To mark the Universal Children’s Day 2016, 200 children from many countries visited the United Nations campus in Turin.

The Universal Children’s Day marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989. The Convention, which is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty, sets out a number of children’s rights including the right to life, to health, to education and to play, as well as the right to family life, to be protected from violence, to not be discriminated, and to have their views heard.

The event at the Campus was organised by European Training Foundation (ETF), the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), in cooperation with two local NGOs, SERMIG and ASAI.

The President of the Region of Piedmont, Sergio Chiamparino and the Mayor of Turin, Chiara Appendino, joined the 200 children at the celebration at the UN campus in Turin.

The children were involved in creative activities on the rights of the child. They produced drawings to express their interpretation of the rights of the child.

Every child has the inherent right to life

Ensure the rights without discrimination of any kind, irrespective race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status

Ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will

Respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion

Protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse

Recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health

Combat disease and malnutrition

The right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development

Recognize the right of the child to education

Recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child

The right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous

Protect children from the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances

Prevent the abduction of, the sale of or traffic in children for any purpose or in any form

No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment