Evolving Rights of Children in Canada and Abroad

By Carol Lowes and ChristianWeek | July 9, 2021

The recent findings of graves at former residential schools show how greatly the rights of children have been evolving in Canada. Christians are leading the charge to see more children have better futures with things like clean and safe drinking water, food, education and health care.

Looking globally reveals how far those rights still have to go. Centuries ago child development was not really seen as a factor in education and severe forms of corporal discipline were still commonplace in Canadian homes and schools. That is changing with global movements like those of World Vision Canada and many other groups that have promoted child and youth leadership and advocacy.

Still in some parts of the world that’s simply not the case. Child labour for instance is still widespread in many countries like India for example. Children, globally speaking, simply do not have what children in the Western world have in terms of health care, education and safety from war and famine.

In the residential schools of the past Canada has shown an ugly history, yet there are many signs of hope in how radically our history books have shifted to recognize where things went wrong and where to make changes. Millions of Canadians now give to causes to help children who have different religions, cultures and races than their own both in Canada and abroad. Christian groups are making many strides in helping other people’s children a world away and at home. This is true in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches.

One thing that still holds us back is violence against children both in the home and in situations like war. Child poverty too is still a great factor globally. It was one of the elements at play in the residential schools because children were separated from parents and their ancestral homes and not given the resources they needed to survive like better health care treatment and food.

Things are changing in the way the world views children. This doesn’t negate the atrocities of the past, but every step forward is a step towards hope.

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Next time you read a story you don’t want to hear about children, just remember how much a difference you could make through your local church in children’s ministries or with your own family and community and abroad in the life of one child or a community.

You can be the change that children are looking for.