Mattarella: “War, poverty and climate threaten children’s rights”. Meloni: “Giving centrality to children is the government’s priority”

“The International Convention on the Rights of the Child has placed children at the center of a network of fundamental rights: the right to non-discrimination, respect for the best interests of the child, the right to life, to proper development , the right to be heard. Global conflicts, widespread poverty, climate change are threats to the full enjoyment of children’s rights, severely tested even by the years of the pandemic”. This is the message of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarellaon the occasion of the International Day of the Rights of the Child. Today, on the same date, there is also the day in remembrance of the victims of the road and of transphobia.

“The risk is not only the compression of fundamental rights. War and poverty, too often, become the background of abuses and violence committed against the weakest, they evoke stories of broken childhoods, of children forced to become adults without having the tools to face the life – continues the head of state – Today we celebrate inclusion for every child: a goal that can only be pursued if the role of education within society is recognized as an effective tool to combat poverty, exploitation and inequality”. For Mattarella “protecting childhood and adolescence means protecting the future of humanity, it means laying the foundations on which to build a community of free and responsible citizens. Every energy must be expended to guarantee all boys and girls a childhood that responds to their needs and their aspirations, offering opportunities for growth so that they can be formed, making the values ​​of peaceful coexistence their own, adults, tomorrow, capable of making the world a better place for everyone”.

The President of the Republic also recalls the victims of the road: “The high number of people who lose their lives or who are seriously injured on our roads constitutes unacceptable social suffering. Road traffic victims are a price that the community cannot tolerate “.

The premier Giorgia Meloni, speaking of the rights of children and adolescents, let it be known that “the government intends to set up a working group with all the competent ministries and institutions to draw up an operational and concrete plan of action. Giving new centrality to children and boys is a priority: an epochal challenge, which we intend to carry on because the future of our nation depends on the ability to respond to the needs of the younger generations”. And on the occasion of the world day for the rights of children and adolescents, “an extremely important anniversary, which we intend to celebrate by confirming the government’s all-round commitment to guaranteeing children and adolescents the enjoyment of those rights enshrined in the UN Convention and which are often denied or not insured as they should.The pandemic crisis, the difficult economic context that resulted from it and the complex international situation in which we find ourselves are having a profound effect on our economic and social fabric – observes the premier in a note – They have aggravated already known problems, from poverty to inequalities, and created new emergencies. Children and young people are paying the highest price. Data and statistics agree in saying that the harsh restrictions on sociality imposed during the pandemic have had serious consequences on health and well-being psychological of the little ones and the youngest.Let’s not forget, moreover, it aggravates it rsi of the spread of pathological addictions, the growing phenomenon of bullying and baby gangs. Just as we can no longer overlook the impact of social networks and new technologies. We need to help our kids – adds Giorgia Meloni – to understand the double face of the web, a tool that shouldn’t be condemned a priori but which should be made a safe place, protecting our children and teenagers from the insidious traps of cyberbullying and online child pornography “.