Welcome address at the Anniversary conference on child research - Childhood – yesterday, today, tomorrow

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Norwegian Centre for Child research
Trondheim 22. april 2008

Dear participants,
I grow up in this city. And even though I moved to Oslo 24 years ago, this will always be my hometown. And I can assure you: It's a great city to grow up in and I hope the visiting participants from other cities as well as abroad will have some time to look around.

Thank you so much for the invitation. The Ministry of Children and Equality wants to congratulate the Norwegian Centre for Child Research for it’s important contribution to a better understanding of childhood during the last 25 years. We appreciate the international profile within the field of childhood research represented by the Centre. This profile has among other things resulted in the presence of international participants and lecturers at this conference. I want be able to stay, but there are colleagues of mine here that will update med after the conference.

You have a wide and ambitious perspective on the conference – childhood yesterday, today and tomorrow. Did children live a better life fifty years ago? Do we have reason to fear the future for children, or are there signs of improvement? What can politicians and administrators learn from research? I will leave the illumination of these questions to the speakers. But an example: Research can kill myth; such as everything was better in the fifties when mum was at home. As a politicians, pretty much depend on your knowledge as a platform for developing politics. So it isn't over when the research is done. The results must be spread – and researchers must cooperate with other groups, such as politicians, administrators and people working close to children.

As I see it, children and childhood represent possibilities as well as challenges. Children have a deep sense of justice, and a sincere commitment for the environment problems facing the world. They have awareness for people who live in poverty, for those facing discrimination, illness and suffering. Children and young people want to share their experiences and get involved in finding solutions. We are lucky to have a coming generation who care for each other and for our society. However, many adults have a problem with listening to young people and taking their views into consideration.

Although most children live a good life in Norway, we have to face that some children and families are at risk. Some children grow up with parents who have an alcohol or drug problem or suffer from mental illness. Violence and abuse is the every-day reality for some. Many children and young people with disabilities do not have the same opportunity to participate in sports and leisure activities as other children of the same age. Children who are refugees and asylum seekers often have traumatic experiences, which make them vulnerable and in need of special care. Some children grow up in families with low income. This may prevent them from participating in activities along with others.  

This is a welfare state and for the government it is an overall aim to develop our system further. But it is also a rich country with a lot of money in many pockets. Most of our kids learn at an early age how to respond as consumers in one of the world's richest countries. How does it affect our children? How do they cope and develop in a country where they can get almost whatever they want? How does this affect poor children in this society? Other marginalized group? Kids living in the shadow of our welfare state must always have the full attention of politicians as well as researchers.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child give children and young people specific rights. These rights are intended to meet the problems I just mentioned. Norway has incorporated the Convention in domestic law, and a great many legislative amendments and other measures are being carried out to meet the challenges. These measures are elaborated in our fourth report which we recently submitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. A survey   on children’s own perceptions of growing up in Norway is annexed to the report.   

At the moment we are going trough our legislation to make sure that we entirely fulfil demands in the Convention on the Rights of the child.

To ensure good work in the area of children and young people, research activities are most important. Research provides knowledge as to how social change influences children and young people’s living conditions. Consequently research should give a more secure basis for political and professional decisions. In order for research findings to have an impact on society, the results must be communicated to the practitioners in the relevant field.

My hope is that this conference will contribute to a better knowledge of children in society, as well as reflections on how this knowledge can be used to make better living conditions for children.

It's easy to say or to sing: The children are our future. It's much more challenging to live up to it.

So let this beautiful city, this great sunny day be an inspiring framework of an important conference.

Good luck and thank you.