Children rights are the basic needs, values and aspirations that every child has the right to enjoy. They cover things like having a safe home, good food, education and health care, as well as respect for their culture and family relationships. Children also have rights related to their liberty (being free from being held back by adults) and to participation in society – for example, the right to vote at the age of 18. Children’s rights are the most fundamental of all human rights – and yet they are often the most difficult to fulfil. Children are more vulnerable to violence and discrimination than any other group, and almost all government policies have an impact on children. Governments should be advancing the development and protection of children through their policies, laws and actions.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the global standard that countries must uphold in order to protect children’s rights and meet their basic needs. It is widely regarded as one of the most successful legal treaties ever negotiated, and it has inspired social change in all parts of the world by reframing the idea that children have needs that should be met as rights rather than as something that we can choose to do or not do – a moral imperative for governments, communities and families to provide for.
There are some areas where children’s rights have a clearer and more specific focus, such as the right to a good quality of life that includes the right to food, water, shelter and a decent education. However, there are many other aspects of children’s rights that have less of a clear definition, such as the right to freedom of expression and the right to a peaceful childhood. This raises questions about the extent to which it is justifiable for governments to limit or restrict children’s access to certain materials and ideas.
Children also have the right to be protected from violence – no child should be killed, harmed or treated cruelly and one billion children experience some kind of emotional, physical or sexual abuse each year. Governments must protect children from being kidnapped or sold, and from all other kinds of exploitation – which is when someone takes advantage of a child, for example, by forcing them to have sex for money. They should protect children from being sex trafficked and make sure that children accused of breaking the law are not killed, tortured or kept in prison forever. Prison should always be the last option and children in prison must have legal help and the chance to stay in contact with their family.
Parents are responsible for bringing up their children, but where they cannot do so themselves, they must be helped by government services. Children have the right to know who they are and to have their identity recorded – which means having an official name, nationality and being able to keep in touch with their family. They should never have this taken away from them and if it is, governments must help them get it back quickly.