World children’s day is an annual event celebrated on November 20 every year, with the aim of promoting awareness of children’s rights and ensuring the improvement of their lives around the world. This day symbolizes the global commitment to protect the rights of children and ensure that they enjoy a better future, away from displacement, poverty, and marginalization. This event shows the importance of providing support to children in various crises, especially in areas of conflict and poverty.

History of the International Children’s day

International Children’s day was first celebrated in 1954, after the UN General Assembly adopted the declaration of the rights of the child in 1959. On November 20, 1989, the convention on the rights of the child was adopted, which is the cornerstone of the protection of the rights of children around the world, ratified by most UN member states.

International conventions for the protection of children’s rights

The protection of children’s rights is not an individual responsibility, but a global one in which all states participate. One of the most prominent international conventions adopted to protect the rights of the child is the convention on the rights of the child of 1989, which represents the most accepted and binding international document in the field of children’s rights.

The convention consists of 54 articles, which include civil, social, cultural, and economic rights, including:

• The right to life, survival and development.
• The right of the child to express his views freely.
• The right to education and health care.
• The right to protection from all forms of violence and exploitation.

Through this agreement, the importance of providing a safe environment for children, whether at home, school or in the community, and the need to combat all forms of exploitation and marginalization were emphasized.

Alarming statistics about the situation of children

Despite the progress of some countries in ensuring the rights of the child, there are still many children around the world who suffer from the violation of their rights. According to the report of the United Nations Children’s fund (UNICEF), there are several statistics that highlight the ongoing challenges in this area:

• 1 in 4 children in the world live in extreme poverty.
• More than 250 million children work in unsafe conditions.
• More than 160 million children in the world face cases of sexual exploitation or physical violence.
• More than 5.2 million children die annually from preventable diseases such as diarrhea, respiratory infections, and malnutrition.

These statistics confirm that there is an urgent need to expand the scope of humanitarian and Human Rights programs to ensure a safe environment for children around the world.

Child health: challenges and opportunities for improvement

Child health is one of the most important issues that needs special attention at a global level, since children are considered the most vulnerable category of diseases and epidemics. According to the World Health Organization, many health problems faced by children can be avoided through early health care and proper nutrition.

Among the health challenges that affect children are:

• Malnutrition: accounts for about 45% of deaths of children under five years of age.
• Infectious diseases: such as malaria, measles, and diarrhea, which remain major causes of child mortality in developing countries.
• War injuries: children in conflict zones suffer from physical and psychological injuries due to wars.

In the same vein, there are many opportunities available to improve children‘s health, such as:

• Vaccinations: which contribute significantly to the Prevention of fatal diseases.
• Proper nutrition: through optimal nutrition programs and nutritional supplements for children in poor areas.
• Free health care: allows children to get the right treatment early on.

Children‘s rights: basics and obligations

The rights of the child are one of the fundamental rights that every state must guarantee. These rights include several basic aspects, such as:

• The right to education: every child should be able to get an adequate education without any discrimination.
• The right to protection from violence: children should be protected from all forms of violence, including domestic violence and sexual exploitation.
• The right to participate: it is important that children are allowed to express their opinions and participate in decisions that affect their lives.

In the end, world children’s day remains a reminder of the importance of doing more in the field of children’s rights and health. Ensuring the rights of children is not only the task of state governments, it is a collective responsibility to which all humanitarian organizations contribute, including international organizations such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF, as well as civil society organizations around the world. The future will be better built for children only by providing them with basic rights, an obligation that cannot be postponed.

On this occasion, the International Organization for Human Rights and Refugee Affairs strives to strengthen these efforts and continue to work to improve the situation of children in areas of conflict and poverty, so that humanitarian values remain at the top of the priorities of human rights work.