Parenting Reflections

“Nature is good for people: let’s recognize the right of every child to live and grow up in a wildlife-rich world.”

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children.  The Convention generally defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen.  During the 30^th anniversary of its Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the convention adopted the Rights of the Child on September 2, 1990.

While the importance of nature in a young child’s life was not in the original Convention of 1990, Tony Young, head of the Scottish Wildlife trust, is now proposing an amendment that would consider access to nature as being included in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In his proposal he states;

“Governments can and should articulate a new right: that every child and young person has the right to grow up and live in a high-quality, wildlife-rich environment with ready access to the physical and mental health benefits, developmental advantages, and play opportunities it affords.  There is a growing and compelling body of evidence that regular and ready access to a wildlife-rich environment is essential for children’s health and wellbeing.

As you consider nature in your own child’s life, how important is it for the children of the world to have access as well?  While this question may seem easy to provide an answer for, how would you take a step forward in your neighborhood, community, city, state, nation or world to do?   Advocacy starts small-lets share ideas so we of Parenting Reflections can assure a place in nature for all children.

For more information on the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child go to http://www.unicef.org/crc  As of November 2009, 193 countries are party to it, including every member of the United Nations except Somalia, South Sudan and the United States of America.

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