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The Convention starts with a preamble. This is the introduction. After the introduction there are many parts called 'articles'. There are 54 articles in total.
The United Nations has existed since the Second World War ended about 60 years ago. They work for world peace, cooperation and Human Rights. They believe all people are equal and ask governments to make sure that children and adults are able to live in freedom, fairness and peace.
Under the 'Convention of the Rights of the Child' all children around the world have the right to grow up to be individuals. As adults they will enjoy peace and freedom and also remember the rights of all people in the world and help to protect them.
The following articles say what the children's rights are:
All people under 18 years of age are defined as children. You might not like this because you don't want to be called a child but to recognize children as non adults is very important so that they can be protected.
1. All children are equal and have equal rights - regardless of their skin colour, their language or religious beliefs, or if they are a boy or a girl. It also doesn't matter whether they have a disability - all children have the right to be treated the same way.
2. Children should not suffer because of their parents´ beliefs or position.
Children come first! Therefore public and private social welfare institutions have to make decisions in the child's best interests, which means that the decisions they make have to be good for children. For example if the government plans to build a big building right next to a playground, they have to think about the needs of all the children playing there.
Countries that signed this paper have to make sure that the rights of their children are being protected. All children shall have the opportunity to grow up happily and in peace.
Wealthy countries must work together with the poor countries to make this happen.
Because children can find it hard to take care of themselves alone, parents or other carers are responsible for their children. Parents have to look after their children and help them develop as best as they can.
Every child has the right to live. Maybe you are wondering why this needs to be asked. It is because in some countries children die because they don't have enough to eat. In these countries, the governments have to make sure that they do their best to help these children and other countries have to help them too.
Every child has the right to have a name. This name has to be written on a paper right after their birth. This paper also says which family a child belongs and in which country the child was born. You might have a paper like this one?
Every child has the right to know their name, who their parents/relatives are and what country they were born in. If a child has to flee to another country this country has to help the child as much as possible to find out those things.
Children can't be separated from their parents against their will. When parents don't look after their child or don't treat their child the right way, the court can decide that it is better for the child not to live with his or her parents. But before making those decisions the court must listen to the parents and their child.
Sometimes it is not possible for some children to live with both parents. These children may live with either their Mum or their Dad or with someone else. However every child has the right to see both parents if it is good for the child.
In cases where parents are working in a different country the children are allowed to see theirs parents whenever they want to. For example, if the parents are working in Germany and the child is living in Australia both, Australia and Germany have to help the child to see his or her parents.
No one is allowed to kidnap a child. If someone kidnaps a child in a foreign country, people from their home country and the foreign country have to work together to make sure that the child will be reunited with his or her parents as soon as possible.
In a family separation, for example, children have the right to be heard directly and/or indirectly through a representative.
1. No one can hurt a child when he or she speaks their opinion. But it is also important for the child to know that what they say must not hurt themselves or anyone else.
2. All children have the freedom to get information they are interested in. This includes to the freedom to read books and magazines, to use the computer and the internet, to watch movies, to look at art and to discuss with others what they have learned. Of course, this doesn't include things that are not good for children.
Children have the right to choose their religion. Parents or carers may teach their children about religion. Every country has to check that this happens in a respectful way.
Children have the right to meet with others and to spend time with other children. Those meetings have to be held in a peaceful and respectful way which doesn't harm others.
Children have the right to have their own privacy, for example they can have secrets and no one is allowed to read their diaries. But sometimes, when they have to, parents can step in. But only if that is better for the child.
Every country has to make sure that there are plenty of interesting things in books and newspapers, on the radio, the television and the internet to help children to learn and grow.
Countries must protect children from reading or seeing harmful information.
Either parents or another adult person caring for children are responsible for their children. Everything they do must also be good for the children.
Education for children has to be as good as possible. Governments have to help parents, especially when both parents have to go to work. They have to make sure that children can go to child-care services or other places where children are looked after when their parents work.
Children must not be hurt. This means they must not be physically, mentally, emotionally or sexually abused Some adults seem to forget this. If an adult or another child hurts a child, the child has the right to be helped.
Governments have to make sure that children are safe. Sometimes it is better for children not to live with one or both of their parents, for example when parents hurt them or neglect them. In that case children must live with other people who make sure they are cared for and safe.
Children who are separated from their parents or whose parents are not there anymore have special needs. Those children have the right to live with people who will care for them, protect them and try to continue with their upbringing. If the children belong to a particular religion, their new carers have to help them continue those beliefs.
Adults always have to think of what is best for children. Adults who want to care for or adopt a child who is not their biological child have to prove that they will be good to the child. If the biological parents of the child are still alive they have to agree to the child living in a new family and having a new family name.
A child who is adopted by parents in another country has the same rights as the children in the new country.
Adoption is carefully managed by adults who have to make sure children are protected.
Some children have to leave their home country because of war. All countries who signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child have to protect these children. The countries are not allowed to make the children go back to a country where there is war.
When children are separated from their family, governments have to help them look for their family or other relatives.
Children without parents who have moved to a new country have the same rights as the children in that new country.
