2024 marked the centenary of the approval of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. The last hundred years have been characterized by a frenetic succession of publications of treaties, conventions, agreements and rules of international law. Some of these are inspired by concepts considered natural and universal for the entire human community. But a detailed analysis of some of these documents shows that there is no country that has not violated one or more of the agreements it had signed. And this even when they were not international agreements, but conventions that oblige the signatory countries to ratify them and transform them into law to be respected on their territory.
This raises a legitimate doubt: are these rights really natural? Have they always existed and only in recent decades have they been recognized or, instead, were they conceived by someone (and, if so, by whom), a member of a community with rules and principles? And again: how many of these are “universal” rights, that is, do they apply to everyone and to all communities, without any limitation of race, nationality, sex or religion and above all culture? Or are they simply pieces of paper, perhaps signed by a large number of Heads of State, in a particular historical and political moment?
To date, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (often called the Convention on the Rights of the Child) has been ratified by 196 out of 197 United Nations countries. Yet, real data demonstrate that the concepts of universality and naturalness of some of the rights reported in it are not real. They are only basic principles in practice not respected by any government. The question that arises spontaneously at this point is: what is wrong with these rights? Would it be possible to write them in a way that makes them shareable for all communities, with their differences and their particularities?
To try to provide an answer to all these questions, we have tried to retrace the path that led to the drafting and approval of some of the main treaties and conventions on human rights, with particular reference to the rights of minors. But always without forgetting the historical context in which these agreements were written. Having demonstrated (with numbers) that these rights are not respected in practically any country, we have tried to understand what is missing from these treaties. To understand, starting from the studies carried out by eminent researchers and scholars in the last half century, if it is possible to find a way to make these rights universal. But without forcing and without imposing those deformations that, over the years, have made natural rights lose value. First of all, the right for a community, for a group of people to be similar but at the same time different from other groups or communities. And all this without infringing their rights to be different in turn.
C. Alessandro Mauceri
For decades I have been involved in training (at all levels) but also in issues related to the environment, sustainable development and internationalization and social and geopolitical phenomena that mainly affect minors and children.
His articles have been published in numerous newspapers: Notizie Geopolitiche, Lo Spessore, In Terris, Scenari Economici, La Voce di New York and many others. He is the author of numerous analyses and reports. Among these: “The condition of children in sub-Saharan Africa between exploitation of natural resources and social degradation” included in “Africa: current scenarios and future challenges”, ed. ASRIE; “Child labor in Eurasia”, ed. ASRIE; “Children as a litmus test of the planet’s geopolitical phenomena” ed. ASRIE; “Objective 16.9 Identity, recognized identity and statelessness” ed. Academia.edu; “Reducing CO2 emissions or coping (perhaps) with climate emergencies” ed. Academia.edu; “Secondary Emergencies in Turkey and Syria” ed. Academia.edu; “Minor Resilience to Secondary Emergencies” ed. Academia.edu; “Coal Consumption to Address Climate Emergencies” ed. Academia.edu, “Who Benefits from Making War” ed. Academia.edu; “Vision 2030: New Renaissance or Obligatory Path for Saudi Arabia?” ed. ASRIE. He is also the author of several books including: “War on Water” ed. Rosenberg & Sellier; “Deadly Money. Bankers, Currencies and Illustrious Murders” ed. Tabula Fati; “Craftsmen Who Do It: What to Do With It?” ed. Panastudio. As a member of the AEGEE Environmental Group, he organized the first European Environmental Week in Italy. For several years, he has been the national secretary of the National School of Environmental Education with which he has carried out several initiatives including, in May 2022, a side event (the only one by an Italian body) at the IMRF, the first International Forum of Migrations.
