The Universal Children’s Day is celebrated in the world today, with the aim of reminding and sensitizing the public about the need to protect the children and juveniles from abuse, violence and various forms of discrimination.
The United Nations General Assembly on November 20th, 1989, adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Child, which contains the universal standards that the State Party to the Declaration (i.e., which has signed and ratified it) must guarantee to every child.
The Declaration covers, first and foremost, the obligations of adults in relation to the child as well as the obligations of numerous social factors related to the protection of the child.
This is the first document in which a child is accessed as a rightful person, and not just as a person in need of special protection.
Unlike the Declaration on the Rights of the Child (1959) which has moral strength, the Declaration on the Rights of the Child is a legal act that has the force of law and obliges the parties to comply with its provisions and includes the right to supervise enforcement in the countries that have ratified it.
Today is the right day to be reminded on the 10 children’s commandments:
1. My hands are small; please don’t expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball.
2. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you.
3. My eyes have not seen the world as you have; please let me explore safely: don’t restrict me unnecessarily.
4. Housework will always be there. I will not be a child for too long- find time to play with me.
5. I am your special gift, so treat me accordingly.
6. I need your support as I grow up. Please go easy on the criticism; remember, you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.
7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I’ll be prepared to make the right decisions.
8. Please don’t be afraid to leave for a weekend without me. Kids needs vacations from their parents, just as parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it’s a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very special.
9. I know it’s hard, but do not compare me with my brothers and sisters or with other children.
10. Please don’t do things for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn’t quite measure up to your expectations.