The liberation of the child

the liberation of the child
the liberation of the child

The last frontier in human, political and civil rights: the liberation of the child

Children have equal status with adults as members of the human family. Children are neither the possessions of parents nor of the state, nor are they mere people-in-the-making. Governments are morally obliged to recognize the full spectrum of human rights for all children.

It has long been acknowledged that discrimination of people based on property held, sex, race and religion is wrong.
Now it’s time to acknowledge that discrimination on age is just as wrong.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Preamble

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, therefore, The General Assembly, Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article I

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11

Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13

Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State.
Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14

Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15

Everyone has the right to a nationality.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16

Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17

Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20

Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21

Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country.
The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26

Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29

Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Roman Law

Roman Law
Roman Law

May be interesting, on this matter, to know what Romans, fathers of the western civilization, thought about it. Well, the capability to behave, in accordance with the principle of ius civilian, was recognized to the pubescent, if female, at 12 years old, if male, using the criterion of determinate case by case based on the scrutiny of physical characters (habitus corporis) related to the procreation capability. It was recognized entirely to males, not entirely if female.

It was completely refused to the Infantes, children not able of a reasonable speech (qui fari non possunt), from classic advanced age the trend was to coincide the end of the infantia with the accomplishment of the seventh year.

Was recognized partially to the impubescent infantia maiores (impubescents that had overcome the infantia). They were admitted to do, lawful and without assistance, those legal affaires that involved acquisition of a privilege and those actions advantageous to their self, was enough that they were able to understand the sense of the verba to pronounce.

PHYSICAL ABUSE

PHYSICAL ABUSE
PHYSICAL ABUSE

Abuses are the actions and the deficiencies that seriously disturbs the child, outrage to his corporeal integrity, to his physical, emotional, intellectual and sexual growth.

Stop Now!
PHYSICAL ABUSE: it happen when is caused, through a voluntary action of violence, physical injuries to a child.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE: every behavior that can alter, in lasting or definitive way, the feelings of personal self-respect that each human being must possess.

SEXUAL ABUSE: every sexual intercourse that causes physical injuries or is imposed to the child not observing his right to a free consent.

EMOTIONAL ABUSE: it is a collateral effect that accompanied each other form of abuse, but it can exist even independently. It happen when we use arms like the sense of guilt or the fear to influence the behavior of the child.

These are the abuses that many adults (all?) commit daily against the children, and not necessarily one is worse than other one, they are all actions of violence against a human being, and particularly, against a human being physical and psychological disadvantage, therefore worse than other actions of violence. It’s time to take conscience and fight for the liberation of the child, to free the child from emotional blackmails that daily almost every parent does against its own children; from psychological abuse continually commit by mass media, by school, by church; from violence of every kind; and to do it, the only way is to free the child from the curse of adults, give him the chance to think, acknowledge him the freedom of choice and conscience:

WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE EVERY HUMAN RIGHT TO THE CHILD
NOT TO PROTECT, BUT TO LIBERATE
Only doing it, maybe one day this world will change and will become a little more just. There are myriad of organizations, they say nonprofit, that shout the world their wish to fight for the “rights” of the children in favor of the “protection” against the exploitation; they do innumerable advertising campaigns with mysterious costs and impression phrases, they organize assemblies and seminaries with important personages of culture, movie and television, collect billions, are present in every TV program, and other thousand stuff.
If we see all that without critic eyes, we think how they’re good…, but, what they suggests like solution, and, above all, what idea have them of the child?
Practically any of these officials organizations have the same basic ideas and are founded upon the mystification of the child as he was something different, a luxury mascot, an animal going to extinction; in fact their password is PROTECT, forge a golden cage around the child to isolate him from this repugnant and dangerous world in which we live, but they forget something: had been themselves and their ideas and values, that suggest now as solution, to do what this world is.

We think, instead, the child is entirely a human being, equal to all others on the rights, being part of this world and therefore subject in the society. Is useless and harmful to hide him (or hide to him?) by some years the truth, make him arrive unready to face the reality, in which a nice day (soon or later it happens) he will wake up. It needs instead to train him to live, give him the opportunity to know, to choose, to experience, make mistakes, learn, love, become FREE. Only a free being could be conscious of its rights and defend them. Only a free being could defend itself against the abuses like no law and/or organization will be able to do, never.

They think the causes of violence have to be seeked on the absence of values, the breakup of the family, drugs, sexual freedom, etc. Their thoughts currently seem like those of some decade ago: god (religion, Christian values, who doesn’t think like us is a devil’s son and we could not allow them contaminate our young with sinful ideas), homeland (hurray! the infallible and unchangeable state, different ideas won’t arrive to the future citizens before we could complete to “program them”), family (this baby is mine and I manage him, I will make him think like I want, I will make with him what I want: he’s mine, and I maintain him too!)…… or else: believe (in that what tells you mommy TV), obey (to the responsible adults, like: dad, mama, priest, teacher, police officer, minister), fight (the different, the homosexual and the others sexual “maniac” , the gypsies, the drug addicts, the handicapped).

