Australians say children today are more disrespectful than previous generations.
We all love and value our own children and want the very best for them. Most of us would say that we want the best for everyone else’s children too. We would like to believe that Australia is a country which values and respects children.
A recent survey on behalf of the Valuing Children Initiative (VCI) into Australians Attitudes to Children, revealed a nation divided in how we view children and in our attitudes towards them.
When asked to describe children, Australians favoured words such as selfish, spoilt, fortunate and lazy.
The majority of Australians surveyed said that children today are more disrespectful than previous generations.
The Valuing Children Initiative believes that this view of children does not reflect the lives of many children in Australian today where,
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- More than one in every six children are living below the poverty line;
- One in every four children are overweight or obese;
- More than one in five girls and one in seven boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18 years.
More than 50% feel that Australians should do more to protect children and their wellbeing and are concerned for the health and happiness of future generations.
The VCI believes that we need to prioritise the needs of children to ensure that all children have the safe, caring and supportive childhood they deserve. Professor Fiona Stanley AC has said that “We need to change the culture in terms of how we value children.”
The Valuing Children Initiative was established to ensure all children are valued and that all children have the support they need growing up.
Visit the VCI website if you would like further information. www.valuingchildreninitiative.com.au