Has the world betrayed children?

topic:	Child rights
editor:	Bob Koigi

In the 21st century, it is tough being a child. If you are not being caught up in a conflict you do not understand, you are struggling to access healthcare, education or have to endure abuse. The world has turned a blind eye to the plight and struggles of a generation whose existence is now threatened more than ever in the history of mankind.

Up to 1.7 billion children globally continue to experience some form of violence each year, 262 million of them are out of school and up to 75 million have their education disrupted by conflicts and natural disasters.

This year commemorates six decades since the Declaration of the Rights of the Child that shaped the course of children globally through the famous pronouncement “mankind owes to the child the best it has to give.” 30 years ago the Convention on the Rights of the Child became the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. Has the world lived up to the letter and spirit of these affirmations?

Although major strides have been made to save children from diseases, child marriages, conflicts and getting them to school, the commitment as envisioned by global leaders on the two landmark rights instruments many years back has been waning as they choose to turn focus to what they consider as more pressing issues.

Yet children as the future leaders and drivers of the global fate in years to come should and must be at the heart of every discourse. The action the world takes today on children will determine the course the world will take in years to come. The resilience of children in the wake of what the world has subjected them to should be a poignant lesson for the world population.

In the words of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “Around the world, children are showing us their strength and leadership advocating for a more sustainable world for all. Let us build on advances and re-commit to putting children first. For every child, every right.”

Call to Action

Help to send girls back to school.