Children rights are the things that all children are entitled to, such as a life free from violence and poverty, education that helps them reach their potential, good health care and safe shelter. These rights apply no matter where a child lives or what their parents look like, what language they speak, whether they are boys or girls, what religion they practise or what they think. Children also have the right to play, rest and get involved in their culture and society.

In 195 countries and territories worldwide, people are working to defend children’s rights. They are changing laws and making sure that more children have what they need to thrive. More children are going to school, getting better quality health care, and being protected from violence and exploitation. More children are having their voices heard and participating in their communities.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an international treaty that everyone should respect. Governments have signed it, and they must protect children’s rights in all their laws and policies. UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to help governments to defend children’s rights, and it provides them with lots of resources, ideas and expertise to do that.

UNICEF has a very clear definition of children’s rights, which includes the right to life and to grow up happy and healthy. It also says that parents and guardians should be the main people responsible for bringing up children, but where this is not possible, then it should be someone who can make decisions about the child’s well-being and who will treat them with respect. Anyone who looks after children should do this, and it is important that they are properly trained.

Another key part of children’s rights is that they must have access to information and can share it freely with others, as long as it doesn’t harm them. They can use the Internet, radio, television, newspapers and books to learn about the world around them. This is very important for their intellectual, moral and social development.

They must be able to get in touch with their families and friends, even if they live abroad, and they should be able to travel easily between countries where it is safe. They must be able to have their own family name, and they must be able to have an official record of their birth, which includes their nationality. This is very important for them so they can claim their rights and get help if something goes wrong in their lives.

They must be able to have a lawyer at no cost to help them in court, and they must be given the same opportunities as adults. They should be allowed to express their views on any issues that affect them, and adults must listen to them and take them seriously. They should be allowed to join groups and organisations, and have a say in their own education.