World days are important. They are informative, meaningful, and they can teach us something, enriching our culture. Regarding the world days in November, we could us ask ourselves “why is this important for me?”. Although we usually think that these world days are corny and not that interesting, there are some exceptions that we thought are worth mentioning. Not, for example, the European Trade day (which, if already mentioned, is held on the fifth of November), but rather the Inventors’ Day and World Children’s Day.
There are many world days in this month that are important for us. Here we brought you two examples that have some significance in regard to real and current issues, problems across the world.
I already mentioned World Children’s Day which we hold on the 20th of November. The General Assembly of the UN adopted the “Declaration of the Rights of the Child” on this day, 1959. This states that every child has the right to a name, citizenship, and education. Hungary signed this agreement in 1991.
Throughout history fathers considered their children as their property, so the father made decisions about their child’s life, like what education they can get or whom they marry.
Unfortunately, even today there are some countries which still do not accept these declarations. UNICEF is the world’s largest humanitarian organization; the agency’s main goal is the protection of children’s rights, with a presence in more than 190 countries. UNICEF’s activities include the immunization of children, improving childhood and maternal nutrition and promoting education. That is why it is important to celebrate this day every year, to spread awareness, to protect children’s rights, because on their own they are unable to do so and there are many places in the world where there is still a great need for help.
The other example that we would like to mention is held on the 25th of November. This is the International day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we recognize this day since 1981. The day’s goal is to not only be aware of this issue, but to do something against it and help thousands of women across the world who are facing some kind of violence every day. This violence can be physical, sexual, and psychological. Some examples are sexual assault, rape, physical aggression, human trafficking, and child marriage. Violence based on gender can happen to anyone (including men), but there are people who are especially vulnerable, for example young girls, old ladies, refugees and/or ethnic minorities. It is frustrating that, despite the widespread awareness, the situation still has not changed. On the contrary, it seems it is getting worse. Here are some scary statistics to help visualize the problem:
- 1 out of every 3 women has experienced some kind of sexual violence, usually from their intimate partner.
- 750 million women across the world have gotten married before their 18th birthday.
- In 2017, 1 out of every 2 murdered women was killed by their own partner or family member, but this only applies to 1 out of every 20 men with the same circumstances.
- 71% of victims of human trafficking is female.
Sadly, this is just the surface of these real and expending issues, but there are things that you can do to help stop this problem:
- Educate yourself!
- Believe and accept the stories of the victims!
- Stand up against any kind of violence!
- Question gender roles and assumptions!
- Respect when someone says NO!
- Do not let anyone exploit someone!
- Do not blame the victim, violence is never their fault!
Although these things are basic, they can really make a change. That is why it is important from time to time to look up what Day is it, you do not lose anything if you widen your knowledge in these subjects which can affect your everyday life really quickly.