What is the UNCRC?

You may have heard the term ‘rights’ before, or even the UNCRC, but what exactly was it and how does it affect young people.

The UNCRC is the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child. It was written in 1989 with the aim to recognize the rights of the children and agrees that they should be protected and promoted in all the areas of their life. They belong to everyone up to age of 18, although in some countries this age is lower.

There are 54 rights laid out as articles in the UNCRC. From the right to name, the right to privacy and the right to housing and food, almost every country has agreed to recognize the rights of the UNCRC. All the rights are connected to each other and are equally important.

The fact that a country has signed the UNCRC does not guarantee that the rights will be respected, protected and fulfilled. Adults are responsible for respecting these rights and countries are responsible for creating laws that will protect these rights.

Article 42 in the UNCRC says that you have the right to know your rights! Adults should know what your rights are and help you learn about them too.

Under the terms of the convention, governments are required to meet children’s basic need and help them reach their full potential. Central to this is the acknowledgement that every child has basic fundamental rights. These rights include the right to:

1. Life, survival, and development
2. Protection from violence, abuse or neglect
3. An education that enables children to fulfil their potential
4. Be raised by, or have relationship with, their parents
5. Express their opinions and be listened to.

In 2000, two optional protocols were added to the UNCRC. 0ne ask governments to ensure children under age of 18 are not forcibly recruited into their armed forces. The second calls on states to prohibit child prostitution, child pornography and the sale of children into slavery. These have now been ratified by more than 120 states.

A third optional protocol was added in 2011. This enables children whose rights have been violated to complain directly to the UN committee on the rights of the child.