Stop Child Executions organization would like to congratulate a group of young Canadians who launched a website called “A Child is a Child” to stop the execution of child offenders.
High school students from O’Donel, Holy Heart and St. Bonaventure’s College attended a ceremony to kick off the launch of the online petition.
“How can a youth be executed at 18 for an offence alleged to have occurred at age 13 or 15?” asks
Heather Carroll, one of the students promoting the petition. “The UN conventions which protect children’s lives have to be respected.”
Students from Elwood High school in Deer Lake, NL and students from other Canadian provinces have also joined the initiative.
The web petition will be presented to governments, sports federations and the United Nations.
Under the direction of attorney Dennis Browne, the youth had the mayor of St-John’s Newfoundland sign the following proclomation.
PROCLAMATION
Stop Child Offender Executions
February 22-28, 2009
WHEREAS United Nations Conventions are designed to protect children’s rights worldwide
WHEREAS some countries are executing child offenders in violation of the U.N. Conventions
WHEREAS Canadian Students want these executions stopped
WHEREAS high school students in St. John’s are requesting citizens everywhere to sign our online petition to stop the execution of Child offenders.
NOW THEREFORE I, Dennis O’ Keefe, Mayor of the City of St. John’s do hereby proclaim this week to commemorate the student initiative to stop child offender executions and to urge citizens everywhere to take a few minutes to sign the online petition achildisachild.com.