'我的世界'关注留守儿童-UMUNC Takes MY World Survey to “Left-Behind Children” in China

By UMUNC China Serene Lian

“优梦中国”在My World招募志愿者活动取得巨大成果之后,我们的团队进而开始思索:我们的调查结果真的能让世界知道中国真的需要什么吗?是否我们的调查能够真正覆盖多样化的中国青少年群体?我们怎样才能让处在更复杂环境中的人有机会表达自己的需求呢?

UMUNC China has worked towards made great strides in gaining support from volunteers to promote MY World in China. Our team was concerned with how to really use our data to let the world know what China really needs. Can our data really illustrate the multi-dimensions of China’s youth? How do we help those who are living in difficult situations have more opportunity to express their needs?

我们意识到这是我们的使命——优梦中国应该帮助更多需要被关注的人表达意愿,这也是这一代青年的使命。

We realized that this is our mission – for UMUNC to serve the most marginalized, bringing their voices to the forefront of development, this is also the mission of our generation of young people.

2015年3月,我们正式授命西南地区项目官员——来自重庆南开中学的周骏驰。她的到来,给了团队新的灵感。

March 2015, we are pleased to introduce the Project Officer for South Western China – her name is Junchi Zhou and she is a middle school student from Chongqing Nankai Middle School. Her arrival has brought new inspiration to the team.

在我们的身边,有这么一个群体,他们的父母为了生存,外出打工,用他们的勤劳和智慧努力改变自己和家里的命运。他们曾为社会经济的发展和稳定做出了贡献,然而他们却将自己的子女留在农村,而这些本应还是父母掌上明珠的儿童,集中起来,就组成了一个特殊的弱势群体——留守儿童。

There is a marginalized community living right beside us. Their parents have to migrate away from home to find work. For survival, these parents use their wisdom and strength to try to change the fate of their families for the better. They have also sacrificed so much to promote the sustainable and harmonious development of China’s economy and society. Yet, their sons and daughters stay behind in the village, and they have become a very unique marginalized community, called “left-behind children.”

New Project Manager
New Project Manager

2012年9月,教育部公布义务教育随迁子女超1260万,义务教育阶段留守儿童2200万。如此庞大的数字背后正是城镇化后城乡经济发展巨大差异的矛盾。

In September, 2012, the Ministry of Education announced the number of school-age children who migrated with their families to be over 12.6 million while the number of school-age children who are left behind is over 22 million. Behind this enormous number lies a tension that is a symptom of economic growth and the dramatic difference between urban-rural developments.

这是典型的中国式矛盾。This is a typical Chinese style tension.

项目官员周骏驰和孩子们)UMUNC team visiting children in rural areas
项目官员周骏驰和孩子们)UMUNC team visiting children in rural areas

父母外出打工,把孩子留在乡村,这实在是一种痛苦和无奈的现实选择,即便被父母带入城市的孩子,在森严的城乡壁垒面前,也不得不面对与城市融合的困境。Parents work in the cities while children are left behind in the villages. This is really a painful decision for parents to improve the lives of their children for the future. The issue of adapting to life in the city also comes to mind when looking into whether rural children can quickly adapt to the pace of life in urban areas.

另外,面对连篇累牍的报道,有关部门虽然加强了农村留守儿童的保障措施,甚至成立了众多的专项基金,然而,对于这些孤独地像荒草一样生长的孩子,他们缺乏的,恐怕不单是物质的保障。

“我们近距离的走入农村,走到他们中间。很难想象他们有些人甚至几乎与我们同龄。”他们面临的可能将会是无法继续的学业、早婚甚至更容易受到人身侵害。这不光需要法律的保障,更多需要的是观念的转变及政策的侧重。这才是My World与优梦中国青年发展计划合作之初的信念,我们可以用自己的双手改变世界。

“As we go into the field, joining ‘left-behind’ children and learning form them, it is hard to imagine they are the same age as us but our future looks very different.” Left-behind children have a higher probability of entering the work force or getting married at an early age. Through MY World, UMUNC would like to work with multi-stakeholders to improve this situation and to deepen the impact young people have on the world, through the action from our own two hands.

(家庭合照)Family portrait
(家庭合照)Family portrait

所以,我们去做了。

This is our resolve.

也许有些残酷,但是问题的背后需要不是更多的同情、指责,需要的是关注和解决。这正是我们要做的。这也是为什么“MY WORLD 改变世界” 携手优梦中国青年发展计划为下一个联合国千年发展目标制定议题的意义。因为我们可以用我们的诉求,将世界改造成我们需要的样子,让这个世界真正与我有关。

Reality is difficult to face, but there is no need for criticism and kindness, what is needed is empathy and working toward finding solutions. This is what we must do, and what we would like to do by working on MY World, to find meaning that fits our needs in the next development agenda.

 

Peoples' Participation: Essential to Achieving Human Rights Worldwide

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November 30th 2014, Marrakech, Morocco

During the Second World Human Rights Forum, the National Observatory of Child Rights in Morocco (ONDE) and the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) organized a high level panel discussion on strengthening participation of people, particularly children and youth, in defining the UN sustainable development agenda. The forum took place in Marrakesh from 27-30 November 2014, building on the first World Human Rights Forum held in Brasilia in December 2013.

It was a memorable occasion as more than 7,000 human right activists from all over the world gathered in Marrakech. The ONDE and UNMC panel discussion during the Forum featured a statement by Mr. Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs of UNDESA. “This event has come as a very timely occasion as we are in the midst of a process to define a new sustainable development framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals. It is both a great opportunity and a huge responsibility for the United Nations and the rest of the international community.”

ravi panel

Ravi Karkara, co-chair of the Policy Strategy Group for the World We Want 2015 (WWW2015), commended the government of Morocco for bringing together human rights activists and sustainable development practitioners to discuss the post-2015 development agenda. He called for establishing partnerships with children and young people, and for accountability panels in the implementation and monitoring of this agenda.

(C) UNNGLS
(C) UNNGLS

The Forum also celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN-CRC). The legendary Olympic gold medal runner Saïd Aouita participated in a five kilometer road race to draw attention to the need to fulfil the human rights of the most marginalized boys and girls.

Juan Chebly, Coordinator of the World We Want 2015, highlighted the importance of social inclusion and participation in building a sustainable development agenda with human rights at its core. Jasmine Jaruphand, Programme Coordinator of UNMC called upon children and young people to strengthen their participation in the MY World 2015 Survey and invited them to participate on the online discussions on the WWW2015.

Susan Alzner, Officer in Charge of the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) New York, called for strengthening of civil society organizations worldwide and drew attention to their pivotal role in ensuring a well-defined, people-centered sustainable development agenda and holding governments and the private sector accountable.

On the occasion of the 25 year anniversary of the UN-CRC, Dr. Mustapha Denial emphasized that the rights of the most marginalised boys and girls, including children with disabilities, indigenous and minority children, must be respected, protected and fulfilled. Najib Somoue of ONDE expressed the National Observatory’s commitment to realizing the human rights and an inclusive sustainable development agenda in Morocco.

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(C) UNNGLS

Echoing the sentiments from this panel discussion, Ms. Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights declared at the closing ceremony of the Forum, “We want to see people at the center of all decision-making for policy that affects them. Listening to civil society is more urgent and indispensable than ever.”

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Contact:

  • Najib Somoue, ONDE
  • Juan Elias Chebly, WWW-2015 Coordinador: juan.chebly@undp.org

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Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqJmbkVr2CA