A reminder of the United Nations (UNICEF) Convention and a second view from yours truly.
On November 12th I was the author of a Post called Our next generation featuring the young Jessica Watson from Australia who is on course to try and win the record for the youngest person to sail, solo, unassisted, non-stop around the World. Here’s a part of what was said:
Jessica Watson
Jessica Watson is a teenager. She is hoping to break the record for the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the World. Whatever modern materials and technology can do to make sailing easier, sailing solo for weeks on end is grindingly tough at any age. She’s a wonderful example of the next generation!
Jessica left Sydney Harbour on October 18, 2009 sailing her sloop Ella’s Pink Lady. Her course is an estimated 23,000 nautical miles requiring her to be roughly 230 days at sea.
You can see that the tone of the Post was supportive.
However the comments that the Post attracted were critical of the pressures and influences that may have been brought to bear on this child. For at 16 ‘child’ is what Jessica is. One of our regular contributors pointed out that under the terms of the UNICEF Convention:
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not.
However the comments that the Post attracted were critical of the pressures and influences that may have been brought to bear on this child. For at 16 ‘child’ is what Jessica is. One of our regular contributors pointed out that under the terms of the UNICEF Convention:
Learning from Dogs 