The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) celebrated 18 years yesterday which means “an entire generation of children has grown to adulthood under its protection” a press release from the United Nations Children’s fund (UNICEF) said.

To mark the occasion a Children’s Variety Concert was held on Sunday at the National Cultural Centre, hosted by the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) in collaboration with UNICEF.

In her address to an audience comprising mostly women and children NCRC Chairperson and First Lady Varshnie Jagdeo asked parents, caregivers and community leaders to instil good values in children and to lead by example.

UNICEF Resident Representative Johannes Wedenig, in his address said: “We are proud to say the substantive progress has been made in the past 18 years, in reducing under-five mortality and getting children into school; in ensuring that births are now being registered, in continuing to ensure children and young people are better protected from abuse, violence and exploitation”.

He said children are now being included in decision-making that affects them and are ensuring that their voices are heard at the local and national levels.

The release said implementing the CRC is a government’s obligation but others, such as parents, teachers, health workers, scientists, researchers and children themselves have an important role in realising children’s rights.

Guyana signed onto the CRC in 1991, joining 191 other countries in laying the foundation for a world where all children “can enjoy their rights to survival, development, protection and participation.”

Today there are over 2.2 billion children whose rights are recognised by 192 countries.