National Child Day 2008
The Right to Be Protected from Sexual Exploitation

The theme for National Child Day 2008 is The Right to Protection from Sexual Exploitation. This theme is reflected in Article 34 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, both to which Canada is party to, which declare that children shall be protected from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. It is aligned with the Government of Canada’s support for initiatives that reduce children’s vulnerability in order to prevent sexual exploitation. The Government of Canada is committed to protecting children from harm in Canada and abroad, and will continue to support approaches that promote effective prevention and intervention, recognizing the underlying factors that can contribute to situations of abuse, violence, exploitation or neglect. The Government of Canada continues to support a multi-faceted response to combat child sexual exploitation focused on strengthening criminal law to ensure strong denunciation and meaningful sanctions of these offences, effective law enforcement, prevention and victim support. The Government of Canada also supports measures at the community level to prevent sexual exploitation.

Previous National Child Day themes include:

• 2007 - The Right to be Active, promoting physical activity among children and youth;
• 2006 - The Right to be Heard, emphasizing each child's right to have a voice in matters that affect them; and,
• 2005 - The Right to Play, encouraging Canadians to consider the role of play, leisure and rest in the well-being of their children.