Reflections on World Children's Day

Like many others, we have been watching the news of the Israel-Hamas war, everyday seeing images of fathers and mothers digging their infants from cement rubbles and craters, and entire communities in shock and despair beyond what we can ever imagine in our own lives. I also worry about how we are failing our children right in our own country, not for the lack of resources, but because we seem to have developed numbness to our own predicaments.  I needed to get my gut emotions out, without getting tangled in geo- or partisan-politics. This is finally what I could come up with.

 “In 1954, The UN designated November 20^th as “World Children’s Day” - to “offer each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, and build a better world for children”. So how are we doing, nearly 70 years later? Or has the UN declaration remained but delusional buzzwords?

 Compared to those of the mid-20^th century, current statistics point to global improvements in many aspects of children’s health - mostly from better sanitation, nutritional and vaccination programs, and educational opportunities. However, more needs to be done in issues like child labor laws, gender equality and protection of girls. And tragically, an estimated 460 million children are living now in arm-conflicted zones, where 70-90 % of the casualties are borne by women and children.

 In the US, we have achieved mixed results. While the rate of reported illicit substance use has held steady, teen mortality is rising from more dangerous drugs; one in 5 teens suffers from clinical depression, and 20% of teens have seriously considered suicide. Gun violence is now the number one cause of death among American youth. Other disturbing reports: a recent increase in maternal and infant mortality rates; 17% of children experience food insecurity, 6% of children under age 6 are homeless. Rates are higher for racial minorities.

 I have confidence that our present world youth will find new technologies to mitigate the mess that we - their parents’ generation - have created: climate change, environmental pollution, or even the danger of unchecked artificial intelligence. But unless we have the political will to prevent or mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) now, we will continue to find ourselves in a cycle of complex PTSD that breeds despair or anger, and ultimately violence. ACEs are created when children, unable to navigate their own destinies, are caught at the intersection of social maladies that affect their families and communities: lack of decent housing and healthcare, low wages, racial discrimination, illicit drug use, crime, armed conflicts, and now a new scourge, social media disinformation. ACEs effects are life-long. Solutions are complex, yet basic in their principles. Charity is no substitute for social justice. Redressing the ACEs maladies is not a socialist agenda, but an investment in our shared social security and welfare.

 James Baldwin once stated: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced” - a moral awakening that starts by examining how we all are interconnected to the problem - and to the solution. As Matthew Desmond pointed out in his book, “Poverty, by America”, many of us may be personally benefiting from systemic institutions that ubiquitously sustain financial inequities and poverty. Worldwide, we are by far the largest arm exporter, many of these weapons being used to indiscriminately kill civilians and children.

 If we can take pride in having landed on the moon and are now exploring the universe to find potential resources and places for mankind to expand, how can we ignore the most important investment right here, right now - our children? On this November 20, 2023, the theme for World Children’s Day is “For every child, every right”. The right to grow up safely, is it asking too much? 

 We all feel the consequences of childhood trauma and poverty left unattended. While a neglected child might become a “lone wolf” in our own neighborhood, or a future “terrorist” in a distant land, a child raised in loving care is, and will always be, a blessing for us all. So it is, the karma of our common humanity. Bless the children. All the children.”

(Submitted on Nov 7^th , published on Nov 14, 2023 in the Gazette Times, Corvallis)