If a medicine doesn’t treat me the illness, after some time, I leave it and test another one, if I am not completely crazy. If we had experimented a social theory through decades (see insolvable traditional mononuclear family) or therefore worse, through centuries (see religious doctrines) and these had not resolved any of the fundamental problems of the humanity, is really crazy insist in this direction or, therefore worse, propose them like new solutions.
Sex? god save us, what repugnant thing (when others do it), we must save the children from this shame. How do you think you had born, from a cabbage? or from two persons who have had sex? Without sex there is not life and we would say too that life is sex. Do you want to avoid every sexual emotion to the children because you think it’s traumatic and harmful? Well you mustn’t breast-feed babies because this action is very erotic to them! (if you don’t believe us read Freud).

Do you believe sex is a beautiful thing? Then, why the child must feel it like something negative, something that could not be make until WE decide the time is arrived? Why protect the child from something that is nice and could give so much joy of live if made for love and with love?

TO THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

TO THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
TO THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Original Version

Considered that is past more than fifty years since it has been written up, and, even if revolutionary in that period, has received some cultural influences that limit its universality ;

Considered the uses and the abuses perpetrated in these years in the name of this Declaration;

Considered the necessity to extend truly to every human being the acknowledgment of these rights;

Considered the necessity to better define these Rights ,

THE UPDATE OF FOLLOWING ARTICLES IS PROPOSED: (changes, inserts and removals are indicated in white)

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, age, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 16

1. Every person has the right to belong to a family, without any limitation due to race, age, nationality, religion or genetic tie.

2. The marriage is optional and the contractors are entitled to equal rights as to, during marriage and at its dissolution. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

Article 18

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

2. Nobody could be forced to profess or to adhere to a religion.

Article 26

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be guaranteed. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all (—) .

2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further (—) the maintenance of the peace.

3. Everyone has the right to control and direct his educational destiny.

Article 29

1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others (—) and the general welfare in a democratic society.

3.These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the present declaration.

Children’s Manifesto

Children's Manifesto
Children’s Manifesto

New Child Rights Declaration. Ten points against the discrimination and the segregation of the child.

1. We are Human Beings (not a protected specie)
Must be acknowledge to the children every human being right till now acknowledge only to adults. Everyone is born free and everyone have the same rights. There must not be discrimination based arbitrarily on age.
2. I decide! (auto determination)
Every child has the right to express his own opinion and to decide about his own life and his own body. This right must be absolute when the child becomes aware of it and there must not be arbitrarily defined an age when it “can happen”. From that occurrence, adults must not take decision in conflict with the free will of the child. This point includes other civil rights like the right to vote.
3. All equal, all diverse (no to the cultural homologation)
Pledge to everybody equal rights doesn’t mean homologate everyone to the same ideas. Children must be able to receive and to research information from every viewpoint and not to be forced to believe in parents, school or mass media opinions. They must be able to be themselves, not what parents or other people want.
4. Grow up in freedom, be educated to freedom
The right to freedom mustn’t be subordinated to the right of protection, which is often used like alibi to limit the fundamental rights of the child-person. It’s needed instead to train the children to live, give him the chance to comprehend, to choose, to make experiences, mistakes, to learn, to love, to become free. Only a free being must be aware of his rights and will defend them. Only a free being may defend himself against the abuses.
5. Stop violence (physical, psychological, sexual, emotional)
We must recognize the true violence, to be able to fight against it. Protect against violence doesn’t mean limit the personal freedom. There mustn’t be two different standards, often such one that doesn’t leaves physical marks is worse than other ones.
6. Privacy
Children are not property of parents or state, they have the right to privacy and it must be warranted, they must be able to have their own and inviolable spaces and a life without the continuous oppression of censor adults where they may find their own place and, if them consider it necessary, to change it. Family must be a right, not an obligation. Feelings and friendships must be chosen freely.
7. Let us grow up, do experiences
Education and school mustn’t be a manner to breaking in children or to impose a preconceived will. It must be an environment where they can learn to reason, where they can make experiences, where acquire useful means to develop. Learn must be furthermore a pleasant and constructive experience, not coercive. So that, education must be guarantied, not compulsory.
8. Right to life (and health)
Every child-person must have the right to born and grow up with health, completely. There mustn’t be permitted traditions or social or religious uses that prevent the completely development of person. Hospitals, medical care, food, health and habitation services must be guaranteed.
9. No more economic disparity
With actual resources, disparity between third world children and developed countries children is immoral. Economic development mustn’t compromise the physical and cultural survival of poor countries children’s. They don’t need charity, they need social justice. Work and exploitation means must not be confused.
10. A livable world
All these rights may not apply in a inhabitable world, ruined by pollution, exploitation and overpopulation. There must be put in to action every option to safeguard the environment from harmful.