Fatimata: Respect child rights!

Fatimata is an active member of the Plan-supported Rights of the Child club in her school

Meet Fatimata, aged 17, from Ghana, who has been an active member of the Rights of the Child club that Plan started at her school 4 years ago. She introduces Plan's worldwide annual review and accounts 2009 with a call to respect child rights:

“If the rights of children are not respected and fulfilled, building schools and hospitals is like pouring water on a rock, or planting a tree where you know it won’t grow. You have to build on the rights of children. When we get the rights of children respected, then getting the schools and hospitals and other things won’t be very difficult.

Vital participation

"The right of the child to participate in making decisions is so important. If that right is not respected, if children are not given the chance to participate, especially in issues concerning their lives, then adults make decisions which affect the child. You must allow the child to bring out what they are feeling, what they think is best.

"Children who are learning about their rights can help develop the future by not repeating the mistakes that adults made in the past.

"There are so many deprived communities that the government does not know much about. When children learn about their rights, and are able to speak out, they can talk with ministers of state about development in their communities. These are the opportunities that Plan gives to children.”

Read Plan’s worldwide annual review and accounts 2009.

Learn about Plan's global work on child and youth participation.