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Kids' Rights

Introduction

Children have lots of rights. Do you know what they are? In the Kids' Rights activity, you'll learn about some of the important rights that children have. This is because of an agreement called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Definitions

  • What are rights? Rights are things you have no matter who you are or what you do. For example, everyone has the right to clean drinking water.
  • What is the United Nations? The United Nations (or UN) is an organisation made up of all the countries in the world. It meets to talk about issues that affect us all. It tries to protect human rights, end poverty, fight disease and prevent war. The UN has a special agency (UNICEF) whose job it is to work with governments and other organisations to make sure all children have their rights upheld.
  • What is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child? This is the official list of Kids' Rights and it's made up of 54 articles. The Convention has been agreed by over 190 countries: that's almost every country in the world! The rights are for everyone under the age of 18.

Kids' Rights

Think about some of the people and places in your life. What are your favourite toys and games? What do you like to do at the weekend? What would your life be like if you weren't allowed to do these things? That's where the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child comes in. The UN Convention gives you the right to live a safe, happy and healthy life. We have listed some of your rights below.

Your family

You have the right to live with your parents. If your parents live apart, you have the right to stay in contact with both of your parents. Both of your parents are responsible for bringing you up. Children who cannot or should not live with their parents have the right to be looked after properly, by people who respect them.
Read article 7
Read article 9
Read article 18
Read article 20

Your friends

You have the right to meet up with your friends and to join groups and clubs. You have the right to relax and play.
Read article 15
Read article 31

Your identity

You have the right to a name. You also have the right to belong to a country. You have the right to be officially registered as a person so that, when you grow up, you can work, travel and get married. You also have the right to privacy. That means, for example, that a newspaper can't print your picture or write a story about you if you and your parents haven't agreed to it.
Read article 7
Read article 8
Read article 16

Your school

You have the right to an education. Every child in the world should be educated, free of charge, up to the age of 11. At school, you should be encouraged to develop your skills and talents. You should also be taught about living peacefully, looking after the environment, and respecting your parents and other people.
Read article 28
Read article 29

Your beliefs

You have the right to think and believe what you want. If you are religious, you have the right to practice your religion. You should also respect the traditions and religions of others.
Read article 14

Your free time

You have the right to relax and play and join in a wide range of activities. This could include playing the sports you like and joining sports clubs and organisations. It could also include putting on a play, joining the Brownies or Cubs, going to a dance class or learning how to play a musical instrument.
Read article 31

Work

You're allowed to work if you want to, provided that it doesn't harm you in any way. This can include helping out around the house! The work you do shouldn't be dangerous or get in the way of your education or your right to relaxation and play. In the UK, you are allowed to get a part-time job when you're 13, for example doing a paper round.
Read article 32
Read article 36

Food and medicine

You have the right to safe drinking water and healthy food. You also have the right to be looked after when you are ill. You should also be protected from dangerous drugs. Children who have a disability have the right to special care and support.
Read article 23
Read article 24
Read article 33

Your language

You have the right to learn and use the language and customs of your parents, even if they are different from the language and the customs of the country you live in.
Read article 30

The law

If you have done something wrong and are accused of breaking the law, you have the right to get help from a lawyer. You should not be treated cruelly, and you should not be put in prison with adults. In the UK, you can't be convicted of a crime if you're younger than 10, and you shouldn't be sent to an adult prison if you're younger than 17.
Read article 37
Read article 40

Wars and violence

Although a lot of children play with soldiers, in some countries children get caught up in actual wars. If wars break out, you cannot be forced to take part. You will be protected and looked after during any fighting. In the UK, nobody under the age of 16 is allowed to join the army.
Read article 38

Finding things out

You have the right to find information on the internet. You can also use radio, television and newspapers to find this information. This information should be written in language that is easy for you to understand and should not be harmful to you or others. You also have the right to share information with your friends.
Read article 13
Read article 17

Staying in touch

If members of your family live in another country, you have the right to stay in contact with them. You also have the right to travel to this country and get back together as a family. You have the right to draw, write or say anything you like in a letter, on the phone or on the internet, provided that it doesn't hurt other people. You also have a right to have a say and be listened to when adults are making decisions about you.
Read article 10
Read article 12
Read article 13

Know Your Rights

So do you know what your rights are? Can you help the six children below? They are in difficult situations. They want to know if their rights are being ignored. What do you think?

Child 1: Sarah, age 8

'There was a journalist in our school today. She was taking pictures of us working. But I don't want to be in the newspaper. It makes me feel really awkward.'

What do you think? Is the journalist allowed to take the girl's picture?

Read article 16

Child 2: Megan, age 6

'My Mum says that my room's a pigsty and that I have to tidy it. It's not fair. Why can't she do it?'

What do you think? According to the UN Convention, is her Mum allowed to do this?

Read article 32

Child 3: Rhys, age 11

'I've got a great new game for my computer. My Dad says I'm not allowed to play it because it's got a 15 certificate. But all my friends are playing it. It's totally unfair!'

According to the UN Convention, is his Dad allowed to do this?

Read article 13

Child 4: Brian, age 10

'I've just moved here because there's a war in my country. My uncle says I should go back there and fight alongside my brothers. Some people have taken all our land and left us with no food or home. I like it here, but maybe I should go back and fight with the rest of my family.'

