Children are a vital part of any society. The way that children develop determines how they contribute – or cost – to society over the course of their lives. All adults – politicians, the police, teachers and the authorities – must therefore always think about what is in children’s best interests when they make decisions that affect them.

Children have many rights, but some of the most important are their right to survival, education and protection from violence. They also have the right to have their opinions heard and taken into consideration by adults in matters that concern them.

The most important international treaty that spells out children rights is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – a collection of 54 articles. It was adopted in 1989 and came into force in 1990, and it is the most widely ratified of all the international human rights treaties. It has 196 signatory countries.

One of the main themes in this treaty is that every child has a right to live and not suffer because they are poor or sick, and that they have the right to receive medical treatment. Another is that they have a right to food, so that no child should have to go hungry. It also says that children should be educated so that they can make their own choices in life. They also have the right to express their thoughts and beliefs freely, unless this harms other people.

This treaty also spells out that every child has the right to rest and leisure, including time off school, and that they have a right to play and participate in cultural life. It also says that no child should be forced to work, and that it is not OK to abuse children. It also demands that governments do everything possible to prevent armed conflicts involving children, and that they should combat the trafficking of children and their organs, as well as child pornography and sexual abuse.

In order to help all countries enforce these standards the UN created a special committee, called the Committee on the Rights of the Child, that investigates reports from children and their advocates about rights violations. The Committee is made up of independent experts from all over the world who have been appointed by governments to check whether they are complying with this international agreement. They can recommend that a country change its laws, for example to stop the military use of children or to close down prisons that are only for young people. They can also ask a country to make an extra agreement that allows children to report directly to the UN about rights violations that they have experienced. They can’t do this without the support of their parents, schools or other institutions that have a relationship with them. Moreover, they can’t do this without the help of other countries that have agreed to ratify this treaty. The more countries that sign up to the Convention, the stronger its protections for children will be.