Today is celebrated on Universal Children's Day It serves every year to remember the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. We have collected some of the experiences and requests of various organizations working with children.
According to United Nations data, millions of children see how their rights are violated daily: they must work to survive (many of them in a semi-slavery regime while they are exploited and abused by their 'owners'), their right to education is vetoed and they die of preventable causes; not counting the thousands of girls forced to marry at an early age.
A date to stimulate child participation
Villagarcía's experience
On such an important date we should also remember that it is necessary to structure the participation of girls and boys in community structures, so that they themselves can defend their rights. So in a positive tone, we cannot fail to mention that 140 students of 5th and 6th grade of Villagarcía Elementary (Pontevedra) participate today in an act that involves the celebration of a Children's Plenary.
It is the Municipality of Xuventude of the municipality that organizes an activity in which five schools that will form municipal groups in the corporation participate. Municipal corporation consisting of 21 children and whose mission is to expose, debate and vote on previously developed initiatives.
The topics discussed are the rights to education, decent housing, and food; as well as the environment in the municipality. A nice initiative, although it would be even more so if some of the agreements taken could be binding on the corporation that Villagarcia manages during the rest of the year.
Educate for participation
Entreculturas has made available to schools throughout the country, teaching units to celebrate Children's Rights Day, intended for children, primary, secondary and high school. They focus on participation rights, highlighting that children have the right to freedom of expression and to be heard and taken into account when adults are making decisions that affect their social, economic, religious life, Cultural and political.
Educating for participation implies, from the point of view of Entreculturas, educating for a citizenry capable of building another possible world in which we believe. The rights of participation of children, leads us to a conception of global citizenship of persons equal in dignity, co-responsible in the generation of a new social order more inclusive and sustainable
The learning of values such as participation are fundamental for democratic coexistence. Children should start at an early age, both at home, at school and other socialization spaces. Strengthening this value is essential to train solid people who are involved in the construction of the common good from democratic values (solidarity, equality, coexistence in diversity, justice and freedom) in a world with multiple fractures.
Children: the age group most affected by poverty
The crisis increases the number of poor children
The child poverty rate in Spain stands at 27.2%, which means that 2,226,000 children live in our country below the poverty line, punished without extracurricular activities, without books, without kings or even without a roof.
Despite the recommendations of the United Nations and the requests of children's organizations, sufficient parliamentary support has not been achieved to commit the Executive to develop a Plan against child poverty that involves all administrations, as claimed in the 2012-2015 Children's Agenda of Save the Children.
Poverty causes situations of social exclusion and it affects children in many fundamental aspects of their development, such as food, education, health or protection. Therefore, it is urgent that public authorities design and execute specific policies for children.
In contexts of economic precariousness violence against children increases
Malnutrition as a direct or indirect cause of infant deaths
19,000 children still die a day from causes that could be prevented
Malnutrition is a direct or indirect cause of one in three child deaths: 180 million children suffer from chronic malnutrition, a state that forever undermines their physical and intellectual development.
To move forward in the struggle for survival and development, UNICEF Spain launches the Cumpledías campaign with the aim of transferring the seriousness of the situation that millions of children live to public opinion and providing tools through which anyone can Contribute to change that situation.
Work for child survival 'It is only possible thanks to the commitment of society, thanks to everyone's help: people, private entities and public bodies' .
A party to draw attention to Children's rights
Messengers of Peace will celebrate a children's party for the 60 children who come daily to the social canteen that this NGO keeps open in the Madrid neighborhood of Lavapiés.
This and other social canteens, along with other projects, such as school support classrooms, job training, solidarity baskets, psycho-social support and the Solidarity Bank, articulate a whole Help Network recently created by Messengers of Peace to mitigate the effects of the crisis in minors and their families in Spain.
Today is undoubtedly a date to talk about all the children in the world who do not know their rights, and who if they knew what they are, would feel they are violated. Too It is a day to believe in the small (and large) initiatives that work to protect children.
Images | bhrgunatha, Entreculturas, Manos Unidas Source | UNICEF, Faro de Vigo, Entreculturas, Save the Children, Manos Unidas, Messengers of Peace in Peques and More | Are the pink princesses boring ?: Childhood seen with 'gender lenses', An image of the Spanish photographer JM López portraying severe malnutrition in Guatemala, wins the second prize of the contest 'Photo of the Year UNICEF', The Convention on Rights of the Child, explained to the little ones
