RIGHTS OF A CHILD Children's Rights

Childrens rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors, including their right to association with both parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education, health care and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development of the child, equal protection of the child's civil rights, and freedom from discrimination on the basis of the child's race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability, color, ethnicity, or other characteristics.

Who is a Child?
The general definition of a child covers all human beings under the age of 18 unless the relevant national law recognises an earlier age of majority. The term "child" often, but does not necessarily, mean minor, but can include adult children as well as adult nondependent children. As minors by law children do not have autonomy or the right to make decisions on their own for themselves in any known jurisdiction of the world. Instead their adult caregivers, including parents, social workers, teachers, youth workers, and others, are vested with that authority, depending on the circumstances. There are no definitions of other terms used to describe young people such as "adolescents", "teenagers" or "youth" in international law. Some organizations have adopted working definitions to facilitate their programmatic work. The World Health Organisation, for example, has adopted the following working definitions: "adolescent" refers to any individual aged between 10-19 years; "young person" refers to any individual between 10-24 years; and "youth" to persons between the ages of 15-24 years.

Rights at Stake
Children's rights cover every aspect of the lives of children and adolescents and can be broken down into the following main categories: Survival rights: the right to life and to have the most basic needs met (e.g., adequate standard of living, shelter, nutrition, medical treatment). Development rights: the rights enabling children to reach their fullest potential (e.g. education, play and leisure, cultural activities, access to information and freedom of thought, conscience and religion).

 Participation rights: rights that allow children and adolescents to take an active role in their communities (e.g., the freedom to express opinions; to have a say in matters affecting their own lives; to join associations). Protection rights: rights that are essential for safeguarding children and adolescents from all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation (e.g., special care for refugee children; protection against involvement in armed conflict, child labour, sexual exploitation, torture and drug abuse).

Issues endangering the rights of the Child

Every child has a right to their childhood a hopeful existence free of exploitation, violence, neglect, and extreme poverty. Children need education, health services, consistent support systems as well as love, hope and encouragement; all these things and more are required in order to experience childhood to the fullest, and to eventually develop into healthy, capable adults. Children cannot always be told what to do and what to think; they should be able to affect decisions that concern them. However, millions of young people around the world are exploited in different ways. Children are forced to work in factories, backrooms, on the street, and in the sex trade. They can be sold as slaves or even drafted to fight in wars. The violation of childrens rights is pervasive throughout many countries and fuels struggling economies, but exploitation of children is not restricted to the public sphere. Alarmingly, children are too often the recipients of violence in their own home, where a high percentage of abuse sexual, physical, emotional, and psychological takes place. Child labour - children work for a variety of reasons in differing cultural, social and economic circumstances. Whether work is defined as exploitative will depend on a range of factors including the work itself, the work environment, the presence of particular hazards, the perceived benefits of work and the nature of the employment relationship. Gender also plays a role as girls and boys may be subjected to different forms of exploitative labour. Another important consideration is how work interferes with the right of a child to education. Some forms of child labour have clearly been identified as harmful and are often referred to as the "worst" forms of child labour e.g. sexual exploitation, military recruitment. Sexual exploitation - children and adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation given their dependency on others and their limited ability to protect themselves. Sexual abuse and exploitation can take a variety of forms including rape, commercial sexual exploitation and domestic abuse. Sexual exploitation has far-reaching effects for the physical and mental health of a child. It is estimated that 1 million children (mainly girls but also a significant number of boys) enter the multi-billion dollar sex trade each year.

Military recruitment - An estimated 300,000 children and adolescents are engaged in armed conflict and are often forced into committing extremely brutal acts of violence. Children have a right to specific protection in situations of armed conflict. Juvenile justice - Children and adolescents held in custody for crimes may suffer torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, they may be unlawfully detained and be denied their right to a fair trial. They may be given sentences which damage their well-being and prevent their successful re-integration into society. The administration of juvenile justice is carried out in accordance with the best interests of the child.

International and Local Laws Protecting the Rights of the Child

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is seen as a basis for all international legal standards for children's rights today. There are several conventions and laws that address children's rights around the world. A number of current and historical documents affect those rights, including the 1923 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, drafted by Eglantyne Jebb and her sister Dorothy Buxton in London, England in 1919, endorsed by the League of Nations and adopted by the United Nations in 1946. It later served as the basis for the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

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 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.

United Nations Children Education Fund (Unicef)

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.

African Charter On The Rights And Welfare Of The Child (ACRWC)

The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child is an important regional instrument to protect and promote the rights of children.

National Agency For The Prohibition Of Traffic In Persons And Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) Declaration of the Rights of the Child
1. All children have the right to what follows, no matter what their race, colour 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 a 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.

Notable Dates
Childrens Day (27 May) International Day of the African Child (16 June)
Universal Children's Day (20 November) World Day Against Child Labour (12 June)