Children's Visions and Voices: Rights and Realities in South Africa

The project seeks to communicate the lived realities of a wide range of South African children by providing them the opportunity to document their daily lives.

The project has been carried out in close partnership with community organisations, which helped to supervise and support the children’s efforts. All participants and their caregivers consented to the activities involved in the project, and remain anonymous in the exhibition.

The organisers maintain that the "public eye" renders this project an advocacy campaign for children’s rights. The idea that children have identified violating circumstances, documented them, discussed them with their peers, and understand the dangers that they involve emphasises the usefulness of this communication strategy. Granting children the opportunity to participate in advocating for their rights empowers them to take part creatively in their own and their community’s development.

While the children were improving their social and artistic skills, the project co-ordinators were also interested in how effective the children’s photographs would be in communicating the significance of children’s rights. "The goal of this strategy is to provoke viewers to pay attention to situations that violate child rights." This communication strategy attempts to convey the children’s visions for an improved, child-friendly society that recognises their rights as children.

Children, Rights.

The organisers aim to create awareness about child rights violations in South Africa by exhibiting the work of the participants, and allowing the intimate nature of the photographs to inspire activism, debate and a greater understanding of children’s rights.