2012 Janusz Korczak Year An International Perspective on Children’s Rights and Pedagogy A SELECTION OF LECTURES PRESENTED DURING THE KORCZAK SEMINARS ORGANIZED BY POLISH DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ABROAD IN 2012 Edited by Paweł Jaros, Special Advisor to the Ombudsman of the Rights of Children “THE WORLD CANNOT BE LEFT AS IT IS” JANUSZ KORCZAK 2012 Janusz Korczak Year An International Perspective on Children’s Rights and Pedagogy A SELECTION OF LECTURES PRESENTED DURING THE KORCZAK SEMINARS ORGANIZED BY POLISH DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ABROAD IN 2012 Edited by Paweł Jaros, Special Advisor to the Ombudsman of the Rights of Children 5 Editorial comments 7 Foreword by Marek Michalak, Ombudsman for Children’s Rights of the Republic of Poland 8 Thomas Hammarberg – Korczak helps us understand the rights of the child 11 Resolution of the Polish Parliament on establishing the year 2012 as the Year of Janusz Korczak 13 The Programme of the Janusz Korczak Seminar New York – 6th May 2012 – Janusz Korczak and Children’s Rights in Contemporary Perspective 14 Olga Medvedeva Nathoo – The Home for Orphans as the Children’s Republic 17 Jo Becker – Recent Progress and New Challenges in Protecting Children from Violence and Exploitation 19 Mariola Strahlberg – Theory and Methods of J. Korczak in the Pedagogical Practices Today. Specifically in Reference to Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child with a Potential for Development of Quiet Spaces to Promote Children’s Well-being 25 The Programme of the International Seminar – The Polish Jewish Pioneer on Children’s Human Rights, Janusz Korczak (1878-942) and the Right of the Child to Ensure their Best Interest according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1-2 June 2012, Geneva 26 Marek Michalak – The Child – Subject or Object. From Janusz Korczak to Ombudsman for Children’s Rights – Implementation of Korczak’s Ideas in Contemporary World 29 Batia Gilad – Korczak’s Convention on the Rights of the Child 31 Joop Berding – The First Annual Report and the First Annual Children’s Rights Monitor of the Dutch Children’s Ombudsman: Some Reflections from Korczakian Point of View 37 Urszula Markowska-Manista and Ewa Dąbrowa – The Need of Dialogue in School Class according to Janusz Korczak 45 The Programme of the Regional Seminar on the Children’s Rights Commemorating the Heritage of Dr Janusz Korczak, 14 June 2012, Tirana 46 Marek Michalak – There are no Children – only People. Janusz Korczak, the First Non-Constitutional Ombudsman for Children 49 Address by Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children 51 Maja Gabelica Šuljika – Vulnerable Children – From Recognizing to Protection (Children Ombudsman’s Perspective) 53 Barbara Smolińska-Theiss – Janusz Korczak’s Pedagogical Concepts. The Child is a Human Being with Dignity and Rights 55 Siyka Chavdarova-Kostova – Protection of Children’s Rights in the University Pedagogical Preparation in Bulgaria 58 Edyta Januszewska – Unaccompanied Minor Asylum-Seekers in Poland. Reflection of a Pedagogue 63 Programme of the Workshop on Children’s Rights, 6th November 2012, European Parliament, Brussels 64 Speech by Humbert de Biolley, Council of Europe – Deputy Head Brussels Office 66 Opening Remarks by Veronque Arnault, Director for Human Rights and Democracy, European External Action Sernice (EEAS) 68 Sonia Livingstone – Children’s Rights and the Internet 71 Philippe Seidel – Child Focus: Protect, Respect and Fulfil Children’s Rights Online 75 Programme of the Seminar – The Child Rights to Respect in Practice, 20th November 2012, Paris 76 Hatem Kotrane – The State of the Rights of the Child in the World after more than Twenty Years: United in Diversity to make Children keep their Faith in Humanity 83 Agenda of the Janusz Korczak Seminar – 27th November 2012, Beijing 84 Barbara Smolińska-Theiss – The Educational Ideas of Janusz Korczak: Loving the Child, Understanding the Child, Respecting the Child 88 Barbara Janina Sochal – Janusz Korcz@k and Young People Online 92 Mirosława Kątna – Respecting Children’s Rights in Poland from the Perspective of the Committee for the Protection of Children’s Rights 97 The Programme of the Janusz Korczak Seminar – Education or Democracy: Purpose, Practice and Perspectives, 28th November 2012, Strasbourg 98 Adress by Ólöf Ólafsdóttir, Director for Democratic Citizenship and Participation, Council of Europe 100 Anja Mihr – Towards a Human Rights Pedagogy 105 Paweł Jaros – Legacy of Janusz Korczak 109 The Programme of The International Congress The Right of the Child to Respect – Challanges of the 21th Century, 4th-6th December 2012, Warsaw 110 Warsaw Declaration 113 Conclusion Editorial Comments by Paweł Jaros, Special Advisor to the Ombudsman Photo: Krzysztof Wojciewski Krzysztof Photo: of the Rights of Children This publication presents the outcome of seminars, workshops rights protection as well as concerning the conference organizers. and scientific conferences organized by the Ministry of Foreign However, apart from few