Islamabad (Web Desk): World Children's Day is being observed across the globe including Pakistan today (Monday).
This year's theme is "For Every Child, Every Right".
The theme is reminder of the world community's collective responsibility to ensure the well-being and rights of every child, regardless of their circumstances.
Governments and non-governmental organisations and communities will hold several ceremonies, highlighting unique needs of children and work towards protecting their rights.
According to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Children’s Day is a day for children, by children.
The day is designed to put a spotlight on key issues affecting children- from ending childhood abuse and violence and their protection to ensuring children’s rights to an education, to play, to health care and to have a voice are met.
UNICEF says that children and young people have the same general human rights as adults and also specific rights that recognize their special needs.
In his message on the occasion, President Dr Arif Alvi called upon the relevant government departments, the civil society and the UN Agencies to come together and play their constructive role in the national effort to improve the lives of children in Pakistan.
The president said Pakistan has a clear vision of investing in children. We believe that social justice and equality are the cornerstones on which the structure of a healthy society is built.
He said this needs a committed societal response, and the communities and families need to play their role in this noble cause, particularly for the future of our nation.
In his message on this day, Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf has stressed on significance of child rights. He said that the Parliament has always vigorously worked for welfare and well-being of children.
The Speaker National Assembly said that the Parliament has achieved many milestones regarding effective legislation for child welfare and child safety.
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.
"Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights," the UN body said.
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.
