World Children’s Day is celebrated annually on 20th November. It’s goal is to improve child welfare worldwide, promote and celebrate children’s rights and promote togetherness and awareness amongst all children.
It was on the 20th of November 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and it is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since 1990, World 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.
What is UNCROC?
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC) is the most universally accepted human rights treaty in history. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC) is an international agreement setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities. It was adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989, and entered into force 2 September 1990. New Zealand ratified the UNCROC on 6 April 1993.
What is contained in the UNCROC?
The UNCROC consists of 54 articles that set out children’s rights and how governments should work together to make them available to all children. Under the terms of the convention, governments are required to meet children’s basic needs and help them reach their full potential. Central to this is the acknowledgment that every child has basic fundamental rights. These include the right to:
- Life, survival and development
- Protection from violence, abuse or neglect
- An education that enables children to fulfil their potential
- Express their opinions and be listened to.
In 2000, two optional protocols were added to the UNCROC. One asks governments to ensure children under the age of 18 are not forcibly recruited into their armed forces. The second calls on states to prohibit child prostitution, child pornography and the sale of children into slavery. These have now been ratified by more than 120 states.
COVID-19 and children’s rights
All children have rights that are specific to them as children, enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. These rights need to be respected, protected and fulfilled even during times of crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted– and sometimes violated – several children’s rights, including their right to be heard. Even before the pandemic started, 258 million children and young people were out of school.
Save the Children’s has published the Protect a Generation Report, in which children were surveyed. They articulated clear demands of their leaders to deliver on their rights. Children demand action on education, including the re-opening of schools and improved distance learning, increased access to healthcare, other social protections as well as excess to PLAY.
UN World children’s Day 2021
This year, on 20th November we are not only celebrating United Nations Children’s Day. This year IPA World also celebrates the 60th anniversary of our founding in 1961.
We are sharing links to the IPA Right to Play Award webinars with you today. They are a fitting tribute in our 60th anniversary year and celebrate the IPA World mission of spreading global awareness of the child’s right to play and highlight the strength, diversity and skills of our global membership.
Resources:
https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/what-we-do/childrens-rights/united-nations-convention-of-the-rights-of-the-child
https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx
IPA Aotearoa NZ is a branch of the International Play Association (IPA World) and is a non-governmental organisation that exists to promote the child’s right to play, their way.