CHILD USA mourns the loss of 19 children and two of their teachers. It is time for all of us to unite so this never happens again. We stand for laws that protect children's safety from violence including common sense gun reform. It is our responsibility as the voice for children's rights to fight for their right to life and safety.
The shooting in Uvalde marked the 27th school shooting so far this year. It’s only May. Elected officials: it's time to step up
The long-term trauma this inflicts on our children, their families, and the nation is destructive of our social fabric. We must now stand together for children and change the systems that endanger children, including the many failures of our gun laws to protect children. This isn't politics. It's kids and their safety, which should be a non-partisan and bi-partisan issue. It's time for evidence-based solutions to reduce gun violence, from universal background checks to waiting periods to banning high-capacity magazines and assault weapons and raising the age for anyone obtaining a gun, especially the automatic weapons that are the weapons of choice for those seeking their own infamy at the expense of those they choose to kill.
The time has come for elected officials to pass legislation to actually protect our children from senseless gun violence. All of us failed them by letting politics and lobbyist dollars take precedence over safety.
This is the country that never ratified the U.N. Convention for the Rights of the Child, which is shameful. Here is the standard ratified by every other country:
The UN Convention for the Rights of the Child: The Rights to Safety/Freedom from Violence
Article 19 – Protection from Violence, Abuse, and Neglect
1. State Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social, and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.
2. Such protective measures should, as appropriate, include effective procedures for the establishment of social programmes to provide necessary support for the child and for those who have the care of the child, as well as for other forms of prevention and for identification, reporting, referral, investigation, treatment and follow-up of instances of child maltreatment described heretofore, and as appropriate, for judicial involvement.
Bottom Line: The Convention for the Rights of the Child should have been ratified by the U.S. Senate years ago. And let's transform the heartbreak of Uvalde into a battle for all of our children. Take our kids out of politics and just do the right thing.
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