BAMRO

atement on the Occasion of Universal Children’s Day – 20 November 2025
66 Years Since the Adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child

Every year on 20 November, the world celebrates Universal Children’s Day, a day established by the United Nations in 1954 to promote children’s rights and enhance their well-being globally. This year marks the 66th anniversary of the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the first international document to formally recognize the fundamental rights of children and affirm the shared responsibility to protect them.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provides a legal and moral framework ensuring that every child enjoys their rights without discrimination. The Convention is built upon four core principles:

1. Non-discrimination

Every child has the right to equal treatment regardless of ethnicity, colour, language, religion, social background, or disability.

2. The best interests of the child

All decisions affecting children must prioritize their best interests.

3. The right to life, survival, and development

Children must grow up in a safe environment that guarantees health, protection, and full physical, mental, and social development.

4. The right to participation

Children have the right to express their views freely and to be heard.

Between Commitments and Reality: Africa and Palestine as Examples

Despite international commitments, millions of children remain deprived of their most basic rights, especially in regions affected by conflict, poverty, and forced displacement.

1. In Africa

The African continent faces significant challenges:

• Limited access to education due to poverty, conflict, or the long distance to schools.

• Child labour in hazardous conditions.

• Recruitment of children in armed conflicts in some regions.

• Insufficient access to healthcare and high child mortality rates.

Although regional efforts exist, the implementation of the Convention remains fragile and requires stronger commitments from governments and international actors.

2. In Palestine

Palestinian children face some of the most severe violations of children’s rights in the world:

• Widespread deprivation of education due to bombings, destruction of schools, or their conversion into shelters.

• High numbers of child casualties during repeated military escalations.

• Forced displacement and loss of safety.

• Arbitrary detention of minors in the West Bank.

The situation of Palestinian children is a true moral test of the international community’s commitment to protecting childhood.

Education… A Fundamental, Non-Negotiable Right

Article 28 of the CRC obliges states to:

• provide free and compulsory primary education,

• ensure equal access to schooling,

• develop educational programmes,

• protect schools from attacks.

Yet more than 72 million children worldwide remain without access to education, mainly in conflict-affected regions in Africa and the Middle East.

In Palestine, education has become a suspended dream for thousands of children who lost their schools or families. Safeguarding this right is an urgent international duty.

BAMRO’s Call on This Global Day

On Universal Children’s Day, the Belgian Association for Human Rights and Development (BAMRO) stresses the following:

1. The need for full adherence to the Convention on the Rights of the Child by all countries and institutions.

2. A call on African governments to strengthen child protection and end violations related to education, child labour, and forced recruitment.

3. An urgent demand to the international community to uphold its responsibilities toward Palestinian children living under extreme conditions.

4. Affirming that education is a fundamental human right that must not be restricted under any circumstance.

5. Promoting a culture of children’s rights through education systems and community programmes.

Conclusion

Universal Children’s Day is not merely a commemorative event; it is a moral and human reminder that the future of the world begins with protecting its children.
Sixty-six years after the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, it is time to turn commitments into concrete action, ensuring that every child can live their childhood in dignity, safety, and hope.

BAMRO – Belgian Association for Human Rights and Development
20 November 2025