According to the UN Convention, should this boy go back to fight?

Read article 38

Child 5: Mary, age 9

'We live next door to these drug dealers. Every time you go outside the front door, the corridor's full of dirty needles. My Mum has phoned the council to complain, but they haven't done anything. Do we have to put up with this?'

According to the UN Convention, should this be happening?

Read article 24
Read article 33

Child 6: David, age 7

'My Dad says I should miss school today and help him paint the shed. But I've got double Science today -- my favourite subject'

According to the UN Convention, is his Dad allowed to do this?

Read article 28

Answers

So what advice did you give these children? We've listed our suggested answers below.

  • Child 1: No, the journalist is not allowed to take Sarah's picture.
  • Child 2: Yes, Megan's Mum is allowed to ask her to tidy her room.
  • Child 3: Yes, Rhys's Dad is allowed to stop him playing a game designed for much older children.
  • Child 4: No, Brian should not go back to his country and fight.
  • Child 5: No, Mary should not have to live next door to drug dealers.
  • Child 6: No, David's Dad is not allowed to ask him to skip school.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

We have listed the key articles of the UN Convention here.

  • Article 7: All children have the right to a legally registered name, officially recognised by the government. Children have the right to a nationality (to belong to a country). Children have the right to know and, as far as possible, to be cared for by their parents.
  • Article 8: Children have the right to an identity - an official record of who they are. Governments should respect children's right to a name, a nationality and family ties.
  • Article 9: Children have the right to live with their parents and should not be separated from their parents against their will, unless it is best for them. Children whose parents do not live together have the right to stay in contact with both parents, unless this might hurt the child.
  • Article 10: Families whose members live in different countries should be allowed to move between those countries so that parents and children can stay in contact, or get back together as a family. However, the UK government says that this is not always possible.
  • Article 12: Children have the right to say what they think should happen, when adults are making decisions that affect them, and to have their opinions taken into account.
  • Article 13: Children have the right to get and share information, as long as the information is not damaging to them or others. The freedom of expression includes the right to share information in any way they choose, including by talking, drawing or writing.
  • Article 14: Children have the right to think and believe what they want and to practice their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Parents should guide their children on these matters.
  • Article 15: Children have the right to meet together and to join groups and organisations, as long as it does not stop other people from enjoying their rights. This means that everyone has the responsibility to respect the rights, freedoms and reputations of others.
  • Article 16: Children have the right to privacy. The law should protect them from attacks against their way of life, their good name, their families and their homes.
  • Article 17: Children have the right to get information that is important to their education and well-being. Governments should encourage mass media - radio, television, newspapers and internet content sources - to provide information that children can understand and to not promote materials that could harm children.
  • Article 18: Both parents share responsibility for bringing up their children and should always consider what is best for each child. Governments should help parents by providing services to support them, especially if both parents work.
  • Article 20: Children who cannot be looked after by their own family have a right to special care and must be looked after properly, by people who respect their ethnic group, religion, culture and language.
  • Article 23: Children who have any kind of disability should have special care and support, so that they can lead full and independent lives.
  • Article 24: Children have the right to good quality health care - the best health care possible - to safe drinking water, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment, and information to help them stay healthy. Rich countries should help poorer countries achieve this.
  • Article 28: All children have the right to a primary education, which should be free. Wealthy countries should help poorer countries achieve this right. For children to benefit from education, schools must be run in an orderly way, but discipline in schools should respect children's rights. Governments should also make sure that children attend school regularly.
  • Article 29: Children's education should develop each child's personality, talents and ability to the full. It should encourage children to respect their parents, others' human rights, and their own and other cultures. It should also help them learn to live peacefully, protect the environment and respect other people.
  • Article 30: Children have the right to learn and use the language and customs of their families, whether these are shared by the majority of people in the country or not.
  • Article 31: Children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other leisure activities.
  • Article 32: The government should protect children from work that is dangerous or might harm their health or their education. While the Convention protects children from harmful and exploitative work, there is nothing in it that prohibits parents from expecting their children to help out at home in ways that are safe and appropriate to their age.
  • Article 33: Governments should use all means possible to protect children from the use of harmful drugs.
  • Article 36: Children should be protected from any activity that takes advantage of them or could harm their welfare and development.
  • Article 37: Children who break the law should not be treated cruelly. They should be able to keep in contact with their families. The Convention says that children should not be put in prison with adults, but in the UK the government says this isn't always possible.
  • Article 38: Governments must do everything they can to protect and care for children affected by war. Children under 15 should not be forced or recruited to take part in a war or join the armed forces. An additional agreement develops this right further and says that no one under the age of 18 should fight in a war. Children aged 16 or 17 can join the army (as long as they don't take part in wars directly) but the government must be sure that this is voluntary.
  • Article 40: Children who are accused of breaking the law should receive legal help. Prison sentences for children should only be used for the most serious offences.

Key Questions

Finally, think about the following questions:

  • What is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?
  • What would life be like if your rights weren't protected?
  • Why is it important that every child in the world has these rights?
  • Do you think that there are rights that are missing from the UN Convention?

Where would you like to go next?