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CHILDREN’S DAY
History of children’s day
It was originally VK krishna Menon (former defence minister of india) who proposed the idea of
Universal children’s day ,this idea was honored by UN and children’s day was celebrated in
October until the year 1959,the year in which the declaration of child rights was introduced and
to commemorate the day from then on 20 November was announced as the universal children’s
day all over the world. India too celebrated this day as children’s day until the year 1964 the
year in which our hon’ble PM Sri Jawahar lal Nehru died.
Jawaharlal nehru who is said to have special place for children in his heart has also
done significant work for children and youth he launched several schemes for child welfare and
their upliftment and not only this he had introduced some of the most eminent institutions of
india which includes AIIMS (All India Institute Of Medical Sciences),IIT (Indian institute of
technology),IIM (Indian Institute Of Management) and all this shows his dream for better future
and better environment for children in India. After his death in 1964 to respect his contributions,
unanimously the decision was passed to celebrate his birth anniversary as National Children’s
day .
Where are we today
59 years have passed since the declaration of human rights has been passed and we started
celebrating children’s day still we are one of the most illiterate country in the world ,still child
labour and child trafficking are one of the major and unaddressed problems of the country,
Nobel laureate of India Mr Kailash Satyarthi who has been working in this field for years wrote
on the occasion of children’s day “we Indians seem to have a peculiar gift of transforming
solemn and celebratory occasions into sham rituals devoid of any real substance this children’s
day lets focus on fundamental right of our children instead of long speeches” the crime related
to children have perpetuated for a long time and will continue till we fix the problem of our
inadequate implementation.
Child Rights
The Declaration of the Rights of the Child Lays down ten principles
1. The right to equality, without distinction on account of race, religion or national origin.
2. The right to special protection for the child’s physical, mental and social development.
3. The right to a name and a nationality.
4. The right to adequate nutrition, housing and medical services.
5. The right to special education and treatment when a child is physically or mentally handicapped.
6. The right to understanding and love by parents and society.
7. The right to recreational activities and free education.
8. The right to be among the first to receive relief in all circumstances.
9. The right to protection against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation.
10. The right to be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples,
and universal brotherhood.
Some of these rights are known and implemented and some are not even recognized and the
sad truth is that these are the right that each child of the world has been guaranteed but is not
enjoying!
