SOS Children’s Villages in South Africa commemorates World Children’s Day.
World Children’s Day is celebrated annually on 20 November and it marks the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). It is a key opportunity to celebrate children as rights holders and call on governments to renew their commitments to children’s rights. November 20th 2009 was also the date when the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution welcoming the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.
Almost five years ago, the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Resolution on the Rights of the Child focusing for the first time ever on children without parental care.
We call on government to implement law, policy and practice to create protective environments for children. World Children’s Day offers an opportunity to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.
At SOS Children’s Villages we offer secure and loving care in a family setting, to children who have lost or are at risk of losing the care of their parents and cannot live with their biological family. It is our responsibility as an organisation to uphold and ensure our children are protected.
In South Africa, the inclusion in the Bill of Rights of a special section on the rights of the child was an important development for the children. Children need special protection because they are among the most vulnerable members of society. They are dependent on others – their parents and families, or the state when these fail – for care and protection. As a result, the drafters of our Constitution have made children’s rights a priority – and have stated that the best interests of a child are the overriding concern when it comes to any matter affecting them. SOS Children’s Villages in South Africa calls for the implementation of all children’s rights.
For more information on our work, and to support our Child Protection efforts, please go to https://www.sossouthafrica.org.za/
