LATEST
NEWS FROM YOKOHAMA
YOUTHSPEAK
Kids
Tired, Busy, and Prepared for More Meetings
By
Vera Ocampo
(Vera, a 20-year-old student from the University of the Philippines,
is covering the Yokohama Congress with the IPS team.)
YOKOHAMA,
Japan, Dec 18 - Twenty-five children and young people took part
in the Stockholm World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation
of Children in 1996.
Five years later here in Yokohama, about 100 children and young
people have come as official delegates and facilitators to the
second world congress. In terms of numbers, more young people
are now given the opportunity to speak up and take action on
an issue that they themselves are concerned with.
Two
days into the Congress, how are the young people doing? Some
of the youngsters are feeling very tired.
The first day of the congress was already the fifth for them
because for four years prior to the congress, there was a special
programme for young people in Kawasaki city, which is half an
hour away by train from here.
''Everybody was so tired,'' says Kanna, 21, from Japan. At Kawasaki,
according to Kanna, they had activities all day: sharing experiences
from each region, and coming up with solid stands and statements.
Fourteen
year-old April from the Philippines admits, ''We are tired.
The schedule is very hectic. Others only had about two hours
of sleep the other night.''
One
young participant said that she found nothing special about
the Opening Ceremonies on Monday, Dec. 17, adding that it was
even ''quite ordinary for most conferences''.
Twenty-year-old Mee from Thailand is quick to add though that
she felt ''honoured to see the Queen (Silvia) of Sweden and
the Princess (Takamado) of Japan participating in the Congress''.
Young
people were also glad that the queen and princess were very
concerned for children. Mee is also very eager to know what
the other delegates are thinking and what people are doing in
their countries regarding the issue.
Mee
also wanted to learn about what the youth leaders in the Congress
are doing in the fight against the commercial sexual exploitation
of children, but is ''very sorry'' that she could not understand
much of what others were saying because unlike during Tuesday's
sessions, she had no interpreter the day before.
Language
has been a major concern for the young people here, especially
because not everyone speaks or understands English. In discussions,
they have to make sure to give enough time for translation.
Unlike in the plenary sessions and in some workshops, translations
for the young people are not done electronically (and simultaneously).
But even as the young people were tired and sleepy, they were
impressed by their own Drafting Committee, which was able to
come up with a comprehensive speech for the young people's keynote
address on Monday.
''I am also happy about the three that we chose as representatives
because they delivered the speech beautifully,'' says April.
Twenty one-year-old Vangie, also from the Philippines, proudly
said that ''the keynote address of the children and young people
was very good and it contained all the points we wanted to raise
to all the concerned bodies''.
According
to April, all the children were able to contribute to the content/formulation
of the address. April was also impressed and touched by the
speech made by Cherry Kingsley, a survivor of commercial sexual
exploitation.
Her story and the speeches made by the other adults served as
an inspiration for the young people to continue with their work.
Like Kanna, April also thinks that it was nice to hear from
both adults and young people at the opening session, as well
as in Panel 1 on Monday.
The involvement of children and young people at the very first
hour of this congress may be an indication of how serious the
organisers are about encouraging the greater participation of
children and young people.
On
the other hand, some young people also expressed their disappointments
with the proceedings. Eko, a 16-year-old Indonesian, says that
he did not like his first day. In the young people's discussions,
''too many people were arguing and sometimes the youth (the
older young people) used difficult terms that we (the children)
could not understand''.
Eko's friend from Indonesia, Sri, 17, was also ''not very happy
about it''. Many of the children participants felt that they
were being left out. To avoid such feelings, the young people's
group was separated into children and youth discussion groups.
As a result, all children were able to stand up and make a point.
And as April mentioned earlier, each one contributed to the
keynote address. As for the next few days of the congress, April
looks forward to Panel 3 (Wednesday), where the young people
will have a representative.
For the whole day on Tuesday, they have been trying to decide
who to send to the panel and what to say in their presentation.
''I hope we can encourage more people and government officials
and NGOs to help the children who are in most need,'' April
adds.
Everyone
wants this Congress to be successful, specially the young people.
''All the voices of the children and young people must be heard,''
declares Vangie, ''specially by the governments.''
She
adds, ''I hope they provide more activities and opportunities
for children and young people to participate in the fight against
commercial sexual exploitation of children.''
The
commercial sexual exploitation of children is a global phenomenon
that deserves special attention, and people all over the world
must be committed to put an end to it.
The
children and young people realise this and are taking action
in their own little corners of the world. Just like the adults,
the children and young people here came to promote an agenda.
T
hey
came to Yokohama to see to it that fewer children will be abused
and exploited in the future. They came to make sure that more
children and young people are empowered to participate in issues
that directly concern them.
They
came in the hopes that their participation will result to things
being a little bit better for all children. May they attain
what they are hoping, and working so hard, for.
