Taipei is filled with miserable children, according to a survey released yesterday that showed almost 75 percent of children are unhappy.
The Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) released the survey ahead of Universal Children's Day tomorrow.
This is the second year the foundation has surveyed elementary-school children in Taipei.
"The children's primary worry is their studies. The survey shows 52.7 percent of children are worried they cannot do well in their studies," said Alicia Wang (
At a press conference yesterday Wang said the survey revealed 40.7 percent of Taipei's children feel life is too boring.
"Comparing this year's survey with last year's results, we discovered that children think the amount of time they have to rest is declining," Wang said.
More children say they are worried their parents will use corporeal punishment to chastise them.
A growing number of children also fear being abducted.
"These results tell us that children are losing their sense of security. The number of children who think their parents do not respect their opinions is also increasing," Wang said.
Feng Yen (
"We hope the government will take our survey results into account when making child-related policies," Feng said.
"Our greatest hope is to awaken the society's respect for children's rights," Feng said.
Feng said the foundation's surveys in the past few years have increased society's respect for children's rights.
"Let us think what more we can do for our children," Feng said.
Wang said that society could do two things right now.
"The first thing is to establish an environment in which children can learn and grow up happily," Wang said. "Second, we need to arrange more activities for our children so that they would not feel life is boring."
The foundation suggested the government should ensure that all children know about Universal Children's Day.
"It is a very important day for children," said Feng.
The foundation also called on parents to respect children's rights to express their own opinions.
"If you love your children, please give them proper rest and time to play," Feng noted.
"I must also emphasize that it is important to amend child welfare laws and policies," Feng said.
According to Feng, only by amending child welfare laws and policies will the government be able to guarantee the human rights of children.
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