Skip to content
The International Day of Child Protection first originated as International Children’s Day during the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland on June 1, 1925.
In its familiar formulation, the holiday was officially established on June 1, 1950, following the so-called “Congress of the International Democratic Federation of Women” held in Moscow in 1949. In the Soviet Union, it was customary to assign the adjective “International,” “Democratic,” or both to any designated day or association.
Even today, June 1 is exclusively celebrated in communist countries or those that were once under the influence of the Soviet Union. Another group of countries commemorates a holiday known as World Children’s Day on November 20. This date was chosen to honor the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1959. In the United States, the holiday is observed on the second Sunday in June.
International Day of Child Protection: Navigating Expectations and Reality
Expectations
International Day of Child Protection, also known as Children’s Day – though the names may differ, they both encompass similar ideals. The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, established by the United Nations in 1959, defined ten fundamental principles.
- The right to equality without distinction based on race, religion, or national origin.
- The right to special protection for the physical, mental, and social development of the child.
- The right to a name and nationality.
- The right to adequate nutrition, housing, and medical care.
- The right to special education and treatment if the child has physical or mental disabilities.
- The right to understanding and love from parents and society.
- The right to rest and free education.
- The right to be among the first to receive assistance in any circumstances.
- The right to protection from all forms of neglect, cruelty, and exploitation.
- The right to be raised in an atmosphere of understanding, tolerance, friendship among nations, and universal brotherhood.
Later, in 1989, the document transformed into the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which outlines principles of child protection in 54 articles.
Reality
The Soviet “democracy” proclaimed similar principles, but the actual reality was starkly different. There was a disregard for children’s well-being, an attitude that treated children as mere resources, the separation of children from their parents, and their militarization. In the Soviet Union, these roles were assigned to organizations like the “Octobrists” and the “Komsomol.” In contemporary Russia, it is manifested through the “Yunarmiya” (meaning young army).
Here are some figures that shed light on Russia’s perspective on child “protection” in Ukraine.
- 484 children have lost their lives and 992 have been injured;
- 13 cases of sexual violence against minors have been documented;
- Over 2,500 educational institutions have been damaged, with 256 of them completely destroyed;
- More than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia or temporarily occupied territories. These are only the officially registered cases, and the actual number could be many times higher.
During the night of June 1st, two children tragically lost their lives in Ukraine due to a rocket strike.
According to the UN, in 2019, a staggering 1.6 billion children (69%) were residing in countries ravaged by conflict. Among them, approximately 426 million children (over one in six) were living within the confines of conflict zones.
