Health and care

19/11/2021 - 14:46

Childhood. Initiatives and activities to defend children’s rights on the occasion of World Children’s Day.

A series of activities are being organised for World Children’s Day, held every 20 November, to promote the protection of children’s rights and help voice their demands. One example is the Children’s Proclamation, a yearly process which gets primary school children actively involved in the city’s political life and which this year centres on the right to healthy food.

Children have recognised rights which adults and institutions must preserve and guarantee. In Barcelona, the development of advanced policies on childhood help to build a city to suit little ones and their families, taking into account their opinions, needs, priorities and rights.

Children’s Proclamation 2022

One of the most notable tools providing a voice for youngsters is the Children’s Proclamation, which takes place every year at the festivities for Santa Eulàlia. This year’s topic ties in with the city’s status as the World Sustainable Food Capital, under the slogan “Children eat healthily and sustainably”. Children between their 3^rd and 6^th years of primary education at Barcelona schools and special education centres will be drafting the proclamation during the current school year, working on key aspects to promote health and sustainable food.

World Children’s Day

To mark World Children’s Day, the façade of the City Hall will be lit up in blue on 20 November and various neighbourhoods will be holding different activities. These include the Festival of Children’s Rights in Marina del Prat Vermell, with a circus workshop and a storytelling session, an afternoon of inclusive games for children up to the age of 12 in children’s centres in L’Eixample, and play-based activities for families at the children’s centre in Trinitat Vella.

Measures to drive children’s rights

The Childhood Pla 2021-2030 is one of the measures recently started to strengthen the fight for children’s rights. The document was produced by 150 experts and includes seventy actions to improve the quality of life of children in Barcelona.

In addition, Barcelona’s Medals of Honour this year recognised the Children’s Rights Network for its work to protect children’s rights during the pandemic. The network includes a series of city organisations which work to promote and defend the development of universal children’s rights in the city.