June 1 is celebrated as International Day for Protection of Children all over the world. International Day for Protection of Children was established on June 1, 1950, by the UN General Assembly. At the International Women's Conference held on the same day, suggestions were made to ensure the rights of children. At that event, 1 June was established as the International Day for Protection of Children. Besides this holiday, World Children’s Day was established in 1954 as Universal Children's Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare. The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1959. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
        
As in most countries of the world, the International Day for Protection of Children is celebrated in Azerbaijan as well. National leader Heydar Aliyev signed a special decree on the approval of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On the Rights of the Child " on August 24, 1998, with the view of protecting children's rights.  This law is laid down in accordance with several international documents, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection, and Development of Children, and the basic rights and freedoms of the child established at the international level, as well as contains the obligations of the state to ensure, protect and promote these rights. The law also emphasizes children's rights to equality, conscience, freedom of speech and information, life and development, education, and the protection of their honor and dignity.    

Today, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who has successfully continued the political line of the great leader, has signed several decrees and orders on child welfare. Social protection of children, ensuring their rights to education and health care are reflected in the "State Strategy on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development" (2003-2005). The State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs is the main central executive body responsible for the implementation of children policy in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The State Committee on Women's Issues was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on January 14, 1998. The necessity of the integrated solution to family and children's problems in connection with women's problems conditioned the organization of a single state administration body. In this regard, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated February 6, 2006. The committee is a state body that implements state policy and its regulation in the field of work with family, women and children's problems. The State Program aimed at solving the social and economic problems of talented and creative children and young people and developing their abilities, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan on August 4, 2000, has a significant impact on the development of the creative potential of children and young people and promotes the solution of the problem of employment of young people. Another important step taken in this field was the adoption of the "State Program on the Development of Creative Potential of Children with Special Talents" (2006-2010) on April 17, 2006. It is no coincidence that President Ilham Aliyev declared 2009 as the "Year of Children". 

Although special initiatives have been taken to protect children's rights in many parts of the world today, sadly, child rights are regularly abused or violated. During the first Karabakh war, 210 children were killed, 270 children lost their health, and 92 children were taken hostage. Also, 3393 children lost one parent, and 120 children lost both of their parents. During the 44-day Patriotic War, as a result of large-scale provocations by the Armenian armed forces, war crimes committed by the occupying regime against the civilian population living in our cities and towns located far from the war zones, 12 children were mercilessly killed, 35 children received various degrees of physical injuries, 181 children lost one of their parents, 5 children lost both parents, and one family was completely destroyed. At the same time, the occupying political actions of the Armenian state did not end there during the war. Thus, seeing that its army was defeated on the battlefield, the Armenian leadership, ignoring the "Convention on the Rights of the Child" and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict ratified by them, involved children under the age of 15 in military operations and conscripted into the military service.
    
Azerbaijan, being one of the 189 countries that joined the "Convention on the Rights of the Child", has created all conditions for the protection of the rights of all children living in its territory. All children celebrate this holiday in our country, regardless of their nationality, religion, language, or race. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev creates auspicious conditions for the development of our children, for them to acquire modern knowledge and habits. Educational establishments - kindergartens and schools are built to the latest construction standards. The decrees of the President on selecting gifted and talented children and providing them with state support are also of great importance. 
      
The First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva's highest care for the children of Azerbaijan should be emphasized as well. Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva treats children who need special care and are deprived of parental care with special attention. The "Development of Orphanages and Boarding Schools", "New School for Renewing Azerbaijan" programs and "Education Support" project carried out at the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation have brought the quality of education to a new level in our country. Also, such projects as "The highest care for children with diabetes", "For the sake of life without thalassemia", "Ensuring access to ICT for blind and visually impaired people", the establishment of the Thalassemia Center in Baku, and the Blood Bank with sufficient reserves to meet the demand, implemented by the Foundation are treated with a great deal of sympathy and are producing good results. In order to provide free medical care for children with diabetes, cooperation with international organizations has been expanded, implementation of planned projects, charity events, surgical operations, and vaccination campaigns have become an example of true compassion, mercy, and kindness. Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva’s concern for children reflects credit on her not only in Azerbaijan but also beyond the borders of our country. As a result of the projects implemented at the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, a school for girls was opened in distant Pakistan, and the educational institution built in Egypt was named after First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. 
Children are our future, and it is our responsibility to protect them in every way possible.

Recommended literature:

1. Uşaq hüquqları üzrə metodiki vəsait : uşaqlar üçün təlim materialları / tərt. N. Seyidov ; red. N. Quliyeva. - Bakı : Zərdabi LTD MMC NPM, 2009. - 96 s.
2. Qətl edilmiş uşaqlar / Azərbaycan Respublikası Əsir və itkin düşmüş, girov götürülmüş vətəndaşlarla əlaqədar Dövlət Komissiyası ; tərt.-müəl.: İ. Şükürbəyli, N. Faiqoğlu ; red. M. Çəmənli. - Bakı : Aspoliqraf, 2016. - 160 s.
3. Sadıqova, Sona Mirağa qızı. Məktəbəqədər yaşlı uşaqlarda hərbi vətənpərvərlik haqqında ilkin təsəvvürlərin formalaşdırılması : monoqrafiya / S. M. Sadıqova ; elmi red. M. İ. İlyasov ; Azərbaycan Dövlət Pedaqoji Universiteti. - Bakı : ADPU nəşriyyatı, 2017. - 123 s.
4. Əliyeva, Sədaqət Ağarəhim qızı. Xalq tərbiyəsinin amilləri və vasitələri : metodik vəsait / S. A. Əliyeva ; elmi red. Ə. Ağayev ; Azərbaycan Dövlət Pedaqoji Universiteti. - Bakı : ADPU nəşriyyatı, 2016. - 95 s.
5. Əliyeva, Şəhla Qasım qızı. Məktəbəqədər yaşlı uşaqların sosial inkişafının aktual problemləri : monoqrafiya / Ş. Q. Əliyeva ; elmi red. M. İ. İlyasov ; Azərbaycan Dövlət Pedaqoji Universiteti. - Bakı : ADPU nəşriyyatı, 2019. - 244 s.
6. Əliyeva, Şəhla Qasım qızı. Məktəbəqədər yaşlı uşaqların mənəvi tərbiyəsi : monoqrafiya / Ş. Q. Əliyeva ; elmi red. M. İ. İlyasov ; Azərbaycan Dövlət Pedaqoji Universiteti. - Bakı : ADPU nəşriyyatı, 2018. - 256 s.
7. Quliyeva, Nərgiz Məlik qızı. Azərbaycanda uşaq etnoqrafiyası / N. M. Quliyeva ; elmi red. T. Əhmədov ; AMEA Arxeologiya və Etnoqrafiya İnstitutu. - Bakı : Avropa nəşriyyatı, 2021. - 216 s.