Posted on November 20, 2024

Today, November 20, is World Children’s Day - a day of global action for, and by children to honor and uphold the human rights of every child. It also marks the adoption of the largest international human rights treaty - the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Yes, children have rights - human rights - because they are developing humans with unique needs for their growth and well-being. To survive, the rights they are entitled to need to be honored, respected, and protected, and it is the responsibility of all of us - the “duty bearers” - to ensure their rights - as “rights holders” - are acknowledged and fulfilled.

Unfortunately, children globally are facing a multitude of challenges to their rights, including child labor, child marriage, lack of access to education and healthcare, exploitation,  and violence from armed conflicts.

The impact of these devastating experiences highlights the urgent need to protect our children and ensure efforts are made to safeguard their rights and well-being.

This is also true in the US, where child marriage is still permitted in nearly 20 states, where there’s been a massive banning of diverse and multicultural children’s books, where child labor laws have slowly been weakened, and a legislative push against gender affirming rights for trans children has only become more deafening. The US is also the only nation, or Member State, that has not officially adopted the UNCRC.

And with the upcoming US administration and the promises of the newly nominated “border czar”, it appears we will witness once again the horrific mistreatment of migrant families at the border, involving the separation of children from their parents and placing them in cages. How did we get back here?!

This is not only a complete disregard for children’s human rights, but it will also have a severe impact on the children’s mental health and overall well-being.

World Children’s Day is not only a day of social justice…It reminds us how much work we must do as a global society to protect our children and ensure their rights are properly fulfilled for their development.

Protecting our children's rights is one of the most fundamental ways we can live in an equitable and empathetic world, because it is what happens in our youth that determines how we manage and lead as adults. To protect our future, it will take all of us - parents, teachers, healthcare professionals, and government officials taking the initiative to ensure every child's rights are respected and protected.