Children Parliament Holds its First Session [Archives:2000/18/Business & Economy]

Ismail Al-Ghabiri,
Yemen Times
Last Thursday, 27 April 2000, the first children parliament was elected in the presence of Sheikh Hussein Al-Ahmar, Speaker of the Parliament, and several diplomats and parliamentarians. A Parliament Presidency Authority was established and Al-Kasimi Mohammad Al-Kasimi, student from Al-Wahdah school, won the seat of speaker. The parliament includes 31 students from 31 different schools in the capital city Sana’a.
The Children Parliament project is considered a consolidation of democracy in our country. This project will educate children on their rights, elections and free competition. The main duties of this parliament are to discuss children’s cases and rights and working to implement the Children’s rights Agreement and improve childhood conditions in Yemen. Some of the main goals of establishing this project are:

1)Making 50% of the segment of the society aware of the meaning of democracy and children rights.
2)Sending a letter signed by Children Parliament to the government, United Nations and the Parliament demanding improvement of childhood conditions in Yemen and implementation of Children’s Rights Agreement.
The children have expressed their gladness for the care that the parliament receives. Furthermore, one of the parliament members said: “I will talk about our rights in the parliament. This is our chance to make decision-makers listen to us. On this day, I will demand the government to improve and modernize the level of the educational curriculums. They should also add all that is new in the field of scientific discoveries. I will be here with other children in this parliament who would talk about the Children’s Rights Agreement. We expect that the parliament would activate children’s rights, educate children on their denied rights as well as taking care of educational, cultural and entertaining needs and drawing the attention of adults in order to improve childhood conditions in Yemen. I call on every parents and every one who cares about children to stand with and encourage us and not deride our parliament. This very day we will try to achieve what the adults could not.
It is worth noting that Noshata’a (ACTIVISTS) organization was the first to adopt the project of the children parliament. It is a civilian non-governmental institution founded by activists affiliated to the Movement of Human Rights to meet necessities for which the Movement is still asking. The task of this organization is to realize implications, principles, requirements as well as ways of treatment and interaction with human rights and democracy.

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