World Day of Children and Adolescents 2024

Rome (Italy). On 20 November 2024, the World Day for Children and Adolescents is celebrated, established in 1954 to support the fundamental rights of children/adolescents, as well as raising awareness and promoting the cohesion of the international community in its efforts to improve their welfare.

Thirty-five years after the creation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and Adolescent, approved by the United Nations in 1989, the world is facing, as highlighted by Andrea Iacomini, spokesperson for UNICEF Italy, “the worst period for children affected by armed conflict since World War II.”

From the 2023 data of the latest report by Save the Children, 473 million children (18.9% of the world’s child population) live in an active conflict zone such as Gaza, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Myanmar or Ukraine. This is more than 1 in 6 children worldwide.

Conflicts, in addition to endangering the life and health of children, are one of the main causes of food insecurity affecting some 135 million children. Problems related to malnutrition or poor nutrition prevent children from having a proper physical and psychological growth, denying them the possibility of developing their potential.

Conflict, poverty, and disease are also closely related to the lack of access to education. From the last UNESCO report it also emerges that 250 million children and young people worldwide are not in school, a staggering figure which will have repercussions on future societies.

In addition, there are the serious consequences of climate change. More than one billion children currently live in high-risk countries with extreme weather events. These children therefore, have a very high chance of becoming displaced or falling into poverty and, consequently, not being able to study in order to contribute to support their families by working.

In this worrying context, VIDES International and the FVGS ETS Foundation do not tire of fighting so that in every part of the world every child and adolescent can see their rights recognized.

There are many development projects promoted by VIDES International like the project, “A multi-congregational observatory to advance the rights of girls in 6 countries in the post-pandemic period: a joint effort to bridge the digital divide and ensure girls’ mental health” aimed at guaranteeing the right to health and mental health to girls in Ecuador, Peru, Kenya, South Sudan, India, and Nepal and ensure their safe use of the internet and digital platforms. This project is born precisely from the awareness of how the pandemic has eroded the right to health and cyber security for young women in the world.

Alongside VIDES International FVGS ETS, since its foundation, UNICEF operates in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe to ensure that children who are most vulnerable have the right to study and a balanced diet. In fact, through Distance Support, FVGS reaches thousands of children every year, guaranteeing them the possibility to go to school and build a better future. It is also present in the area with development projects and micro-projects to support local realities, especially the necessities of children and women who are most in need.

VIDES International and FVGS ETS support the importance of transforming the general indifference to children’s and adolescents’ rights from a “globalization of indifference” to a “globalization of Peace, Kindness, and Care” as urged by Pope Francis.

Today more than ever, it is important that the international community, as well as every person, work with commitment and constancy so that every child can enjoy his or her inalienable rights.