No one can say for certain what lies behind any work of art or any other endeavour. How many hours of struggle and effort go into creating a sculpture or a book? How many hours of care, reflection and trial and error go into raising a child who has grown into an independent, self-aware and happy adult?

How many years of work go into producing a book on children’s rights?

In 2024, together with thirteen other authors, I published the book “Children’s Rights in the Context of Healthcare in Portugal” with Almedina Editions. Each chapter deserves a story of its own. Chapters II and III, for example, are based on the history and development of paediatrics and the humanisation of care. In turn, the history of paediatrics tells of professionals who knew that medicine needed to be adapted to the characteristics and needs of children. And the history of humanisation tells of parents who fought for their children to receive better care, to spend less time in hospital when unnecessary, and to be listened to.

The story of this book of ours could fill many other books: biographies of great paediatricians and other Portuguese professionals, or the history of the leading institutions fighting in our country and internationally to ensure children have a better life. One of the books within this book would also have to speak of collaboration and friendship. The work of paediatrics, the humanisation of care and children’s rights is woven from a fabric that is sometimes invisible, yet very important. A fabric that I simply call humanity. We all have something in common: we live with a sense of unease. We have a little creature that lives so actively within us, made up sometimes of indignation, sometimes of hope. We believe the world can be a better place and, each in our own way, we fight for it.

In practice, this book—ink on paper—began like so many others: with an idea that gradually took shape through discussion. The common language of this group of authors was not Portuguese, but the language of childcare. It was an honour to have coordinated this team effort, alongside Prof. Maria do Céu Machado and Sónia Borges Rodrigues, knowing that the book exists, that it can be found in bookshops, and that it tells a story of such importance: the improvement of childcare, based on children’s rights. As an author, I hope this book will become a reference in this field and that it will give us the strength and inspiration to continue on this never-ending journey.

Translated from Portuguese with DeepL.com (free version)