Did you know that up until 25 years ago, international law held that children were not considered human beings but merely objects one could care for? Really.
Why is it the case that international law had paradoxically little recognition for the rights of a group who are, by definition, the next generation of people who deserve rights, you ask? Beats me. Maybe they viewed children as needy, fragile, and frequently wet balls of helplessness.
And in so doing, they forgot that they were once needy, fragile, frequently wet balls of helplessness. Hell, some still are.
Nonetheless, many came to their senses in 1989, when the United Nations ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the first such treaty to recognize human rights for children.
If there’s any lingering doubt that children need rights, support, and recognition, see the video UNICEF produced to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As this awe-inspiring girl from South Africa shows, with the right tools, kids can accomplish incredible feats.
