THE children have been recognized as having civil rights, social, political, cultural and economic with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989; Italy ratified it on 27 May 1991. In 1923 it was written there Convention on the Rights of the Childby Eglantyne Jebb, founder of Save the Children, then adopted by the League of Nations in 1924, the document which formed the basis for the subsequent Convention.
The fundamental principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child are: No to discrimination (art. 2), Top interest (Article 3), Right to life, survival and development of the child and adolescent (art. 4): Listening to the views of the minor (Article 12).
Together with the adoption of the convention is celebrated the World Children’s Rights Day. World Children’s Rights Day is celebrated on November 20 of each year. The date chosen coincides with the day on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959.
From 1989 to today all the countries of the world, except the United States and Somaliahave undertaken to respect and ensure that the general principles and fundamental rights contained therein are respected on their territory.
In 2002, the two Optional Protocols to the CRC also entered into force, approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations on May 25, 2000: the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Italy has ratified them with Law n. 146 of 11 March 2002.
The importance of mental health in the post pandemic era
This year UNICEF Italy dedicated the day to a particularly significant topic in the post-pandemic phase mental health and psychosocial well-being. In the world suicide is the fifth cause of death for young people between 15 and 19 years, the second cause in Europe: they are almost 46,000 teenagers who take their own lives every year – more than one every 11 minutes. The mental health index is worsening in the 14-19 age group in 2021 (Istat), but crimes against minors are also increasing (+11% in 2020), as are child pornography and online grooming (+77 %).
For the Day, the UNICEF proposal entitled “THIS IS ME”, aimed at schools of all levels, in which the protagonists are the Self-portraits made by the students, guided by their teachers, who participated in workshops on perception and self-knowledge.
The other projects
The UNICEF collaboration with RAIKIDS: on the facade of the building of the RAIKIDS headquarters Rome banners dedicated to the International Day of the Rights of the Child were put up, highlighting words such as: rights, play, friendship, love, education, freedom, nationality, information, growth, education, protection, peace.
In Milan the Municipality has organized workshops in schools: “Now I know and I forget….” For the 0-6 range, and Faces: le carte che ti guardano”, for children and teenagers 11-16, but there are also activities to raise awareness among adults and a psychological support desk.
In Romeorganized by the Municipality, numerous events dedicated to museums and the historical and artistic heritage of the capital, including events such as “Fori Gioco_discover the Imperial Forums by playing”, and also “Telling about the Museum and Let’s have fun at the Museum”, and again “Piccoli artists Take flight”.
#let us play in peace is the logo launched in numerous Italian cities (Bergamo, Messina, Genoa, Moncalieri, Pioltello, Florence, Rome, Naples, Lecce, Lamezia Terme) in which the appeal will be accepted by girls, boys, families, teachers and social workers, in front line in supporting the mobilization made up of games and workshops of the “Ip Network Ip Hooray – Early Childhood”, a project selected by the social enterprise “With the children” as part of the Fund for the fight against child poverty.