World Children’s Day 2021: Investing in our future means investing in our children which is why the United Nations has designated every November 20 as Universal Children’s Day. It’s a time to promote togetherness around the world, awareness of the problems children face in every corner of the globe, and improve the welfare for all children.
When is Universal Children’s Day 2021?
The United Nations’ (UN) Universal Children’s Day, which was established in 1954, is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, promotes and coordinates this special day, which also works towards improving children’s welfare.
History of Universal Children’s Day:
Children’s Day began on the second Sunday of June in 1857 by Reverend Dr. Charles Leonard, pastor of the Universalist Church of the Redeemer in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Leonard held a special service dedicated to, and for the children. Leonard named the day Rose Day, though it was later named Flower Sunday, and then named Children’s Day.
Children’s Day was first officially declared a national holiday by the Republic of Turkey in 1920 with the set date of April 23. Children’s Day has been celebrated nationally since 1920 with the Turkish government and the newspapers of the time declaring it a day for the children. However, it was decided that an official confirmation was needed to clarify and justify this celebration and the official declaration was made nationally in 1929 by the founder and the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Though Universal Children’s Day was established by the United Nations in 1954, it wasn’t until November 20, 1959 that the UN General Assembly adopted an extended form of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Originally acquired in 1924 by the League of Nations, the UN adopted this document as its own statement of children’s rights.
International Children’s Day: Date, Significance, history of the day
Stats by Universal Children’s Day:
264 million: The number of children who do not go to school.
90%: The vast majority of children with disabilities do not go to school, facing multiple barriers, from stigma and ignorance to lack of infrastructure, materials, or trained teachers.
1 in 10: It is estimated that there are 1 billion people around the world with disabilities, and at least 1 in 10 are children.
150 million: The number of children worldwide engaged in child labor, not even having the chance to be children.
$1.25: The average cost a day per child in developing countries to provide a full cycle of pre-primary through secondary education.
989: Singapore topped all other countries, ranking 989 out of 1000 in 2019 for the fewest children missing out on childhood, according to Save The Children.
375: Niger ranked the lowest of all countries for the most amount of children missing out on childhood in 2019
43: The United States badly trailed nearly all other advanced countries in helping children reach their full potential in a 2019 report by Save The Children.
26 million: The number of children out of school in Ethiopia because of the coronavirus pandemic
99%: The estimated 2.3 billion children worldwide live in one of the 186 countries that have implemented some form of restrictions due to COVID-19.
