Universal Children's Day

Leading world media provide 24-hour global coverage of Universal Children's Day in November to focus attention on the protection and welfare of children.

The following is a brief introduction of the Universal Children's Day, which falls on November 20.

By Resolution 836 (IX) in December 1954, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children all over the world, and to promote the protection, welfare and education of children.

The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1989.

The 1990 World Summit for Children in Copenhagen, Denmark, set standards aimed at boosting children's health and education. In May 2002, the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children adopted an outcome document, "A World Fit for Children," which focused on four key priorities: promoting healthy lives, providing education, protecting children against abuse, exploitation and violence, and combating HIV/AIDS.

However, about 9.7 million children died in 2006 before their fifth birthday, mostly from treatable diseases such as malaria and pneumonia. More than half of the deaths were caused by malnutrition, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

About 42.5 million children do not have access to clean water, and 1.5 million children under five die each year due to the lack of clean water and basic hygiene facilities. About 2.5 million under 15 have been infected with HIV/AIDS.

The "Progress for Children: A Report Card on Child Protection" report, released by UNICEF, estimated that some 218 million children between five and 17 are working outside and 126 million are working in poor conditions.

More than 300,000 children around the world are forced to fight in wars, 2 million children are believed to be exploited through prostitution and pornography, 1.2 million are trafficked every year, and 40 million below the age of 15 suffer from abuse and neglect, the report says.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2009)