New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India joins the nation and the global fraternity to celebrate World Children’s Day on 20th November, 2022. It marks the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989.
The theme for World Children’s Day this year is ‘Inclusion, for every child’. Thus, securing right to education, health, protection from abuse and exploitation for children, including those who have been traditionally excluded, should be our collective goal. Only this will lead to a more equal, inclusive world. It is understood that the targets mentioned under the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the United Nations in 2015, cannot be accomplished without realization of the rights of every single child.
In India, protection and promotion of rights of children is a constitutional goal and a primary obligation of the State and its agencies. In order to protect the rights of children, there is a need to ensure quality education and standard nutritious food at school level for which the Government of India is implementing the Right to Education Act, 2009 as well as the Mid-day Meal scheme. It is a coincidence that the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 has completed 10 years of its enactment on 14th November, 2022, the day India celebrates its Children’s Day. In India, Child Rights Week is observed from 14th to 20th November every year to celebrate the birth of every child and to secure his/her rights without discrimination.
Since its inception, the Commission is committed to protect and promote rights of children in the country through dialogues and actions covering all thematic areas. These, inter alia, include education of children, child labour, child trafficking, child marriage, juvenile justice and child sexual abuse. The Commission also conducted a comparative study of the UNCRC vis-à-vis Indian legislations, judgements, and schemes relating to children, in 2019, in order to ensure harmonization and effective implementation of the same in the national context.
As we all know that Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted the lives of children. Taking note of the same, the Commission undertook several measures to protect the rights of children during the pandemic. It issued two advisories to the Union Government and the States/UTs and also organized webinars/ core group meetings to understand the challenges faced by children during the pandemic and find solutions to mitigate the same.
On behalf of the Commission, I call upon all the stakeholders to make sincere efforts towards securing a sustainable future for our children. The Commission takes this opportunity to renew its commitment to advocate, promote, protect and celebrate the rights of children so that no child in India is left behind.
