Every month, we plan to showcase a list of themed content recommendations from the first wave of our Ambassador team. This month's theme is "Children’s Rights."

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Books:

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이예람

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Title: Meeting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Written/Illustrated by Bob Chang)

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Plot: Meeting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child illustrates each of the 40 Articles to make them easy to understand. This book gives adult readers the opportunity to educate themselves about children’s rights and how to act. 

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Reason for selection: The quote “We grew up unaware that there were promises related to children. What if we knew, what if we kept these promises?” stuck with me. I hope that through this book, we are able to look at children not as dependent and passive beings, but rather as autonomous individuals worthy of respect.

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김동현

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Title: I hit you because I love you -- written discipline, read as violence

Authors: Ji Eun Kim, Han Jong Kim, Ran Hee Song, Chang Won Pyo, Hyung Chan Koo

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Plot: This is a book adapted from a lecture that grapples with punishment and abuse against children through the lenses of literature, history, women’s studies, psychology, and religion. By treating punishment and violence against children beyond a simple societal issue, this book attempts to showcase the true nature of violence against children by investigating the oppressive order in the relationship between adults and children as well as within families.

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Reason for selection: When I was young, punishments were justified with phrases such as “because we love you,” and “this is for your own good.” The basis of such actions can be found in the fact that we do not perceive children as independent beings. I selected this book because it helped me reevaluate and expand my own thoughts about punishment--how punishment does not translate to discipline, but rather a violence problem perpetuated by power relations. 

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주채민 

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Book: Dad is Sorry

Written by: Joo Ae Ko, with direction from Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation

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Plot: Joo Eun and Joo An watch as their parents argue and family conflict escalates. Will they able to overcome the child abuse and domestic violence that happens in their home?

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Reason for selection: The book Dad is Sorry illustrates how members of a family, faced with issues of child abuse and domestic violence, are able to overcome these challenges. I think that child abuse and domestic violence are issues that make our society even more difficult to live in. I wish that readers will be able to recognize the sad truth that there are many homes like this, where the ever small hope of children dreaming of a happy family goes unrecognized. 

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Movies/Documentaries:

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조해민

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Title: The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez

Directed by: Brian Knappenberger

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Plot: An investigation into the case of Gabriel, which shocked America in 2013. Behind the death of 8 year old Gabriel, there was his abusive mother and her boyfriend, and systemic issues within Child Services.

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Reason for selection: Recently in Korea, there was a child named Jung-In who passed away, for reasons similar to Gabriel’s death. We must discuss how we will protect our children moving forward.

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신은진

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Title: Capernaum

Directed by: Nadine Labaki

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Plot: Protagonist Zain, a child who lives in poverty, even living without a birth record, leaves home to save himself, only to find the world a rough place for a child to live in alone.

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Reason for selection: This movie shows not only how children’s rights are disrespected in the face of poverty, but also how children are bought and sold. The quote “I want to sue my parents for bringing me into this world” made me think that this is a movie that helps us empathize with the pain of children who are forced to face the troubles of life too soon.

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정서진

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Movie: Nobody Knows

Directed by: Hirokazu Koreeda

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Plot: Mom disappears, leaving four children only with a promise that she would be back before Christmas and a little sum of money. The four children Akira, Kyoko, Shigeru, and Yuki live precariously without their mother...they spend all the money she has left with them until even the water cuts out. They starve, and their livelihood crashes around them. Yuki dies, and the remaining children give Yuki a burial in a carrier near the airport, eventually to be discovered by the police.

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Reason for selection: This movie is centered around children’s rights. The mother abandons and neglects her children. The story of the mother who completely ignores children’s rights, and the story of the children who live holding on to these rights, leaves a lating impression on the viewer.

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서진주: 

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Movie: Billy Elliot

Directed by: Stephen Daldry

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Plot: The movie focuses on the tension between Billy, who wants to quit boxing and pick up ballet, which he is fascinated by and is talented at. His dad, though, pushes for a model of masculinity. 

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Reason for selection: I was touched by the honesty and bravery Billy had in pursuing his desire. The movie also shows through Billy’s father, who eventually supports Billy in his pursuit of ballet, that growth is not only for children but also for the parents/guardians of the child. I selected this piece because of the messaging that conveys how children have a right to make choices that affect their lives, and how they must be respected as autonomous individuals.

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 Activists:

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김민재

Janusz Korczak (1878~1942)

Introduction: Born in Warsaw, Poland, Janusz Korczak gained the respect of many actively working as a doctor and author. He was a pioneer of the children’s rights movement, researching children’s issues. 

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Reason for selection: To help children live without losing hope in the harsh reality of World War II, he stepped down from his role as physician to establish an orphanage, caring for children. At the orphanage, he employed methods that encouraged children to develop social and problem solving skills. For example, the children would be able to set rules they would have to abide by, choose their favorite foods, and run their own judicial system. As I learned about how he made several personal sacrifices to give a future to these children, I wondered if I would be able to do the same. 

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