World Childrens Day - November 20th
Declaration of the Rights of the Child - 1924
The text of the document, as published by the International Save the Children Union in Geneva on 23 February 1923, is as follows:
1 - The child must be given the means requisite for its normal development, both materially and spiritually.
2 - The child that is hungry must be fed, the child that is sick must be nursed, the child that is backward must be helped, the delinquent child must be reclaimed, and the orphan and the waif must be sheltered and succoured.
3 - The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress.
4 - The child must be put in a position to earn a livelihood, and must be protected against every form of exploitation.
5 - The child must be brought up in the consciousness that its talents must be devoted to the service of its fellow men.
This text was endorsed by the League of Nations General Assembly on 26 November 1924 as the World Child Welfare Charter, and was the first human rights document approved by an inter-governmental institution. It was reaffirmed by the League in 1934. Heads of State and Government pledged to incorporate its principles in domestic legislation. In France, it was ordered to be displayed in every school.