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The Convention is a list of Articles which covers all aspects of your life. 40 Articles describe the rights which the government must make sure you have. This page explains how rights must be given fairly to all children; how children must be taken care of; how your needs must be met, and your right to take part in society. Remember these rights are for all people under eighteen.
Article 1 says everyone under eighteen is entitled to all the rights in the Convention, and Article 2 spells out that everyone means:
The Convention says that it is important for you to know who you are and where you come from, so Article 7 gives you the right to a name and a nationality, and a birthday. These details must be recorded, along with your parents' details. This is to make sure that society recognises you and respects you as a person in your own right.
Your rights make sure you are treated fairly, and also make sure we treat each other fairly. That means no racism, no sexism, no excluding people or disrespecting them.
The Convention recognises people under eighteen as important members of society. It gives you the right to take part in making decisions that affect you personally, but it also realises you will want recognition for your views and feelings by other people in society too.
Article 12 gives you the right to express your opinion in any decision that will affect you. Adults should respect your views and take them into account.
Article 14 is the right to decide your own beliefs and opinions. You should be free to think for yourself about how you feel. This could be on issues such as religion, or perhaps about causes like the environment, animal rights or human rights - whatever interest you The Convention says it is still important for adults to help you work out your beliefs, which can be difficult with so many different ideas and viewpoints.
Article 13 says you can express yourself in lots of different ways - talking, writing, artwork - as long as this does no disrespect to anyone else. You can also get any information you need to help you think about issues too.
Article 15 means you can join clubs or organisations, or even set up your own. You also have the right to meet with other people. You also have the right to play, leisure and recreation (Article 31), and if you are a member of an ethnic or religious community, you should be able to enjoy your own culture.
Its a cliché we know! But these rights make sure you can be part of society, and give you the right to work out what part you want to play. The Convention says it is important that while respecting your rights, adults also have to help you work out right from wrong. Whatever you do, you still have to stay within the law, and respect the rights of others.
There are lots of ways that children and young people need protection. Sometimes the people you depend on let you down, or sometimes there are situations where there might be risks. The Convention says that everything concerning you must be in your best interests. That is Article 3. Obviously, before you can enjoy any other rights, you have to survive and develop, which is covered by Article 6.
Protection from harm is obviously the main aim of lots of the Articles in the Convention, so we'll have to be brief even though these are really important. You have the right to privacy (Article 16), and to protection from any kind of abuse (Article 19) or torture (Article 37). No one is allowed to exploit you in any way (Article 36) or to kidnap you (Article 35). These things could happen in everyday life or during situations such as wars. Article 39 says that if you have been a victim of any of these things you should have care to help you recover.
Your family is in the most important position to care and support you according to Articles 5 and 18. The government must respect this and support parents, and if for any reason you are split up from your parents, they must do their best to get you together again or help you keep in contact (Articles 9 and 10).
If you are in a situation where your family cannot look after you the government must make sure you are placed in good care (Article 20) which is regularly reviewed (Article 25). If you are adopted, this must be in your best interests (Article 21).
You might be interested to know that Article 33 gives you the right to be protected from drugs and dealing.
If you are ever in trouble with the law, Article 40 gives you the right to legal representation and to fair treatment.
If you work, Article 32 says that you should not be involved in jobs which threaten your health or education and that the government must set rules about work for children and young people.
Keeping you alive, safe and well is the bottom line of the Convention, which all the other rights build on.
The Convention realises that things must be provided for people while they are young, if they are to grow up safe, healthy and happy. It is all about having what you need to achieve your potential; as a person and as a member of society Information is important to help you get what you need, as well as to make decisions. Article 17 means that information should be given to you in ways you can understand, and on things which are important to you.
Health is really important to everyone. The Convention says that everything must be done to make sure you don't get ill in the first place (like a clean environment or your TB jab). You also have the right to access to health services. These are in Article 24. Remember Article 12 gives you the right to have your say in your medical treatment.
If people with a disability need special care and education to enable them to achieve their potential and take part in society, Article 23 says they should have this.
Education is another matter which the Convention is concerned about. Two Articles cover this. Article 28 gives you the right to go to school, but Article 29 says you should have an education which gives you respect for human rights and a fair society, and for you personally to develop your talents and abilities as much as possible.
People's personal needs and their ability to take part in society depend on money. The Convention says that you should have the right to social security, Article 26, and then Article 27 says you should have a reasonable standard of living, and that if your parents can't meet this, the government must help them.
The Convention tries to make sure you have your rights by suggesting that the government should ensure that they organise services in the best way for everyone.
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