November 20 is an important day for children. In 1959 on that day the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Child. Thirty years later, also on November 20, they adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, also known as the CRC.

Now known as Universal Children’s Day, November 20 is an opportunity to talk about child rights, a topic easily overlooked in developing communities struggling to survive.

Lack of education and healthcare, denial of a way to express opinions and beliefs, violence and lack of protection from it, are all child rights violations. If children know this, they are more likely to stand up against abuse or ill treatment by adults, both for themselves and for their friends. 

In Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, World Vision recently held a “Fun Day” for more than 400 children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The children came from many different urban settlements and ethnic groups, and most had not met each other before.

But they all had one thing in common. They were living in communities where their rights as children were at risk.

The Fun Day, an initiative of the Port Moresby Vulnerable Children’s Project, was designed to raise awareness in these children and their parents of child rights, and to plan celebrations for November 20.

It was a noisy and exciting day for the children. The Joyce Bay Band, a group formed by young people from another World Vision project, kept them entertained with their new repertoire of songs about child rights. They watched videos of children’s activities in other countries, and took part in group discussions and quizzes on rights, as well as good and bad habits to have.
 
The rest of the afternoon was given over to fun and games – the spoon race, the sack race, tugs of war, relays, marching and ball games.

Department of Community Development Director for Child Welfare, Isabel Salatiel, welcomed the children and encouraged them to enjoy the day, telling them to learn more about their rights as well as their responsibilities.

Mrs Salatiel reminded the children that they have a right to stay in a peaceful home, eat good food, have access to good education, be looked after well by parents and a right to speak and express themselves freely.

“Many times parents do not allow their children to speak and express what they feel strongly about because they think they are only children and what they say is not important,” Mrs Salatiel said. “As parents we must know that the children have equal rights as adults and we should not deprive them of their rights.”

*  *  *

World Vision works with children throughout Papua New Guinea, improving their access to education and health as well as helping their parents or carers with income generation activities and reduction of stigma. The Port Moresby Vulnerable Children’s Project delivers the following activities:

- Enrolling children in civil society registry to obtain birth certificates 
- Medical check ups, immunization and treatment of basic illness 
- Functional literacy classes 
- Rights awareness for women and children 
- Skills development for youths age 15 – 21

World Vision also implements related projects in Port Moresby training women in business, providing voluntary counselling and testing for HIV and AIDS, educating youths on the risks of HIV and AIDS and assisting youths in developing income generating skills and leadership skills.

More about World Vision’s work in the Pacific

More about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child