World Children's Day: Date, Theme, History, Significance And All You Need To Know

World Children’s Day takes place every year on November 20 to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide and improve children's welfare. This year, it will be celebrated on Monday.

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children's Day. According to the information on the United Nations' website, November 20 is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Since 1990, World Children's Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children's rights.

The theme for World Children's Day for the year 2023 is 'For every child, every right.'

According to UNICEF, World Children’s Day is a day for children, by children. The day is designed to put a spotlight on key issues affecting children- from ending childhood abuse and violence and their protection to ensuring children’s rights to an education, to play, to health care and to have a voice are met.

UNICEF says that children and young people have the same general human rights as adults and also specific rights that recognize their special needs. Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights. 

The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the rights that must be realized for children to develop to their full potential. 

The Convention offers a vision of the child as an individual and as a member of a family and community, with rights and responsibilities appropriate to his or her age and stage of development. By recognizing children's rights in this way, the Convention firmly sets the focus on the whole child.

The Convention recognizes the fundamental human dignity of all children and the urgency of ensuring their well-being and development. It makes clear the idea that a basic quality of life should be the right of all children, rather than a privilege enjoyed by a few. To know more, click here.

In India, Children's Day is celebrated every year on November 14, the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first Prime Minister.