Next Sunday, 20 November, will be Universal Children’s Day, dedicated to promoting the rights of the child, and Pope Francis therefore launched an appeal “to the conscience of all, institutions and families, that children always be protected and their wellbeing safeguarded, so that they never fall prey to forms of slavery, recruitment for armed groups, and maltreatment. I hope that the international community may watch over their life, guaranteeing to every boy and girl that right to schooling and education, so that they may grow in serenity and look with trust to the future”.