Min. Persaud urges children to ‘be fearless’ amid consultations for Children’s Manifesto

With children making up 30 per cent of the population, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud has said a Children’s Manifesto will be developed to better provide for their needs.

On Monday, the Ministry, in collaboration with UNICEF, hosted an event at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre focused on World Children’s Day 2025, held under the theme: “My Day, My Rights.”

Dr. Persaud said it is imperative that children’s opinions and perspectives are heard in efforts to improve policies.

“We allow children to determine what their future wellbeing will look like. This manifesto will guide us at the Human Services Ministry in terms of the crafting of policies and programmes that can be looked at with a child’s lens, and it is a direct intervention so that children understand that we are listening to them,” the minister said.

During the event, the minister asked students attending to share experiences that they face, and some of the stories included facing bullying, fear of speaking out about issues at home and at school, among others.

According to Dr. Persaud, this is insightful for every adult to understand that children may appear happy but may be facing deeper challenges. For this reason, the manifesto is expected to be established in 2026.

“Children should be fearless because when you don’t have fear, you can speak up,” the minister said.

Countries such as South Africa have developed similar documents in efforts to address issues like quality of education and child protection. For Guyana, this manifesto allows the children to advocate for their rights and needs, and participate in decision-making.

Dr. Persaud added that children such as Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani education activist, and environmental activist Greta Thunberg exemplify the positives of allowing children to have a voice.

During the event, it was also highlighted that in ensuring education opportunities for children, those with autism and living with disabilities must receive particular learning opportunities that focus on their specific way of learning.

Gabriel Vockel, the Deputy Representative of UNICEF Guyana and Suriname, said the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by Guyana is a commitment to ensure that all children can grow, be educated, and be protected.

“UNICEF cares deeply about working with governments around the world to make sure that we can put in place the right laws, the right methodology, and the right envelopes of money to ensure that the solutions for children can become real,” Vockel said.

Importantly, the forum allowed the children to engage the ministry and UNICEF as the second round of consultations for the manifesto.