From Children's Day to Children's Lives

"A child who does not experience love cannot live their childhood. They grow up defenseless."
—Gilbern Sesborn

It seems we believe that life cannot be lived with festive spirit without holidays, or that we cannot think about children unless it's Children's Day. It's as if there must be a designated day or calendar event for everything. Topics aligned with that calendar gain prominence. It’s as though every day of the year belongs to a specific social group. A wise Chinese proverb says: "Prepare your irrigation channels before the water comes." By this logic, we should think about children before alarm bells sound about their tragic lives. We must address the reasons behind the increasing numbers of underweight, stunted, and memory-deprived children before these issues grow. And this shouldn’t happen only in June—it should happen all year long.

June 1 is celebrated annually as International Children's Rights Day, but we tend to refer to it as Children's Day. However, children should experience their childhood every single day of the year. They should live like children, grow like children, and enjoy the rights that children deserve. More importantly, they should use those rights. International Children's Rights Day exists to remind the global community of these rights.

If children exist but childhood does not, it marks a direct leap from childhood to old age. Khaled Hosseini, in his globally acclaimed novel The Kite Runner, perfectly described the plight of Afghan children: "In Afghanistan, there are children, but no childhood." It is hard to describe children's tragedies more accurately.

When children cannot live as children or indulge in childhood whims, they suffer psychological harm. They fall into deep depression and grow up burdened with inferiority complexes. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an Enlightenment thinker and supporter of human progress, once said: "If you kill the sense of mischief in children, you will never raise wise adults."

Children often find their values clashing with those of their parents. While parents chase after money, children delight in chasing butterflies. When these values diverge, parents should not view their children as possessions to control or suppress their individuality. Instead, they should value their children's perspectives and instill a sense of empathy. In his book Golden Nuggets, the contemporary thinker Osho writes: "Love and respect your children. Your love and respect may help them overcome their weaknesses, end their failures, and give them new energy, meaning, and strength."

The Reality of Children's Lives in Our Country

In Azerbaijan, the rhetoric surrounding children is often adorned with epithets and exaggerations that leave one speechless when confronted with reality: "Children are like unopened buds," "They are our future," or "They are surrounded by the state’s comprehensive care." But how true are these statements? Do they fully reflect reality?

In fact, the living conditions of many children today suggest they are less like unopened buds and more like fully bloomed flowers that have endured countless trials. Numerous children can be seen washing car windows on the roadside or skipping school to help their families.

Azerbaijan is home to 2.6 million children, meaning one in every four citizens is a child. Among them, 900,000 belong to families with two children. The government provides benefits to 700,000 children through five state programs. However, these programs often replace direct child support with broader financial assistance aimed at vulnerable social groups. Yet, it’s worth noting that families with 2.6 million children in the country do not receive targeted social assistance.

Currently, Azerbaijan does not provide universal child benefits. However, laws impose heavy fines for employing children, framing it as a legal violation. While nothing is provided to support their birth and upbringing, strict penalties exist for putting them to work. Instead of direct benefits, the government could consider indirect support measures, such as exempting food and clothing for children from VAT, which could improve family budgets.

A state holds property, wealth, and financial resources not for its own sake but to spend them justly—and generously—on those in need. Renowned economist John Maynard Keynes argued that governments should not focus solely on revenue but also on planned spending to benefit specific social groups. The interests of these groups should be prioritized.

Finally, let us dispel the misconception that children are the property of their parents. While parents may bring them into the world, children do not belong to them. Parents have their past; children have their future. If children are our future, let us not steal it from them. Let us protect their future—for doing so is also a way of shaping it.