Adolescence

The Convention was sufficiently inspiring and allencompassingthat in merely two decades from itsadoption it has been ratified by all but two of the world’snations, becoming the most widely supported human rightstreaty in history. Its two Optional Protocols, both adoptedby the United Nations in 2000, sought to further strengthenthe rights of children by specifying provisions to protectthem from involvement in situations of armed conflict andfrom trafficking, slavery, prostitution and pornography.Adolescent participation in key international forumshas increased steadily in recent decadesPrior to the adoption of the Convention, adolescents’ participationin international development and human rights forumswas almost non-existent. The 1990 World Summit for Childrenprovided an opportunity to dispel the notion that adolescentsare incapable of making a contribution to the internationaldevelopment agenda in general on issues related to them specifically.At this global event, adolescents made their voices andopinions heard on issues affecting them and were instrumentalin the formulation of the final outcome document.This participatory process was replicated during the 2002 UNGeneral Assembly Special Session on Children, which broughtmore than 400 adolescents from 150 countries to New York toexchange experiences and make demands of world leaders ina three-day Children’s Forum. Five years later, adolescents participatedin the follow-up to the Special Session, and they alsomade presentations at the commemorative event celebrating the20th anniversary of the Convention on 20 November 2009.TECHNOLOGYDigital natives and the three divides to bridgeby John Palfrey, Urs Gasserand Colin Maclay of theBerkman Center for Internet& Society, Harvard University,and Gerrit Beger of UNICEF.While we use the term ‘digital natives’ to describethe generation born after roughly 1980, not all youngpeople fall into this category. Digital natives sharea common global culture defined less by age thanby their experience growing up immersed in digitaltechnology. This experience affects their interactionwith information technologies and information itself,as well as the ways they relate with one another,other people and institutions.Reaping the benefits of digital tools, therefore,means more than just being born in a certain periodor having access to a laptop. For adolescents torealize the full promise of new technologies, threedivides must be bridged. The first has to do withbasic access to these technologies and relatedinfrastructure, such as electricity; the second involvesthe skills needed to use the technologies once theybecome accessible; and the third stems from ourlimited understanding of how young people navigatethe online world. Each of these divides exists in everysociety, but their effects are felt most acutely in thedeveloping world.Over the past decade, access to the Internet, mobiledevices and digital media has increased at a rapidrate. Approximately a quarter of the world’s 6.8billion people have access to the Internet, and 86per cent can connect to the world’s communicationsnetworks through mobile devices. Yet such accessremains highly inequitable, with rates in Africa, forinstance, far below those in Europe.There are signs that committed investment mayshrink the access divide. For example, Botswana isdeveloping one of the highest rates of technologypenetration in sub-Saharan Africa; the CommunicationsMinistry stated in 2010 that there was “over100 per cent” mobile coverage (though broadbandhousehold Internet access continues to lag behind).Meanwhile, President Paul Kagame of Rwandahas committed to making his country a leader ineconomic development through investment in newtechnologies and Internet infrastructure.While necessary, such efforts are not sufficient.There is also a participation gap between those withsophisticated skills in using digital media and thosewithout. In the developing world, many youth relyon mobile devices rather than fixed line connectionswith faster speeds. Basic literacy is also an issue.Digital literacy – the ability to navigate a digitallymediated world – further separates youth who arelikely to benefit from digital technologies from thosewho are not. Young people who do not have accessto the Internet at home or in schools – and who lackthe support that comes from teachers and parentsequipped with strong digital skills – will not developthe necessary social, learning and technical skill sets14THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2011