Читать книгу Children’s rights in the fairy tales of the peoples of the world. Russian-American project - Коллектив авторов - Страница 12

There were a girl and a boy in one of the Dutch towns, and they loved each other like brother and sister. The boy's name was Kai, the girl's name was Gerda. Their houses were close to each other. The children visited each other, played together and were inseparable. During the winter they liked to go out into the street and play snowballs, build ice castles, slide and ice-run together with other children.

One winter day they were running in the street and saw a sparkling sledge. A glaringly beautiful woman was sitting in it. It was the Snow Queen. The sledge passed by very close and Kai caught a glance of the woman. Her glance made the boy chill. All evening long he kept recollecting this encounter and this glance. On his way to bed he looked through the window. It was snowing and big snowflakes were spinning nearby the glass. It seemed to the boy that he could see the face of the Snow Queen through the snowstorm. He opened the window and one of the snowflakes got into his eye. But it was not a simple snowflake, but a piece of the Snow Queen's magic mirror. It penetrated into the boy's hot heart and turned it into a piece of ice.

The next day during the walk Kai saw the sparkling sledge again. The Snow Queen seated the boy next to her, kissed him on the forehead and Kai forgot all his relatives. The Snow Queen embraced the boy and took him to the far ice land. He forgot all his relatives and his country. But Gerda didn't forget Kai. She set out in search of her named brother. She asked all the passers-by and even the flowers in the forest. But no one knew where Kai was. She had to pass a very long way before she eventually reached the land of the Snow Queen. Kai was sitting on the floor in the palace and was as cold as a piece of ice. She saw what had happened and burst into tears. Her hot tears melted the ice in Kai's heart. He flung himself into Gerda's arms and they returned to their hometown together.

Article 12. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.

Article 13. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice. The exercise of this right may be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:

(a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; or

(b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.

THE CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS HIS OR HER VIEWS