What are the Rights of a Child?

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights - civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too.

The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.

By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. States parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child.

Rights versus Needs

What is the difference between a glass of water and a Playstation? Let’s think… a glass of water doesn’t have any of the cool buttons that a Playstation has, and it definitely doesn’t make a bunch of noise when you take a drink. But more importantly, a Playstation is something that you might want, but you do not need it to be healthy and live a good life. “Wants” are things like a video game, a CD, or a trip to Disneyworld that are fun, but are not necessary for living. Have you ever heard of one of your friends getting sick or dying just because they could not go to Disneyworld ? Disneyworld , then, is definitely a want.

On the other hand, “needs” are things that everyone must have to stay healthy and live a good life. We need things like clean water, good food, a safe place to live, and the opportunity to see a doctor to stay healthy. Because these needs are so important to living, we call them “rights”.

What are Rights?

Rights are needs that everyone in the world has; they have nothing to do with the color of your skin, your religion, where you are from, or how smart you are. They are also not privileges you have to earn. Rights are things you need and deserve just because you belong to this place called Earth.

I’m sure you could think of a hundred things that you need to live, like water, healthcare, safety, and so on. But to live your best life, did you know that you also need the right to be yourself? So when people got together to begin to figure out what our rights should be (people who belonged to the United Nations, an organization that acts as a big meeting place for all the countries and cultures in the world), they believed it was important to add rights like the right to think for yourself, the right to practice your own religion, the right to be respected, and the right to be protected from any kind of abuse. And when I say abuse, you may know of one or two kinds of abuse – like when someone hits you or touches you, but abuse means anything that someone else does to you that makes you feel uncomfortable or small or bad about yourself. So when someone does that to you, they are breaking your rights. And did you know that you even have your right to a good time protected by law? Because your childhood is something you can only enjoy once, the United Nations decided that you deserve to have fun and pursue hobbies or sports in your free time.

Why should we protect our Rights?

Why do you think that it’s important to protect our rights? Because we are worth it! Think about what could happen if you did not have rights – like the right to be safe or to get an education. People might make you work all day long in bad conditions without any food or water. People might not let you go to school. And because doctors can be expensive, you may not get medical care if you were really sick. Without rights we would be in a lot of trouble!

History of the Rights of a Child

A long time ago people thought it was not very important to protect our rights, especially the rights of children. They thought that if someone wanted to abuse their kids, they could do whatever they wanted. It was their problem to deal with. Sounds like a terrible idea to me! In 1989 (that’s about ten years before you were born), people around the world changed their minds and decided that everyone (and that means young people, too) should be promised certain things like a good education, access to healthcare, freedom to think for yourself, caring parents, nutrition-packed meals, and all the stuff that keeps our minds and bodies in the best possible shape. These rights are summed up in the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of a Child.

What are our Responsibilities?

Since we’re lucky enough to have our rights protected, that means we also have big responsibilities, too – like respecting other people’s opinions, helping friends or neighbors if they need it, and making sure we stay smart and healthy so that we can make the world a better place. So how do you know what you’re responsibilities are? Well, if you have the right to an education, you have the responsibility to learn as much as you can. If you have the right to be protected, you have the responsibility not to bully others. If you have the right to clean environment, then it’s your responsibility to keep it clean by not littering, helping to plant trees, and choosing to use your feet rather than a car if you need to go someone near your house. And if you have the right to practice your own religion, you have the responsibility to respect the religion other people choose. There are lots of responsibilities that we have because we have rights. I’ve mentioned some, but there are many many more. And because there are so many responsibilities to take care of (and to remember!), organizations have formed to help us out. Like the American Red Cross.

Why does the American Red Cross care?

There are a lot of reasons why the American Red Cross wants to make sure that children's rights are protected. One of the most important beliefs that the Red Cross has, is a belief in “humanity.” Now, if the root word of humanity is human, that means that the Red Cross believes in respecting and supporting all humans. So if you’re Muslim or Jewish or Hindu or Buddhist are you human? Of course! What if you have AIDS? Yes! What if you’re a bully? Yes again! What if you’re African-American? Yup. Are girls and boys equally human? Absolutely! If you’re 7 are you human? What if you’re 27 or 47 or even 97? Yes yes yes. If you’re short? Really big? Really small? Of course. So if all these different kinds of people are still human, shouldn’t we treat them the same? Don’t they all deserve to have the same rights? So because the Red Cross supports humanity, it’s obvious that we support rights, too.

And the other big reason that the American Red Cross cares about your rights (aside from loving children as much as we do!) is because part of the job of the Red Cross is to respond to disasters. When the Hurricanes hit in the southern part of the U.S., we were there, right? And when someone's home burns down in the middle of the night, the Red Cross is right there with blankets and food. And now, when children in Africa can’t get a shot to protect them from measles (that disease you had to get a shot for before you started school), the Red Cross is there and helping to treat millions of children. And in Haiti or Sudan or Iraq, where children aren’t always able to get to school or to see their parents because of the wars that are going on, the Red Cross is there to provide shelter and education to children and their families. Because when someone breaks your rights (it’s called “violating” your rights), the Red Cross believes that’s as much a disaster as a fire or flood or hurricane.

Closing Challenge

Now I have a challenge for you. As you think about your rights and talk to your friends and parents about it, I want you to try to think of how you exercise your rights everyday. What are your responsibilities? How do you show respect for other people? And, because you now understand what it means to have rights, I want you to tell your friends, your family, your classmates, and adults. And when you see something that goes against your rights, I want you to speak up! So go out there and conquer the world knowing that you are protected, supported, and equipped with rights that no one can take from you.