Zim celebrates World Children's Day
ZIMBABWE Human Rights Commission joins the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) and the rest of the world in celebrating World Children's Day (WCD). WCD is commemorated globally each year on November 20 to celebrate the adoption on November 20,1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly. The Declaration of the Rights of the Child was later transformed into the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989 making it an international treaty on childhood. The UNCRC sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children.
It is the most widely ratified human rights treaty indicative of the commitment by world leaders to ensure that all the encompassing rights of children are promoted, protected and fulfilled. World leaders put emphasis on the fact that children are individuals with their own rights, and with the capacity to think for themselves. The Convention makes it clear that childhood is separate from adulthood and lasts until a person attains 18 years. During childhood, a person is entitled to protection, should be allowed to grow, learn, develop and flourish with dignity.
The 2022 theme for the WCD commemorations is A Better Future for Every Child. The theme entails inclusion of all children and urges duty bearers to advocate, celebrate and promote children's rights to secure better future of every child. The future of every child canbe secured by ensuring that their rights to life, survival and development are fully enjoyed.
Survival encompasses fulfilment of children's rights to health, nutrition and social protection among others. The right to development encompasses education, which brings both physical and mental development. The right to education should be accessible to all children, no matter their status. Global changes, like the rise of digital technology, environmental change, prolonged conflict and mass migration are also issues that are changing childhood. Today's children face new threats to their rights, but they also have new opportunities to realise their rights.
The GoZ ratified the UNCRC in 1990 and went further to domesticate it through Section 81 of the Constitution on the rights of children, and other child protection laws and policies. The Commission applauds the GoZ for the enactment of Marriages Act [Chapter 5:15] which has harmonised all marriage laws in Zimbabwe and prohibits child marriages by setting 18 years as the minimum age for all marriages. The GoZ also amended the Guardianship of Minors Act