Vatican, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah called for the unconditional and worldwide implementation of children's rights, questioning "How did we allow our humanity to reach a point where we accept the suffering of some children based on their name, faith, or place of birth, where every child's destiny is determined by a false divide between 'our children' and 'their children'?"
اضافة اعلان
This statement was made in her speech on Monday during her participation in the International Summit on Children's Rights, hosted by the Holy See at the Vatican.
Her Majesty's speech followed the opening address by His Holiness Pope Francis in a session titled "Children's Rights in the Contemporary World."
Queen Rania expressed her gratitude to Pope Francis for hosting the summit and for his unwavering commitment to the children of the world. She referred to the Pope’s initiative years ago when he published a collection of letters he received from children around the world, along with his responses. She reminded the audience of one letter from a refugee child named Mohammed, who asked, "Will the world ever return to how it was before?"
Her Majesty stated that this question haunts millions of children whose lives have been upended by war, a question that has no easy answers.
She noted that "the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the treaty with the highest number of ratifications in history. In theory, the consensus is clear: every right for every child. However, many children around the world are excluded from this commitment, especially in conflict zones, and the worst part is that people have become indifferent to their suffering."
She pointed out that "today, one in every six children on Earth lives in areas affected by conflict. Every day, dozens of them are either killed or maimed. They are stripped of every right to life and safety, as well as to education, health, privacy, and protection from abuse."
Her Majesty emphasized that "in the midst of war, there is nothing to protect children from the worst whims of humanity." She explained that "the youngest victims of war are stripped of their fundamental human right — the right to childhood. This crime is justified by another: excluding them entirely from the world of childhood. They are demonized, depicted as older individuals, and portrayed as threats or discarded as human shields."
She continued, "From Palestine to Sudan, from Yemen to Myanmar, this stripping away of childhood creates fractures in our empathy, allowing politicians to shirk responsibility and prioritize narrow agendas over collective duties."
In her speech, Queen Rania referred to a study on the psychological state of the most vulnerable children in Gaza, where "96% of them reported feeling that their death was imminent. Nearly half of them said they wished to die. Not to become astronauts or firefighters like other children — they wanted to die."
Her Majesty emphasized that global commitments are hollow without equal implementation, stating that "if a right can be denied, it is not a right at all but a privilege enjoyed by a fortunate few."
She concluded by saying, "As the hours of this day pass, and we study children's rights from every angle, we cannot ignore those who wake up every day asking: 'Will the world ever return to how it was before?'"
In his opening remarks, Pope Francis affirmed that "the lives of millions of children are marred by poverty, war, injustice, exploitation, and lack of education. What we have recently witnessed, especially the death of children under bombardment, is unacceptable. Nothing justifies sacrificing a child's life. Killing children means depriving them of the future."
The summit was organized by the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of the Child, established by Pope Francis in 2023 to promote the Church’s mission of advocating for respect for children's rights and dignity. The summit brought together voices and experts from around the world to highlight the global challenges facing children's rights, requiring urgent collective commitment.
