Advocates want to make Canada “the best place in the world for kids to grow up.”

Advocates want to make Canada “the best place in the world for kids to grow up.”

A children’s charter planned to stem poverty, abuse, suicide

‘An urgent need for action’

More than 30 young people from all over Canada will gather in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, next week to draft a Canadian children’s charter.

“The idea of a children’s charter really came about because many organizations that are working on the front lines with children really see an urgent need for action,” says Sara Austin, founder and lead director of Children First Canada, a movement with mission to improve the lives of children.

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Canada’s ranking called ‘pretty shocking’

“Canada ranks 25th out of 41 wealthy nations when it comes to the well-being of children and that’s pretty shocking. You know, we’re a very wealthy, well-developed nation with a robust democracy…When it comes to the well-being of kids we just fall far behind,” says Austin.

She says that although Canada has signed on to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children and other similar international documents, there are significant gaps in living up to them. As examples, Austin says one in five Canadian children live in poverty, one in three have experienced some form of abuse and one in five teens having considered suicide in the past year.

Many Canadian children face mental health problems and one in five teenagers has contemplated suicide in the past year.
Many Canadian children face mental health problems and one in five teenagers has contemplated suicide in the past year.

A goal to make Canada ‘the best place in the world for kids’

“These are pretty alarming stats and figures that we need to grapple with and identify what is our vision for kids, what are the gaps, and what will it take to make Canada the best place in the world for kids to grow up,” says Austin.

Draft to include charter and plan to implement it

Young people will gather on November 21st for the two-day summit to explain their lived experiences and to meet with parliamentarians, leaders of children’s charities, hospitals, research institutes and corporations.

They will work together to draft a children’s charter and then Canadians will be asked for their input. The plan is to draw attention to children’s issues, to create the charter and a plan to implement it ready in 2018.

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