exceptions, this book contains the pres- Affairs and Polish diplomatic missions in 2012 in connection with entations given at the conferences based on texts provided by the the Janusz Korczak Year. The official programme included semi- speakers. Although some speeches did not make it to the publi- nars, workshops and conferences that took place in: New York, cation, the ones that are highlighted here show scientific objec- Geneva, Tirana, Brussels, Paris, Beijing and Strasbourg. It needs tivity and professionalism and the feeling of great importance of to be noted that apart from the official programme, in many the raised problems for the future of the human society – which European cities, numerous other scientific meetings took place, accompanied all participants of the seminars – both the speakers dedicated to the accomplishments of Janusz Korczak and Polish and the audience. In this respect, they are representative of the standards of the children’s rights protection. For example, the entirety of the discussed events. sessions that took place in Budapest and Kharkiv that effectively In order to outline the discussed scientific meetings, their agendas promoted the Polish philosophy of children’s right protection are are presented. They contain the lists of speakers that gave the worth mentioning. speeches. This book discusses the output of the scientific meetings organ- It needs to be underlined that the text of the Warsaw Declara- ized within the official programme of the Ministry of Foreign tion was prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coopera- Affairs, and presents them in chronological order. It is composed tion with the Ombudsman for the Rights of Children. The docu- of the materials sent to us by the co-organizers; however, it nei- ment, which proclaims putting Korczak’s ideals into practice, was ther represents the entire material presented during those ses- signed during the International Congress on the Children’s Rights sions, nor does it reflect the atmosphere and enthusiasm that in Warsaw on 6 December 2012. The said Congress concluded the accompanied each and every one of those meetings. It does not celebration of the Janusz Korczak Year. Consequently, both the include the kind comments and gratitude expressed behind the thematic programme of the Congress and the text of the Warsaw scenes, both concerning the active role Poland played in the proc- Declaration are included in the publication. ess of establishing and expanding the high standards of children’s 5 Foreword Marek Michalak The Ombudsman for the Rights of Children Photo: Archive of Embassy of Poland in Tirana, Albania in Tirana, of Poland of Embassy Archive Photo: On 16 September 2011, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (The of the Child, 2009 – the initiative to provide the Committee on Polish Parliament), acting upon the initiative of the Ombudsman the Rights of the Child with the option to consider individual for the Rights of Children, passed a resolution announcing the complaints (III Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights year 2012 the Year of Janusz Korczak. of the Child). In response to this resolution there were hundreds of comem- Particular attention should be paid to the Convention on the morative events, conferences, scientific sessions and meetings Rights of the Child, ratified by Poland in 1991. The work on the organized in Poland and abroad, series of publications, radio Convention, based on two Polish projcets, was driven by Janusz and television broadcasts - all intended to emphasize the promi- Korczak’s ideals to such an extent that they became the Conven- nence of Janusz Korczak’s work and how meaningful his legacy tion’s intellectual beckbone and interpretional benchmark. is today in Poland and around the world. I am convinced that Poland has a special mandate to promote In Poland, Janusz Korczak’s concepts are very well known, espe- the ideas of Janusz Korczak. I believe so not only due to the cially within the communities of NGO activists, teachers, peda- aforementioned historic experiences. Poland is also the world gogues, lawyers specializing in particular in family law and inter- leader in the construction and protection of children’s rights, national law, specialists in human rights protection, diplomats, as well as the strengthening of its standards. It was Poland that historians and politicians. His concepts permeate into the world established in 1997 the constitutional institution of the Ombuds- of culture: film, literature and art. In particular, the spirit of those man for the Rights of Children, which enjoyed unique powers concepts is not lost on the professionals who see their signifi- and responsibilities. Thanks to the Ombudsman, who was first cance for the future of society living in peace and friendship. appointed in 2000, the Government can better fulfill its respon- sibilities towards children, ensuring safety and fair treatment, The core of these ideas is based on showing the truth about the respect for their identity and the rights they are entitled to.