Article 12 – Respect for the Views of the Child
When adults are making decisions that affect children, the children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account. In the story of 14-year-old Ibrahima, he wakes at 4 o’clock each morning to work on the farm before going to school, to support his mother and younger siblings. In his rush to get everything done, Ibrahima does not have time to eat breakfast. He earns very little, often faces extreme tiredness and falls asleep in class. Ibrahima, feeling empowered through the AWARE/OWARE game states, “When I finish school, I plan to be a lawyer so that I can speak out on behalf of the children.”