wfn.org | World Vision Taiwan Calls Churches to Mark Child Protection Sunday

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Taiwan Church News (TCN) 2623 June 9, 2002
Reported by Lin Yi-shin, Translated and Rewritten by David
Alexander

Taipei (TCN) Considering that the children of Taiwan are involved

in more accidents during their summer vacations,
World Vision/Taiwan (WV/T) has designated June as "Child
Protection Month". The agency is holding a "Protect Children,
Safe Summer" campaign and encourages Taiwan's churches to
mark June 9th as Child Protection Sunday. Activities for the
Sunday and the month could include reminders that calling 113
puts one in touch with the women's and children's protection
hotline, opening church facilities during the week as safe play places,
and gathering the children deemed most needy of protection into
the parish hall for activities. All these activities aim to
provide the children of this country with safety, that the summer
vacation be full of the sound of their laughter.
In line with the advice of the United Nations (though it
continues to deny Taiwan admission or representation), WV/T General
Secretary Tim Shao says, "this agency already provides a 24
hour protection hotline, nutrition services for the poor and
short term shelter for children in danger. On June 15th we will hold
a nationwide Child Protection Seminar and on the 22nd hold
street fairs to increase our penetration of this society. We ask
churches to mark the 9th as Child Protection Sunday to show
their concern for the young people of Taiwan."
But he adds, "What we do is really not enough. The
government must go beyond its promotion of human rights in
general and set up a special committee to promote the rights of
the child. This could be designed along the lines of the United
Nations' Children's Life Convention, and be used to reform our
domestic child protection policies."
Former Minister of Education Wu-jin commented, "Although
the society in general seems to be rather perilous for children,
yet I feel that Taiwan is a very lively place, and in Taiwan there
are many aspects where our policies and protections already exceed
those recommended by the United Nations." He hopes that
Taiwan's children can themselves and with their parents discover
and enjoy their own life interests.
Movie star Sun-yuan, who is a WV/T volunteer, called for the
parents of Taiwan to properly value their children, demonstrating
to them that Taiwan still has a loving and affectionate face. But
he emphasizes the need for preventive education, especially in
the area of anger management. Parents must provide good models
of managing anger and strong emotions for their children to
emulate.
They must take care not to let their own problems, be they
unemployment, work pressure, weather changes or whatever,
cause them to take out their anger on their children.
Author Un Siao-ping shared from her own growing up experience,
how she feared her parents who used threats to keep her in line.
"Parents," she said, "using unsuitable threats leave a background
of fear in their children. If they confine children to the home
there are many unfortunate things that happen there, too." She offered
a public apology to her own children, whom she had struck when
they didn't finish their homework to her satisfaction. She
remembers the fear and loathing in their eyes when they looked at her. She
calls for parents to give their children a break from cram school
enrollment this summer, and to find suitable leisure activities
in which the entire family can participate.

For more information: World Vision/Taiwan www.worldvision.org.tw
Tim Shao: Tim@worldvision.org.tw

Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Chinese.
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