Despite the increase in sleepless nights, extra chores and decrease in free time parents often experience once they have kids, there are numerous physical and emotional benefits to having children. But the most notable benefit is probably the change in perspective they bring to our lives, encouraging us to see the world through a renewed aptitude for imagination, creation and positivity.

However, not everyone is blessed with this unique perceptive. Many people continue to treat children as less than equals, ignoring their rights and excluding them from decision-making processes that impact them directly. Children are the most vulnerable of all human beings, and they deserve specific protection. This is why the UN has developed a set of specific international laws to protect their rights. These laws are called children’s rights, and they are embodied in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Convention is a massive document, and it contains dozens of articles spanning every aspect of a child’s life. Its central theme is that a child is a human being with a right to survive, a right to live and a right to participate in all decisions that affect them. This includes having a say in how their family, school and government are run.

It also states that children have the right to education – from preschool to higher levels of study. They should be able to receive this in a safe environment and without discrimination. In addition, they have the right to be protected from harmful practices – such as sex selection and forced or coerced sterilisation.

But the Convention doesn’t just set out these basic principles – it also requires states that sign up to it to enforce them. To do this, they must set up independent bodies that review their performance in upholding the children’s rights that are enshrined in the Convention. They are required to make these reviews happen every five years.

Across the globe, children are making their voices heard and demanding change. They are using their right to protest, and they are bringing new perspectives to the table on issues that we thought were settled long ago.

But despite this, a lot of countries are still not doing enough to ensure that children’s rights are protected. The main obstacles are poverty, inequality and violence. Poverty is preventing children from accessing their right to food, water, health and education, while war, conflict, climate change and environmental degradation are further violating their rights.

One of the most serious violations is that children are recruited and used in armed conflicts. They are sometimes used as weapons, for cooking or scouting duties, and are sometimes even deliberately targeted and killed. Despite these grave violations, the world has made some progress since the 1990 World Summit for Children – but there is still more work to be done.