TEHRAN – National Children’s Week is being observed nationwide from October 7 to 13, with the theme ‘children, joy of life’.

The day highlights the fact that each child has the right to a happy and safe childhood; regardless of their color, race, nationality, religion, and social strata, children have the right to grow in a peaceful environment, ISNA quoted Seyed Javad Hosseini, the head of the Welfare Organization, as saying.

It is an opportunity to remember that children are the assets of society, and we all have the responsibility to provide a safe, loving environment filled with opportunity for them, and to help them experience happiness in their lives, he added.

The official went on to say that paying special attention to children with disabilities, children without effective and competent guardians, child labor and street children, and those covered by the Welfare Organization is not only a human and social responsibility, but also an investment in the future of the country and a more just society.

Each day of the week is celebrated with a focus on a specific topic.

Tuesday, October 7, ‘Family, the beautiful world of children’, Wednesday  October 8, ‘Earth, our home’, Thursday October 9: ‘Life, Play, Health’, Friday October 10:  ‘Comets’ (commemorating the memory of the children and adolescents martyred in Iran and Gaza), Saturday October 11, ‘Books, the wonderful world of children’, Sunday October 12: ‘The sweet world of children with special needs’ and Monday October 13: ‘Children and the modern world of sciences and technologies’.

Upholding children’s rights  leads to better world

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improve children’s welfare.

November 20th is a significant date, as it marks the year 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Mothers and fathers, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society activists, religious and community elders, corporate moguls and media professionals, as well as young people and children themselves, can play an important part in making World Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities, and nations.

World Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote, and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.

Upholding children’s rights is the compass to a better world – today, tomorrow, and into the future.

MT/MG