Newest mural in Winnipeg aims to teach children about their rights

Mural highlights children's rights A new mural on Selkirk Avenue highlights a child's right to food, clothing and a safe environment.

The number of murals in Winnipeg continue to grow and the artists behind the latest design are hoping their art work will teach Winnipeggers in the process.

The newest mural can be seen on Selkirk Avenue. It was created with the help of the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth's Ambassador Advisory Team.

The mural is all about a child's right to food, clothing and a safe environment. It's part of an ongoing project to make the public more aware about the rights of children and youth.

Rose Fontaine, the youth patrol coordinator with Bear Clan, said the mural came together after organizers brainstormed the best way to teach people about children's rights.

"We thought about back in the day when we had food, we had clothing, and a safe place to live. The animals in there represent the food and everything, and you can even see a red dress in there and that's to represent clothing, plus missing and murder Indigenous women. So we do have some messages in there as well," said Fontaine.

"If a kid is driving by in a car or walking by, they might not know that they have rights at all because I didn't know until I was in my 20s that I had rights as a child."

Fontaine added, while this is a message directed towards children, she hopes everyone can learn something from this.

Officials plan to create a total of 42 murals around the province with each one showing the rights of children from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.