Page - 16 - in Hanadi & Christian - English

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 16 not the only one who talks about class. Right José? Hanadi also talks about things we do in class, so she’s a nerd too, isn’t she?” Danilo says quickly. “Or is it the other way around, and those of you who don’t speak about class stuff simply don’t understand anything?” Danilo and José stare at each other, but Elena interrupts and di- verts everyone’s attention. “Well, if we are going to defend nature’s rights, why don’t we stand up for our own rights?” “But what rights are you talking about? We are still children. How can we have rights if we are just children? What children have are obligations.” What I say clearly contradicts what Elena has said. “Hanadi, you’re wrong” Elena answers “My teacher talked about the Declaration of Children’s Rights one day in class. She said that we have the right to have a fam- ily who looks after us, the right to a home, to be fed, to play, and some other stuff.” “I like that: the right to play.” José jokes to lighten the atmosphere. He does not want to fight with Danilo. “We also have the right to education and to not be made to work,” says Elena. “That’s what I mean: I have the right to do nothing,” José says. He is planning on not cleaning up after lunch. “You’re getting it wrong, smartass. You have the right not to have to work in a factory or in the country, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be made to work at school or at home,” Elena replies. “And do all children have those rights?” Silvia asks. “Yes, I think so,” Elena answers. “The teacher said they’re like human rights for adults but applied to boys…”“And to girls,” I add. Elena confirms my idea before continuing. “And to girls. So I imagine they are for all children. They are universal.” “I don’t think they are really universal. I don’t think they are applied everywhere, because I saw some children on the news who were working in fac- tories or selling things in the street,” says José. “Well, imagine what difficult lives they must have. We should protest so that all children have the same rights, not just here but everywhere,” Silvia says. I interrupt. “What I’m saying is that you don’t have those rights. They are given to us. As children, everything is given to us; adults tell us what we have to do, what we should say…” “Hold your hors- es! You’re getting carried away,” says Elena. “Let’s try to include this thing about rights in the play and see what we get, although I think