How do you feel about growing up in ireland

UNICEF Ireland, in partnership with the Children’s Rights Alliance, is supporting children and young people to submit a report on their experience of growing up in Ireland to the United Nations. In January 2016, Ireland’s record on children’s rights will be examined by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Eighteen international child’s rights experts will assess Ireland’s performance on a range of children’s rights issues, including education, equality and access to essentials services. UNICEF Ireland’s Picture Your Rights campaign allows children and young people to share their views with the committee’s representatives.

UNICEF is asking young people to take a photograph which captures their experience of being young in Ireland. UNICEF is inviting contributions under seven key themes:

Being me: Is your culture and identity accepted in Ireland?

Being involved: Do you have a say in decisions that affect you?

Feeling safe: How safe do you feel as a child or young person in Ireland?

My skills: Is Ireland ensuring that you develop the skills you need for life?

My care & wellbeing: Do you feel well looked after, cared for an healthy in your body and in your mind?

Inequality: Are all children treated equally in Ireland or do you or other children you know get treated unfairly because of who they are?

My future: Is your generation’s future being protected?

UNICEF Ireland’s Executive Director, Peter Power said: “This is an important opportunity for Ireland’s children and young people to share their views, directly with members of the UN committee on Children’s Rights. We want to give young people the opportunity to speak for themselves, to share their ambitions, concerns and experiences of being young in Ireland. Together with the Children’s Rights Alliance, we will build a picture of Ireland from the lens of its youngest citizens. By showing Ireland from our unique perspective, we will ensure that the Committee on the Rights of the Child at the UN will understand what matters most to Ireland’s young people.”

UNICEF Ireland invites contributions from young people around the country. Take a photograph that captures one aspect of your life in Ireland. Write a caption to accompany the photo. Post it on Instagram and tag it as #pictureyourrights. We also welcome contributions via email. You can send your images to info@pictureyourrights.com. The deadline for all submissions is Friday 20 February 2015

For further information, visit http://pictureyourrights.com/