What you can do
Rallying Call for the Global Movement for Children
As the twenty-first century gets underway, there is much to celebrate
regarding children's rights.
Since the 1990 World Summit
on Children, the efforts of a global immunization partnership
have brought polio to the brink of eradication, high and sustained
levels of child immunization have resulted in 3 million fewer child
deaths at the end of the decade than at the beginning, and worldwide,
there are more children in school than ever before.
But just as there has been progress, there remain profound
challenges for children. And it is these challenges
that have inspired the ten points that comprise the
Rallying Call of the Global
Movement for Children (official site). The Rallying
Call is the basis of the global "Say
Yes" for children campaign, results of which
will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly
during the Special Session
on Children on 8-10 May 2002.
To ensure that all children are free to grow in health, peace
and dignity, people everywhere are encouraged to heed this Rallying
Call:
- 1. Leave No Child Out
- Because every girl and boy is born free
and equal in dignity and rights, all forms of discrimination and
exclusion against children must end.
-
2. Put Children First:
- Governments
must meet their obligations to children and young people. At the
same time, everyone -- including individuals, non-governmental
organizations, religious groups, the private sector, and children
and adolescents themselves -- must recognize their responsibility
to ensure that child rights are respected.
3. Care For Every Child- All
children must enjoy the highest attainable standard of health,
especially through immunization, good nutrition and diet, clean
water and adequate sanitation, proper housing and a safe and healthy
environment.
4. Fight HIV/AIDS- Children
and adolescents and their families must be protected from the
devastating impact of HIV/AIDS.
5. Stop Harming and Exploiting Children- The
violence and abuse that children suffer must be stopped now. And
the sexual and economic exploitation of children must also end.
6. Listen to Children - Everyone
must respect the right of children and young people to express
themselves and to participate in decisions that affect them, consistent
with their evolving capabilities. And we must listen and act.
7. Educate Every Child - All
girls and boys must receive a compulsory, free primary education
of good quality.
-
8. Protect Children from War
- Children
must be protected from the horrors of armed conflict.
-
9. Protect the Earth for Children
- There
must be urgent steps by every one of us -- including governments,
civil society and the private sector -- to assure the well-being
and security of future generations by safeguarding the environment
at global, national and local levels.
-
10. Fight Poverty: Invest in Children
- Because
children suffer the most from poverty, the fight against it must
begin with them. This includes investing in social services that
benefit the poorest children and their families, such as basic
health care and primary education. At the same time, the well-being
of children must be a priority objective of debt relief programmes,
development assistance and government spending.
Act on this Rallying Call today and join the Global Movement for
Children. Show your support and Say Yes for
Children.
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