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World Children’s Day is today

World Children’s Day  is celebrated on November 20 every year.

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.

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, 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.

World Children's Day is today

The Convention, which is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty, sets out a number of children’s rights including the right to life, to health, to education and to play, as well as the right to family life, to be protected from violence, to not be discriminated, and to have their views heard.

In different countries, the date of the observation varies, yet June 1st and November 20th are the most popular dates recognized in the vast amount of countries. June 1st is called International Children’s Day, while November 20th is usually called World Children’s Day, or Universal Children’s Day.

The theme this year by UNICEF is to help children to recover from interruptions and learning losses experienced through the pandemic in the last two years.

Children and young people are raising their voices on the issues that matter to their generation and calling for adults to create a better future. As the world recovers from the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we listen to them.

Universal Children’s Day is not just an observance to celebrate children for who they are, but it also raises awareness about the children around the globe who have experienced violence in forms of abuse, exploitation, and discrimination. The day also aware people of issues that violate children’s rights. Several children are forced into labour practices due to armed conflict, being homeless, or suffering from differences be it religion, minority issues, or disabilities.

At present, there are about 153 million children in the age group of 5 to 14 forced into various forms of child labour and exploitation including slavery, prostitution, and pornography. The International Labour Organization adopted the Prohibition and Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in 1999.”

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 World Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.

World 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.

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