PM: "If we do not support our children we are going to have future generations and leaders of this community who do not understand where they belong as members of the St. Maarten society"
BELAIR:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams gave the opening address at the St. Maarten Observance of the International Day of the Rights of the Child held at the Belair Community Center on Wednesday. The theme for the St. Maarten observance was focused on the rights of children to have an identity and the rights of children to belong to a community. Children's Day is recognized on various days in many places around the world, to honor children globally. It was first proclaimed by the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in 1925 and then established universally in 1954 to protect an "appropriate" day. Major global variants include a Universal Children's Day on November 20, by United Nations recommendation.
The Prime Minister started her address by commending and congratulating both Governments of St. Maarten and St. Martin for jointly hosting the commemoration of the International Day of the Rights of the Child. "I want to congratulate the schools that are involved in this celebration today and in other activities which will be taking place in the coming days. As far as St. Maarten is concerned we have, in becoming a country, become party to the Convention of the Rights of the Child. In doing this, even more than before, we are accountable to the international community and we need to show how we are progressing in as far as we are upholding the rights of the child as put forward in the convention of the same name.
"While that is an important exercise and there is always the pressure to show that we are making strides in this respect I think it is even more important to focus on the things we do here locally on St. Maarten for our children. As we grow into this process, awareness of all within the community is essential in ensuring that children's rights are looked after. For this celebration this year we have singled out the articles that deal with identity and the rights of the name of our children. These two articles, seven and eight, are particularly important for St. Maarten to ensure that our children enjoy a clear and concise identity and family protection. Too often we are confronted with children being left behind by their parents given the current migration pattern, and it is also not uncommon for persons to find themselves on the island and not being really sure of their identity. So I am extremely pleased that we have chosen this aspect because we do have children who go through this on St. Maarten," emphasized the Prime Minister.
The PM also stressed that children need to be given the necessary supportive environment in order for them to grow and reach their full potential within the community. "If we do not support our children we are going to have future generations and leaders of this community who do not understand where they belong as members of the St. Maarten society. In the case of our children the old saying goes that there is no gale that stops at the frontier. God bless the children of this country," concluded the Prime Minister.
From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister