Child Rights Day: United Nations Universal Children’s Day
November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Since 1990, Universal Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the declaration and the convention on children’s rights.
Mothers and fathers, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society activists, religious and community elders, corporate moguls and media professionals as well as young people and children themselves can play an important part in making Universal Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.
Universal Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for Children.
Child Rights Day in India (Universal Children’s Day)
Child Rights Day in India is celebrated every year on 20 November to reconsider the real human rights for all the children in India. A national conference is organized yearly on 20 November by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to make aware the people about all the rights of their children. 20 November is also celebrated as the Universal Children Day (International Child Rights Day) all across the world. Members of the International community worldwide including India celebrates this day by organizing different programs to reassess the child rights.
According to the child rights it is very necessary to safeguard, care and legal protection of children during their physical and mental immaturity means in the childhood.
World Children’s Day 2021:
With schools being closed for long periods across India due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, and children losing a lot more than just education from losing time with their teachers and friends to nutritious school meals and in some cases, a safe haven that prevents abuse and violence, the United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF has called for safe reopening of schools and learning recovery on World Children’s Day 2021.
The theme for this year’s WCD is to help children to recover from interruptions and learning losses experienced through the pandemic in the last two years. UNICEF India along with its partners have lined up a series of events between November 14 and November 20 – both in the virtual and physical spaces – to bring light to this issue.
As part of its corporate engagement, UNICEF partners, such as Google India, Oracle India, Kimberly-Clark India, Ibis, Housing.com, B-Medical systems, INIO Media network will lend their platforms for children and highlight WCD theme for the year 2021.
Child Rights Day: Date
- 2022: 20th November, 2022 (Sunday)
- 2021: 20th November, 2021 (Saturday)
World Children’s Day 2021 UNICEF Events:
November 14 – 20: Pandemic classroom installation
A pandemic classroom will be installed at Open Amphitheater, Select City Walk Mall, Saket, New Delhi that will highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s education, learning and well-being.
November 18: Launch of Changing Childhood Project Report – a landmark poll
UNICEF will release findings of The Changing Childhood Project – a landmark poll by UNICEF and Gallup that asked multiple generations for their views on the world and what it is like to be a child today.
November 19 – 20: Iconic buildings and historic monuments to #GoBlue
Monuments across the country including Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House and Qutub Minar will be lit up in blue lights signifying the nation-wide celebration of child rights and to put the spotlight on Learning Recovery.
November 20: Charter of Demands presented to Parliamentarians on prioritizing children’s education and their recovery
UNICEF India has also partnered with the Parliamentarians’ Group for Children (PGC) to organize a Parliament with Children on November 20. The Parliament of children will be held in the presence of members of Parliament. PGC is a platform that convenes, informs and engages Members of Parliament on issues of children’s rights, a UNICEF statement said. At the event, children will present their demands to re-open schools..
Child Rights Day: What It Is
Declaration on child rights in 1959 was adopted on 20 of November 2007. Child rights include the right to survival, identity, food, nutrition and health, development, education and recreation, name and nationality, family and familiar environment, protection from neglect, maltreatment, misuse, abuse, trafficking and etc.
The government of India has set up a constitutional body like The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in the month of March in 2007 in order to guard, encourage and protect the child in India. Many events are organized by the Child Rights Organizations, Government Departments, Civil Society Groups, NGOs and etc.
Child Rights opposes the child labor and child abuse so that they can get their full right for surviving and developing and enjoy their childhood. Children should be cared and protected instead of being the victims of violence, trafficking and abuse. They should get the good schooling, joy, happiness and learning.
How To Celebrate:
An art competition is organized by the schools for the children at this occasion. Variety of dance, songs, poems and other events related to the child rights are performed by the students to increase and promote the awareness of child rights among people of different communities.
A program is also conducted in order to understand the child as a person and assessing their needs. Participants of this program are asked some questions. Children must get an identity as a person or individual. In order to get happiness and good childhood they must get good shelter, protection, food, education, drawing, sports, guidance, healthy family, clothes, recreation, medical, clinic, counseling centre, transport, future plan, access to new technologies and etc.
An art exhibition takes place showing the relationship of rights holder and duty holder to aware people about the importance of rights for children and short comings of the duty bearer. Seminar and debates are held on the child rights based approaches to understand the continuing issues even after the child rights has launched. Some of the debates go on the issues of child labor to overcome this issue and get the child his real rights.
Child Rights Day: Theme
- 2021: A better future, for every child
- 2020: Time to focus on impact of climate change, COVID-19 on our young ones
- 2019: Children of today, our keepers tomorrow
- 2018: For the children, By the children, Of the children
Objectives:
- Child rights day is celebrated every year in India to make sure that children are getting rights and respect.
- Offer them a chance to fully develop and enjoy their security.
- To make sure that all the laws, regulations and aims of the child rights are being followed.
- To make stronger the child rights in the society by continue working on this strategy.
- To spread, promote and communicate the child rights strategy all across the country.
- To deeply monitor the child living condition in all the different areas of country.
- To offer all the parents a parental support in developing their growing children. To aware parents about their responsibilities towards their children under 18.
- To plan and implement the new child rights policy for the children of weaker sections.
- To prevent the violence and abuse, to promote their legal and social rights in the society for the children and their bright future.
- To analyze all the pros and cons of implementing the child rights policies in the country.
- To analyze and work against the sexual exploitation as well as trafficking of children in the country.