[WSIS CS-Plenary] How to stop the beating or shaming of children for speaking their mother tongue?

[Ann-Kristin Håkansson]

Thanks Rui for posting this. it is a huge problem for us in the 
Indigenous community.
Best,
Ann-Kristin

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Från: correia.rui at gmail.com
Datum: 21-01-2008 12:35
Till: "Virtual WSIS CS Plenary Group Space"<plenary at wsis-cs.org>
Ärende: [WSIS CS-Plenary] How to stop the beating or shaming of 
children	for speaking their mother tongue?

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_______________________________________

Dear All

I seem to recall that way back then there were a Languages Caucus and
Minorities Caucus, but a lot of our records are disappearing or being
written over!

This was sent to me to an online forum that I don't visit with 
frequency, so
it might be slightly dated, but nonetheless valid.

Specific to this forum, I'd like to recall Point 6 of our Charter of 
Civil
Rights for a Sustainable  Knowledge Society, which states that 
"CULTURAL
DIVERSITY IS A PREREQUISITE FOR INDIVIDUAL AND
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT."

If the relevant caucuses can this this up, please advise where people 
couple
post on this.

Regards,

Rui

_____________________________________________________
Text received:
Greetings! Not long ago I received an email from someone who mentioned 
in
passing how children in one school in Tanzania were under threat of a
beating if they uttered a word in their mother tongue. I also happened 
to
see some recent articles about the larger issues of linguistic rights 
and
education in various parts of the world, in which various ways of
discouraging use of the mother tongue were discussed. It occurred that 
in
this International Year of Languages (and during a decade on non-
violence
for children) it might be time to call attention to this and at least 
try to
build opinion against punishment for speaking one's mother tongue. 
Which is
easy to say but quite another matter to implement.

How to stop the beating or shaming of children for speaking their 
mother
tongue?

The practice of punishing children for speaking their mother tongue in
school - or even at home - is apparently still not that uncommon. It 
is
rationalized in terms of keeping order in the classroom or forcing the
children to learn another more widely spoken or dominant language. The
victims are anyone who does not have the targeted language as their 
mother
tongue, and historically the most outrageous applications of this 
mindset
has been against indigenous peoples.

The issue now is how to draw attention to such punishment - not just 
the use
of corporal punishment but the whole concept of punishing someone for
speaking their first language - and to educate teachers, parents and 
school
administrators. Since this year is the International Year of Languages 
and
the 8th year of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and
Non-violence for the Children of the World, it would seem an ideal 
moment to
do something in this regard. Any suggestions regarding strategies and
organizations are invited.

-- 
________________________________________________


Rui Correia
Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant
2 Cutten St
Horison
Roodepoort-Johannesburg,
South Africa
Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336
Cell (+27) (0) 84-498-6838
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