Governments urged to get children involved

MEXICO CITY -- Governments around the world must give children more of a voice because millions of young people feel disconnected and distrust political institutions, the U.N. Children's Fund said in a report Wednesday.

The 2003 edition of the annual State of the World's Children report called on governments to teach children democratic values and expand access to education and participation in government.

"If we fail to promote child participation from an early age, we are missing an amazing opportunity to deepen democracy and human dignity around the world," UNICEF executive director Carol Bellamy said in a statement. "That failure leaves young people with a sense of powerlessness and exclusion from society -- and that can carry a great cost."

Bellamy and President Vicente Fox formally presented the report in Mexico City on Wednesday accompanied by dozens of children of all ages.

"You call us the future. But we are the present," said one of the young participants, Gabriela Azurduy, 13, of Bolivia.

In a heartfelt speech, Azurduy urged world leaders to end the exploitation of children and fight to eradicate AIDS.

The UNICEF report praised Latin America and Mexico in particular for including children in government programs.

"Latin America has shown outstanding leadership when it comes to listening to and respecting the views of children," Bellamy said. "I am especially grateful to President Fox for his commitment to children's rights and for showing his nation how important and valuable it can be to engage and involve children in building a better future."

The report also praised local boy scouts in Baluchistan, Pakistan, for lobbying education officials to allow girls to attend their schools, resulting in 2,500 new female students. The female literacy rate in Baluchistan is 2 percent, the report said.

In a phone interview, Bellamy said that unlike past reports which focused on world problems, this year's report was designed to help governments solve the problems children face.

"We believe you can't change the world without children," Bellamy said.

Based on three-year surveys of 40,000 children on four continents, the report found that children "have doubts about the usefulness of voting as a method of improving their lives and do not see government leaders as role models."

"Through participation at early ages in issues that concern them -- far from promoting anarchy or disrespect for authority, or undermining parental authority -- we see a generation of young people who are more respectful and concerned about their rights and the rights of others," the report said.

It added that allowing children to participate in the world around them makes them responsible, active adults.

"Children and adolescents have proved that when they are involved, they can make a difference in the world around them," the report said. "They have ideas, experiences and insights that enrich adult understanding and make a positive contribution to adult actions."

Officials warned that children without these experiences "fail to develop vital skills, including the ability to express themselves, negotiate differences, make responsible life choices, engage in positive dialogue or assume responsibility for self, family and community."

The report urged governments to recognize children as important resources, saying they must be included in the fight against childhood problems like malnutrition and AIDS.

Cleaning car windshields at a highway gas station as trucks rumbled by on their way to Mexico City, 12-year-old Julio Sanchez said he thought governments should pay more attention to children. But he shyly shrugged his shoulders when asked what ideas he had for the world's leaders.

Already his parents are talking about sending him to the United States to work, and he admitted he'd like a chance at a better life.

"There's nothing here," he said, gazing out at the empty desert.

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