UNIVERSAL CHILDREN’S DAY
“We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue to be the most universally cherished aspiration of humankind.”
We the Children: End-decade review of the follow-up
to the World Summit for Children
Report of the Secretary-General (2001)
Since 1954, 20th November has been Universal Children’s Day. The date marks the day on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
The Three Seas Psychology Group are in full support of the ethos behind this yearly event. The importance of childhood is now well known from a psychological perspective, this is when the brain lays its foundations. The relationship a child has with its family from the beginning of it’s life make a huge difference to this development. Negative experiences like neglect or abuse contribute to the sorts of behavioural issues we see here on a daily basis.
Our country is a wonderful place and we enjoy stable, economically prosperous times. This trickles down for most of our children to enjoy too. However, not for all, some of our youngest and most vulnerable populations are simply not seen nor heard. UNICEF research shows that 10.9 per cent of children in Australia live in relative poverty. The most at-risk groups are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children in out-of-home care and children of asylum seekers. These children are often woefully below the barest of standards of health and nutrition.
Along with nutrition and health, the way a child is cared for greatly influences the immature brain’s development. Literally trillions of neural connections are made during this period and the experiences and relationships that the baby has directly affect whether the brain develops in the right way.
If you feel like making a contribution as part of Universal Children’s Day, to the support of our children, UNICEF Australia advocates on behalf of all children in Australia and works to ensure the government is held to account.
http://www.unicef.org.au/Discover/Australia-s-children.aspx#sthash.NDdHZENu.dpuf
