20 Years - The Convention on the Rights of the Child

NEW YORK, USA, 15 June 2010 – The second Millennium Development Goal calls for universal primary education for all boys and girls, and Article 23 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child says that all children with disabilities have the right to special care and support so they can live full and independent lives. But for many children with diabilities in developing countries – especially in rural areas – few opportunities for education are accessible.

MONROVIA, Liberia, 29 December 2009 – When Emmanuel Mulbah, 18, moved in with his uncle several years ago, they became very close.  Emmanuel worked in his uncle’s shop, and would run it whenever his uncle was away.

HARARE, Zimbabwe, 15 December 2009 - Leaders in Zimbabwe’s Inclusive Government joined with the rest of world in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

AMMAN, Jordan, 25 November 2009 – It started as a wild idea: to bring stars from across the Middle East and North Africa to deliver one message on child rights – a resoundingly positive call from this region, so often in the news for the wrong reasons.

NEW YORK, USA, 20 November 2009 – Today at the United Nations, UNICEF and its partners commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the ground-breaking human rights covenant that codifies rights for all children everywhere.

CYBERJAYA, Malaysia, 20 November 2009 – Youth from different nationalities across the world are sending a message of peace and hope through music, as part of a UNICEF partnership with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology to create a world fit for children.

KABALA, Sierra Leone, 18 November 2009 – Until a few months ago, 13-year-old Fatmata Shaw had never used a camera or a computer. But after training with a professional photographer, she wants to use her newfound skills to help her peers in the community.

NARENDRAPUR, India, 16 November 2009 – Thirteen-year-old Mahesh Yadav’s fingers glide gracefully across the page in front of him. He reads aloud from the text – a Braille version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

MONROVIA, Liberia, 17 November 2009 – UNICEF and Liberia’s Ministry of National Defense have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their cooperation in ensuring that children’s rights are fully respected in interactions between the military and the population – especially those involving children living in military barracks.

ACCRA, Ghana, 16 November 2009 – To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UNICEF organized a roundtable discussion between children and parliamentarians, entitled ‘People to People – Children to Adults’, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs

HARARE, Zimbabwe, 6 November 2009 – The 17th session of the Children’s Parliament, a programme of the Zimbabwe Youth Council, opened recently with the aim of spurring the government into action to ensure child survival and empowerment.

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, 6 November 2009 – On Wednesday, Tanzania’s Parliament, the Bunge, passed a bill known as the Law of the Child Act 2009. This landmark legislation effectively domesticates the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) and provides the legal framework through which the rights of the country’s children can be protected and realized.

MOSCOW, Russian Federation, 4 November 2009 – UNICEF Russia has launched a series of public service announcements dedicated to protecting child rights. The campaign underlines the importance of considering the interests of the child in all important decisions, whether at the family or state level

NEW YORK, USA, 28 October 2009 - In the effort to make further progress on implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), much depends upon delivering good governance for children. At a panel held at UNICEF House in New York yesterday, experts discussed the interdependence between child rights and good governance.

MOSCOW, Russia, 23 October 2009 – Alexei I. Golovan has been appointed to the newly created post of Child Rights Ombudsperson at the national level in Russia. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in a gift to all Russian children, made the decree on 1 September 2009, also known as the’Day of Knowledge’ in Russia, the day when the school year traditionally starts.

LONDON, United Kingdom, 20 August 2009 – Every child has the right to an education which should develop his or her personality and talents to the full. Every child has the right to have his or her voice heard. These are just two of the 42 articles which make up the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

KABUL, Afghanistan, 17 August 2009 – The Afghan Ministry of Foreign affairs launched its first report on the Convention of the Rights of the Child, which was ratified by the Afghan Government in 1994.

WINDHOEK, Namibia, 12 Aug 2009 – Treza Cooper has been living at the Namibia Children’s Home for three years. She’s a bright and dedicated student and is involved in many activities at her school. When she was asked to become the Child Representative to a group developing Minimum Standards of Residential Child Care Facilities (RCCF), she accepted the challenge.

NEW YORK/MBAIKI, Lobaye Province, Central African Republic, 7 August 2009 – The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recognizes the inalienable rights of all people. Yet for many Aka Pygmies in the Central African Republic, the notion that they and their children are holders of rights is still an entirely new concept.

ASMARA, Eritrea, 21 July 2009 – About 100 children from all over Eritrea took part in the country’s first-ever Children’s Forum, organized by UNICEF and the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students earlier this month.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, 9 July 2009 – Carletta is just 16, but she has already confronted many challenges and brutalities in life. She ran away from home several times and became involved in dangerous activities. Eventually, her father, a single parent, realized he was no longer able to cope with her behaviour.

RUSTAVI, Georgia, 26 June 2009 –  Tornike Shubutidze darts around the city square in Rustavi with a small video camera looking for the best angles to film passersby. The 15-year-old is fascinated by the art of filmmaking. He dreams of becoming a cameraman and working in either television or in the film industry.

MOSCOW VILLAGE, Republic of Congo, 15 June 2009 – It is mid-morning, when a UN Refugee Agency boat docks along the Bangui River. The passengers – a team of mobile health workers – climb up the steep bank. Physicians from ‘Doctors for Africa’ and other volunteers have travelled five hours to Moscow, a small village on the edge of the forest.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, 13 May 2009 – In Burkina Faso, as in many developing countries, millions of children are still making their way through life impoverished, abandoned, malnourished and uneducated. Having gone unregistered since birth, they are in danger of being forgotten and denied access to essential social

ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire, 2 June 2009 – It’s Tuesday morning and the children of the heavily populated neighbourhood of Abobo are warming up for a day of study.