35 years of progress: Saint Kitts and Nevis launches first Child Rights Ambassador programme

Young people took centre stage this week as Saint Kitts and Nevis marked 35 years since ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) — and launched its first-ever Child Rights Ambassador programme.

In a milestone moment for the twin-island federation, more than 20 children aged 8 to 16 stepped forward as the country’s newest advocates for change, joining peers from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in a growing movement across the Eastern Caribbean. The UNICEF-supported initiative, led in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development & Gender Affairs, is designed to empower children to understand their rights and speak up on the issues that matter most to them.

The launch week coincided with a high-level roundtable discussion attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Youth, the Honourable Dr Geoffrey Hanley; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs, Azilla Clarke; Director of the Department of Probation and Child Protective Services, Naren Maynard; and UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Representative, AbdulKadir Musse.

While celebrating important gains in education, child protection and mental health, the newly appointed ambassadors made clear that more must be done. They called for urgent action to:

• End school bullying and other forms of violence.
• Improve sanitation in schools.
• Better integrate migrant children into the education system.
• Strengthen protection against sexual abuse.

Through creative activities, role play and open dialogue, the children explored what truly child-friendly communities look like — from building a “model city for children” out of LEGO, to presenting their ideas to a fictional Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. They tackled real-life challenges, from online bullying and corporal punishment to educational inequalities, while practising how to make their case to decision-makers, in boardrooms, meetings and the media.

For Musse, who also presented his credentials to the Honourable Dr Denzil Douglas, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the week underscored the country’s commitment to protecting and empowering its youngest citizens.

“Children must not only be protected — they must be heard,” said Musse. “We look forward to deepening our collaboration with the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis to strengthen child protection, education, mental health, climate resilience and social protection systems, leaving no child behind.”

As Saint Kitts and Nevis celebrates 35 years of progress for children, its newest Child Rights Ambassadors are proving that the future will be shaped not only for children — but with them.

This story was first published by UNICEF