UN Human Rights Council
58th Session
ANNUAL DISCUSSION ON RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (7/29 and 55/29)
Early Childhood Development
Intervention by Lithuania
Delivered by Goda, Representative of Lithuanian School Student Union
13 March 2025
Thank you, Mr. President,
At first, I think it's important to talk about children's rights in all situations where they have saved many children at an early age. I believe that access to high-quality healthcare, and education is very important, especially in poverty areas where kids do not have their needs fulfilled. In Lithuania, children's rights were important earlier, but they became even more serious after a tragic event in which a mother and stepfather killed a four-year-old boy.
Since then, Lithuania's policies have become much more focused on children's rights, and this can be seen in the statistics. For example, in 2017, when the tragedy occurred, 5,625 abuse cases were documented. By 2020, this number had dropped to 2,877, which is still not ideal, but at least the reforms have helped many children.
Secondly, it is important to say that everything comes from childhood and all the experiences or traumas we encounter as children will affect us even in adulthood. A child's worldview and thinking are shaped until they are 3 years old. To prevent abusive households for children, Lithuania has many organizations and institutions that help remove children from abusive homes when necessary, assist young families in getting back on their feet, or provide support to families facing difficulties and struggles. In every city in Lithuania, there are municipal institutions that must protect children's rights in every possible way, and even NGOs are involved in ensuring children's rights and providing services to them. One of the mentioned NGOs is the Lithuanian School Students Union. Our goal and vision is to make sure that every student's voice is heard no matter how they live or how they look. There are branches in 43 cities which work for a better student future.
To conclude, I could say that it is very important to protect children’s rights, because of its impact on their future.
I thank you.