Bharat Chauhan
New Delhi,Child Rights Week is celebrated across India from 14 November (National Children’s Day) to 20 November (World Children’s Day) – a flagship event celebrated around the world. UNICEF India is facilitating a series of events and engagements to promote the rights and welfare of children, regardless of gender, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status. Every child is born with indelible rights, and deserve to be celebrated, included, and protected especially those marginalized and vulnerable.
This World Children’s Day’s theme is on sports as a powerful means to promote inclusion, equality and non-discrimination. Sports also help children develop important life skills such as leadership, discipline, teamwork, tolerance, hard work and cooperation.
On Wednesday 16 November, parliamentarians will engage with adolescents to discuss ways to promote inclusion of and non-discrimination of children, highlighting the role of play in achieving physical and mental health. Lawmakers with children will deliberate on sports as an enabler toward gender equality and inclusion. In a child-focused interaction, honourable MPs will interact and learn about children’s experiences, concerns, and aspirations. Lawmakers will listen to powerful stories on how sports helped children overcome their challenges.
On Friday, 18 November 2022, Sachin Tendulkar, Regional Ambassador for UNICEF South Asia, and Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana, UNICEF Celebrity Advocate, UNICEF India will be present at a symbolic futsal match, children from nine states will play to highlight sports for inclusion. Two-times Grammy Award-winner Ricky Kej will perform with children in a concert with his own composition on the importance of equality and opportunity for children.
“The World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s Global Day of Action for children, by children and with children. Sports promotes participation, breaks gender stereotypes and social barriers, it is a powerful tool for inclusion and equality. Inclusive sports can play a significant role in changing social norms and help find pathways for girls to realize their dreams and aspirations. This year, children will leverage the power of sports to promote inclusion and non-discrimination for every child,” said Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF Representative in India.
Iconic buildings and monuments across the country along with streets and houses in villages will #GoBLue on 19 and 20 November for World Children’s Day in solidarity with child rights. The Rashtrapati Bhawan (President House), Parliament Building, State Legislative Assembly buildings and iconic historical monuments across India will illuminate in #GoBlue light. Also go blue is the Dhar village in Madhya Pradesh, and thousand village streets in Sarguja region, in Bastar region and in central region Chhattisgarh.
