Children & Young People's Rights

UNCRC Explained

The human rights of children and the standards to which all governments must aspire in realizing these rights for all children, are most concisely and fully articulated in one international human rights treaty: the Convention on the Rights of the Child. On the 20th November 1989, the United Nations approved the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is now an international agreement that countries sign up to obey. Once countries ratify (agree to uphold) the convention they are legally bound to what it says.

The UK government ratified the Convention on December 6th 1991.This means that the UK government has to ensure that every child has all the rights in the Convention. All but two countries in the world have signed the Convention - the USA and Somalia.

The key principles of the UNCRC are that:

1. All the rights guaranteed by the Convention must be available to all children without discrimination of any kind (Article 2)
2. That the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all actions concerning children (Article 3)
3. Children?s views must be considered and taken into account in all matters affecting them (Article 12)
4. All children have the right to life, survival and development (Article 6)

All other articles can be defined within 3 categories:

Participation

These articles are based on the concept of the child as an active and contributing participant in society and not merely as a passive recipient of good or bad treatment.

Provision

These articles cover the basic rights of children to survive and develop. These range through health care, food and clean water to education and an environment which allows children to develop. The Convention is clear that the best place for a child is with its parents, and that the State has a duty to support and assist parents in this responsibility where necessary.

Protection

These articles deal with exploitation of children at work; physical, sexual and psychological abuse; discrimination and other mistreatments which many still suffer, including UK children. In other parts of the work children are suffering the effects of war. The Convention makes it a duty for State Parties to protect children, where necessary, to provide rehabilitation for them.