"Children and youth have been given a number of protections and privileges thanks to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the right to life, the right to adequate development, the right to have their voices heard, and the right to be free from discrimination. Conflicts throughout the world, widespread poverty, and climate change all pose serious risks to children's ability to fully exercise their rights, a fact that has been tested during the years of the epidemic. Constraints on basic liberties are merely one of the danger". This is the message from Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic, who spoke out yesterday in recognition of the International Day of the Rights of the Child. "The most vulnerable in society are frequently the target of abuse and brutality; war and poverty conjure tales of destroyed childhoods, of youngsters forced to become adults without the means to confront the world. Today we celebrate the inclusion of every child, a goal that can only be achieved if we understand education's role in society as a powerful weapon against poverty, exploitation, and inequality ". "Protecting childhood and adolescence means protecting the future of humanity, it means laying the foundations on which to build a community of free and responsible citizens - concluded Mattarella - Every effort must be made to guarantee all girls and boys a childhood that responds to their needs and aspirations, providing opportunities for growth so that they can be formed, making our own the values of peaceful coexistence, adults, tomorrow, capable of making the world a better place for all".
|