Summary Report from the Global Consultations

Posted by Todd Reade on August 2, 2011

Eight Consultations on Children’s Right to Play were held during 2010. Details of these can be found in the following reports.

Read the Global Consultation SUMMARY REPORT | FULL REPORT now available in the MEMBERS’ AREA

Photos from the Consultations

Posted by Todd Reade on August 1, 2011

The Backdrop

Posted by IPAcommunications on October 19, 2010

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, approved by the UN in 1989 and ratified by almost every country in the world, is a benchmark against which a nation’s treatment of its children can be measured. It has not only led to great improvements in the protection and enhancement of the basic rights of children through policies, programs and services but it is also a visionary document that is influencing the way we think about children.

This remarkably comprehensive treaty not only incorporates what has been thought of children’s rights but also demands that the world think more deeply about children’s position as citizens and more broadly about their development than is commonly the case. It asks that we look holistically at children’s lives and hear their own perspectives on issues affecting them.

As a result it is leading many nations to address elements of children’s lives that have hitherto been ignored but that represent our fundamental humanity. One of these – at the heart of children’s lives everywhere – is the right to play.

Research supports that play contributes to brain development, creates flexibility, enhances creativity and builds resilience to stress. IPA believes that adults need to ensure that the physical and social environments in which children live are supportive of their play, otherwise their survival, well-being and development may be compromised.

While the industrialized world faces some major problems in providing a suitable range of environments and sufficient time for children to play freely, the majority of the world’s children face hazards such as polluted water, open sewer systems, over-crowded cities, and dangerously congested streets as well as degrees of social insecurity.

By far the most serious constraint to children’s free play globally – because it has a direct bearing on all others – is the lack of appreciation of its value by most adults and this of course includes governments. IPA has undertaken a campaign to promote the value of children’s play worldwide.

Development of the Global Consultations Project

Posted by IPAcommunications on

Request for a General Comment on article 31

In May 2008, IPA wrote to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child requesting that a General Comment be developed on article 31 of the UN Convention.

General Comments are official statements adopted by the UN Committee to increase state accountability with regard to an identified issue. They elaborate on the meaning of an aspect of the Convention where ‘states parties’ are seen to be falling short in compliance.

International Support

IPA’s request to the UN was supported by the following international organizations:

• International Pediatrics Association
• World Organization for Early Childhood Educ. (OMEP)
• World Leisure Association
• International Toy Library Association
• Right to Play International
• European Child Friendly Cities Network
• International Council on Children’s Play

Worldwide Consultations

While this request is under consideration IPA has initiated a series of Global Consultations on Children’s Right to Play.

The purposes of the project are:

• to mobilize a worldwide network of article 31 advocates
  The regional consultations will build article 31 advocacy bases – or strengthen existing ones.
• to harness expertise in raising awareness of the importance of play in the lives of children
  The preparation for the event is an opportunity to involve a broader range of supporters, as described in the range of participants list.
• to gather specific material which can help inform a General Comment
  The program will facilitate discussion on the ‘state of play’ in the respective regions – the strengths and challenges in each community – and to gather as much information as possible on cases where children’s play opportunities have been denied or restricted.
• to formulate practical recommendations for governments with regard to compliance.
  Regional groups will discuss practical strategies to facilitate greater compliance with article 31 and how annual progress can be measured.

Consultation Participants

Eight regions are engaged in this initial project. These will be held in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Beirut, Mumbai, Bangkok, Tokyo, Mexico City and Sofia. Details of these Consultations will be posted on this site as we receive them, and a calendar prepared to provide an overview of the whole project.

The project is based on partnerships between IPA and national/regional organizations and groups which will contribute practical assistance at the local site.

Potential Spin-off Events

There are organizations and groups around the world who have expressed interest in participating in this “Children’s Right to Play” campaign. As a result, IPA is considering a satellite phase where IPA and other related groups can use the Consultation Kit to host their own event.

Summary Report from the IPA Global Consultations on Children’s Right to Play

Posted by Todd Reade on October 17, 2010

Introduction
The child’s right to play, leisure and recreation is set out in article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). While the Consultations described in this document acknowledged the importance, and overlap, of each of these elements, an emphasis was placed on the right to play as it is one of the least known, least understood, least recognised rights of children and consequently one of the most consistently ignored, undervalued and violated of children’s rights in the world today.

Early in 2008 the International Play Association: Promoting the Child’s Right to Play (IPA) entered a partnership with seven other international organisations to propose that the UNCRC organise a Day of Discussion and/or develop a General Comment on article 31 for the purpose of elaborating on its meaning and increasing state accountability with regard to compliance. The supporting organisations (now eight) are:

• ChildWatch International
• European Child Friendly Cities Network
• International Council on Children’s Play
• International Paediatrics Association
• International Toy Library Association
• Right to Play International
• World Leisure Organization
• World Organisation for Early Childhood Education (OMEP).

In order to maintain the momentum and to gather material worldwide IPA and its partners organised the Global Consultations on Children’s Right to Play.

Three specific objectives were set:

1. To mobilise a worldwide network of article 31 advocates and to harness expertise to raise awareness of the importance of play in the lives of children.
2. To gather specific material demonstrating the infringement of the child’s right to play.
3. To formulate practical recommendations for governments with regard to compliance with article 31.

Working with regional and national partners, IPA identified eight Consultation sites worldwide: Bangkok, Beirut, Johannesburg,Mexico City,Mumbai, Nairobi, Sofia and Tokyo. Following a careful planning and preparation process, consultations were held in these cities between January and June 2010.

Read the Global Consultation SUMMARY REPORT | FULL REPORT now available in the MEMBERS’ AREA