Every year on December 10, the world commemorates Human Rights Day. It is a time to reflect on the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, and a stark reminder that we will have to continue to protect and protect them. rights for the fitness and well-being of each and every user and our shared society.
The UDHR, which consists of a preamble and sequential articles, sets out 30 rights that apply to each and every user. These rights are not granted through a state or authority, but are inherent to a user by the mere fact that they are human. Some of the rights set out in the UDHR include:
The UDHR serves as a guiding document and standard to which all nations and peoples should strive; however, the implementation and enforcement of these rights vary widely across the globe. For many, including children, these rights are not reality.
In recent years, the landscape of demanding global situations has obviously highlighted the fragility of human rights. Armed conflicts and wars around the world – including those in Haiti, Sudan, Ukraine, Israel and Gaza – have not only claimed countless lives, adding to the lives of children, but have also led to massive human rights violations, adding to displacement, loss of livelihoods and breakdowns of social structures.
A lifejacket floats near a sinking boat at Favaloro pier in Lampedusa, Italy on Sept. 26, 2023. The pier serves as one of the few landing spots for those who have made the often perilous migration across the Central Mediterranean Sea. Many of the migrants arriving here are fleeing conflict, violence, climate impacts and other harrowing situations.
Climate change poses another threat, exacerbating natural disasters, food and water scarcity and environmental degradation, which in turn displace children and their families and intensify poverty and health risks. Often, these crises disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities, including women and girls.
Ten-year-old Saima, right, joins her mother and sister on a 45-minute walk to find empty water at Allah Abad, Jampur, in southern Punjab, Pakistan. Devastating floods and the effects of climate change across Pakistan are forcing many women and women to, Saima added, travel far from home in search of clean water and operational WASH infrastructure, risking their personal protection and reducing the time they can spend in school.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge people’s rights to health, education, and employment and has been exposing deep inequalities for nearly four years.
Taken together, these crises underscore the urgent need to address human rights violations and ensure coverage for each and every child and every person.
In the U.S., UNICEF USA works with partners, including Zonta International, to safeguard the rights of children and girls. Through concerted efforts to end child marriage in the U.S., where child marriage is banned in only 10 of 50 states, UNICEF USA and Zonta are helping to ensure that girls across the country and beyond can fully realize their potential and shape futures in which their rights to safety, education and self-determination are unassailable.
In Ethiopia’s Afar region, water scarcity and loss of livelihoods threaten the future of women, who are increasingly forced into early marriage. UNICEF is working to raise awareness and help young women be protected and achieve their futures.
UNICEF USA also works with local stakeholders across the country through UNICEF’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) to build safer, more just, equitable, inclusive and child-friendly communities. Launched in the U. S. Launched in the U. S. in 2020, the CFCI ensures that young people have a voice in policymaking and prioritizes the rights of young people and young people in their formative years and lives.
In addition to efforts to prioritize support for intellectual fitness, quality education, and more for U. S. youth, UNICEF USA is collaborating with government officials and their platforms to magnify UNICEF’s global work on behalf of children and human rights, on Human Rights Day and across the board. every day, all year round.
Globally, UNICEF works with partners to defend the rights of children, young people and their families, from girls’ protective right to schooling in Afghanistan and the construction of transitional learning centers after natural disasters, to support to children and families on the move throughout the world. world. the most harmful migration routes and call for and demand action against serious violations and war crimes on the world stage.
In September 2023, eight-year-old Maria (right) and a friend attend a UNICEF-supported network school in Bihsud district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. Since March 2022, the de facto government has banned Afghan women from attending school beyond the 6th grade. Afghanistan is now the country in the world that bans women from attending secondary school.
UNICEF groups respond to many emergencies each year, averaging more than one per day. UNICEF is among the first to arrive and the last to go through a crisis and remains active in more than 190 countries and territories, where the groups work. day in and day out to make sure that one and any of the children are healthy, educated, protected, and in good standing for any consistent period. Crisis and peace.
Learn more about how UNICEF works to publicity and children’s rights.
As we mark 75 years of the UDHR, the stakes are higher than ever. Your support can help dismantle barriers to education, provide sanctuaries from conflict and secure the health and well-being of children in every corner of the world. Donate today.