The 20^th of November marks World Children’s Day a day dedicated to all children. On this day, we celebrate the many achievements made in ensuring that children have access to their rights as well as continue to advocate for those children whose rights are not being guaranteed.

The theme for this year’s celebrations is that of ensuring equality and inclusion for every child. It is the responsibility of the Government, NGOs, organisations and all those working with and for children including parents/carers, educators and all those that have an impact on children’s lives, to ensure that all children have access to their rights.

In order to mark this day, Ms Antoinette Vassallo, Commissioner for Children, and the Hon. Dr Michael Falzon, Minister for Social Policy and Children’s Rights launched a set of age-appropriate resources on children’s rights at Maria Regina Gharghur Primary School. The Commissioner together with the Hon. Minister, distributed the resources to students in Kinder 2, year 3 and year 5 classes. They emphasised the importance of children being aware of their rights and to ask for help if they need it.

These resources, which have been developed by UNICEF, have been produced in Maltese by the Office of the Commissioner for Children and are being disseminated to all children of school age in Malta and Gozo. The resources include an animated video for children in kindergarten; an activity book for children in years 1,2 and 3; and a poster for children between the ages of 9 and 15.

As part of the celebrations, the Office of the Commissioner for Children has once again encouraged and supported Schools and other organisations to celebrate World Children’s Day. Approximately 50 schools in Malta and Gozo will be organising different activities promoting children’s rights.