Estonian child protection organisations urge Riigikogu to make June 1 a national holiday

A coalition of 36 child welfare organisations, led by the Estonian Union for Child Welfare, submitted a joint petition to the Riigikogu in April 2024, calling for June 1 to be officially designated Children's Day and recognised as a national public holiday.

Thirty-six organisations advocating for children's rights and welfare in Estonia joined forces on 29 April 2024 to submit a collective petition to the Riigikogu, Estonia's parliament. The initiative, spearheaded by the Estonian Union for Child Welfare (Lastekaitse Liit), calls for June 1 — internationally recognised as Children's Day — to be formally designated as such in Estonia and elevated to the status of a national public holiday.

The petition represents one of the broadest coalitions of child welfare groups in recent Estonian history. By uniting 36 organisations behind a single demand, the signatories are sending a clear message to lawmakers: children and their rights deserve symbolic recognition at the highest level of the state calendar.

Proponents of the proposal argue that designating June 1 as an official national holiday would not only raise public awareness of children's rights and wellbeing, but would also give families dedicated time to celebrate and engage with their children. Supporters point out that many other countries already observe the date as a meaningful public occasion.

The Riigikogu now faces the question of whether to take up the proposal and amend the relevant legislation. The petition's organisers hope that parliamentary debate will follow and that Estonia will join the growing number of nations that formally honour children on June 1.