defining child participation12 Japan, 2012.
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Children have the right to participate in matters that affect their lives and their participation should be in line with the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It should be non-discriminatory, and in the best interests of the child, who has the right to express her or his opinion freely. Meaningful participation can only take place in an environment of mutual respect and learning, and therefore creating that environment must be a priority. The suggested principles of participatory programming are: inclusiveness, democracy and equality of opportunity; physical, emotional and psychological safety of participants; and that participation should be a voluntary, enjoyable and stimulating experience and be monitored by responsible adults. Participation can help children to protect themselves. It can enhance their coping skills, self-esteem and confidence. If adults do not listen to children during disasters, then mistakes may be made. To give one example: “In relief and reconstruction efforts after the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, India, that killed over 11,000 people, a number of the structures to improve children’s lives were found to be dangerous because they had not been properly considered from a child-centred perspective. The project put glass panes in windows that could be easily removed and broken by curious children, they built playgrounds that were dangerous, installed
Working on disaster risk reduction in Cambodia.
Plan
and providing food for their families, the lack of involvement of adolescents in community decision-making forums – including decisions that directly affect them – points to an evident lack of leadership opportunities.”9 The World Disasters Report notes that: “In a disaster response, despite the available tools, few humanitarian agencies make the effort or commitment to ensure that assessments and the design of programmes include gender-balanced child participation which is not tokenistic. This results in interventions and programmes – even those specific to children – that do not include children’s voices.”10 One secondary schoolteacher from Mutorashanga in Zimbabwe, where Save the Children was proposing children’s feedback committees, said: “It has been tradition to look down upon our children and just simply pour information into them as if they don’t think. We tend to forget that they are human beings, people who can make meaningful contributions. They have knowledge with them which they can only express and share with others if given the support to do so.”11
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