World Day for the Rights of Children and Adolescents
November 20 is World Day for the Rights of Children and Adolescents. Why it is celebrated, what are the essential rights, what is the Charter of the rights of children of separated parents.
All children in the world have the same rights, whatever their sex, place of birth, religion, language or social status, this is due to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Convention on the Rights of the Child – CRC ), approved by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989. There is also a Charter of the rights of children of separated parents, which not everyone knows about. Here is what you need to know and why this year it is even more important to talk about children’s rights.
Children and Rights
This year, the 31st anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children and young people all over the world are experiencing the same Covid 19 emergency situation. Which, however, precisely according to social and geographical belonging, is highlighting the differences and difficulties even more.
The 4 Inspiring Principles of Children’s Rights
The International Day of the Rights of Children and Adolescents is celebrated in all corners of the world (precisely in 190 countries) to sanction the right to life, survival, development and not to be discriminated against in any way or for any reason. The UN Convention, made up of 54 articles, was based on 4 inspiring principles:
- non-discrimination
- best interests of the child
- right to life, survival and development
- respect for the child’s opinion
Why we need World Children’s Rights Day
Nobody would say that some children have fewer rights than others. Yet, even today, many children and adolescents, even in our country, are victims of violence or abuse, discriminated against, marginalized or live in conditions of serious neglect and hardship. Some still suffer from hunger, deprivation of parental affection and do not attend school. This is why it is essential to support the work of non-profit associations.
The Charter of the Rights of Children of Separated Parents
The children of separated parents are perhaps no longer discriminated against today as they did until recently. Maybe. In any case, to protect the growth of these children too, the Authority for Childhood and Adolescence has drawn up a Charter of the rights of children in the separation of parents. A document consisting of ten articles that establish as many rights for children and young people involved in the difficult period of separation or divorce of their parents. The Charter, inspired by the UN Convention on the rights of children and adolescents, is the result of listening and participation work that involved the Children’s Council of the Guarantor Authority and experts in the legal, social, psychological and pedagogical sectors.
Psychologists: We Light up Cities Green
For this particular World Day of the Rights of Children and Adolescents, there are many initiatives. The National Council of the Order of Psychologists has invited all municipalities to illuminate, on the evening of Friday 20 November, the most significant sites of each municipality with the color green (pantone 361), chosen because it recalls the concept of vitality.
Fortunately, thanks to Facebook and Instagram on top, it was possible to keep relationships to a minimum even for the youngest. Facebook is aware that being present and using the platforms is not enough, even more so due to the hyper-connection we are witnessing as an alternative to the lockdown isolation and therefore has launched the Get Digital project.
The Future We Want: UNICEF and the Post-COVID Challenge
On November 20, Unicef invites children, adolescents and young people to take action in their communities to tell the future they imagine for themselves and for the world after the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months, UNICEF has invited thousands of young people to respond to the invitation through an online questionnaire, designed by a group of their peers.
From that survey was born “Future We Want”, a manifest whose 10 points today become an ideal base from which to start again, beyond Covid. The slogan of the initiative is ‘If you dream of a better future, make it happen every day. Change starts with you!’.
Save the Children -“Through the Eyes of Little Girls”
Girls grow up with the illusion of equality, which is broken in the impact with the world of work. This is why Save the Children – the international organization that has been fighting for over 100 years to save children at risk and guarantee them a future – is publishing the 11th edition of the Atlas of children at risk “With the eyes of girls”. It is urgent to intervene with adequate resources in the “red areas” of educational poverty.
A Generation to Protect
We have an entire generation to protect, a generation for which the future is being built starting today. And in this push to restart, girls can and must be a driving force for development. As part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for the Next Generation Eu that is defining, there is the will to commit to overcoming gender inequalities. It is essential to go to the root of these inequalities, providing specific investments dedicated to freeing the talents and potential of the female universe. If our country really intends to bet on women’s abilities to get out of the crisis, this bet will have to start with girls, those who live in the most disadvantaged contexts.