Children who cannot see, or hear or walk are called children with a physical disability. Children who have difficulty learning things and cannot learn some things at all are called children with a mental disability.
In the world there are about 120 million children who are disabled.
Children with a disability need special help. They have the same rights as any other child and no one can make them feel as if they are different. They have the right to go to school, have medical help, have training to find a job and especially to have fun!
All governments have to help children with disabilities. They have to do as much as they can to help them to live an independent life with work and play they enjoy.
Countries have to share information and ideas about how to look after the health and happiness of disabled children.
Children have the right to the best health possible. Countries have to provide doctors, nurses, hospitals and medicine to help children to stay well.
Countries agree to:
All countries must stop doing traditional things that harm children (e.g. child slavery).
Rich countries have to help poorer countries with all these things.
Some children have to stay in a hospital or in a safe place where others care of the child for a long time. Those places have to be checked by countries regularly to make sure they are safe and of a high standard.
Every child has the right to benefit from social security, including social insurance. For example, this means that when parents or others who care for the child don't have enough money to pay the bill for the doctor they can ask the government for help to pay the bill.
All children have the right to live a life that is good for them and their development.
It costs money to bring up a child. Parents have to do as much as they can to give their children what they need, for example proper food, clothing and a house to live in.
When parents don't have enough money governments have to help the parents so their children will have food, clothing and a place to live.
Every child has the right to have someone who cares for him or her. Parents or others caring for the child have to assist by paying for things that children need. When one parent or caregiver doesn't help to pay for these things, the government can make them.
All children have to go to school. The first years of school must be free for all children so everyone has the chance to learn.
In the world there are 120 million children between 6 and 12 years who don't go to school. Over 900 million children in the world cannot read and cannot write.
A school must be a place where children like to go, where they learn things and where they can have fun. No child should be too scared to go to school and no teacher must hurt the child.
Poorer countries have the right to be helped by richer countries to develop schools and learning.
Schools are also there for children to learn about themselves and the world. Everyone is allowed to say what he or she wants to say in a way that is respectful to others. Children also must learn that peaceful answers to conflicts are better than violence and war.
People belong to different cultural and religious groups. One group can be very different from another. Children who belong to a small group of people that most other people don't belong to are called a minority. They have the same rights as any other child and they have the right to practice their religion, their culture and their language the way they want to, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.
All children have the right to play, to rest and to enjoy themselves. In their free time, children have the right to do things they like. Some adults forget how it is to be a child and how important it is for a child to play. To play is very important for children. Countries have to provide places where children can play.
No child must be forced to go to work.
Sometimes children can work at home or outside in the field.
In poor countries some children have to work very hard every day. They have to earn money to help their families. Governments in those countries have to make sure they look after these kids and stop other people from hurting them.
Children must be protected from drugs and other things that are not good for children. Drugs can destroy a child's life.
No one is allowed to make children do sexual things they don't want to do. Children can't be forced to do sexual things with anyone. Children's bodies belong to themselves.
All governments have to protect the children from sexual abuse and those people who abuse children must be punished. Children who are victims of sexual abuse have the right to be protected and get help. It doesn't matter if they know the abuser or not.
Kidnapping and trading or selling children is not allowed.
Children must not be made to do things that aren't good for them. All countries have to protect children against all forms of using children for things that are not good for them.
No one can put a child in prison without reason. When children do something against the law they must get special protection. No child can be put in prison for the rest of his or her life and no child can get the death penalty or be hurt in jail/gaol/prison.
Every child must be protected in countries where there is war. In war children are not able to protect themselves and they really suffer when there is violence in their country.
Children under the age of 15 must not join the military and must not go to war. In some countries adults make children go to war - but that is wrong.
Children who have been hurt or abused need special help and assistance. The government has to help them to learn how to become strong and confident and how to enjoy life again.
Children who break the law cannot be treated as adults. They can be supported by family or carers. They have the right to be told what they have done wrong and to have a fair trial.
No child has to speak in front of the court if he or she doesn't want to.
The child's name must be kept secret e.g. not written in the newspaper.
If there is a law in the country where the child lives and this law is better for the child than the law in the 'Convention of the Rights of the Child', the country has to make use of the law that is better for the child.
It is important that children and adults know what rights children have. The 'Convention for the Rights of the Child' was written for that reason.
Children's rights have to be made a reality by every country that signed the Convention paper.
To make sure children's rights become a reality, a group (committee) of ten people from around the world have been chosen by the United Nations to keep a check on how they are managed. These people need to have an understanding of children and their needs.
The group have to regularly hand in reports to the United Nations to show what changes and progress they have made in children's lives. People can read these by logging on to the United Nations web site.
All countries have to hand out a piece of paper to show to other countries what changes they made. They have to show this piece of paper to the 'United Nations' Group of 10 people who check to see if they have made the 'Convention of the Rights of the Child' a reality.
The next 11 articles are important for countries and their governments but not so much for children. The articles say every country that signed the paper for the 'Convention of the Rights of the Child' has to make sure that they make their laws so that every one of the articles can be put into reality and there must be good reasons if they don't. Countries are allowed to make suggestions for changes - these changes must be tested by the 'United Nations' and if they are good they will be accepted.
