On the occasion of International Children’s Day 2010, which is held on the 1st of June, the Commissioner for Children would like to take the opportunity to urge collective efforts towards the full and swift implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in assuring that children’s rights are on the national agenda.
The Commissioner for Children Act provides that a primary function of the Commissioner shall be to promote compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as ratified by Malta and with such other international treaties, conventions or agreements relating to children as are or may be ratified or otherwise acceded to by Malta.
In accordance with this function, the Commissioner for Children insists that the full observance of the principles laid out in the UN CRC should be considered a shared responsibility towards children, which all adults as individuals or corporate bodies should strive to be conscientious and diligent about. This responsibility becomes all the more pertinent in light of the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
Within the Commissioner’s role as ambassador for children within this European year, Mrs. D’Amato stressed that the full compliance with the UN CRC, as ratified by Malta in 1990, should help to guarantee the eradication of poverty and social exclusion. This in itself further highlights the urgent need for the UN CRC to be observed and respected by families, service providers, and all other relevant authorities including Government. In ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Malta made a commitment to fully comply with the principles laid out in the UN CRC, which should be respected in its entirety.