Topic : Child Rights
Members -Srinidhi tar ,Natasha kerkar, Sachit Bhagat , shubham dessai , Eshwar khobrekar,
Sara Barneto
Location-el Shaddai
Child rights
Children's rights or the rights of children are a subset of human rights with particular attention to
the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors.
Children and young people have the same general human rights as adults
and also specific rights that recognize their special needs. They are human
beings and are the subject of their own rights. the Rights of the Child sets
out the rights that must be realized for children to develop to their full
potential.
a vision of the child as an individual and as a member of a family and
community, with rights and responsibilities appropriate to his or her age and
stage of development. By recognizing children's rights in this way, the
Convention firmly sets the focus on the whole child.
The Convention recognizes the fundamental human dignity of all children
and the urgency of ensuring their well-being and development. It makes
clear the idea that a basic quality of life should be the right of all children,
rather than a privilege enjoyed by a few.
Rights of the child is
an important agreement by countries who have promised
to protect children’s rights.
explains who children are, all their rights, and the responsibilities of
governments. All the rights are connected, they are all equally important
and they cannot be taken away from children.
Convention on the Rights of the Child: The children's
version
1. Definition of a child
A child is any person under the age of 18.
2. No discrimination
All children have all these rights, no matter who they are, where they live,
what language they speak, what their religion is, what they think, what they
look like, if they are a boy or girl, if they have a disability, if they are rich or
poor, and no matter who their parents or families are or what their parents
or families believe or do. No child should be treated unfairly for any reason.
3. Best interests of the child
When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions
will affect children. All adults should do what is best for children.
Governments should make sure children are protected and looked after by
their parents, or by other people when this is needed. Governments should
make sure that people and places responsible for looking after children are
doing a good job.
[Link] survival and development
Every child has the right to be alive. Governments must make sure that
children survive and develop in the best possible way.
5. Identity
Children have the right to their own identity – an official record of who they
are which includes their name, nationality and family relations. No one
should take this away from them, but if this happens, governments must
help children to quickly get their identity back.
[Link] for children's views
Children have the right to give their opinions freely on issues that affect
them. Adults should listen and take children seriously.
[Link] thoughts freely
Children have the right to share freely with others what they learn, think
and feel, by talking, drawing, writing or in any other way unless it harms
other people
[Link] of thought and religion
Children can choose their own thoughts, opinions and religion, but this
should not stop other people from enjoying their rights. Parents can guide
children so that as they grow up, they learn to properly use this right.
9. Protection from violence
Governments must protect children from violence, abuse and being
neglected by anyone who looks after them.
[Link], water, food, environment
Children have the right to the best health care possible, clean water to
drink, healthy food and a clean and safe environment to live in. All adults
and children should have information about how to stay safe and healthy.
[Link], clothing, a safe home
Children have the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live so they can
develop in the best possible way. The government should help families and
children who cannot afford this.
The importance of children’s rights
There are many reasons for singling out children's rights in a separate
human rights Convention:
Children are individuals
Children are neither the possessions of parents nor of the state, nor are
they mere people-in-the-making; they have equal status as members of the
human family.
Children start life as totally dependent beings
Children must rely on adults for the nurture and guidance they need to
grow towards independence. Such nurture is ideally found from adults in
children's families, but when primary adult caregivers cannot meet
children's needs, it is up to the State as the primary duty bearer to find an
alternative in the best interests of the child.
The actions, or inactions, of government impact children more
strongly than any other group in society
Practically every area of government policy – from education to public
health – affects children to some degree. Short-sighted policymaking that
fails to take children into account has a negative impact on the future of all
members of society.
Children's views should be heard and considered in the political
process
Children generally do not vote and do not traditionally take part in political
processes. Without special attention to the opinions of children – as
expressed at home and in schools, in local communities and even in
governments – children's views go unheard on the many important issues
that affect them now or will affect them in the future.
Many changes in society are having a disproportionate, and often
negative, impact on children
Transformation of the family structure, globalization, climate change,
digitalization, mass migration, shifting employment patterns and a shrinking
social welfare net in many countries all have strong impacts on children.
The impact of these changes can be particularly devastating in situations of
armed conflict and other emergencies.
The healthy development of children is crucial to the future
well-being of any society
Because they are still developing, children are especially vulnerable – more
so than adults – to poor living conditions such as poverty, inadequate
health care, nutrition, safe water, housing and environmental pollution. The
effects of disease, malnutrition and poverty threaten the future of children
and therefore the future of the societies in which they live.
The costs to society of failing its children are huge
Social research findings show that children's earliest experiences
significantly influence their future development. The course of their
development determines their contribution, or cost, to society over the
course of their lives.