a good education and a good job.”

“My learning would be better life if there are more learning activities to keep me from trouble.”

“Nothing”

“To make my life better I would read more books to become more knowledgeable”

“The thing that will make my life better is to take a good health in my work and take my work seriously.”

“Build places where we might be occupied like a court, field, tennis court so we could be safe from violence.”

“Less violence and quarreling”

“Knowing that I live in a safe environment and that when I walk on the streets a stray bullet won’t knock me down. Or if the flogging of students is banned because some teachers are abusive and harm the youth.”

“A decrease in discrimination when it comes to skin colours.”

“My life is already good as is; there is not anything to make my life better.”

“Staying away from crime and quarreling will make my life better”

“Education would make my life a lot better”

“Peace in St. Lucia would make my life better.”

“A change in young people from negative to positive. They make choices and try to run form the consequences

“My life would be better with a safer St. Lucia, with a St. Lucia where one could feel safe at their house, where one could walk the streets at any time and not have to keep turning back to make sure nobody is following you, when you could trust people to stay at your house and not worry about them stealing your valuables. I want the old St. Lucia back. The Saint Lucia filled with peace, love, cooperation and prayer.

“My life would be better if St. Lucia was providing jobs”

A Day In The Life Of 17 yr old Sheldon “Upon waking up in the morning, I say my daily prayers to the Lord above. My dad places me on my wheelchair and wheels me to the living room. He feeds me breakfast and brushes my teeth. At 9am he places me on the sofa to watch a television programme or a movie. At approximately 12pm, my dad serves me lunch and I listen to the lunch- time news. Following the news, I watch TV for the rest of the day. I may fall asleep on the sofa or in my room. Then, I have supper and watch the evening news on HTS, since this is the only available channel to me. I may watch a movie or a comedy show and then retire for the night………I am a 17 year old youth with an active mind, and I will do the very same things tomorrow.” S. N – disabled youth

If you could say anything to the adults and leaders of St. Lucia about children, what would it be?

• No discipline Stop beating children
• Don’t abuse the children Give the children what they want
• Help children a lot more, be more supportive
• Proper manners
• In order to be respected, you must respect children Food, shelter and clothing
• Protect your children and treat them with respect Care more for themselves
• Provide them with their needs, wants and shelter Treat them good
• Be kind and faithful, respect others opinions More respect
• Give them enough love so they won’t express anger on other children that have enough love
• First help the parents going through problems with their husbands, so that they don’t pass the anger onto their children

04. 06. 12

RISE PRESS RELEASE: UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF INNOCENT CHILDREN VICTIMS OF AGGRESSION – JUNE 4^TH 2012

RISE (St. Lucia) Inc. today recognizes the UN’s International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression – June 4^th 2012 -with a call to all responsible and caring persons to promote at least this day free of ALL forms of violence

On 19 August 1982, at its emergency special session on the question of Palestine, the UN General Assembly, “appalled at the great number of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese children victims of Israel’s acts of aggression”, decided to commemorate 4^thJune of each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (resolution ES-7/8). The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children.

RISE wishes to use this day to invite Media partners and other responsible persons to join us in a strategic re-framing of the advocacy approach to child abuse prevention. To better galvanize public support and accountability for child abuse and its prevention we will, over the next few months, concentrate our efforts on changing the public’s frame of reference as regards child abuse. Currently, largely due to media sensationalism, most discussions on child abuse are distorted by the public horror and outcry over very severe cases, ending with the comforting distance most persons, including child protection professionals, put between themselves and ‘those horrible abusive animals’. RISE wishes instead to draw the public’s focus to the little, common, everyday child rights issues, using the theme: “every adult is a potential child abuser, even Me”), in this way encouraging wide-spread community responsibility for child abuse prevention through personal reflection and redress, early identification and reporting of ALL cases, not just the most severe, and acceptance of each person’s positive role in support for challenged parents, families and children.

RISE, with other NGO partners, this week releases St. Lucia’s 1^st ever NGO shadow report on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.

J. Bird/S. King

484-3571/484-3470

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LZxZ-scMkDxwimm5yujH9HJX35P9NnqqQPyMyCCsd0k/edit

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child-Youth Friendly Version

St. Lucia’s First State Report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child 2004

St. Lucia Government  2nd 3rd and 4th Reports on the Rights of the Child

United Nations Concluding Observations on St. Lucia’s First State Report on the CRC

Convention on the Rights of a Child Reading List

Laws related to child protection

Learn more about the Road to Geneva Coalition Partners!

RISE (St. Lucia) Inc. – a Non-Profit organization dedicated since 2007 to the healthy development of youth, demonstrates its mission of networking for youth by the sharing of this project’s vision with similarly aimed partners. RISE, by attracting the interest and earning the respect of youth with innovative, creative approaches attractive to them, with its youth reps is well placed to lead and coordinate this project team - has been identified as a champion of youth and a creator of a bank of knowledge on St. Lucian youth engagement and positive development successes, available to government and others; has improved networking for youth and supported others (public and private) similarly involved; has demonstrated successes in regional & international donor identification and engagement. Incorporated July ‘07 under the Companies Act Cap 13.01.

Aids Action Foundation (AAF) – a Non-Governmental organization, launched in November 2000, AAF is dedicated to offering care and support to people living with HIV and AIDS, helping reduce the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS in Saint Lucia and to disseminating culturally relevant information to bridge the knowledge gap fuelling the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

St. Lucia National Youth Council (NYC) – NYC is a Non Governmental organization established in April 1985, to promote the active participation of Youth in the economic, social, cultural and political life of St. Lucia through leadership training, skills training, cultural development, environmental awareness, women and development and economic projects.

St. Lucia Planned Parenthood Association (SLPPA) - Founded in 1967, SLPPA is the premier agency for family planning services promoting family welfare and reducing the incidence of unwanted pregnancies, particularly among adolescents, through a strengthened family life education program, quality reproductive health care services, youth outreach and Peer Educator training programs in sexual and reproductive health.

National Council Of/For Persons With Disabilities (NCPD) – NCPD was established in 1981 to commemorate the United Nations International Year of the Disabled with a mission to promote policies, programs, practices and procedures for persons with disabilities and to empower the disabled community to achieve equality, independence and economic self-sufficiency.

St. Lucia Blind Welfare Association (SLBWA) – SLBWA is a Non-governmental organization that acts as a support group and advocate for resources and access for visually-impaired and multi-disabled persons in St. Lucia.