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Declaration of the Second Decade for the Protection and Welfare of the Egyptian Child

2000 - 2010

The Declaration of the Childhood Decade has signified that childhood issues should henceforward occupy their proper place at the very center of future plans and prospect.

It gives me pleasure on the occasion of the completion of the first decade, and the beginning of a new one for the Egyptian child, to express my appreciation for all the efforts made during the first decade to enhance the initiatives designed to ensure the protection and welfare of children.

In order to keep up the momentum and to maintain the position of our children at the very heart of our national development plans, I thought it appropriate to declare the ten years 2000-2010, as the Second Decade for the Protection and Welfare of the Egyptian Child. During this new decade concerted efforts shall be exerted by all individuals, governmental and non-governmental bodies, private and charitable societies to follow-up and confront the new realities and challenges of the third millennium.

First Reality

The scientific and technological advancement achieved during the last century will witness unprecedented levels of progress. If the developed countries are the initiators and beneficiaries of such a progress, the developing counties that do not keep pace with this progress will suffer as a result of the widening gap between developed and developing countries. Such a gap will be very costly to the people of developing countries since it would lead to the deterioration of their standard of living, compared to that of the developed countries.

Second Reality

The communication revolution witnessed nowadays, and whose pace is bound to accelerate, will play a greater role in removing distance and barriers separating states and peoples. Consequently, life patterns in the developed counties will impose themselves on the entire world with both positive and negative effect. It is necessary, therefore, that we should have comprehensive and profound vision regarding educational, social, cultural and health plans, coupled with relevant information and communication efforts, in order to maximize the benefits of the positive impact of globalization resulting from the communication revolution, and to avoid or minimize the negative effects of that phenomenon.

Third Reality

Children are at the very heart of such a vision. Keeping pace with scientific and technological progress will only be possible with children and through them, and preparing them to shoulder such a responsibility, while paving the way for them to benefit from the various positive aspects of progress.

In light of the above, the objectives of the second childhood decade could be defined as follows:

I. Education

Continuation of the successful policy aimed at developing curricula, so as to bridge the gap between the outcome of the educational process of our children, and that of the most advanced countries.
Extending the scope of basic and compulsory education so as to include all children of school age.
Enabling gifted pupils to develop and enhance their scientific, literary, cultural and artistic abilities so as to reach self-fulfillment, within the frame work of systems and programs capable of exploiting their distinctive abilities and promoting their talents.
Exerting all possible efforts to ensure quality education for all.
Gradual expansion of kindergartens to absorb 60% of all children of the 4-6 years age group, and for them to become an integral part of the stage of free compulsory education. Steps should be taken to extend the period of compulsory basic education to the end of secondary basic education or its equivalent.
Offering formal and informal education and training opportunities to children with special needs, so as to facilitate their full integration into the system that suits them, and in particular working and handicapped children.
Continuation of efforts being exerted to propagate advanced educational, technology in schools and to mobilize energies to enhance our children abilities to use this technology to help them acquire the experience and abilities needed for the third millennium and world competition

II. Health

Guaranteeing health insurance for up to 90% of all Egyptian children, including children with special needs.
Providing vaccines and vaccination for more than 95% of the children as well as the introduction of new vaccines against diseases.
Implementation of modern programs to limit the causes of genetic diseases and congenital defects, and to protect children against accidents, and environmental and social hazards.
Affirming the child's rights to integrated health promotion programs and to face the lack of critical food components (iron, iodine, vitamin A, zinc, and fluorine).
Application of quality standards to health services, in order to ensure services for children in distant areas and for disadvantaged children.
Decreasing maternal mortality rates, by 50% and providing services for safe motherhood.
Extending medical insurance to women during pregnancy and birth.
Provision of services for reproductive health and family planning, and increasing the rate of birth control means to 65%.
Continued support for programs aimed at limiting the spread of endemic diseases such as bilharziosis and hepatitis and their complications and related complications.

III. Social

The Second Childhood Decade starts at a time when Egypt plunges into the horizons of overall social development with its implications in terms of both qualitative and quantitative changes for all social categories and classes. But children and women as mothers in this overall development process, are entitled to special attention. The main thrust of this attention could be defined as follows:

Protection of children who live in difficult circumstances, and in particular dropouts, working children, street children, and children placed in social care institutions or penal establishments. Formulation of comprehensive programs to solve problems of these children and to ensure their sound psychological, social and vocational upbringing.
According due attention to the issues of mothers that support their families and mothers facing economic hardships by providing training for them to acquire technical or professional skills. Such activities should also be linked to literacy and financing of small projects.
Taking adequate measures to face all problems of the girl child.
Ensure the participation of every child in sporting, social or cultural clubs, and in an extra curricula activity, in order to build up their personalities and to help them acquire useful social skills.

IV. Culture

Action taken to bring about cultural changes leading to the prevalence of cultural values which reformulate the visions, opinions and behavior of individuals so as to enable them to deal with the world of tomorrow and to meet the requirements of scientific, technological and informational progress, is an action that covers all the arena of social life. It should encompass the old and the young men, and women alike. As for children, greater attention is needed in function of a clear future oriented vision. It is necessary therefore that concerted efforts be made by all cultural channels to educate children in a culture that draws on the following elements:

Development of rationalism and making of scientific thinking a way of life.
Liberating the creative faculties of the child, and considering his critical mind as a creative force allowing the society to develop its culture and its life, and to avoid reproducing inherited culture without any innovation.
Developing the ability to deal with advanced technology under its various forms.
Underscoring the values of tolerance, of mutual love, acceptance of the other, respect for the freedom and feelings of others, belonging to one's own country and to humanity as a whole, and renunciation of fanatism, hatred, and violence.

V. Legislation

Legislation alone cannot solve problems caused by certain economic, social or cultural situation. However, if legislation is based on a sound basis, it could pave the way for finding the appropriate means to solve these problems. An informed legislation movement is therefore, required to achieve the following objectives:

Revision or modification of all legislations that have the greatest impact on family life. New legislations should also be promulgated to ensure family security, and to remove all restrictions and barriers that may hinder any family member, especially mothers and children, from obtaining their rights.
Filling the gaps in the personal status law so as to reassure mothers and children and to guarantee their safety and stability. A unified law for the Egyptian family should be promulgated in response to the variables experienced by the Egyptian society.
Constant review of childhood and motherhood legislations to keep pace with local and international changes.

The realization of objectives of the second childhood decade requires constant support from the mass media - whether read, seen or heard - since it constitutes one of the most important mechanisms for creating awareness among the members of the society on the importance of childhood development.

I am confident that the efforts made to attain these objectives will enable our children to develop their abilities and potentialities in order for them to become the best investment for the future of our country.

Mohamed Hosny Mubarak
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Issued in Cairo on February 15th, 2000
10 Thul Qeida, 1240