Fundamental Rights of Children

1. Right to Life and Survival: Every child has the inherent right to life, and
governments must ensure their survival and development.
2. Right to a Name and Nationality: Children have the right to a legally registered
name and nationality.
3. Right to Identity: Children have the right to preserve their identity, including
nationality, name, and family relations.
4. Right to Know and Be Cared for by Parents: Children have the right to know
and be cared for by their parents.
5. Right to Live with Parents: Children should not be separated from their parents
unless it is in their best interests.
6. Right to Reunification: Children have the right to maintain contact with both
parents if separated.
7. Right to Express Opinions: Children have the right to express their views freely
in all matters affecting them.
8. Right to Freedom of Expression: Children have the right to seek, receive, and
impart information and ideas of all kinds.
9. Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion: Children have the
right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
10. Right to Freedom of Association: Children have the right to freedom of
association and peaceful assembly.
Family Environment and Alternative Care

11. Right to Parental Guidance: Children have the right to be guided by their
parents in exercising their rights.
12. Right to Protection from Separation: Children should not be separated from
their parents against their will.
13. Right to Family Reunification: Children have the right to enter or leave a
country for family reunification.
14. Right to Protection from Illicit Transfer: Children have the right to be
protected from unlawful transfer and non-return from abroad.
15. Right to Alternative Care: Children deprived of their family environment are
entitled to special protection and assistance.
16. Right to Adoption Procedures: Children have the right to legal adoption
procedures that ensure their best interests.
17. Right to Refugee Protection: Refugee children are entitled to protection and
humanitarian assistance.
18. Rights of Disabled Children: Children with disabilities have the right to special
care and assistance.
19. Right to Health and Health Services: Children have the right to the highest
attainable standard of health.
20. Right to Periodic Review of Treatment: Children placed for care have the right
to periodic review of their treatment.
Education, Leisure, and Cultural Activities

21. Right to Education: Children have the right to education, and primary education
should be compulsory and free.
22. Right to Educational Development: Education should develop the child's
personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities. (
23. Right to Cultural Identity: Children have the right to enjoy their own culture,
religion, and language.
24. Right to Rest and Leisure: Children have the right to rest and leisure, and to
engage in play and recreational activities.
25. Right to Protection from Economic Exploitation: Children have the right to be
protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is
likely to be hazardous.
26. Right to Protection from Drug Abuse: Children have the right to be protected
from the illicit use of narcotic drugs.
27. Right to Protection from Sexual Exploitation: Children have the right to be
protected from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
28. Right to Protection from Abduction and Trafficking: Children have the right
to be protected from abduction, sale, and trafficking. (
29. Right to Protection from All Forms of Exploitation: Children have the right to
be protected from all forms of exploitation prejudicial to any aspects of their
welfare.
30. Right to Protection from Torture and Deprivation of Liberty: Children have
the right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading
treatment or punishment.
Special Protection Measures

31. Right to Protection in Armed Conflicts: Children have the right to special
protection in times of armed conflict.
32. Right to Rehabilitation: Children who have been victims of neglect,
exploitation, or abuse have the right to recovery and social reintegration.

33. Right to Juvenile Justice: Children alleged to have infringed penal law have the
right to be treated in a manner consistent with the promotion of the child's sense
of dignity and worth.
34. Right to Legal Assistance: Children have the right to legal assistance in the
preparation and presentation of their defense.
35. Right to Protection from Capital Punishment: Neither capital punishment nor
life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offenses
committed by persons below 18 years of age.
36. Right to Protection from Armed Recruitment: Children under the age of 15
should not be recruited into armed forces.
37. Right to Protection from Harmful Work: Children have the right to be
protected from work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with their
education.
38. Right to Protection from Harmful Information: Children have the right to be
protected from information and material injurious to their well-being.
39. Right to Access to Information: Children have the right to access information
from a diversity of sources.
40. Right to Know Their Rights: Children have the right to know their rights, and
adults should help them learn about these rights.
Additional Rights Under Indian Law

41. Right to Free and Compulsory Education: Children aged 6 to 14 have the right
to free and compulsory education under the Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
42. Right to Protection from Child Labour: Children under 14 are prohibited from
working in hazardous occupations under the Child Labour (Prohibition and
Regulation) Act, 1986.
43. Right to Protection from Sexual Offences: Under the Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, children are safeguarded against
sexual abuse, harassment, and pornography. The Act mandates child-friendly
procedures during investigation and trial to ensure the child's well-being.
44. Right to Protection from Trafficking and Exploitation: Article 23 of the
Indian Constitution prohibits human trafficking and forced labor, ensuring
children are protected from such exploitation.
45. Right to Protection from Hazardous Employment: Article 24 of the Indian
Constitution prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 in
factories, mines, and other hazardous occupations.
46. Right to Free and Compulsory Education: The Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education Act, 2009, ensures that every child between the ages of 6
and 14 has the right to free and compulsory education.
47. Right to Protection from Child Marriage: The Prohibition of Child Marriage
Act, 2006, sets the minimum legal age for marriage at 18 for girls and 21 for
boys, aiming to prevent child marriages.
48. Right to Protection from Abuse and Neglect: Children have the right to be
protected from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury, abuse, neglect, or
exploitation.
49. Right to Participation in Decision-Making: Children have the right to express
their views freely in all matters affecting them, and their opinions should be given
due weight in accordance with their age and maturity.
50. Right to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) : Under Article 45 of
the Indian Constitution, as amended by the Eighty-sixth Amendment Act, 2002,
the State is directed to endeavor to provide early childhood care and education for
all children until they complete the age of six years. This provision emphasizes
the importance of early childhood development, recognizing that the formative
years are critical for a child's overall growth and learning. It mandates the State to
take necessary steps to ensure that young children have access to quality care and
educational opportunities, laying a strong foundation for their future.