Hyderabad: Children are powerful agents of change, bringing new ideas and perspectives that can help shape a better future for all of us. Universal Children’s Day was first established in 1954 and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.
Why was Universal Children’s Day created?
There have been many versions of a ‘Children’s Day’ celebrated by different countries at different times for over a hundred years.
In 1857, an American reverend, Dr Charles Leonard, declared the second Sunday of June to be a day dedicated to and for children. He originally called it Rose Day, and would hold a special church service for the occasion. As time went on, the day became known as Children’s Day.
In Turkey, Children’s Day was celebrated on the 23rd of April, and was made a national holiday in 1920, which it remains to this day.
In Russia, then the Soviet Union, in 1949, the Women’s International Democratic Federation declared the 1st of June to be the International Day for Protection of Children. As a result, many communist and post-communist countries still celebrate the 1st of June as Children’s Day.
In India, Children's Day is observed on November 14 to honor India's First PM Jawaharlal Nehru's commitment to children's well-being.
Background
By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the UN Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way that each considers appropriate.
The date 20 November marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
Facts of World Children’s Day
World Children’s Day is a joyful occasion that carries a weighty message about safeguarding and promoting children’s rights.
Charles Leonard established Children’s Day in the United Kingdom in 1857 under the name “Rose Day.”
United Nations established Children’s Day in 1954.
United Nations offers a theme every year for children’s day.
Every nation has chosen its own date to celebrate Children’s Day.
Hard facts about child poverty and hunger (UNICEF data)
Child poverty is a global issue. It occurs in low, middle and high income countries to varying degrees and consequences.
Roughly 1 billion children worldwide experience multidimensional poverty – meaning they lack necessities like food, water, shelter, education and health care.
Some 333 million children live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $2.15 each day. While extreme poverty is an issue increasingly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, even in some of the world’s wealthiest countries, millions of children are affected by poverty. Worldwide, children from the poorest households are twice as likely to die compared to their better-off peers. For those living through humanitarian crises like armed conflict or natural disaster, the risks of deprivation surge. Even in the world’s richest countries, around one in five children still live in poverty. With the right priorities, policies and programmes, governments can tackle child poverty in all its dimensions. Social protection programmes – like cash transfers, health insurance, education fee waivers, and maternity benefits – help give every child an equitable chance in life.
Situation of children’s right to education worldwide
A child’s right to education entails the right to learn. Yet, for too many children across the globe, schooling does not lead to learning.
Over 600 million children worldwide are unable to attain minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics, even though two thirds of them are in school. For out-of-school children, foundational skills in literacy and numeracy are further from grasp.
Children are deprived of education for various reasons. Poverty remains one of the most obstinate barriers. Children living through economic fragility, political instability, conflict or natural disaster are more likely to be cut off from schooling – as are those with disabilities, or from ethnic minorities. In some countries, education opportunities for girls remain severely limited. Without quality education, children face considerable barriers to employment later in life. They are more likely to suffer adverse health outcomes and less likely to participate in decisions that affect them – threatening their ability to shape a better future for themselves and their societies.
Besides poverty and education, other significant challenges children around the world face include:
Life as refugees.- Violence through indoctrination.
- Neglect.
- Child labor.
- Internet child pornography.
- Human trafficking and child prostitution.
Significance of World Children’s Day
Children are the Future: The phrase "children of today are the leaders of tomorrow" The purpose of World Children’s Day is to raise awareness of the need to educate and care for today’s children in order to ensure a safe and positive future for all.
Focuses on the Rights of Children: The widespread assumption is that only adults are granted rights and privileges. The United Nations prioritizes the rights of children by signing agreements and conventions that ensure, among other things, that children receive health care, protection and education from discrimination and abusive behavior.
Spotlight on problems faced by Children: Children living in poverty experience a wide variety of risk factors like financial and health issues, lack access to education and healthcare, and other issues that may or may not become apparent as they grow older. On World Children’s Day, individuals are urged to acknowledge these problems and work with the UN to eradicate them.
To invest in our future, we must invest in our children
On this Universal Children’s Day, Save the child organisation is calling on governments everywhere to invest in children. They need to make real the promise they have made to children in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the new Sustainable Development Goals. Without investing more in children, it will be impossible to reach these goals.
One of the best ways to ensure equitable progress for girls is by investing in their education. When a girl goes to school, she boosts the educational prospects of her future children and delays the age at which she gets married, reducing health risks to herself and her babies during childbirth and beyond. The United Nations have recently launched a set of comprehensive guidelines for governments on how to ensure more and better resource mobilization, budget allocation and spending on children and the realization of their rights. These guidelines will be invaluable for states in improving their investments in children.
Universal Children’s Day 2024 is crucial because it reminds us to invest in children's futures by safeguarding their rights and ensuring their access to education, healthcare, and a safe environment.
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