National Human Rights Museum (國家人權博物館，NHRM) held a press conference on Feb. 21 to introduce "I Am a Child! I Have Rights!," a picture book which explains main principles of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in an easy-to-understand approach. It highlights the importance of children's rights, the freedom of exercising their rights, and raising awareness for child protection.
On occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UNCRC in 2019, NHRM held a special exhibition entitled "I Am a Child! I Have Rights!" and on display were introduction to the articles of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child, written by writer on children literature Lin Jen-Mei (林真美), and illustrations by 16 illustrators. The exhibition was well received.
In collaboration with Taiwan Interminds Publishing, Inc., NHRM has compiled the illustrations and stories by Lin into a picture book "I Am a Child! I Have Rights!" and it was published recently.
Explaining the composition of the picture book, Lin pointed out that as the 54 articles of the convention are not easy to comprehend by children, she has used vernacular language to write 16 illustrated stories which elaborate the main principles of the convention, including "every individual being created equal," "children's best interests taking priority," "equal rights of children with disabilities," and "children's right to privacy."
She added that, since the UNCRC was ratified, the rights of the child refer to not only child protection, but also a child's right to express freely and to be involved in matters concerning his/her life.
NHRM Director Chen Chun-hung (陳俊宏) noted that the picture book, together with the witness stories by victims of political persecution, can help children learn history from a different angle, since children seldom have the opportunity to learn the history of authoritarianism from the museum. He expressed the hope that the picture book will become an educational material for human rights education.