What are children's rights?
Children’s rights are fundamental rights to which all children are entitled, regardless of skin colour, gender, religion or origin. They are based on international conventions such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and comprise four basic principles:
- Prohibition of discrimination (Article 2): All children have the right to be free from all forms of discrimination.
- Right to life and personal development (Article 6): Children have the right to life, survival and personal development and protection from violence and neglect.
- Right to participation (Article 12): Children have the right to participate in decisions that affect their own lives.
- Priority to the best interests of the child (Article 3): In all actions concerning children, the best interests of the child must always be paramount (in English, this is even referred to as the ‘best interests’ of the child)
Other rights concern:
Why should I get involved in children's rights?
Children need to know what rights they have so that they can stand up for their own rights and those of others.
It is often the case that the groups whose human rights are violated the most rarely claim their rights. This may be because they are not aware of them. However, it is at least as likely that they do not believe that they can assert their rights, but instead develop a feeling of futility. They fear punishment and are afraid that they will only make their situation worse if they stand up for their rights.
In accordance with Article 42 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Germany committed itself to ratifying the Convention in 1992 and to making children’s rights ‘generally known to adults and children through appropriate and effective measures.’ In fact, many adults and children are still unaware of children’s rights.
You can do something about this!
What can I do specifically?
School and society
- Become a children’s rights school
- Become a child-friendly community
- Implement actions at school
Individually
- Take a political stand for children’s rights in your own city (start and circulate petitions, organise and hold demonstrations/events, join a party and submit proposals)
- Collect donations
- Attention talent! Further education through courses (see further education list) or books (see book list)
- Involvement in a children’s rights organisation: UNICEF or PLAN INTERNATIONAL
- Become a UNICEF Junior Teamer
- Get involved in the Duke Award in the Children’s Rights Network and represent us in the thematic networks
