Establishment of the “Presidential Residence Assembly for the Child’s Wellbeing”, a national think-tank on children, led by the late Mrs. Ofira Navon, the wife of the President. The assembly was established at the initiative of public figures and experts, among them: Mrs. Zina Herman, Dr. Baruch Levi, Mr. Aharon Langerman, Mrs. Sara Melzer, Professor Jona Rosenfeld, Mrs. Aviva Lion, and Dr. Aviva Ron.

The activity of the assembly is separated from the President’s Residence.

Pursuant to the assembly’s activity, the National Council for the Child is established as A public, independent non-profit organization. Some of the founders of the assembly later join the NCC’s board, and Dr. Yitzhak Kadman is invited by the founding group to serve as the organization’s executive director.

The NCC initiates and leads the establishment of the Children’s Lobby in the Knesset.

The NCC launches an innovative program for the independent representation of children in legal proceedings.

The NCC’s Ombudsperson for Children and Youth is established. During the first year of its activity alone, around 250 inquiries and requests for assistance are received from the public and children themselves.

The NCC’s legal department, “The Child and Law Center” is established.

The NCC becomes a partner in FARLI (the Forum for Child Welfare Organizations in Israel).

The NCC publishes a guide for journalists on the subject of children and the media, in cooperation with the Israel Press Council (An updated version of the guide- ‘Children in the Press – the Do’s and Don’ts’ is published in 2005).

Israel signs the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The NCC’s Research and Development Center is established, and the development of the statistical yearbook ‘Children in Israel’ is commenced.

The NCC initiates a wide-scale experimental project on the subject of legal representation for children. In the framework of the project, appropriate cases which necessitate separate representation for children are chosen, and volunteering lawyers are appointed as legal guardians to represent the child’s position and interests.

Israel ratifies the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention enters into force in Israel.

The first version of ‘Children in Israel – Statistical Yearbook’ is published. The yearbook was edited by the NCC’s Research and Development Center, and a new and updated version has been published every year since.

A public campaign is launched, headed by the NCC, on the subject of “Education without Violence”.

The NCC issues a publication regarding babies born with drug-addictions.

Initiation of activities regarding marriage of minors. The NCC conducts activities with the aim of preventing various proposals to lower the legal marital age, and formulates and promotes bills to equalize the age of marital consent for male and female minors.

The NCC publishes the booklet “Education without Violence’ in Arabic and Russian.

The NCC holds numerous conferences and seminars, among them a conference regarding the consequences of a financial crisis on children in Israel; at-risk children in the Arab society, in cooperation with the AKRA organization; the law and victims of sexual offences, in cooperation with the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel; and a seminar on the world of children’s recreation in Israel, in cooperation with the Knesset and Joint Israel.

The NCC is successful in its long struggle to cancel a proposal for a new clause in the penal code that would determine that harming children for educational purposes is not considered a crime.

A special system for Ethiopian immigrant children is established in the framework of the NCC’s ombudsperson.

An Arabic speaking team is established in the NCC’s ombudsperson.

The NCC, in cooperation with Joint Israel and the State Attorney’s Office, establishes an innovative project for the training of advocates on crimes against children, and holds a series of special continuing education programs for advocates in this field. Given the success of the project, the Ministry of Justice decides to accept responsibility for the future continuation of these programs.

The NCC publishes the first version of the legislative collection ‘the Law and the Child’, which compiles all relevant laws that relate directly and indirectly to children. Since the publication of the first version, several updated versions of the legislative collection have been published.

The NCC’s legal department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Legal Affairs, leads the establishment of the State Committee for the Examination of Basic Principles in the Area of the Child and the Law and their Implementation in Legislation to examine the entire body of legislation regarding children’s rights (later known as ‘the Rotlevi Committee’) and coordinates the committee’s work.

A joint program for law and social work students is established for practical training in the field of children’s rights, in cooperation with the Hebrew University.

The NCC, along with its partners, forms a coalition of organizations and experts on the use of corporal punishment in Arab society. The coalition examined the possible social, educational, campaigning, and legal means to create change in this field.

The NCC, along with its partners, initiates the establishment of organizations in the subject of children of migrant workers.

Establishment of the NCC’s Child Rights Mobile Unit.

The NCC, alongside other organizations, establishes the Coalition of Organizations for the Promotion of Rights of Victims of Criminal Offenses in Israel. Other organizations have since joined the coalition, and its activity is coordinated by Shatil. The coalition acts for the formulation and promotion of a Bill of Rights for Victims of Crime.

Establishment of an annual seminar in memory of Aharon Langerman, one of the NCC’s founders and senior managers. The seminar confronts burning issues and is unique in that the speakers and participants join together to form recommendations and work plans for policy change and to promote legislation for the protection of the welfare, well-being and rights of children.

Establishment of the NCC’s Child Victim Assistance Center for child victims of sexual and violent crime.

The NCC takes an active part in the discussion of the Vilnai Committee on the subject of violence in educational institutions.

The NCC acts to amend the criteria for eligibility for a monetary allowance for children with disabilities. The NCC’s activity leads to the establishment of a professional committee which recommends a change in criteria that significantly increases the number of children entitled to the benefit.

Publication of a festive and extended edition of the statistical yearbook ‘Children in Israel’, as well as a special English version of the yearbook.

The NCC raises awareness of the need to treat and listen to children during a period of security instability and terror attacks. The NCC sets the need for adapting media outlets that broadcast to children during this time, and develops projects to enable children to vent emotions and alleviate anxieties and fears.

