Children have the right to be listened to and have access to information

The International Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes a very important content: "The child must have the right to freedom of expression" and " States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child.”

According to the Institute for Management of Sustainable Development’s report entitled "Voice of Vietnamese Children", released in 2023, up to 74% of children participating in the survey said that they witnessed their brothers, sisters, and friends were punished physically and mentally right in their own home.

In today's society, many people believe that parents and children cannot communicate with each other due to the generation gap. There still exists the concept of " Be wet behind the ears" and "Spare the rod, spoil the child". Many parents assume that children "know nothing" so they only have the right to receive instructions.

However, according to Ms. Tran Van Anh from the Institute for Management of Sustainable Development (MSD), the generation gap is just a challenge, a barrier that parents need to learn how to overcome. Many parents complain that they do not know what is happening to their children, or that when they do know, the consequences have already occurred.

Why? Because children do not feel that their parents are a reliable and safe source of support with whom they can share their stories. Because parents have not really listened to their children's stories with their hearts and all their intuitions. The 2016 Children's Law also stipulates: The child has the right to be heard and access information. It's not just about listening and letting it go. Parents, please listen and respond positively to the opinions their children have shared.

The “Listen to your children” contest attracted nearly 4,000 entries

Therefore, the contest "Creating media products to raise awareness of gender equality for children in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2023" with the name "Listening to your children" launched by the Phu Tho Provincial Women's Union has attracted the participation of a large number of children in the province.

The 2023 contest focuses on gender equality in the family. The participants are children in Phu Tho Province at the age of 6 to 16 years old.

According to the jury, most of the entries basically adhered to the theme, with rich and diverse forms and materials, showing the investment and creativity of participants. Some outstanding and impressive entries clearly express personal ideas, imbued with the cultural colors of ethnic minority areas of Phu Tho province. Children used various types of materials to create their entries, such as paintings drawn by kitchen smoke, paintings made of cereal grains, cotton swabs, dried tree bark, dried banana peels, torn-paste paintings, paintings on gravel and rocks; Paintings on bamboo mats (familiar items of farmers), which show the children's creativity, talent and deep awareness of gender equality.

The fact that within only 4 months, the organizing board receiving nearly 4,000 entries shows the interest of many people in the issue of gender equality for children, especially children in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. This can be seen as a way they are trying to protect their "right to speak".

Hong Linh