20th November is World’s Children Day, UNICEF’s annual global day of action for children, by children; a chance to advocate, raise awareness and raise funds for the most pressing issues facing children.
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.
Nevertheless, children all over the world have their rights denied every single day: 262 million children and youth are out of school; 650 million girls and women are married before their 18th birthday and 5.4 million children died from mostly preventable causes before their fifth birthday.
The theme of this 2018’s World Children Day was #GoBlue to help build a world where every child is in school, safe from harm and can fulfill their potential. A variety of activities were conducted across the world, offering the public 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.
In The Gambia, the children took over the UNICEF offices to engage with our Representative and staff, share their dreams and aspirations, and literally leave their mark in the office’s space by painting the walls under the guidance of the talented Alphajo Jallow. The children tapped into their artistic talents and painted some of our walls with great messages and pictures on their rights, their dreams and what they want the world to do for them.
There is an open online petition to call on world leaders to commit to fulfilling the rights of every child and acknowledge that these rights are non-negotiable. Sign the petition, let us know which right you are advocating for and help putting children back in the agenda!
Online petition: https://www.unicef.org/world-childrens-day
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