Human rights are fundamental to an individual's existence, they are not luxuries. Everybody is entitled to have their human rights respected. Human rights aim to protect all people and provide for their full development. With rights come responsibilities to ensure that we do not infringe on the rights of others.
A child is any human being under the age of eighteen. They have the right to special protection because of their defencelessness against mistreatment. The first United Nations statement devoted exclusively to the rights of children was the Declaration on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1959. This was a moral rather than a legally binding document. In 1989 the legally binding Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations. In 54 articles the Convention includes the whole range of human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural - and sets out the specific ways these should be ensured for children and young people. In May 2000, two optional rules of conduct were adopted to strengthen the provisions of Convention; one on the involvement of children in armed conflict and a second on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Details about Children’s Rights and why it occurs.
Many children in the world do not have access to their own rights. The rights of a Child include:
U Survival- Every child has the right to life through the supply of basic needs such as food, water, shelter and health care.
Many children don’t have these basic needs due to the lack of resources that are available in their area. Around 11 million children die each year from preventable diseases due to the lack of clean water and inadequate health care.
U Development- All children should be able to grow to their full potential by having good education, leisure activities, cultural activities, access to information, freedom of thought and religion and freedom from discrimination.
Many children do not receive an education because from the age of five, one in six children are working so that they can make a living. Around 101 million children are not enrolled in primary school. Most of these are girls.
U Protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation- Children should be guarded against all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation and should be allowed to live in a safe and caring environment. Children need protection in situations such as child labour and the sale of individuals. Special care is required for girls, children with a disability and refugees.
Children are not protected enough because there is a poor amount of security in their country. Approximately 2 million children have been killed in armed conflicts in the past decade.
U Participation in family, cultural and social life- All children should be enabled to express their views freely on all problems that may affect them by taking an active role in their families, communities and nations. Allowing this freedom could help children express their opinions, to have a say in situations that have an impact on their own lives, to join associations and to assemble peacefully.
Children are not able to participate in family, cultural or social life because there are no programs that can help them express their views freely. There are no groups that children can join to help them have a say in situations affecting their lives.
In many countries children still do not have access to their own rights. The lives of children have improved but many still do not have all they need to survive and develop fully.
What can be done about Children’s Rights?
Principles have been made to govern the Convention on the Rights of Children. These include:
U Universality and non-discrimination- Every child regardless of race, colour, gender, disability, language, religion, political or other opinion, or national or social origin should have access to their own rights.
U Best interests of the child- Awareness of decisions made that will have an impact on children and recognising the ability of children that are underage to be more independent.
U Indivisibility and interdependence of children’s rights- The convention of the rights of children is seen as a total package which means that every child should have access to all the rights that are outlined in this package.
U Accountability- An international committee reviews the reports submitted by the government outlining their progress towards improving the access of children’s rights.
Ausaid is the Australian Government’s overseas aid program. This program places a strong significance on reducing poverty, achieving sustainable development and improving governance. All of these contribute to improving access to children’s rights in developing countries.
Examples of programs include:
Survival
U Providing resources such as medicines, primary health care and immunisation as well as training workers improves health.
U Access to clean water can prevent disease.
U Assisting communities to produce enough food for their needs and earn an income to buy foods that cannot be grown.
U Assisting countries to develop skills to make a living and protect themselves from exploitation.
Development
U Promoting education for all by building schools and improving the quality of education through teacher training.
U Assisting parents to send their children to school.
Protection
U Preventing the trafficking of women and children.
U Improving security to build a peaceful community.
U Clearing landmines.
Participation
U Improving governance by developing decent legal systems and to provide training to develop liable public senators.
U Setting up programs for the community in which all people including children can be involved and influence the development of their resources.
The more knowledge that we have about rights, the more we are able to ensure that every child has access to them. Here are some suggestions on how we can help address Children’s Rights.
U We can create petitions to help support children in developing countries that do not have access to rights.
U Avoid purchasing products such as Nike where children in developing countries are forced to work and produce these products.
U Build families for children in need.
U Help children figure out their future.
U Pay attention to Universal Children’s Day on the 20th November which focuses on the rights of children around the world. It is observed in Australia on the fourth Wednesday in October.
