World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child

The World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC) has, since the start in the year 2000, grown to become the world's largest annual education and empowerment process for the rights of the child, democracy and global friendship for children. As a part of this process, the children award their prizes for outstanding contributions to the rights of the child.

16 million students at 35,000 schools in 87 countries participate in the WCPRC, a number that is growing. Around five million of those children participate in a Global Vote to determine who will receive the Global Friends’ Award.

An international child jury – consisting of children who are experts on the rights of the child through their own experiences as soldiers, refugees, street children or slaves in brothels or on farms – chooses the recipient of the other major award, the World’s Children’s Prize.

Over 400 organisations all over the world support the WCPRC, which also collaborates with many Departments of Education and youth media projects worldwide. The WCPRC magazine and website are available in ten languages. The magazine is read by over 7 million young people.

All schools and child organizations can participate in the WCPRC for free.

Patrons of the WCPRC include Queen Silvia of Sweden, Nelson Mandela, President Xanana Gusmão of East Timor, former Executive Director of Unicef Carol Bellamy, former UN Under-Secretary-General Olara Otunnu, and Nobel Prize Winner in Economics Joseph Stiglitz.

The prize money, SEK 1 million (USD 140,000), is to be used in the recipients’ work for the rights of the child. It is supported by AstraZeneca, Banco Fonder and pi.se. The WCPRC was founded by the Swedish organisation Children’s World, and is a Swedish National Millennium Project.

The prize ceremony takes place in April at Gripsholms castle in Mariefred, Sweden.

Laureates

*2008
*Josefina Condori,Peru
*Agnes Stevens, USA www.schoolonwheels.org
*Somaly Mam,Cambodia
*2007
**Betty Makoni, Zimbabwe
**Cynthia Maung, Burma
**Inderjit Khurana, India

*2006
**The orphan’s organization AOCM, Rwanda - "The Global Friends' Award"
**Craig Kielburger, Canada - "The World's Children's Prize"
**Jetsun Pema, Tibet - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"

*2005
**Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel, South Africa and Moçambique - "The Global Friends' Award"
**The mothers of St. Rita, Kenya – "The World's Children's Prize"
**Ana Maria Marañon de Bohorquez, Bolivia - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"

*2004
**Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thailand - "The World's Children's Prize" & "The Global Friends' Award"
**Paul and Mercy Baskar, India - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"
**Liz Gaynes and Emani Davis, USA - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"
*2003
**James Aguer Alic, Sudan - "The Global Friends' Award"
**Maggy Barankitse, Burundi - "The World's Children's Prize"
**Pastoral da Crianças volunteers, Brazil - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"
*2002 "(The Jury chose to split the World's Children's Prize)"
**Nkosi Johnson (posthumously), South Africa - "The World's Children's Prize" & "The Global Friends' Award"
**Maiti Nepal, Nepal - "The World's Children's Prize"
**Casa Alianza, Central America - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"
*2001
**Asfaw Yemiru, Ethiopia - "The World's Children's Prize" & "The Global Friends' Award"
**Barefoot School & Children's Parliament, India - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"
**The Children's Peace Movement, Colombia - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"
*2000
**Iqbal Masih (posthumously), Pakistan - "The World's Children's Prize"
**Hector Pieterson (posthumously), South Africa - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"
**Anne Frank (posthumously) - "The World's Children's Honorary Award"

ee also

*International Children's Peace Prize

External links

* [http://www.childrensworld.org/ www.childrensworld.org]
* [http://www.childrensworld.org/page.html?pid=1458 Press release 2007]