Children’s Rights & Parental Addiction

Stigma has a perverse effect of silencing. It creates taboos and results in issues not being addressed. Stigma renders some people and their needs invisible in society” United Nations General Assembly, 2012

By Starlings Community from Dianova International -link to full article below.

“In 1989, The Convention on the Rights of the Child(CRC) was adopted by the United Nations, ratifying an international agreement to honour and protect the fundamental rights of every child1. However, how these rights are interpreted and applied varies, ultimately exposing some children to systemic barriers and structural discrimination. One such example of this includes children who are exposed to the stress and stigma of a parents substance use disorder (SUD) and who are at a substantially increased risk for adverse health outcomes”.

“The stigma surrounding addiction has affected me and my healing greatly. Whenever I share my story people have a changed view of me as if I chose to be in that situation as a child. And this makes it extremely difficult to open up to mental health professionals because of the fear of judgment.” Anonymous Starlings Peer, age 18-24, Toronto, ON

“Agnes Chen, a Canadian registered nurse and the founder of Starlings Community has recognized the policy and support gap that exists for youth whose parents have a substance use disorder. Having been exposed to the stigma of a parent’s substance use as early as age 6, Agnes explains that she did not feel ashamed of her circumstances or afraid of reaching out until she repeatedly saw the reaction of the community and service providers towards her family. Over time, it became apparent that stigma was an unacknowledged contributing factor to her mental health challenges, and to those of generations of families”.

“As a peer to the many children who are exposed to a parent’s substance use disorder, Agnes invites us to explore: do we apply the same considerations for human rights to children who are exposed to a parent’s SUD, and does stigma perpetuate the violations of those children’s rights”.

“We are all a part of the village that is raising the children of Canada, how we contribute today will impact their health and well-being for generations to come” – Agnes Chen, Starlings Community Founder –

Full article can be found here .

————————————

We are grateful to our Partners at Dianova International for highlighting our work and championing this perspective in Europe.