participation. Young children need to be considered truly as learners. They must be enabled to express their views freely, build self-esteem and acquire knowledge and skills to prepare them to take responsibility for their own lives. Similarly, ippa, the Early Childhood Organization (Republic of Ireland) believes that the young child must be heard by ‘significant others’ who are in tune with the interests and needs of the child. To exercise and experience ‘rights’ requires interaction in the social world. Full participation in family life, in child-care settings and in society is firmly grounded in the young child’s sense of well-being, self-agency and relationship with the enveloping social world. From the moment of birth, children are poised to participate. The Commission on Early Childhood, City of Geneva, hopes and expects that, in the child-care institutions funded by the city, it will be possible for children to enjoy their childhood, form bonds and learn skills and that, thereby, the children will become good citizens. Good citizenship implies the experience of a sense of belonging to a family, a group, a culture, a city and the independence necessary for acquiring responsible social values. Early childhood institutions should be a pathway to citizenship for infants and children. According to the document on a Council of Europe project, ‘participation’ means that children can express their views and relate their experiences and that these views and experiences are given weight in decision-making. The aim of children’s participation is to make children visible in social life and policy-making and to promote education for good citizenship by giving children opportunities to experience democracy. Encouragement for the participation of children can foster mutual respect, trust and good citizenship. Right to participation among young children in India
K. Shanmuga Velayutham K. Shanmuga Velayutham is convenor of the Tamil Nadu, India, chapter of the Forum for Crèche and Childcare Services, an organization devoted to causes of relevance for children 0 to 6 years of age, especially among the poor. He is also reader, Department of Social Work, Loyola College, Chennai, India. . . . Pre-school organizations and staff working with young children do not have . . . sensitivity and orientation to child rights or a clear perspective on participation. It is necessary to make pre-school administrators and teachers listen and consider the views of children in an atmosphere of trust and respect. . . . The concept of ‘child participation’ has to be included in the curriculum of . . . teachers training [in India]. . . . . . . Though Integrated Child Development Services is a major and successful vehicle . . . , it is not and cannot be the only institution solely responsible for early childhood care and development.47 . . . . . . The non-governmental organization sector needs support and strengthening to fulfil its role and should not be either co-opted or made into a contractor for government. The very small voluntary sector . . . has flexible reach and innovative programmes, but is also 47 Run by the Indian Government, Integrated Child Development Services manages over 40,000 centres nationwide and is the largest integrated early childhood programme in the world. It was established in 1975 and receives financial and technical support from unicef and the World Bank. The programme covers millions of expectant and nursing mothers and nearly 25 million under-6-year-olds.
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A Guide to General Comment 7: ‘Implementing Child Rights in Early Childhood’