Children urged to speak up on World Children’s Day

The United Nations children’s organisation UNICEF called on young Barbadians to make their voices heard and “fight” for their rights, using the platform of World Children’s Day to demand real progress and their place at the centre of national conversation.

Addressing Wednesday’s national child rights ambassadors graduation ceremony at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC), UNICEF monitoring and evaluation specialist Patrice Bosso said the day serves as a reminder that “every child has a voice, and every voice matters”.

He encouraged the new ambassadors, as well as their peers across the island, to reflect on their goals and futures.

“We encourage you, on World Children’s Day and beyond, to consider what you want for your future, and how you can fight for your rights,” he said.

Bosso noted that the child rights ambassador programme, launched a year ago in partnership with the Ministry of People’s Empowerment, has already demonstrated the power of youth leadership. The inaugural cohort of 19 ambassadors worked within their schools and communities, through art, music, photography, advocacy and public speaking, to uplift their peers and highlight children’s rights.

“What a year it has been watching this group,” he said. “Determined young people set out to make children’s rights a reality in their schools, clubs, homes and communities.”

This year’s World Children’s Day theme, “My Day, My Rights”, places children at the centre of the conversation.

“It brings children’s realities to the forefront, not as statistics or abstract concepts, but as lived experience,” Bosso said, adding that UNICEF is giving children space to share how their rights are “present, missing or actively pursued each and every day”.

He also reflected on Barbados’ long-standing commitment to child rights, noting that the island joined the global community 35 years ago by signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“This convention, the most ratified in history, embodies a profound and resonant global promise… a future full of hope and opportunity… where not one single child is left behind,” he said.

Bosso stressed that rights must be actively protected through daily action and investment. “Child rights are not simply words on paper. They’re a living promise,” he said. “That is why I am proud of the child rights ambassador programme, and the work you, the first cohort, have done to make children’s rights a living reality.”

He added that UNICEF remains committed to ensuring young people have a meaningful voice in policymaking and development.

“By empowering you and incorporating your perspective into development initiatives, we can foster resilient, enduring communities.”

(SB)