CHILDREN GIVE THEIR OPINION ON INVESTMENT IN CHILDHOOD

• Save the Children and Radio Chavala perform queries
• Results for the United Nations Human Rights Council.
• Video about the query: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rPdSKqEm_M

16.01.2015 Managua, Nicaragua. Andrea Núñez-Flores Rey. 

From 11 to 16 January 2015, one hundred children and adolescents in Managua being consulted on government investment in childhood to get their voice to United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Participants, from seven to 16 years, were asked by children reporters of Chavala Radio, Save the Children staff, focus groups and surveys. 65% of respondents were girls and 35% boys, all from different neighborhoods in District 3 of Managua.

The results will be shared at the meeting for the Children’s Rights "Towards a better investment in the rights of the child" next March in Switzerland.

The views of children

The most repeated opinions by participants are that governments should invest in ensuring quality education; to improve access to health facilities and medicines; to reduce poverty and support vulnerable children.

Amelin, an 11-year-old girl, says that "they should support more street children and damaged houses of most deprived people. It is very unfair that there are children in the street, barefoot, their parents make them work… Because these kids are not happy. Furthermore, in schools and hospitals, they treat people with money differently. The UN must speak for that to change, because we live with these inequalities every day."

Miguel Angel, 10, emphasizes the importance of "the Government should ensure that our parents have work, because otherwise we are not happy." Another common response was the need to create jobs to prevent the separation of families and migration for work.

The children also claim that "they have to invest more in children with special needs; it is not fair that they do not have schools where teachers treat them with love or adapted playgrounds so they can play happily."

Another of the mentioned topics was the necessity to improve the security agencies and police

Radio Chavala

The organization funded by Save the Children works for 21 years in Nicaragua whose goal is “to educate children through the game of the radio, sharing their childhood and knowledge with others.”

“In Radio Chavala, children are trained in various subjects; learn their rights and develop skills in communication techniques such as speech, radio formats, values and children’s rights.

We have an audience of more than 35,000 children, which has been growing.”