Russia Commemorates 20th Anniversary of Children's Rights Convention

Russian officials on children affairs and UNICEF representatives in the country held a joint press conference on Tuesday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of "Convention on the Rights of the Child."

November 20 this year marks the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the first international document which declares all children have equal social, economic and political rights. Russia was among the first batch of countries to ratify the convention in 1990.

UNICEF official Bertrand Bainvel said the past 20 years have witnessed immense changes in children's rights globally, so has Russia.

He said the government has been committed to the improvement of the children's welfare, and recently President Dmitry Medvedev promised in an address to facilitate access for the disabled children to school.

Bainvel also pointed out the remaining challenges in Russia, saying about 730,000 Russian children live currently without parental care, and violence against children is also a major concern.

Alexei Golovan, the federal ombudsman for children's rights, said the adoption of the convention showed that children are an independent subject of law both at the international and national levels, and the rights of children must be fully respected.

An active member of the Children's Parliament of the Russian city of Izhevsk, 14-year-old Anton Ogaltsev called on the government and society to pay more attention to the situation of children with disabilities.

The press conference was also attended by dozens of representatives from Russian and foreign media.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2009)