This year as last year, we take a look at the developments and events that affected children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it. What did the milestone of the 30-year anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child mean for them? How far have we come and what have we learned?
In November 1989, two weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the global community signed a document that would represent an extraordinary shift in the status of children. While Eglantyne Jebb recognized this injustice already in 1924, it wasn’t until the closing of the 20th century before the world would acknowledge children as holders of their own rights, equal to adults, and deserving of special protection. This document, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, has since become the most universally ratified treaty. It has provided a framework for countries to adopt legislation that has dramatically improved the lives of millions of children over the last 30 years. Its four core principles are: nondiscrimination – every child has the same rights; the best interests of the child shall always be considered; the right to life, survival and development; and the right to freely express views and be heard.
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