UN Chronicle | "The Right to Play" on Universal Children's Day

"The Right to Play" on Universal Children's Day
By Pauline Karakat for the Chronicle

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Universal Children's Day is celebrated every year on 20 November. Established by the UN General Assembly in 1954, Children’s Day is observed to promote international togetherness and awareness among children all over the world and to actively improve their welfare. The right to play is something many take for granted; others believe that such a right is impossible for those children who live in war-torn areas all over the world. This year's Universal Children's Day encouraged further awareness so people everywhere could appreciate the importance of play.

Marking the occasion, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Carol Bellamy, said "the right to play" was the theme for this year's celebration. . “If every child was given room and time to play, we’d be living in a much better world for children and adults”, Bellamy said. “It’s a simple measure but one that rings true.” More often than not, that right is denied to many children because of where and how they live. Bellamy discussed sports and related activities as a positive outlet for all children to pursue. "Sports and games and athletics are crucial to every child’s healthy development, and we must recognize them as more than just child’s play”, she said.

UNICEF has promoted the playing of sports all over the world. In Kenya, Honduras and Ethiopia, for example, soccer is used to promote AIDS awareness. In Sierra Leone, participating in sports is an important part of a comprehensive rehabilitation programme that prepares former child soldiers to reconnect with their families and communities after experiencing the horrors of war and violence.

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