rights for every child

RRiigghhttss ffoorr eevveerryy cchhiillddThe UN Convention on the R ights of the Child states the rights of al l children and young people under the age of 18.

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CARED FOR

All organisations concerned withchildren, for example, schools and thehealth service, should work towardswhat is best for each child. Article 3

All children have a right to a birthcertificate. Article 7

Children should not be separated fromtheir parents unless it is for theirown good. For instance, if a parent ishurting their child or not tak ingcare of them properly. Article 9

I f parents decide to l ive apart, childrenhave the right to stay in contactwith both parents. Article 9

Famil ies who l ive in different countrieshave the right to get back together andlive in the same place. Article 10All over the world, children can be separated from

the ones they love best. This mother and son arereunited after being separated by the 2004 tsunami.

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PROTECTION

All children should be protected fromviolence, abuse and neglect, andgovernments should protect them. Article 19

Children should not be al lowed to dowork that is dangerous or m ight makethem il l , or stops them going to school.Article 32

Children have a right to be protectedfrom dangerous drugs, and from thebusiness of making or sel l ing them.Article 33

Nobody can do anything to your bodythat you do not want them to do, andgrown-ups should protect you. Article 34

No child should be punished in a waythat humil iates or hurts them. Article 37Over 100 mil l ion children do dangerous work , often

away from their famil ies, and don’t go to school.

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PARTICIPATING

All children have a right to be able togive their opinion when adults aremaking a decision that w il l affect them,and adults should take it seriously.Article 12

All children have a right to find outthings, and say what they think throughspeaking, writing, drawing etc. unless itbreaks the rights of others. Article 13

All children have the right to meet, makefriends with, and join clubs with otherchildren. Article 15

All children have the right to privacy.Article 16

All children have the right to in formationfrom TV, radio, newspapers and theinternet. These media should providein formation that children canunderstand. Article 17

A girl speak s on the UN ICEF-supported YoungPeople’s Media Network (YPMN ), produced and runby children age 14–17 in Georgia.

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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

All children have the right to think andbelieve what they want, and to practisetheir rel igion. Article 14

Parents should help children learn whatis right and wrong. Article 14

Children who are refugees or asylumseekers in another land have the right tospecial protection. They have the samerights as children who were born in thatcountry. Article 22

Children who come from a m inoritygroup have the right to learn and use thelanguage and customs of their famil ies.Also to practise their own rel igion anduse their own language. Article 30

Friendship knows no barriers of country, culture,race or rel igion.

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EDUCATION AND PLAY

All children have the right to aneducation. Article 28

The purpose of education is to developevery child’s personality, talents andmental and physical abil ities. Article 29

Education should teach children torespect their parents, their own andother cultures. Article 29

Education should prepare children to l iveresponsibly and peacefully in a freesociety. Article 29

Education should teach children torespect the natural environment. Article 29

All children have the right to relax andplay, and to join a wide range ofactivities. Article 31

A Rwandan boy holds a UN ICEF schoolbook at hisprimary school. More than 90 mil l ion children donot receive primary education.

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SURVIVAL AND DEVELOPMENT

Every child has the right to l ife. Article 6

Children who are disabled, eithermentally or physical ly, have a right tospecial care and education so they canlead full and independent l ives.Article 23

All children have a right to good healthand good quality health care. Allchildren should have clean water,nutritious food and a clean environmentso they stay healthy. Article 24

All children have the right to a decentstandard of l iving. The Governmentshould help famil ies who cannot afford toprovide a decent standard of l iving fortheir children. Article 27

A boy, age 9, drink s water from a tap in the vil lageof Boa Marte, Sao Tome. More than 120 mil l ionchildren do not have safe water.

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REHABILITATION* AND CARE

Children under the age of 16 yearsshould not take a direct part in anyconfl ict. Article 38

Children who are affected by an armedconfl ict should have special protectionand care. Article 38

Children who have suffered in any wayhave a right to get help in a safe place,to help them recover. Article 39

* Rehabil itation means that things aredone to put l ife back to normal.

Sami, age 6, watches as his parents unpack aUN ICEF water k it. The family lost their home in the2004 Asian tsunami.

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This book belongs to: .......................................................................

I have shared this book with: ...........................................................

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AcknowledgementsI l lustrations from For Every Child, published by Red Fox, a division of Random House Children’sBook s, 61–63 Uxbridge Road, Ealing W5 5SA. www.kidsatrandomhouse.co.uk

CreditsCover, P.J .Lynch; p.2, Ken W ilson-Max; p.4, Claudio Muñoz; p.6, John Burningham; p.8, Rabindra & Amrit K .D. Kaur Singh; p.10, Satoshi K itamura; p.12, Peter Weevers; p.14, Shirley Hughes

For more copies of this leaflet cal l 0844 801 2414, and quote code 32348.www.unicef.org.uk


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