June 1st: International Day of Children and Parents

International Children’s Day is celebrated on different dates depending on the country, the 2 dates to remember are: June 1 but also November 20.

It is especially in the Soviet bloc and in the countries of Asia that the celebration takes place on June 1, the United Nations instead recommending November 20, the date which corresponds to that of the adoption by the United Nations of CIDE ( International Convention on the Rights of the Child) with the support of UNICEF, which has recognized the human rights of children since November 20, 1989.

In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed September 17 that June 1 would also be World Parents Day, to honor parents around the world for their dedication, commitment and sacrifice to ensure the future of their children.

In the 1980s, the family took an important place in the daily life of humans around the world. It was a question of ensuring the children the best living conditions guaranteeing them to grow in a climate of happiness and understanding. In 1994, the International Year of the Family was decreed by the General Assembly, as well as the International Day of Families.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, putting families at risk, which is why businesses and organizations have decided to promote the safety and well-being of children while providing support. to their employees. Following partial unemployment or teleworking, the parents who stayed at home had to make their children work without school. As for the elderly, many of them could not see their families either because they were distant or because visits to nursing homes were not allowed and unfortunately, there have been numerous deaths in this at-risk population who feel abandoned, let themselves die, even refusing to eat. The confinement impacted the cell and the family unit. To celebrate Parents ‘Day, UN France tweeted: “It’s Parents’ Day! The COVID19 pandemic is putting parents to the test. Let us make sure that the laws and policies put in place adapt to the reality of families of today “: MERRY WORLD PARENT DAY.

In children, studies on the spread of the virus have shown that they are less contaminated and three to five times less positive than adults. It is not children who transmit the virus, but rather the opposite. In terms of tests carried out by a pediatric network in France, 700 out of 12,000 were found to be positive, only around thirty were in intensive care. On the other hand, the symptoms of Kawasaki syndrome (acute inflammatory disease particularly affecting children under 5 years of age), close to Covid-19, were noted on 125 children in France. One in two had had a recent Covid-19 infection and a 9-year-old boy died in Marseille.

In 1925, a World Conference inspired by the FDIF (International Democratic Federation of Women) was held in Geneva around child protection; it was instituted at a meeting in Moscow in November 1949, in memory of the children killed during the Second World War by the Nazis. The United Nations recommended in 1954 that a World Children’s Day be established without setting a date. On November 20, 1959, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was published, it served as a reference to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child of November 20, 1989. Each year, in June, other dates celebrate the children: June 4, International Day of Child Victims of Assault; June 12, World Day Against Child Labor; June 16, Day of the African Child.

On this International Children’s Day, children are the heroes, particularly in communist countries including China where children are classless and parade through the streets. This year, President Xi Jinping wished children around the world a happy holiday. He also addressed schoolchildren at a primary school in the city of Macau, saying that “the students were the future of Macau and the country”, while hoping “that they could take advantage of this day to work hard and contribute to society in the future. ”

In Europe, Portugal has organized many events despite the health crisis. and many of them will be online, given the current context. In this country, this day is also called “Children’s Day”, tradition has it that parents offer gifts to their children or grandchildren. Throughout the country, the youngest will be able to enjoy with their elders various activities (“drive in” in the Municipal Garden of Oeiras, shows and visits to Lisbon at the Archaeological Museum of Carmo which reopens its doors on June 1, day of exploration focused on the relationship with photography at the Berardo Museum in Belém, online programming for the little ones at the Dona Maria II National Theater, Operation “Red Nose” on the ONV TV channel to entertain hospitalized children.

In Romania, President Klaus Iohannis sent a message to the children during this celebration in unusual conditions, asking them to be his allies in this fight against the virus and thanking them for their efforts during the pandemic. “You have made an extraordinary effort and you have adapted to online school, knowing that education is just as important all the time … Happy birthday, with lots of joy!”, He said. . He also told them under what conditions the LAC and national assessment exams will take place.

Many associations have been created around the world to help children, whether for adoption and sponsorship, fight against child labor, fight against the sexual and commercial exploitation of children in the world (prostitution , trafficking, pornography, cybercrime) by all legal means, fight against excision in African countries, forced marriages. Nor should we forget the ROM children used for pickpocketing and the children who are victims of violence, often hostages of couples dominated by domestic violence, alcoholism or drug addiction.

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization of 193 states. Its Charter was adopted on June 26, 1945 by 51 States, replacing the League of Nations (SDN). It officially entered into force on October 24, 1945. Its main organs (the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat) were established during its creation in 1945.

The United Nations has many programs, funds and specialized agencies, funded by voluntary rather than statutory contributions. Each of these entities has its own management, its own budget and its own Member States. The specialized agencies are independent organizations funded by voluntary and statutory contributions. Childhood is a subject that preoccupies the UN, which is why it has created 3 structures to help it:

• The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): aims to create a world where every pregnancy is desired, every birth is safe and the potential of every young person is realized (subsidizes school meals and reparations in the state of Chin , in Myanmar.)
• The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF): works in 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights and help them reach their full potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): addresses issues such as teacher training, improving education globally and protecting historic and cultural events around the world. UNESCO regularly inscribes new sites on the World Heritage List, protecting these irreplaceable treasures for the pleasure of present tourists and future generations.

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VERONIQUE YANG

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