MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
I forgot that today, November 20, is World Children’s Day. Did you know that?
In 1954, it was first established as Universal Children’s Day “to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.”
On November 20, 1959, the United Nations’ General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Children, and on November 20, 1989, they adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
November 20 is an important day for children around the world—including ours!
“World Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.”
I have four children of my own, and in general, my boys have been able to exercise all their rights and freedom as children and as human beings. Hearing about children’s rights didn’t use to affect me, because it didn’t seem to “touch” me or “hit close to home.”
Now, all that has changed. Now, when I hear “children’s rights,” the words hit my gut. They strike the pit of my stomach and make me want to vomit.
For the past five years, I have been working in safe houses in Spain with women and children who have been rescued out of the horrors of human trafficking. When I say “horror,” I mean “horror.” This is real. It’s not a movie.
When I watched the poignant movie, The Sound of Freedom, in the summer of 2023, I kept saying, “This is real. It’s not a movie.”
As I have listened to these women’s stories in the safe houses, many of them have had young children alongside them in the experience. Their little boys and girls have been deeply affected and traumatized by the atrocities they have seen, the heinous crimes to which they have been subjected.
Every Monday, I go to the safe house. At the table each week, I sit next to a 14-year-old girl. Her 3-year-old sister runs over to me to give me a big hug, then crawls up on my lap.
We have to fight for these little ones, and it begins with awareness.
I feel called to be a voice for the “Silent Ones.” Their stories must be told, and that’s why I wrote four books on the subject and started our non-profit organization, The Strawberry Girls. We can no longer turn away and pretend this isn’t happening all around the world—even at our own doorstep. We have to talk to each other about this. We have to talk to our children about this.
Don’t we want our kids to continue living in freedom, never having their rights stolen from them?
Let’s start by opening our eyes today to what’s happening around us and finding out what we can do to make a difference in our part of the world.
In my book, Our Journey to El Dorado, there’s an entire chapter of practical ways you can get involved and make a difference.
We can also talk to our children about this topic. It can be scary to address this subject with our little ones. I know that. My own son, seven years old at the time, asked me what a safe house was, and I had to find a kid-friendly, age appropriate way to explain it. That’s why I wrote, Mommy, What’s a Safe House? It’s a practical way to begin the conversation.
Here’s the link to my website where you can find all of my books.
Let’s pause today and take some time to honor all the children in our lives . . . and around the world!
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
What can you do today to acknowledge World Children’s Day and make a difference in a little one’s life?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
