| Title |
UNIVERSAL
CHILDREN'S DAY |
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Date-wise Events |
- November 20: Date of
observance of the day annually.
- November 20, 1959: The
United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the
Child.
- November 20, 1989: The UN
General Assembly adopted the UN Convention on Rights of
Children (UNCRC) and opened it for signature on this day
(the 30th anniversary of its Declaration of the Rights of
the Child).
- September 02, 1990: UNCRC
came into force on this day, after it was ratified by the
required number of nations.
- December 11, 1992: India
ratified UNCRC on this, agreeing in principle to all
articles except with certain reservations on issues relating
to 'child labour'.
- May 25, 2000: Two optional
protocols were adopted on this day. The First Optional
Protocol restricts the involvement of children in military
conflicts, and the Second Optional Protocol prohibits the
sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Both protocols have been ratified by more than 150 states.
- October 2006: Although a
law in India banned child labour in hotels, restaurants, and
as domestic servants, there continues to be high demand for
children as hired help in the home.
- February 28, 2012: A third
optional protocol relating to communication of complaints
was adopted in December 2011 and opened for signature on
this day.
- April 14, 2014: The third
optional protocol came into effect on this day.
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|
Description |
- This day is observed to encourage all countries to
institute a day to initiate action to benefit and promote
the welfare of the world's children.
- In September 2012, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of
the United Nations led the initiative for the education of
children.
- This day is celebrated also to bring awareness to
children around the globe that have succumbed to violence in
forms of abuse, exploitation and discrimination.
- Children are used as labourers in some countries, living
on the streets.
- Currently (Nov 2015) there are about 153 million
children between the ages of 5 and 14 who are forced into
child labour.
- The International Labour Organization in 1999 adopted
the Prohibition and Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child
Labour.
- A summary of the rights under the Convention on the
Rights of the Child can be found on the UNICEF website.
- In India, Children's Day is celebrated on 14 November,
on the birthday of the first Prime Minister of independent
India, who was fondly called Chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru).
Jawaharlal Nehru emphasized the importance of giving love
and affection to children, whom he saw as the bright future
of India. Nehru wanted to enhance the progress of Indian
youth for which he established educational institutes like
AIIMS, Indian Institute of Technology, etc. Many functions
are organized in schools, offices and other organizations.
Most schools hold cultural performances on this day, run by
the children themselves.
- In India there is law that children under the age of 18
should not work, but there is no outright ban on child
labour, and the practice is generally permitted in most
industries except those deemed "hazardous".
- Current estimates as to the number of child laborers in
the country at around 4 million children under 14 years of
age are considered too conservative.
- A few of the organisations who work with children's
rights in India are Plan India, CRY (Child Rights and You),
Save the Children, Bal Vikas Dhara-New Delhi, Bachpan Bachao
Andolan, CHORD-Hyderabad.
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