Guest post by Nicolas Nadeau, Senior Coordinator, Violence, Bullying and Abuse Prevention program, Canadian Red Cross
While the memories of childhood can be vague, this song "My Body Is Nobody's Body But Mine" still makes my ears perk up. It may ring familiar with my fellow children of the 80s. For the uninitiated, the song was part of a sexual abuse prevention program aimed at children.
I still recall sitting on the classroom floor in a circle, marvelling over a puppet telling me about good secrets and bad secrets. The program has had many updates since, and while I was heartened to find its latest iteration at the Canadian Red Cross (it's now called the Be Safe! kit), I was not expecting to meet an old friend in the kit’s box. In fact, I had been reunited with a puppet I met some 25 years ago in a classroom in Saskatchewan, perhaps one of the first characters in my life to teach me about my right to be protected from all forms of violence (article 19 in the Convention on the Rights of the Child).
If I didn’t give much thought to children's rights growing up, it’s probably because I’ve had the privilege not to. I was raised by loving parents in a safe home (article 19), drank water from the tap without hesitation (article 24), and would lace up my skates to play hockey on Saturday mornings (article 31). I can contribute to this blog because I learned how to read and write (article 38).
I recognize this isn’t the case for all children - even in Canada, where our most vulnerable populations wouldn’t list the aforementioned with such ease.
While the recent high-profile allegations of sexual violence and misconduct in our country may have found their silver lining in the form of amplified dialogue, they also underscore the importance of empowering children from an early age to recognize their rights to be protected from all forms of violence - be it neglect, bullying, physical violence or emotional abuse.
As I my renew my bond with a puppet, I encourage you to take a moment to renew your awareness of the rights of the child, and perhaps even reflect on the role we all hold as adults to keep all children safe.
I also invite you to join the conversation as the Canadian Red Cross hosts a Twitter chat about children’s rights on Thursday, November 20th at 12 pm EST, with the hashtag #RedCrossChildrensRights.
While the memories of childhood can be vague, this song "My Body Is Nobody's Body But Mine" still makes my ears perk up. It may ring familiar with my fellow children of the 80s. For the uninitiated, the song was part of a sexual abuse prevention program aimed at children.
I still recall sitting on the classroom floor in a circle, marvelling over a puppet telling me about good secrets and bad secrets. The program has had many updates since, and while I was heartened to find its latest iteration at the Canadian Red Cross (it's now called the Be Safe! kit), I was not expecting to meet an old friend in the kit’s box. In fact, I had been reunited with a puppet I met some 25 years ago in a classroom in Saskatchewan, perhaps one of the first characters in my life to teach me about my right to be protected from all forms of violence (article 19 in the Convention on the Rights of the Child).If I didn’t give much thought to children's rights growing up, it’s probably because I’ve had the privilege not to. I was raised by loving parents in a safe home (article 19), drank water from the tap without hesitation (article 24), and would lace up my skates to play hockey on Saturday mornings (article 31). I can contribute to this blog because I learned how to read and write (article 38).
I recognize this isn’t the case for all children - even in Canada, where our most vulnerable populations wouldn’t list the aforementioned with such ease.
While the recent high-profile allegations of sexual violence and misconduct in our country may have found their silver lining in the form of amplified dialogue, they also underscore the importance of empowering children from an early age to recognize their rights to be protected from all forms of violence - be it neglect, bullying, physical violence or emotional abuse.
As I my renew my bond with a puppet, I encourage you to take a moment to renew your awareness of the rights of the child, and perhaps even reflect on the role we all hold as adults to keep all children safe.
I also invite you to join the conversation as the Canadian Red Cross hosts a Twitter chat about children’s rights on Thursday, November 20th at 12 pm EST, with the hashtag #RedCrossChildrensRights.
