Children and human rights

Across the world children are denied their human rights, including for example, their right to education. They are recruited into armed forces. They are subjected to the death penalty, are disappeared, are punished by cruel and inhumane methods and suffer many other forms of violence.

Child soldiers
Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of children under 18 have been affected by armed conflict. They are recruited into government armed forces, paramilitaries, civil militia and a variety of other armed groups. Often they are abducted at school, on the streets or at home. Others enlist voluntarily, usually because they see few alternatives. Yet international law prohibits the participation in armed conflict of children aged under 18. It means that in reality girls and boys illegally and under force, participate in combat where frequently they are injured or killed. Others are used as spies, messengers, porters, servants or to lay or clear landmines. Girls are at particular risk of rape and other sexual abuse. Such children are robbed of their childhood and exposed to terrible dangers and to psychological and physical suffering.

Other forms of violence against children

Children routinely face other violence - at school, in institutions meant for their protection, in juvenile detention centres and too often in their own homes. Violence against children happens in all parts of the world.

A small - and diminishing - number of countries execute those who were children at the time of their offences. Since 2004, only China, Iran, Pakistan and Sudan have put child offenders to death. Ending the execution of child offenders is a major objective in itself and an important step on the road to total abolition of the death penalty.

The right to education Everyone has the right to educationwhich should be available free to all at least at the primary level. Education is also indispensable in realizing other human rights. Across the world many children miss out on their education because:

they are made to work, they are recruited into armed forces, their families do not have the means to pay for schooling, discrimination and racism undermine their chance to receive an education, they face violence as they pursue their education.

School fees and related costs are a common barrier to education. These charges - which may be called voluntary quotas, matriculation fees or examination costs - are a greater burden for children from poor families, and they disproportionately affect those who are racial and ethnic minorities, members of Indigenous communities and migrants. Girls are more likely to be excluded from school than boys when there isnt enough money to go round. Key facts

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989 to protect the rights of children, is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. It encompasses civil rights and freedoms, family environment, basic health and welfare, education, leisure and cultural activities and special protection measures for children. There are estimated to be between 100 million and 150 million street children in the world, and this number is growing. Of those some 5-10% have run away from or been abandoned by their families. Under international law, the participation of children under 18 in armed conflict is generally prohibited, and the recruitment and use of children under 15 is a war crime. Around 4,500 children are currently in detention in Pakistan. More than 3,000 of them have not been convicted of any offence; their trials have either still yet to start or have not yet been completed.

UNICEFs mission is to advocate for the protection of childrens rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided in doing this by the provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A legally binding instrument The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rightscivil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too. The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.

Declaration of the Rights of the Child

1 All children have the right to what follows, no matter what their race, color sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, or where they were born or who they were born to.

2 You have the special right to grow up and to develop physically and spiritually in a healthy and normal
way, free and with dignity.

3 You have a right to a name and to be a member of a country. 4 You have a right to special care and protection and to good food, housing and medical services. 5 You have the right to special care if handicapped in any way. 6 You have the right to love and understanding, preferably from parents and family, but from the
government where these cannot help.

7 You have the right to go to school for free, to play, and to have an equal chance to develop yourself
and to learn to be responsible and useful. Your parents have special responsibilities for your education and guidance.

8 You have the right always to be among the first to get help. 9 You have the right to be protected against cruel acts or exploitation, e.g. you shall not be obliged to
do work which hinders your development both physically and mentally.

You should not work before a minimum age and never when that would hinder your health, and your moral and physical development.

10 You should be taught peace, understanding, tolerance and friendship among all people. Children's human rights
The United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) applies to all children and young people aged 17 and under. The Convention is separated into 54 'articles': most give children social, economic, cultural or civil and political rights; while others set out how governments must publicize or implement the Convention.

What is the UNCRC?

All children and young people up to the age of 18 years have all the rights in the Convention. Some groups of children and young people - for example those living away from home, and young disabled people - have additional rights to make sure they are treated fairly and their needs are met. The UK ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on 16 December 1991. That means the UK government now has to make sure that every child has all the rights outlined in the treaty except in those areas where the government has entered a specific reservation. A convention is an agreement between countries to obey the same law. When the government of a country ratifies a convention, that means it agrees to obey the rules set out in that convention.

What the treaty means

From 15 January 1992, when the treaty came into force, every child in the UK has been entitled to over 40 specific rights. These include:

the right to life, survival and development the right to have their views respected, and to have their best interests considered at all times the right to a name and nationality, freedom of expression, and access to information concerning them the right to live in a family environment or alternative care, and to have contact with both parents wherever possible health and welfare rights, including rights for disabled children, the right to health and health care, and social security the right to education, leisure, culture and the arts special protection for refugee children, children in the juvenile justice system, children deprived of their liberty and children suffering economic, sexual or other forms of exploitation

The rights included in the convention apply to all children and young people, with no exceptions. For more detailed information on the treaty and the rights included in it, and to find out the reservations entered by each country, click on the link below.

Making sure the Convention is followed

Responsibility for making sure each country follows the agreements of the Convention rests with The Committee for the Rights of the Child. This is an international body made up of experts on children's rights. The Committee last reviewed the UK Government's record in 2002. England now also has a Children's Commissioner, responsible for promoting awareness of children's views, interests and other rights guaranteed by the Convention. The Commissioner must prepare a report for Parliament each year.

Comments on delivery
The members of the United Nations have asked the government to let them know how the rights of young people are being taken into consideration in the UK. To do this, the government asked both adults and children to send their views on the rights mentioned in the Convention, and asked whether there was more that could be done to promote them. The survey covered a lot of areas including education, health and leisure facilities, and closed on 31 January 2007. Responses are now being analyzed and the findings of the survey will be published later in the year.

Children's Rights Alliance for England

In addition to the Committee and the Children's Commissioner, The Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) is a non-government organization which produces an annual review of how well the government responds to the Committee's findings and recommendations. The report summarizes both positive and negative developments in children's human rights in England.