Young people from Sheffield last night entered the election debate and quizzed politicians at a public meeting to discuss the Children's Manifesto, drawn up by the NSPCC. Here, Children's Express consider how the views of young people are dealt with by politicians.
| One in three 12 to 16 year olds has complained of being assaulted. If any other group said this there would be uproar. |
If you believed everything politicians said and did, young people would be top of their political agenda.
This should be welcome news for the NSPCC, Barnardo's and the Child Poverty Action Group who joined forces to provide the Children's Manifesto, a charter for young people's rights aimed at the political parties on the need for action to support young people.
Sue Woolmore, NSPCC Director for Policy in the North said: "The manifesto should pull together lots of important issues about children. Have it all in one place to give to politicians and say, 'this is what we think you should be doing'."
At the heart of the Manifesto are:
- Independent Children's Commissioners
- The systematic review of all child deaths
- The minimum income necessary for all families
- Independent counselling schemes in all schools
- The right to an advocate
Said Sue: "To introduce a Commissioner for children can be put in place very quickly. Something like ending poverty for children takes a lot longer."
England lags behind on this initiative of a Children's Commissioner. Already the call for them to act as independent watchdogs for children has been heard in the National Assemblies for Northern Ireland, Wales and in the Scotland Parliament. There is pressure to see the same in England.
"We are hugely disappointed that the major parties don't have that in their Manifesto," said Sue.
In the political world, the young are ideal vote-catchers. Politicians rarely miss a chance to show their commitment to the young, but in many ways this is for the politician's benefit. Manifestos concentrate on how the young will benefit from improved education initiatives, or how young people can indirectly financially benefit their families.
"If politicians do something for kids, parents will be more ready to vote for them," said Alex Armstrong, 15, of Thorpe Hesley.
"Politicians should concentrate on safety on the streets things that will help us," added Stacey Livermore, 14, of Shiregreen.
Recent strides have been made to support young people. Home Secretary Jack Straw's pledge to make Britain the 'safest country in the world for children to use the web', by protecting children from internet paedophiles is welcome, as is the introduction of the Children's Tax Credit to help parents meet the cost of bringing up children.
And yet behind such moves, the need for further support is all too evident. More than 4000 infants are placed on child protection registers each year, one in three children in the UK live in poverty, 20% of children and adolescents suffer some form of mental health problem. The list is endless, the figures disturbing.
What is more worrying is the way society and, children suspect, some politicians, perceive young people.
Sue Woolmore said: "In the last six to eight months one in three 12 to 16 year olds complained of being assaulted. If any other group, for example the elderly, said this there would rightly be an uproar but nobody seems concerned about young people. Children and young people are vulnerable but I don't think society always accepts that."
Perhaps it is an apparent lack of direct involvement for young people that makes them distrustful of politicians, that perhaps they are on the fringe and not fully listened to that makes the young disillusioned.
The need for more directness from politicians is summed up best by Oscar-nominated actress Emily Watson's supporting comment for the NSPCC's targeting of political reform: "Make sure your representatives in parliament can look children in the eye."
It remains to be seen whether or not politicians will act upon the voices of young people represented by the Children's Manifesto.
About the team
This article was produced by David Burnham and Wesley Taylor, 15, and Jasmine Stewart, 14. It was published in the Sheffield Star.
