The Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of the Child Ms. Despos Michailidou on the International Day of the Rights of the Child on the occasion of the International Day of the Rights of the Child states in her announcement that "there is no better response to brutality than the defense and assertion of the rights of all children, children who have the right to live in a peaceful environment, to develop their personality unhindered in conditions of safety, to gain knowledge and joy in a democratic school environment and to freely express their opinion".
Her announcement is the same:
November 20, 1989 is considered a historic day: the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
But how do we make sense of today and what do we celebrate today?
Today is the day when we should put the defense and respect of human rights at the center of every decision and every action. Let us remember that where human rights are violated, injustice and brutality prevail. And where there is injustice there is no peace.
We talk about human rights and the rights of the child while in our neighborhood war is raging and the talk of weapons dominates.
We talk about the rights of the child while thousands of children are deprived of water, food, school, lose their lives because of war conflicts: the first victims of an adult war.
There is no better response to barbarism than to defend and assert the rights of all children, children who have the right to live in a peaceful environment, to develop their personality unhindered in conditions of safety, to gain knowledge and joy in a democratic school environment and to express their opinion freely.
Only with respect for human rights, respect between peoples and ethnicities can differences be bridged and a climate of cooperation and peaceful coexistence created.
Starting from the recognition and respect for the rights of our children, we can be led, even under difficult circumstances, to a world with empathy and respect for Human rights.
It is the duty of all of us to set an example for children