| Azlan Othman |
FEW countries have developed universal education system as quickly as Brunei, said US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Craig Allen.
Both in the United States and Brunei Darussalam many changes have taken place of late in the field of children’s rights under international treaties like the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the envoy said yesterday.
“In Brunei Darussalam, in particular, the changes have been dramatic. Few countries have developed as quickly as Brunei. Few have become wealthy as quickly as Brunei. Few have developed a system of universal education as quickly as Brunei. And now, few are more tied to the world economy than Brunei,” Craig Allen added.
He was speaking at a one-day Awareness-Raising Forum and National Consultation Workshop on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Over 100 children from the four districts attended the event held at StarLodge in Jerudong.
“Credit for these rapid achievements is richly deserved by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam,” the Ambassador said.
“For the young people in the audience, the future presents many challenges. You will be challenged to decide how best to diversify your economy, how to ensure that your vibrant and diverse traditions remain strong, how to preserve peace and security in Southeast Asia. You should not take any of these challenges for granted,” he added.
Participants pose for a group photo with Craig Allen, US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam. – AZLAN OTHMAN
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ambassador said, is an international treaty that recognises the human rights of children (18 years and under). This treaty provides a framework to help governments ensure that children and families have rights and protections. For example, children should be free from discrimination; government policies should be based on the best interests of the child; children should be developed to their full potential; and children’s views should be considered important, he explained.
Meanwhile, Datin Paduka Hajah Intan binti Haji Mohd Kassim, Brunei’s Asean Commissioner for Children cum President of the Brunei Council on Social Welfare (MKM), said there is still lack of awareness on what the rights of the children are in the Sultanate and the implication of ratifying the convention. The CRC emphasises on equality and this is the basis of rights of the children.
Brunei Darussalam ratified the convention on December 27, 1995.
Many children still suffer discrimination in terms of their rights because of their vulnerable position, gender, race, geography and so on, Datin Paduka Hajah Intan. “Blaming economic downturn and security problems, it is easy to keep women’s and children’s interests aside, easy to keep them at the bottom of the priority list. Investing adequately in children’s welfare is the hardest for most policy makers and politicians as its results are not immediate and no cost effectiveness could be seen.
“However, if we think of the future growth and see the children as our future, investing in them to achieve the best quality is vital,” she added.
Nur Judy binti Abdullah, Vice President I of MKM, said there has been a lack of awareness and knowledge on CRC among children in the Sultanate. During the awareness raising forum held in March 2015, organised jointly by MKM and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Malaysia, we conducted a survey where 99 per cent of the children said it was their first time to hear about CRC. This prompted MKM to find ways on how to promote CRC among children, as it is every child’s right to know their rights.
The objectives of the forum are to raise awareness among children in Brunei Darussalam on the CRC, to gather views and insights of children on the implementation of CRC, to identify the gaps in the implementation of the CRC and to formulate recommendations of children to bridge those gaps.
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