It is an  occasion to create an awareness among the public on how to deal with children and give them the love they need to grow into responsible citizens.

To start with, a foundation stone for a residential drop-in centre was laid by the Child Development Unit on Thursday last whereas the SOS Children’s Village, which regroups 41 children, from 4-16 years of age,  in a shelter at Bambous, marked the event with a football tournament organized during the week with teams from Flic en Flac.

 SOS Village also lays emphasis on the right of children to play since children are on holidays at this time of the year. On the other hand, the National Children’s Council will also be organizing other recreational activities to celebrate the event.

 International Children’s Rights Day, which coincides this year with the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) adopted in 1959 and in 1989 respectively by the United Nations General Assembly, is celebrated worldwide in order to protect and promote children's rights, which are the foundation for a prosperous human rights culture. Ratified by 193 states, including Mauritius, the treaty of the CRC has become the most widely ratified convention in the world.

Each year in commemoration of International Children's Rights Day, Mauritius makes an assessment of the situation of children in the country to make sure that children’s rights are not being trampled on. In fact, the respect of children’s rights is one of the main concerns of the country.

That is why concrete steps are taken by the Ministry of Women’s Rights, Child Development and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the Ombudsperson For Children (OC), along with the different NGOs working with children in order to ensure that Mauritian children are shielded from every type of abuse through the respect of the CRC and the advocacy for the implementation of other laws designed to address the child’s need. 

In Mauritius, the OC has the responsibilityto ensure the promotion of compliance with the CRC. Hence it is with this aim in mind that the OC organizes sensitization campaigns throughout the year both in Mauritius and Rodrigues. She is also responsible for the training of several front line officers on specific aspects of the CRC.

Since CRC contains specific provisions related to human rights, focusing mainly on the birthrights of children all over the world, irrespective of race, creed and colour, while upholding the fact that children need special care and protection since they are more vulnerable than adults, the OC has  launched, in collaboration with the IBL, a booklet on the rights of the child, based on the CRC.

Notion of 3R's
In the context of the International Children Rights Day celebration, a sticker with the 3 R’s- Rights, Respect and Responsibility has also been launched by the OC to teach children about their rights to education, access to clean water, clothing and shelter and the right to education , leisure and non-violence.
The booklet and the 3 R’s also teach the children how to respect the rights of others while cherishing the sense of responsibility along with the notion of one’s rights.

However, Cziffrah deplores that many parents are unfortunately not aware of their child’s rights but warns also that rights, in any way .does not mean that a child can do as he or she pleases.

The booklet which will be targeting an audience of 10 to 12 years old will be distributed in some ZEP schools and to Form I students to raise their awareness on issues pertaining to their rights. The OC affirms that the CRC need not only be known to the public but must also become a reality for all Mauritian children .

 She believes that if all children were to receive education as from the age of three, there would not be 35% drop out from C.P.E. For her, education is a top priority for Mauritius since the island has only people in term of resources.