The 20th of November is Universal Children’s Day.

Since 1989, every year on the 20th of November we celebrate this day. In 1989,  the United Nations members gathered at the General UN meeting and decided that all children and adolescents have numerous rights so they established Children’s Rights.

Here are the most important ones:

• Children have to be fed a decent ration of food and clean water every day. They should not starve.
• Children’s parents have to raise them with care and affection.
• Children are free to express their thoughts.
• Children cannot be  used as labour
• Children have the freedom to make some decisions.

Italy included these rights in its constitution in 1991. It has been accepted by every other country in the world excluding USA and Somalia. Despite nearly all of the countries in the world agreeing with these rights, many children are still being beaten up, abused and raised with no love shown by their parents if they have them as some children have never seen their Mum or Dad.

Do you exclude yourself from these conditions? Can you imagine if your Mum or Dad never even showed you a sign of affection, like a hug, or a kiss? It’s not always the parents to blame. Sometimes they just don’t have enough food for themselves and their family.

Have you ever asked yourself why do women have children if they are extremely poor? This sometimes happens because the women are abused and become pregnant. And some of these women are actually very young.

The statistics from a recent article from the Corriere della Sera are shocking. In Bangladesh, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mozambique, and Niger one girl out of ten becomes pregnant before the age of 15. Under-18 girls who are pregnant have reached the number of 20000. There is more. In India 30% of women between the ages of  20-24  are pregnant before they reach 18.

So what is the recipe for the success seen in countries like Holland where teen pregnancy is a rare event? Free instruction for all and not only for the young girls  and the development of political programmes introducing legislation.     

On the 30th of November this year, besides the many events and memorials to mark this day, the Rava Foundation has organised a Gospel concert presented by Martina Colombari. It will be amazing. The Bassano Blue Spiritual Band will perform. The special guest will be Francesca Michielin.

There will be a Christmas market before the concert with Christmas gifts, panettone, pandoro, donations and lots of other wonderful things. The concert will take place at the Teatro della Luna-Forum di Assago.

An event not to be missed and not to be forgotten, that reminds us and gives us the opportunity to help a tragic situation in many different areas of the world.