© UNICEF/OPTA2001-00119/Sabella
Public transport in Sydney is hardly a delight at the best of times. At this time of year, not only is it (normally) hot and sticky, but schools have gone back, twice a day flooding buses and trains with schoolkids. At midnight, Cinderella’s coach may have turned back into a pumpkin but I’m sure a lot of people would agree that in Sydney when the clock strikes 3pm, a pumpkin’s looking better than a hot busride home filled with tweens.
This year more than usual, I’ve noticed the ads in buses telling school students to stand up for adult passengers. Now, at the end of a long day, missing out on a seat on the bus home really is the pits. But should an adult be able to take the seat of a school student who is already on the bus? If I’m tired after a day at uni or work (or to be honest, maybe the beach), then won’t a kid who has been running around and working hard at school all day be equally dying for a seat?
I imagine that some argue that children should stand because they don’t pay a full fare. Neither do the senior citizens who most require the seats. Should these non-full-fare-paying senior citizens give up their seats for the paying 30 year-olds? Sure, a 15 year-old strong rugby player should give up his seat if someone comes along who really could better use it, e.g. a pregnant, disabled or elderly person, but so should any other able-bodied person.
Looking at this in a broader sense: adults make and apply laws and decisions about so many aspects of children’s lives. This is not a license to control the voiceless or the powerless – it is a responsibility to make sure that we protect them.
Children are such an important part of our society and we must never forget this. It is everyone’s responsibility to make sure that they are protected every day and that their voices are heard. Making sure that the proper role of the National Children’s Commissioner is fully established is one important step towards making sure our society does not let children’s rights fall to the wayside but every day we all have to make sure that children are treated with the same respect for their human rights as anybody else. Sure, there isn’t a human right to a seat on the bus... but if there were, it should be for everyone and not just the adults who claim it!
What you can do:
- Do you have a pet peeve like I do? Do you think some child rights issue has fallen through the cracks? Take action by writing a letter to your local MP! You can find the contact details for your local MP on the Parliament of Australia website.
- Want to know more about the proposed role of National Children’s Commissioner? Click here.
About the author
Verity Smith is an Advocacy Intern at UNICEF Australia and is currently studying Arts/Law at the University of New South Wales. She is also volunteering at the Aboriginal Legal Service in Redfern and hopes to pursue a career which involves her interests in human rights and child protection.
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