Globally 20th November is set aside each year to celebrates the UN CRC day in commemoration of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1954 and the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The goal of Universal Children’s day is to improve child welfare worldwide, promote and celebrate children’s rights and promote togetherness and awareness amongst all children.

The Declaration on the Rights of the Child states categorically the right of children to food, health care, education and protection from exploitation while the UNCRC has 54 articles setting out different rights of the child, from the right to survive to the right to be protected from any work that is dangerous, that interferes with their education or that is harmful to their health.

The UN CRC  envisions a world where children are healthy, in school and at play, children growing up surrounded by love and support from family and the society around them and a transition into adulthood devoid of fear, violence, abuse and exploitation.

The UN CRC is one of IFM-SEI’ major documents in fighting for children right and ensuring children are em100ered to know their rights and demand for them to build the future they dream of.

In our 100 years of existence, we have and continue to fight for a society where all children from all backgrounds have the freedom and access to equitable and accessible opportunities to pursue their interests and are able to develop to their full potential.

While so much work has been done to ensure safe and happy world for children, great atrocities continue to be perpetuated against them hindering the enjoyment of their rights and potential to grow to be who they desire to be.

Today,

• Hundreds of millions of children worldwide have had to face an early end to childhood due to malnutrition, exclusion from education, ill-health, child marriage, early pregnancy conflict and violent extremism. The WHO reports that, nearly half of all deaths in children under age 5 are attributable to undernutrition which puts children at higher risks of dying from common infections, increases the frequency and severity of such infections, and delays recovery. 

• Millions of children all over the world face situations from violence, abuse, neglect and sexual exploitation. In 2006, the UN study on violence against children found very disturbing evidence of violence perpetrated against children both physically and emotionally.Most of the violence against children are done within private institutions like homes (family), schools, prisons etc. and often practiced by people well known to them.In some countries, children are considered as properties of their parents or guardians and are exposed to various forms of corporal punishment in the name of ‘what is best for the child’.Some children are especially vulnerable due to socio-economic status, ethnicity, living in conflict areas, belonging to minority groups, orphaned children and disabilities.

• One out of every five school-aged children is not in school due to issues such as poverty, disability, gender disparities, location etc. Covid-19 further exacerbates the problem with more than 1.6 billion learners globally having faced school closures due to the pandemic. 

• In 2016, an estimated 5.6 million girls under the age of 18 become child brides and a further 2.5 million girls are at risk of marriage by 2025 due to Covid-19 .. 

• Globally, 1 billion children aged between 2-17 years old experience physical, sexual or emotional violence and neglect each year and the pandemic threatens to exacerbate the risk of violence against children, particularly for those who are already at greater risk of violence. 

All these issues greatly affect the rights of children and undermine the essence and purpose of the UN CRC. This is why we must all rise up and put the rights of children at the forefront of discussions as well as local and international development.

Children do not have to suffer for the careless and irresponsible decisions of some adults. They need to be protected, cared for and supported to be happy and live their lives to their full potential.

We must ensure children all over the world are able to return to school and have a safe school environment, are able to access an inclusive and robust social protection scheme, are rightly fed and can access equitable health and nutrition systems. Children must be protected from all forms of violence and access mental health services and above all we must ensure an inclusion of children in decision making processes, especially with issues that concerns them.

Evidence shows that violence against children both physically and emotionally negatively impacts their health and psychological development as well as their self-esteem.

Even though millions of children are abused each day, in most countries, they are very few or no laws protecting children especially against corporal punishment.

Children are humans and should be treated as such; they have their rights as humans and need to be protected against all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and sexual exploitation. Children need to be respected and given a voice in issues involving them, laws need to be put in place to protect children where there is none, and enforced where they are already existing. It is also very important that perpetrators of violence against children must be punished and that we make the world a very safe place for children where they know their rights, are empowered to demand them and can live their lives to full potentials.

This UN CRC day, let us all take a step back and take a critical look at the many ways we have failed the children in our world and resolve to implement policies and take actions to create a better, resilient, safe and happy world for children!

Let’s put children before everything!