World Children’s Day, 20 November 2025

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide and improve children’s welfare. 20 November 1959 is an important date as it is when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Additionally, on the same date in 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

From the moment the sun rises, children wake up to a world shaped by choices they did not make. However, every child, everywhere, also wakes up with rights, including the right to be protected, to learn, and to have their voice heard. It is time to listen to children to understand what their lives are like and how their rights are present, missing, or pursued every day.

To commemorate this day, we invite you to explore a curation of insightful articles, journals, and Special Issues across various fields, including pediatric public health, childhood education, child psychology, and child development. By sharing these findings, we hope to advocate, promote, and celebrate children’s rights, and translate these findings into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.

Public Health & Healthcare	Social Science, Art and Humanities
● Adolescents;	● Behavioral Sciences;
● Children;	● Challenges;
● Healthcare;	● Education Sciences;
● International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health;	● European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education;
● Journal of Clinical Medicine;	● Genealogy;
● Nutrients;	● Humanities;
● Thalassemia Reports.	● Religions;
	● Social Sciences;
	● Societies;
	● Youth.

Keynote speakers:

Dr. Amy Pan, Medical College of Wisconsin, USA	Prof. David Tzuriel Emeritus, Bar-Ilan University, Israel

Feel free to register for this webinar here!

We are honored to feature a series of insightful interviews with distinguished scholars dedicated to child-centered research, as they share their inspiring journeys and valuable perspectives on advancing children’s well-being, rights, and development in diverse global contexts.

	Name: Dr. Anna Di Sessa Affiliation: University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Italy “World Children’s Day serves as a crucial reminder of our collective responsibility to safeguard and prioritize the health, rights, and well-being of children. As a researcher, it underscores the need to address the unique health challenges children face through evidence-based research. On a broader scale, it emphasizes the importance of creating a world where all children can thrive, free from poverty, violence, and neglect”. Please read the full interview here.
	Name: Dr. Diego Gomez-Baya Affiliation: University of Huelva, Spain “Programs to foster positive youth development should be active and participatory, allowing adolescents to take ownership of their own development. Likewise, measures that encourage greater civic and environmental engagement are equally necessary, hand in hand with the promotion of personal character strengths”. Please read the full interview here.
	Name: Dr. Graham Connelly Affiliation: University of Strathclyde, UK “We need to protect children from being harmed by conflict and provide the best care for children affected by strife, dislocation, famine and poverty. We need to fund international children’s agencies better, and yes, of course hold them to account for the funds they receive. There are very good examples, worldwide, of ways of consulting with children that are not tokenistic. I’d like to see these being expanded”. Please read the full interview here.

“Mucous Fistula Refeeding in Newborns: Why, When, How, and Where? Insights from a Systematic Review”
by Layla Musleh, Ilaria Cozzi, Anteo Di Napoli and Fabio Fusaro
Nutrients 2025, 17(15), 2490; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152490

“Our Children/Our Future: Examining How Indigenous Peoples in the US Assert Self-Determination and Prioritize Child Wellbeing”
by Meschelle Linjean and Hilary N. Weaver
Genealogy 2025, 9(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9010026

“Machine Learning in Pediatric Healthcare: Current Trends, Challenges, and Future Directions”
by Hammad A. Ganatra
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(3), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14030807

“Developmental Patterns in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Preschool Children”
by Maria Eugenia Martelli, Federica Gigliotti, Federica Giovannone, Giuliana Lentini, Filippo Manti and Carla Sogos
Children 2025, 12(2), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12020125

“Climate Action and the UNCRC: A ‘Postpaternalist’ World Where Children Claim Their Own Rights”
by Aoife Daly, Nabin Maharjan, Esther Montesinos Calvo-Fernández, Liesl Heila Muller, Emily Margaret Murray, Alicia O’Sullivan, Florencia Paz Landeira and Katie Reid
Youth 2024, 4(4), 1387-1404; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth4040088

“Understanding the Wellbeing Needs of First Nations Children in Out-of-Home Care in Australia: A Comprehensive Literature Review”
by Darren Garvey, Ken Carter, Kate Anderson, Alana Gall, Kirsten Howard, Jemma Venables, Karen Healy, Lea Bill, Angeline Letendre, Michelle Dickson and Gail Garvey
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(9), 1208; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21091208

“A Systematic Review of Economic and Concrete Support to Prevent Child Maltreatment”
by Gretchen Cusick, Jennifer Gaul-Stout, Reiko Kakuyama-Villaber, Olivia Wilks, Yasmin Grewal-Kök
and Clare Anderson
Societies 2024, 14(9), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14090173

“Family Functioning and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Gifted Children”
by Maria Assunta Zanetti, Tommaso Trombetta, Luca Rollè and Carlo Marinoni
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2024, 14(5), 1171-1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe14050077

“Impact of Sexual Abuse on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review”
by Ana Carolina Alves, Maria Leitão, Ana Isabel Sani and Diana Moreira
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(4), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13040189

“Challenges of Iron Chelation in Thalassemic Children”
by Alkistis Adramerina and Marina Economou
Thalass. Rep. 2024, 14(1), 1-9; https://doi.org/10.3390/thalassrep14010001

“MIH and Dental Caries in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
by Marta Mazur, Denise Corridore, Artnora Ndokaj, Roman Ardan, Iole Vozza, Sylvie Babajko and Katia Jedeon
Healthcare 2023, 11(12), 1795; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11121795

“Picture Books, Imagination and Play: Pathways to Positive Reading Identities for Young Children”
by Amanda Niland
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 511; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050511

“Paying Attention to the Spiritual Flourishing of Young Children in Church Toddler Groups: A Scoping Study Evaluating the Feasibility of a Research Study in This Context”
by Ann Casson, Mary Woolley, Ann Pittaway, Tansy Watts, Nicola Kemp, Robert A. Bowie, Katie Clemmey
and Rosanne Aantjes
Religions 2023, 14(2), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14020236

“Mitigating the Impact of Maternal Mental Health Challenges on Children’s Development” Guest Editors: Dr. Nanmathi Manian and Prof. Dr. Pamela J. Surkan Submission deadline: 1 January 2026	“Early Childhood Education Policy: Impact on Children’s Well-Being and Development” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Nadia Siddiqui and Dr. Johny Daniel Submission deadline: 17 January 2026
“Substance Use and Child Welfare: Intersecting Crises” Guest Editors: Dr. Rebecca Gomez and Dr. Kasey Claborn Submission deadline: 31 January 2026	“Healthy Child, Healthy Adult—Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity as a Public Health Concern” Guest Editors: Dr. Lindsy Kass and Dr. Gillian McLellan Submission deadline: 28 February 2026
“Shaping Futures: Health Policy Innovations for Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children” Guest Editor: Dr. Ucheoma Nwaozuru Submission deadline: 15 June 2026	“Parenting in Context: Family Engagement in Promoting Child Development” Guest Editors: Dr. Joo Young Hong and Dr. Shinwoo Choi Submission deadline: 15 September 2026