This campaign seeks to create awareness about Children's rights from a Holistic perspective.
We launched on World Children's Day (November 2020) and introduced our Ambassador, Ali Gulamhusein, who spoke about children and why he thinks this is an important topic:
When it comes to children, there are certain elements that come into play. But, everything begins with the idea of a right.
What is a right? How would you define your ability to have a right?
Why are Children’s Rights important?
We always hear about how children are our leaders of tomorrow. Well, from Greta Thurnberg to Jahkil Jackson to Anoyara Khatun to Ali Gulamhusein - children are already making a difference and shaping our world.
How are they being inspired and empowered to do so?
Islam has provided extensive information on how children should be treated and nurtured, including giving us examples from the lives of our prophetic role models and from the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh).
Every child has rights, and deserves that their rights be upheld by those around them - be it their parents, teachers, community members or anyone else.
What are the Rights of a Child?
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Every child has rights
We all have a part to play when it comes to upholding the rights of the children around us.
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Right to equality
Comparing one child to another, in terms of their accomplishments, capabilities or general behaviour, creates something called toxic stress - instilling that they are not good enough.
By comparing, not only are we disregarding the fact that every human being is born unique, but we are also forming unrealistic standards that form the basis of insecurities.
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Right to support
Children need support, guidance and encouragement to seek out their own dreams and manifest their aspirations.
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Right to safety
From abuse, neglect and violence to bullying, belittling, harsh punishments and fear-based disciplinary actions - children are vulnerable to all sorts of issues that can make them feel unsafe and distressed.
These experiences can leave them exposed, exploited and traumatised. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we consider child protection practices in our respective working fields and day-to-day living.
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Right to have their needs met
'Feeding, clothing and sleeping is enough for a child!' But is it?
Children don't just have basic physical needs, they also have basic emotional and mental needs which are so easy to provide. Things like understanding their thought processes, validating their emotions, allowing them to express their uncomfortable emotions like anger in healthy ways, and giving them reassurance when they feel scared.
Every child has a mind and a heart, and each of these has its own needs.
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Right to be heard
Myth: Children don't understand...
Reality: Children understand and observe more than adults can!
That is why it is so vital to include them in matters that concern them. Hearing them out and acknowledging them is enough to set a child's mind at ease, and ensure they develop good communication skills.
If you do not put their input into action, it is healthy to explain why you decided differently. This builds a trusting relationship and helps the child build decision-making skills.
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Right to a secure attachment
What kind of attachment do you have with your children? Is it more like ⛓️ or 🌿 or even 💨?
Attachment is the process whereby one individual seeks nearness to another individual, and it is a term used to describe the nature of the relationship between a parent and a child. There are 4 different types of attachment patterns or styles: Secure attachment, Insecure Avoidant, Insecure Anxious or Disorganised attachment.
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Right to be healthy
How do you use your rights over others?
If your right over another involves hurting their feelings or punishing them to prove you are right, then you have to realise that is an abuse of the right that you hold.
So how can you, as a parent, ensure that your right over your child is exerted but not imposed? It can be tough to balance ⚖️, but a few key ingredients are necessary...
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Right to receive affection
🥣 With these 3 key ingredients to guide your every action, decision and reaction, forming a secure attachment with a child and nurturing their mental, physical, and spiritual health will not be difficult.
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Right to be taught with compassion
🤯 Fear-based learning has been shown to have detrimental effects on mental health, particularly in children.
This is because it teaches them that fear, not love, is the best way to solve problems. And before you know it, fear becomes part of their daily life. Seeing life through the lens of fear increases anxiety, depression, self-doubts, insecurities, and suicidal thoughts and cultivates a deep sense of helplessness.
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Right to be their own person
💬 ‘Why don’t you be more like your brother?’
💬 ’Your friend is doing this so you should as well.’
