International Day for Street Children(IDSC) is annually observed across the globe on 12th April to create awareness about the difficulties faced by the children who live on the streets and demand equal rights for them.
- The day offers a platform for the street children to speak out and promote their rights.
The observance of the IDSC is led by the Consortium for Street Children(CSC), a global network that raises the voices of street children and creates long-term change to ensure they are not overlooked.
- Every year, the CSC chooses the theme for the IDSC to promote the needs of millions of children in the street worldwide.
Background:
i.The first ever International Day for Street Children was launched by CSC on 12th April 2011.
ii.Since 2012, the day is celebrated globally to recognise the humanity, dignity and defiance of street children in the face of unimaginable hardships.
Rights of Children:
i.In 1989, world leaders made a historic commitment to the world’s children by adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – an international agreement on childhood.
ii.It became the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and has helped transform children’s lives around the world.
iii.According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Children have the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live so they can develop in the best possible way.
Children in the Street situation:
i.The term “Children in Street Situation” comprises
children who depend on the streets to live and/or work, whether alone, with peers or with family
ii.A wider population of children who have formed strong connections with public spaces and for whom the street plays a vital role in their everyday lives and identities
Rights of Children in Steet Situation:
i.Children living or working in the streets or public spaces are entitled to the respect, protection and fulfilment of all the rights set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
ii.General Comment no. 21 on children in street situations of the committee on the rights of the child provides additional guidance in this regard.
