An Appeal to Conscience on Universal Children's Day

According to a report from Minghui.org (the Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net) on the 13th of November, 2004, a 13-year-old girl, Li Qingqing from Heping Middle School, Jiangjin City, Chongqing, attempted to commit suicide by drinking what she thought to be pesticide because she was unable to withstand the pain and harassment after her mother was tortured to death for practising Falun Gong. Fortunately, the liquid she drank wasn't what she thought it was, which prevented a tragedy from occurring.

Upon hearing the news, my heart sank. Even more heartbreaking was the news that people clearly believed Li Qingqing took poison to commit suicide but were unwilling to rescue her.

In China, a great number of children have encountered discrimination and threats because their parents practise Falun Gong. Many have lost their parents and other relatives, as well as the opportunity to continue their studies. Some of them have been illegally imprisoned and beaten, some have been forced to become homeless, and some have even been tortured to death.

November 20 is Universal Children's Day.

On November 20, 1989, the United Nations passed the Convention on the Rights of the Child and established this day as Universal Children's Day. The goal of Universal Children's Day is to help the entire world to focus on children and to understand and address their rights and special needs worldwide.

Unfortunately, in China, even though it is one of the countries that ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin and his faction wantonly carries out a brutal persecution against children, even to the point of killing them. This is what is taking place against those who practise Falun Gong. It tramples on goodness, has directly harmed both the physical and mental health of tens of thousands of children in China, and has even deprived some of them of their most fundamental right--the right to live.

In front of the Chinese Embassy in Switzerland, little Chen Fadu, who lost her father when she was just eight months old, holds her father's portrait and walks toward a Swiss police officer and says, "Uncle, this is my father".

During an activity held by Falun Gong practitioners outside of China, Ms. Jane Dai, mother of Fadu, told the reporters, "Our purpose is to remind people that in China there are still thousands of children who are suffering from the pain of losing family members, just like my daughter." (Fadu's father Mr. Chen Chengyong, was beaten to death about three years ago for appealing to the Chinese government on behalf of Falun Gong.) Ms. Dai said, "I feel extreme sorrow that my young daughter lost her father before she even had a chance to talk to him face to face. Whenever I see my daughter innocently kissing the family photo, I feel that my heart is bleeding. I don't know how to tell my daughter, who is gradually growing up, about her father's tragic death. I don't know what kind of impact this terror will bring to her. In the face of this, I'm lost in a myriad of thoughts. However, there is one thing that I've been very clear about from the very beginning: It was the Jiang regime's brutal persecution of Falun Gong that caused my husband's death, and caused the suffering of my family as well as that of thousands of other families. Jiang Zemin is the one who is responsible for all these families' tragedies."

Fadu: Mommy, I want my daddy

From reports on Clearwisdom.net and other media outside of China, we've also frequently seen all kinds of persecution cases that directly affect the physical and mental health and growth of thousands of children in China.

Signatory countries of the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognise that every child should be ensured with inherent dignity and inalienable rights, and children are entitled to special care and assistance for their growth and well-being. An article posted on a Mainland website stated, "We need to create an even better environment of growth and ensure that children truly enjoy the rights they are entitled to." Let's take a look at what kinds of rights children enjoy in the Chinese legal system.

Some of the persecuted children:

Young girl, Wang Shujie from Laiwu City, Shangdong Province died from the trauma of witnessing the relentless persecution of her parents	Zou Farong, orphaned due to the death of her father Zou Songtao, a Falun Gong practitioner from Qingdao.
Shang Liyun, an 11-year-old orphan	Liu Mohan, son of Mr. Liu Chengjun, a Falun Gong practitioner from Jilin Province, who was tortured to death.
Huang Ying (childhood name Kaixin), daughter of Guangzhou Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Luo Zhixiang who was killed while in police custody	Wang Boru, son of Falun Dafa practitioner Wang Hongbin who was tortured to death
Jin Panpan, born in September, 2002 whose parents were illegally given heavy prison sentences	Liu Shuangshuang, born in June, 2002, whose parents were illegally given heavy prison sentences

Looking at the faces of these lovely and innocent children, it is really hard for us to associate them with such a ruthless persecution and horrific environment. Although they are living in a country that has a 5,000-year history and civilisation, the nation is currently experiencing an unprecedented catastrophe. In the face of the state-sponsored violations of the rights of this group of children, these children are facing threats to their very lives and living environment. They are helpless but are unable to express their pain. Shouldn't all people around the world who have a sense of justice pay close attention to their situation?

November the 19th is the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. This day was established to coincide with Article 19 of the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child, which emphasises the protection of children from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation. The focus of all kind-hearted people in society and related organisations on stopping the mistreatment of children is one of the most urgent humanitarian needs in China today. In the persecution of Falun Gong in China, the harm and threats experienced by children, who are the future and hope of society, are ignored by people due to Jiang's lies. In a sense, this is not terribly surprising. In a society where the state is against "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," the principles of Falun Gong, a strong sense of selfishness and apathy has become pervasive. If it goes on this way, when the consciences of people in the entire society have perished, it's hard to know where the nation's future will lie.

According to reports from Clearwisdom.net, the Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners recently published an investigative report entitled, "Children under Persecution." The report systematically archived for the first time the children's suffering under the persecution of Falun Gong. The first issue contains 44 cases, including five cases in which children themselves were tortured to death for their practise of Falun Gong; six cases in which children were beaten, imprisoned and expelled from school because of their practise of Falun Gong; 28 children who have had one or both of their parents tortured to death, and five cases in which children were torn apart from their parents because their parents practised Falun Gong.

In the darkness of each night, how many children are weeping alone? How many cases of abduction and plundering in broad daylight have made the children curl up in the corners of their homes and tremble. How many scornful expressions have forced the children to bury their desolation in their hearts and try to avoid the world?

Jiang's followers are still carrying out their butchery, advancing their campaign of terror and cruelty. Those of you who go about your lives in a great hurry, please stop for a moment and listen to the children's plight. Please be encouraged to uphold justice. Children should not be ignored and the future should not be ignored. The persecution must be stopped and the future of the nation must not be hijacked and destroyed! Let us all pay attention and care about these children who are suffering. We should not only condemn this unprecedented persecution, but also focus all of our efforts on stopping this persecution that attempts to strangle the future!