Children have the rights

The thematic exhibition “Children have the rights” timed to the International Child Protection Day runs in the Official documents department (room 207), from 30 May to 10 July.

This Day was proclaimed by the congress of the Women’s International Democratic Federation in November 1949, and since 1950 it has been observed annually, on 1 June.

The main goal of the International Child Protection Day is to inform the public about the need to protect children’s rights to life, freedom of opinion and religion, education, recreation and leisure, protection from exploitation, physical and psychological violence.

Children are a significant part of the world’s population. According to official statistics, they constitute 20–25% of the population in each country. At the same time they are the most defenseless part of society. According to the UN Children’s Fund’s statistics, more than a half of all children in families suffer from psychological or physical violence, and every tenth child is a subject to aggressive behavior of adults.

Children in many countries do not have basic conditions for a normal life: they starve, live in unhealthy conditions, are prone to illnesses, do not have access to education, cannot express their opinion.

Aware of the problem’s importance, the United Nations created in 1946 the International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which is now the leading international organization for the protection of rights of the child. In 1959 the United Nations General Assembly adopted The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and in 1989 The Convention on the Rights of the Child including articles calling upon parents, state bodies, local powers and governments to recognize the rights and freedoms set out in them and strive for their observance.

In May 2002, the Special Session on Children was summoned. At this session for the first time official delegations included children. The main result of the forum was the official adoption by 180 countries of the final document Declaration and Agenda “A world fit for children”. The document included 21 specific goals focusing on four main priorities: promoting a healthy lifestyle; promoting a quality education; protecting children against abuse, exploitation and violence; the fight against HIV / AIDS.

In the Republic of Belarus, the protection of childhood, the rights and interests of the child is one of the priority activities of the state. The implementation of social policies, aimed at ensuring a decent childhood, is a prerequisite for sustainable development of our state, both at the forthcoming stage and in the long term.

In Belarus the National commission for the rights of the child was established to exercise control on the observance of children’s rights and legitimate interests; four President’s programs “Children of Belarus” were carried out, and the National agenda for the improvement of the state of the child and protection of their rights for 2012–2016 was adopted.

The rights and legitimate interests of the child are set in the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the Family Code of the Republic of Belarus, the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On the rights of the child” and other legislative and normative legal acts. All these documents are on display.

The exposition presents over 100 documents of international organizations (UN, UNICEF, the Council of Europe, the European Union etc) in Russian and English languages: books, periodicals, the UN’s mimeographed papers, brochures and booklets.

The exhibition includes the following sections:

• International legal instruments for the protection of the rights of the child;
• The UNICEF effort;
• Protecting rights and interests of the child in Belarus;
• Promoting the healthy lifestyle of children;
• Providing quality education for every child;
• Protecting children from abuse, exploitation and violence.

The exhibition is designed for teachers, lawyers, sociologists, specialists in education, public health and culture, as well as for all who are not indifferent to the future of our children.

Reading list

Useful links

• The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
• UNICEF – the official site
• UNICEF in Belarus
• The Committee on the Rights of the Child
• The International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor
• Health of the child
• Child abuse

Documents

• The Declaration of the participants in the high-level plenary meeting devoted to the follow-up to the Special Session on Children (13 December, 2007)
• Guidelines on Justice in Matters Involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime (22 June, 2005)
• The Declaration and Agenda “A world fit for children” (10 May, 2002)
• The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (25 May, 2000)
• The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (25 May, 2000)
• The Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (Convention 182, 1 June, 1999)
• The United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (14 December, 1990)
• The UN convention on the Rights of the Child (20 November, 1989)
• The Declaration of the Rights of the Child (20 November, 1959)