This week, all around the world, we celebrate the Children’s Rights Week. The World Children’s Day is held on the 20th November.
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.
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.
(United Nations, World Children’s Day)
The world is increasingly unpredictable, and there has never been a greater need for defenders of children’s rights. The corona pandemic, protracted wars and crises, and accelerating climate change pose an unprecedented threat to children’s health, well-being and education. In Finland, there has been a campaign for years to have Children’s Rights Day as a National Flag Night. As a result of persistent campaigning, Children’s Rights Day was established as a Flag Day for the first time in 2020.
(Unicef, Lapsen Oikeuksien Päivä)
As future social welfare professionals, we have to remember to always support the child’s rights, and make sure children are included in the decision making as much as possible. Based on the interviews we conducted during this course, there is a hope and a need for more multi-disciplinary teams in the child protection, as highlighted https://showcase.laurea.fi/opiskelijablogit/exif-f2020/growing-pains/2020/finnish-systemic-practice-model-for-child-protection/#more-14297 in a previous blog post about the systemic model for child protection services. We need more low-threshold services and cooperation with schools, early childhood education, and the social work professionals.
References:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-childrens-day
https://www.unicef.fi/lapsen-oikeudet/lapsen-oikeuksien-paiva/
Suurin osa Showcasen blogeista on toteutettu osana Laurean opintojaksoja. Koko koulutustarjontaamme voi tutustua nettisivuillamme. Tarjoamme kymmenien tutkintoon johtavien koulutuksien lisäksi myös paljon täydennys- ja erikoistumiskoulutuksia sekä yksittäisiä opintojaksoja avoimen AMK:n kautta!
Good blog post! I didn’t remember why November 20th was chosen as the date for the Children’s day so it was good that you explained it. I promise to support the child’s rights when working 🙂
Great that you made a blog post about World Children’s Day and children’s rights. Super important topic and nice that you published it this week right after world children’s day. It was nice that you had some history there, explained why we celebrate world children’s day and to me it was new information that it hasnt been flag day in Finland until 2020. I might have wanted to hear little more details how world children’s day was celebrated in Finland this year but over all nice blog post 🙂