Queen Rania at Children's event

Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday highlighted that child protection, children’s rights and their development is a national and humanitarian duty.The Queen made the remarks at the launch of the Jordan’s Children’s Report at a ceremony held at the Children's Museum.The National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) in coordination with UNICEF and other governmental bodies drafted the 4th and 5th Country Children’s reports, according to a statement issued by Her Majesty's office.In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a convention just for people under 18 years of age and the result was the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights, including civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.The convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two optional protocols.It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the convention are non-discrimination, devotion to the best interests of the child, the right to life, survival and development, and respect for the views of the child.Jordan ratified the CRC in 1991, committing to a periodic report to be submitted every five years, and has been submitting reports to Geneva on the implementation of the convention ever since, according to UNICEF. The NCFA and UNICEF took the lead in conducting the study with the help and support of different governmental entities including the ministries of labour, education, justice and health, as well as the Public Security Directorate and the Arab Army.At yesterday's ceremony, Her Majesty stressed the importance of such a report, and commended all parties involved for their hard work.In a discussion with some of the children and youths who participated in drafting the report, Her Majesty applauded their efforts, noting that this report stands out because of their involvement and the methodology by which it was drafted.NCFA Secretary General Reem Abu Hassan spoke about the report’s findings and explained that children from across the Kingdom were directly involved through their participation in working groups, workshops and discussions.The report covers several key points including equality between the two sexes in laws and regulations and the effect of poverty on that as well as the right of living and surviving in a suitable environment which is protected by the government.The report also focused on respecting children’s ideas and opinions in addition to allowing them to express themselves, and to support laws which protect their rights.It also stressed the need to provide all health services for children, emphasising supporting children with disabilities, and the importance of education and cultural activities especially in remote areas.During the launch, UNICEF Representative in Jordan Dominique Hyde noted that “Jordan is the first country in the region that will submit a stand-alone Convention on the Rights of the Child report to Geneva, where children are sharing their views and opinions on the level of implementation of the CRC in Jordan”. "This shows the practical implementation of Article 12 of the CRC which stipulates that children have the right to express their views freely," she added.The report's findings will be shared with various governmental entities and civil society organisations to be taken into consideration in their future planning.