BY SHAY CULLEN
THE INTERNATIONAL Day of the Child is a day of celebration. A day when every happy family can rejoice that their children are healthy, happy, and secure in a loving family.
We can say that the respect and rights of children have never been held so high. Never in world history have there been so many defenders and activists protecting children and promoting their welfare. Never have there been so many laws advancing their well-being, their education, their health. Nowadays, children have never been loved as much.
All this attention to the welfare of children is new in our generation. In generations past, children had a low status in society. Even though most parents loved their children few if any laws protected them. Child abuse and labor was everywhere, sexual abuse of children was common and hardly even considered a crime. There were few champions for children. Charles Dickens and Don Bosco are among the few that wrote and acted to help children in dire circumstances.
After World War II, the suffering and abuse of children was so widespread people of conscience and moral principles rediscovered the teaching and respect that Jesus of Nazareth had for children. He was perhaps the first champion and defender of children.
He stood a child before a crowd of scribes, pharisees and elders who considered themselves the elites and rulers of society. He said this child is the most important of all, whoever welcomes a child, welcomes me. That identification of Jesus with a child recognized the profound dignity and higher status of a child than anyone else. It was earth-shaking, Jesus of Nazareth made a lot enemies that day.
His teaching was ignored for the most part of two thousand years until the defenders of children’s rights won the day at the United Nations and proclaimed a comprehensive convention that enshrined the exalted rights of the child to the whole world.
This writer was there in Helsinki as a delegate from the Philippines when the convention was being finalized in debates and resolutions and the final draft was written. It was passed by the General Assembly the following year 1989. This is what we must celebrate, a historical awakening and realization of the plight of abused and exploited children in the world. This awakening must continue since the danger of child abuse is getting worse with the impact of the Internet and the unethical Internet Service Providers and corrupt people abusing children.
This was not enough because there was still much child abuse and countries passed weak laws that were not implemented and failed to protect children. A further awakening as to the worst kinds of child labor in the world was needed. Finally, the human race admitted to its most terrible crimes against children in the sex industry, construction, factory and agriculture where education and dignity was taken from the children, and they were like slaves.
Another worldwide campaign brought about the convention concerning the Prohibition of and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor. This was passed in Geneva on 17 June 1999. (To be continued)/PN
