Children are strange creatures, apparently fragile yet so strong, possessed of resources that adults cannot even imagine. "Children find everything in nothing, men find nothing in everything," wrote Giacomo Leopardi, summing up perfectly the constant wonder with which children face life.

The impact of violence on children

Even today the rights of children and adolescents are trampled upon, and millions of them are victims of abuse and exploitation. Beyond their intrinsic atrocity, these acts of violence also have future social, cultural and economic repercussions: minors who suffer violence frequently grow up to become vulnerable adults. To combat such abuses, 20 November is marked around the world as the International Day of the Rights of the Child and Adolescent, established by the UN.

The history of the day

The date chosen for the commemoration recalls the day in 1989 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would go on to become the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history.

Children as victims of war

The lives of millions of children around the world are devastated by wars and conflicts. The war that has been ravaging Syria since 2011, for example, has so far claimed the lives of more than 10,000 children and young people under the age of 18. The image of the body of Aylan, a three-year-old Syrian boy found dead on a Turkish beach after the boat he was travelling on capsized — the same boat on which he had fled his country in the hope of reaching Canada — is still etched in everyone's memory.

Ban Ki-moon's message

"The only thing all children have in common are their rights. Every child has the right to survive and thrive, to be educated, to be free from violence and abuse, to participate and to be heard," declared Ban Ki-moon, the eighth Secretary-General of the UN. The United Nations invites all countries to mark the day by organising events aimed at promoting the wellbeing of children.

Much progress made, but the goal is still far off

In 1989, through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the world made a promise to children: that it would do everything in its power to protect and promote their rights, and to enable them to grow and reach their full potential. Much has been achieved since then, from the decline in child mortality to the increase in school enrolment, but much still remains to be done — suffice it to say that more than 150 million children are still forced to work, deprived of leisure and education.