10 April 2007

Tashkent, Uzbekistan: 7:30 am. “Moloko … Moloko …”, the voice of a women selling milk wakes me up; a new day is starting in Uzbekistan. The office is not far away from my place, and even if it snowed all night, it is nice to have a walk. Maybe because I come from Sardinia – where it rarely snows – I am amazed to see the city under a white blanket. Cars drive past slowly; taxi drivers stop frequently to ask if I need a ride. 

The office is in the city centre, close to the main hotels and the Senate. The translator has already arrived, and after collecting a flipchart, colour pens and stationery, we are ready to get started.
 
UNICEF, government partners and non-governmental organizations are planning an international forum on “Reforms in the system of social protection of children”. Protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse is an integral component of protecting their rights to survival, growth and development. Prior to the forum, UNICEF and its partners agreed that it was crucial to ensure that every participant in the forum listened to what children had to say. As Elmira (14 years old) from an orphanage said, "We live in children’s homes and we know what we need. First of all, adults need to listen to us, because they are working for us and for our well-being”.

My task is to visit children’s homes, explain to the children what the forum is about, discuss with them and decide how children can contribute to this important process. The reaction of the children is incredible: each child writes a letter to the participants in the forum to express her wishes or problems or simply to describe his life. Then they prepare badges with short snappy messages to share with the participants. Upon registration, each participant is given a badge to wear during the forum, and some participants use these messages in their speeches during the plenary session.

As for the letters, they were used by the working groups discussing existing legislation, education of vulnerable children and protection mechanisms to understand issues concerning children better – for example, the Representative of the Office of the Ombudsman read and analyzed some of the letters during discussions on children’s rights. Effectively, the delegates became the “voices” of the children, who had become part of the decision-making process.

Later in the day, I visit the office of Panoh Shulasi, the Uzbek NGO that works with blind and visually impaired children, together with two national volunteers, university students keen to make a difference. In order for blind children to know their rights, we plan to record an audio version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Uzbek and Russian. The two volunteers are excited when the recording starts. We will come again several times – the text needs to be clear, but the first version is already good.

Another working day has come to an end.  It is snowing again, which is why it is great to have hot soup with tea while chatting with friends in a chaykhana (tea house).

Valentina Virdis is a UNV Volunteer who served as a Child Protection Officer with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Uzbekistan. She is an Italian national with a degree in human rights and conflict management. Prior to Uzbekistan, Valentina worked with an Italian NGO on conflict prevention among youth in Zimbabwe.