KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Universal Children's Day is observed annually on November 20. On the occasion, a seminar discussion was organized at Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) on the initiative of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Faculty of History and Law, ASPU.

Aino Saarinen, a representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), presented UNICEF’s activities focusing on the programmes that helped reduce infant and child mortality rate and the number of children in children's colony in Armenia. 

The participants of the seminar were also informed about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which has been ratified by 194 countries. Armenia has ratified two optional protocols to the Convention, which prohibit participation of children in military actions and hostilities, as well as sale of underage children in Armenia. 

This was followed by discussions during which students asked questions about the educational process of children with disabilities, their involvement in special and inclusive schools, etc.  

Tigran Khachatryan, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of History and Law, emphasized the importance of holding such seminars, stressing that children are our future. “As future educators, we should be aware of children's rights and use that knowledge to ensure freedom and carefree days for our children,” he said adding that all strata of society should be concerned over the protection of children’s rights.

Ani Khachatryan, a representative of the Faculty of History and Law in charge of the Commission on Social Affairs, who greatly contributed to the cooperation with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, promised [on behalf of students] to continue deepen cooperation with the Committee in the future.