duties and rights of child
25 years
ago international Convention on the Rights of the Child was created.
25th
anniversary of the Convention means that it is high time to acknowledge that
this document was created for a reason. It does not mean that the principles of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights could be abandoned, it only means
that there is a need for special attention to the rights of children, the
people whose rights are most often and willingly violated by those who are
stronger (adults).
by 2001 the
Convention had been officially ratified by 191 nations.
Rights
covered in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:
family
environment
rights to live with parents;
rights to be reunited if separated from
parents;
rights to be provided with alternative care if necessary
basic
health and welfare
rights of disabled children;
rights to health and healthcare;
rights to
social security,
rights to childcare;
and rights to an adequate standard of
living
education
and cultural activities
rights to education;
rights to play;
rights to leisure and participation
in cultural life and the arts
civic
rights and freedom
rights to a name and nationality;
rights to access to information; rights
to freedom of expression, of thought, and of association;
right not to be
subjected to torture
special
protections
rights of refugees,
rights of children caught in conflict, rights of
children in juvenile justice system;
rights of children deprived of their
liberty or suffering economic, sexual, or other exploitation
Defense of
children’s rights requires no reciprocal obligation on the part of children,
except for one: children themselves should also respect the rights of other
children. The child is entitled to protection from violence and abuse,
harassment and torture by anybody, including other children.
And the
child’s rights are rights, regardless of whether a child has good marks at
school or not, whether he or she cleans dishes at home or not, observes school
regulations regarding clothes and shoes or not, etc. Children should be given
proper ideas and attitudes concerning studies, work, family life, behavior at
school, but the rights of a child cannot be put in some strict relationship to
their duties.
All children, whether they are polite and obedient or naughty,
have rights as any other human beings.