Celebrating Children’s Week: The Right to a Clean and Safe Environment

Children’s Week is an annual celebration across Australia, advocating for the rights of children detailed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.  

This year the theme for Children’s Week is: the right to a clean and safe environment.  

From 19 to 27 October, thousands of children and families in Queensland will come together to celebrate this important event.  

Children’s rights include the essentials for a fulfilling and secure life: the right to play, to create, learn and participate, and to be treated fairly. 

It is everyone’s responsibility to create safe spaces that nurture belonging, encourage outdoor exploration, and promote awareness of environmental stewardship. The theme is also a timely reminder of the importance of caring for our planet for future generations and creating safe and welcoming spaces for children to discover.  

Spaces like public libraries!  

Public libraries play a crucial role in celebrating Children’s Week by creating safe and welcoming environments for all families. These environments encourage children from diverse backgrounds to participate in activities and express themselves freely. For children in the early years, libraries provide opportunities for play, learning and discovery and child-lead exploration.  

Libraries are champions of childhood and offer all children the space to learn, grow, and connect with others. 

This year, discover how we can all come together during Children’s Week to recognise and uphold the rights of all children, ensuring every child has the foundation they need to shape their learning, development and wellbeing now and for their whole life.   

The Queensland Family and Child Commission, Children’s Rights Queensland provides resources on their website, including children’s books and teaching guides.
 

Books to celebrate Children’s Week 

• I Am Me by written by Aunty Sharron mirii Bell and Illustrated by Amanda Letcher 
• The Right to be Me written by Allison Paterson and Illustrated by Amanda Letcher 
• I Have the Right; An affirmation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by Reza Dalvand  
• Big, Big Love by Lisa Fuller and illustrated by Samantha Campbell