The UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child came into force on 20 November 1959 - and ever since, this day is celebrated as International Children’s Day. On this occasion, Shanti Sahyog would like to share with you, Khalil Gibran’s famous epistle, ‘On Children’:

“Your children are not your children.
They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness.
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He also loves the bow that is stable.”

Dear Signatories,

• Let’s help our children bloom, prosper and realize their dreams.
• Let’s raise our voices against child abuse, exploitation, and discrimination.
• Let’s continue to lobby for a World Beyond War, because children are also victimized by war, undergo physical and psychological trauma as refugees and, are abducted and forced into working as child soldiers. It is commonplace during war-time, to kill/maim children, attack schools / hospitals and not allow humanitarian access to children.  Do organize a candle light event to heighten the plight of children in war, follow our petition

                            #Save18KChildrenDyingDaily

Picture credits - www.unicef.org