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National Child Day: It’s Time for Children’s Rights Education
Katherine Covell, PhD. Professor, PsychologyExecutive Director, Children’s Rights CentreUniversity College of Cape Breton, Sydney, Nova Scotia
November 2004
It has been over ten years since Canada ratified the United NationsConvention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, yet we still lag behind inraising awareness about children’s rights. On the occasion of NationalChild Day 2004, Voices for Children asked Katherine Covell, executivedirector of the Children’s Rights Centre in Nova Scotia, to address this gap.“The first place to start is with kids themselves,” says Covell. “Children needto become better aware that they have rights and one of the most effectiveways to do this is by providing children's rights education programs right inthe classroom.” Importantly, children’s rights education has other positivespin-offs for children: it increases self-esteem and socially responsibleattitudes and behaviours.
Introduction
“I learned that respect and equality are important for everyone.”
Grade 6 boy, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Imagine these words being spoken by thousands of children across the country. TheUnited Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified in Canada in 1991.Under its provisions, Canada is obligated to not only respect the rights of children, butalso to spread awareness about their rights. Unfortunately, in Canada, we have not donea good job in letting the public and especially children know about this duty. It is timethat we improved our efforts in child rights education and research is demonstrating thatthe most effective place to begin this is right in the classroom.
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Furthermore, the benefitsextend beyond learning about rights - children and youth show an increase in self-esteem and demonstrate more socially responsible attitudes and behaviours.
What are children’s rights?
 With 191 countries participating, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of theChild is the most widely and most quickly ratified international treaty in world history. Forthe purposes of the Convention,
children 
are understood to be any person up to the ageof 18.
 
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According to the Convention, children’s rights fall into three categories:
Provision
Children have a right to basic health care and education.
Protection
Children must be protected
 
against abuse, neglect and sexualand economic exploitation.
Participation
Children have the right to be heard in all matters that affectthem. Children should have their thoughts taken into accountsubject to their evolving capacity and with parental guidance.
 Good things happen when we teach young people about their rights
In addition to meeting our obligation to fulfill a treaty, teaching children and youth abouttheir rights appears to be more successful in promoting socially responsible behavioursand attitudes supportive of diversity than many of the more commonly used programssuch as anti-bullying and anti-racist programs.Research in Belgium
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, Canada
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and England
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consistently demonstrates that whenchildren learn about their rights they show:
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increased self-esteem
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adult-like understanding of rights as including responsibilities
•
more acceptance of minority children
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more acceptance of children with physical and cognitive difficulties
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increased perceptions of peer and teacher support
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increased rights-respecting attitudes, and
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more socially responsible behaviours.
Where is the best place to start teaching children’s rights?
One of the most effective places to improve knowledge about children’s rights is to teachit in schools. Although children’s rights education has not been widely implemented inCanada’s school system, some progress has been made toward increasing awarenessof children’s rights among teachers and students.The University College of Cape Breton Children's Rights Centre in Cape Breton NovaScotia (UCCB) has developed children’s rights curricula and pilot tested them in Grade6, Grade 8, and Grade 12 classrooms. As described above, our evaluations have showna positive impact on student’s attitudes and behaviours. Children who learned abouttheir rights within a caring and participatory classroom environment show more supportfor the rights of others and have more positive interactions with peers and teachers.Bullying and teasing are reduced.
 
 
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Observing the benefits of children’s rights education, the Nova Scotia Department ofEducation has now included the Grade 6 curriculum activities in its Health and SocialStudies curricula for use across the province from kindergarten through Grade 6.
What makes children’s rights education so effective?
 There are three basic reasons why children’s rights education is effective:
Children’s rights education is positive.
Normally, when we teach children whatbehaviours we expect of them we tell them what
not 
to do: “Don’t litter, don’t hit, don’tbully, don’t be racist.” These messages are disempowering and demoralizing and, asevery parent knows, they get tuned out quickly.When children learn about
their 
rights, it doesn’t take them long to become engaged andwant to learn more. They quickly appreciate that they do not have to earn these rightsand they also soon realize that rights are not just for them, they are the same for allchildren. In order to have their own rights respected they must make sure they respectthe rights of others.Our research has shown that when children learn about their rights they identify betterwith all others because they realize that they share the same rights. In the words of oneGrade 8 teacher:“They realized that since all children are bearers of rights, it isimportant to ensure that they respect the rights of others. Thisunderstanding was accompanied by a reduction in behaviours thatinfringe upon the rights of others.”
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Children’s rights education appeals to children and youth.
Children are delightedand often astonished to learn that our government has actually signed a specialconvention for them. One Grade 6 child told us,“[having rights] makes kids feel wanted and feel good aboutthemselves”
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 Another particularly enthusiastic Grade 8 child even went so far as to say,“[rights education] makes children happy to get up in the morningand go to school knowing that they have people that care aboutthem.”
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 It is also important to note that, unlike many messages children receive, informationabout children’s rights has direct relevance to their daily lives now rather than beingfocused on their future adult lives.
Children’s rights education provides an opportunity to model rights and respect inthe classroom
.
 
Children’s rights education is best provided in a democratic classroomenvironment that values mutual respect among students and between students and
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