Appreciating the individuality and unique ability of a child, and accepting that each child learns and thinks differently can allow us to:
🧠 Cater for their needs
🏆 Build their skills
🌌 Unlock their galaxy
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Right to privacy
🤝 It is the duty of those around the children to protect their privacy and respect their innocence.
This also benefits the child as they learn about respecting themselves and other people through the behaviour we model for them.
We should prescribe to the approach that all children are our children, and as adults we should take the shared responsibility of treating them with care and compassion 💝
Host a Workshop
TsaZesh hosts a series of online workshops to explore childhood development, mental health and human rights.
The workshops are hosted by Sarah Gulamhusein who is our Founder and Psychologist. Sarah has studied Medical Biochemistry and Psychology.
Each workshop is open to parents, planning couples, teachers, carers, counsellors, psychologists and anybody who is 18+ and interested in children.
This Workshop Series is available upon request.
Creating a Persona
This workshop will explore the child's personality and character formation, including:
The different stages of childhood development
What to look out for when it comes to different childhood behaviours
The parent-child relationship and how to create a strong and secure attachment to the child
Parental Wellbeing
Children are very perceptive from a very young age, and often react to their parent's non-verbal communication. This workshop will include:
How to tell when your child is reacting to you
How to maintain wellbeing while raising a child
What can go wrong after pregnancy for both the mother and the father
Finding their Door
It's a well known fact that children need help to grow, but we often neglect the mental & emotional aspects. We will unlock:
The mysteries of a child's mind
How to read a child's behaviour and engage in responsive caregiving
The galaxy that is present inside of every child
Learn more about Children's Rights
Learn more about Children's Rights
We gave you the chance to share your thoughts and ideas (anonymously) about children's rights and what issues (if any) you think our collective communities face when it comes to children.
We have now collated the data and created a Free Downloadable Report!
Be sure to share this with your family and friends to keep the conversation going.
Check out some really informative resources on Children's Rights, including:
Children's Rights from an Islamic Perspective
The Children's Rights Convention, adopted by the UN
Children mental health and how to support them post-pandemic
& So much more!
Watch our impeccable Children Ambassadors tell you more about the rights of Every Child, and some great ways to embody and implement those rights.
Click on each of the below to be redirected to our CRC Ambassador’s video.
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Ali Gulamhusein
Watch our first ever child ambassador, Ali Gulamhusein, as he shares his journey towards being passionate about children’s rights and his inspiring message to all children out there.
He holds World Children’s Day close to his heart because he believes that children should be celebrated for their unique capabilities, open-mindedness and genuine contributions to our global community.
Perhaps the most important way of doing this is by upholding their rights.
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Maryam Shabbar Karim
As we embark of this journey of the rights of every child, Maryam Karim shares her thoughts on recreation.
Watch as she speaks about how play and recreation is so important to a child’s mental and physical development and it is also one of their rights.
We are so proud of Maryam, how open she is to sharing her thoughts on her rights, and some great examples of how to embody those rights!
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Ali & Zainab Merali
Having the right to dream is an important aspect of children's rights. Watch as Ali and Zainab Merali share their dreams and how their environment allows them to be creative.
Every child has a right to dream freely, in their own unique way. Some dreams may be more achievable than others, but as adults we don't have the right to diminish any child's dream or tell them that it is not achievable.
Keeping an environment around the child that allows them to lean into their skills and build on them is a good way of nurturing this right.
Founder’s note: It was lovely to work with Ali and Zainab! They were so forthcoming and gave us so many ideas to work with. Thank you for being our ambassadors!
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Hadi Hemraj
Trying to love oneself is arguably the hardest right to fulfil. Hadi Hemraj shares how he takes the time to be patient with his progress and appreciates his efforts every step of the way.
Every child has the right to love and appreciate themselves in their own way. We can change worlds by simply encouraging them to do this more often.
When they make a mistake, it's okay. When they don't do as well as your neighbour or your cousin, it's okay. When they fall on the second and third try, it's okay.
Every child is different, but the right to love and appreciate is for all children.
