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International Children's Day was established in 1925 during the World Conference for the Well-being of Children held in Geneva, Switzerland. On 1st June that year the Chinese Consul-General in San Francisco gathered a number of Chinese orphans to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, which coincided with the Geneva Conference.
In 1949 the International Women's Democratic Federation met in Moscow and resolved that Children's day be celebrated every year on 1st of June. It was first celebrated worldwide in 1950, adopted mostly by communist and socialist countries.
In 1954 The United Nations General Assembly recommended that all countries should set aside a day to celebrate children. The aim was that Children's Day would be seen as a symbol of worldwide fraternity to promote the welfare of children. The assembly suggested that the day be observed on the date which each country considers appropriate.
On 20th November 1959 the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child; on the same day in 1989 the Convention on the Rights of the Child was then signed, which has since been ratified by 191 member states.

In South Africa
1st June marks International Children's Day but also the first day of Children's month, the start of a momentous and memorable month with days that are important to the wellbeing of our children. ILO has dedicated 12th June the World Day for Child Labour, and in South African history 16th June marks the heroic Soweto uprising which is imprinted in our history .

This month comes after the Child Protection Week (24-29 May) when every South African was to wear a green ribbon to symbolize that every child has a right to growth, harmony, education and freshness. Organizations, government and everybody, has embarked on the awareness campaign to educate our people about issues of child abuse and trafficking.

The day also comes as we grieve the deaths of children in some of our hospitals. COSATU says that the sooner the South African government ratifies the Maternity Convention 183 (2000) and its recommendation 191 the better for the improvement of health for infants and mothers. Should this convention be ratified and implemented effectively, it is hoped it will lead to a decrease in child mortality.

COSATU is therefore calling all its affiliates and all South Africans to stand up for these kids and make poverty history once and for all, during the World Cup and beyond. Child prostitution, child trafficking and illegal selling of children are the worst forms of child labour. Those that deprive our children of their childhood and dignity and their right to physical and mental development must be brought to justice. We must find a way to stop these barbaric acts. During the month of June we can embark on the following:

- Social dialogues in our workplaces for an hour, to educate each other on how best can we make the life of our children and pregnant women healthy.

- Workplace activities dealing with children to promote their rights and welfare.

- Be watchdogs, engage companies practicing child labour to take responsibility, and assist those children to further their studies, because most cases are poverty-driven.

- Unions like SADTU to dedicate time to assist and encourage our learners during long school holidays, to study harder, especially matriculates and girl children.

- Engage in charity programmes targeting vulnerable communities or informal sectors e.g. farm workers, assist and encourage children to get identity documents for them to enjoy same rights so that they can grow up happy.

We shall be embarking on an ongoing and sustainable public awareness campaign to educate parents, communities and children about what it means to protect and respect children and promote their rights, and take stock of our achievements and challenges.
Children feel the brunt of poverty more than any other sector of society; they are not only orphaned by HIV/AIDS but also infected.
As a country we are leading the way in terms of reporting and have one of the most effective National Programmes of Action for children in the world. It has been appreciated by UN members that South Africa is leading the way in the world and has ratified a number of conventions that protect the children, such as the ILO Convention 182, which looks at the worst forms of child labour.
In 1995 we ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 2000 we ratified the OAU Charter on the Rights and Responsibilities of the Child.
The biggest challenge we have is the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these conventions. So whilst will be celebrating our children's month, in the midst of our celebrations we need to come out with an implementation strategy to take care of every aspect of a child's life regardless of gender, race, geographical location or economic standing.
Children's needs and concerns require our particular attention throughout the month of June and beyond. Let us use this period to focus on the needs of society's youngest and most fragile members.
We need to develop a culture in which children's rights are promoted and respected, starting in our workplaces, by making sure that agreements we reach and policies we adopt cater for the wellbeing of our children. Let us find ways to strengthen existing initiatives, and identify other means to improve the lives of our children.
In this month of June while we celebrate childhood we also challenge the whole nation to admit that children have rights and to commit ourselves to acknowledge the voices of children as part of our life and not to hold back those voices.