The NCC publishes new booklets, as well as updated editions of many publications in Arabic, among others on the topics of education without violence, child abuse, and the student’s rights and obligations in the education system.

The NCC prepares and delivers a special continuing education program for coaches of youth basketball and soccer teams on child abuse and the identification of at-risk children.

Establishment of the Beer Sheba Conference for Child Welfare – a unique policy conference attended by Members of the Knesset, government ministries, civil society organizations, and youth for the discussion of various subjects related to the rights of children and youth. Later known as ‘Negev Conference for Children’.

Publication of the reports of the Committee for the Examination of Basic Principles in the Area of the Child and the Law and their Implementation in Legislation (the Rotlevi Committee). The NCC played a central role in the compilation of the committee’s work.

The NCC receives the Movement for Quality Government’s ‘Quality Government Badge of Honor’, for its significant contribution to the promotion of children’s rights in Israel.

Development of the Kiadath Initiative – a two-year program for the promotion of activities for early childhood in the Arab community, through the development of local professional leadership. In the framework of the program, the NCC developed an annual training program for issues relating to early childhood, leadership skills, and tools for the development and promotion of community programs. The program operated for 3 years (2004 – 2006).

The NCC receives a badge of honor for its social activities as part of the Sderot Conference for Society.

The NCC receives the Ometz honorary badge for good management from the Ometz organization.

Launch of ‘Children’s Conversation’ project, aimed at providing children with a platform to learn and speak about the socio-economic situation in Israel.

The NCC, in cooperation with the Israel Internet Association, develops the ‘Safe Surfing’ program, in which children in the 3rd and 4th grades learn about the principles of safe internet use via an experiential computer game.

The NCC develops the program for ‘Identification of Preschool Children at Risk of Abuse’. As part of the program, the NCC delivers workshops to education professionals working with children at the early childhood stage (from infancy to age 5). The workshops are intended to provide experts with tools for the detection and identification of children at risk of abuse and raise awareness of mandatory reporting obligations.

The NCC succeeds in extending the application of the Compulsory Education Law to 12th grade (in contrast to the previous version, which applied until 10th grade).

Launch of the Tiltula project– a campaign for the prevention of shaken baby syndrome (abusive head trauma). Founded by the NCC, the program later merged with the Purple Project – a campaign on the subject of babies’ crying and the prevention of shaking babies, operated by Haruv Institute and Schusterman Foundation, under the joint project ‘In Your Hands’.

The NCC launches a campaign on sexual offenses against children: ‘Children Speak without Words’, to increase awareness among parents and instruct them on this subject (for example, the ways in which a child victim may act, how to act upon suspicion of sexual offense against a child, and more). The booklet ‘Children Speak without Words’ was prepared as part of this program and has been in use since.

With the involvement of the NCC, an amendment to the Youth Law (Treatment and Supervision) is legislated, prohibiting the publication of the name of a minor who is a party in a civil procedure if the publication exposes details about his or her health or circumstances detailed in the Youth Law.

A joint project of the NCC and the Rape Crisis Center for Religious Women is launched to aid children and youth victims of offenses in the Ultra-Orthodox community (similar to the NCC’s Child Victims Assistance Center for child victims of sexual and violent crime). The project is intended to provide a response to the unique difficulties of child victims of sexual offenses in the Ultra-Orthodox community, from the stage of the crime to the legal procedures and provide them and their families with assistance adapted to their needs.

The NCC is successful in a long struggle to bring about a law according to which minors who were abused and are victims of sexual offenses, and who were to receive monetary compensation by ruling of the court, would receive the sum up to a certain limit, immediately and directly from the Israeli Center for Fine Collection. The amendment entered into force in 2013. It enables child victims of offenses to use the compensation funds for their needs and spares them lengthy collection processes.

With the involvement of the NCC and other organizations, an amendment to the law that raise the age of marital consent from 17 to 18 is accepted.

The Mehalev Initiative (Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) is established, in cooperation with the Haruv Institute, EBS Israel headed by Gil Mendelzis, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Myers JDC Brookdale Institute, and the BCG Consulting Firm.

Vered Winderman, Adv. replaces Dr. Yitzhak Kedma as the NCC’s Executive Director.

Launch of the ‘1 Out Of 5′ campaign for the prevention of child abuse and neglect by adults, led by Mehalev initiative, and in cooperation with the NCC and the Haruv Institute.

The NCC joins a coalition of organizations – ‘Education from Birth’ for the promotion of regulation, supervision, and registration of day care centers for toddlers (aged 0-3) and the assurance of high quality, educational, safe, and healthy treatment of preschool children.

Two extensive awareness raising campaigns for the prevention of child abuse and neglect are launched, under the title ‘One out of Five’, led by Mehalev initiative and in cooperation with the NCC.

A partnership is created with the Environment and Health Fund for the removal of hazardous materials from children’s consumer products.

The NCC’s Youth Parliament program is launched.

The NCC is successful in its long struggle to bring about the legislation of the Daycare Supervision Act. The law sets the requirements for the operation of daycares in Israel for toddlers aged 0-3, including their regulation, conditions, and supervision, The law aims to protect the welfare, dignity and rights of toddlers, and ensure that daycare centers provide a safe and nurturing educational and care environment for them, that further toddlers’ development and meet their physical, emotional, social and educational needs.