World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse
YesICAN held its annual World Day Art Show on November 19th at the Canoga Park Youth Art Center in Canoga Park.
Organized by Women’s World Summit Foundation and sponsored by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. The International Child Abuse Network (Yes ICAN) has joined the coalition along with 452 organizations and 91 countries.
Yes ICAN believes that one way to break the cycle of abuse is to educate and convince government officials of the impact that abuse of children has on society. Our vision for celebrating this World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse is by impressing on all civil society the need to play a more active role in the promotion of and respect for children’s rights and to impress upon legislators within the United States the importance of signing onto the Convention on the Rights of the Child. While the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Convention on November 20, 1989, the USA has been unwilling to sign on along with the 191 other countries that have already ratified the Convention.
In summary, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international treaty that recognizes the human rights of children (ages 0-18). It states that all children be protected from all harm, have access to education and health care and that they be able to develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest potential; growing up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding. To access a full text, please click on: http://www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm. As we focus on this World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse we hope that we all will pay attention specifically to article 19 and 34 of the Convention.
If you live within the United States, we are asking you to please contact legislators in your jurisdiction to express your assent to the Convention and to implore them to push for its ratification. If you are outside the US, write your government officials and remind them of their commitment they made to the children of the world when they ratified the Convention.
In addition, we ask everyone to click here on “Say Yes to Children” and pledge your support for children’s rights. The Global Movement for Children (GMC) is a force for change, calling for people throughout the world to take action and protect the rights of children.
To easily reach your members of Congress by phone, you may call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. The White House can be reached at (202) 456-1414. Or, visit the Congress.org to identify your elected officials: http://legislators.com