Everyone has human rights. These are things like the ‘right to life’, and the ‘right to freedom of thought’. Children and young people have children's rights in addition to these. This is to give them the protection they need while they grow towards adulthood and independence.
The United Nations has a convention, or agreement on the rights that children are entitled to. This is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or UNCRC for short. It sets out all the additional rights that children are entitled to.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
The UNCRC is an agreement between 196 countries around the world. It lists all the things that children need to grow up happy, healthy and safe. Countries that signed the agreement have agreed to try and make those things happen for their children. The agreement also tries to make sure that children are involved in decisions that affect them.
There are 42 basic rights for children and young people. This video gives a short overview of what they are. It was made by children and young people in Cornwall.
All children and young people in the UK are entitled to children’s rights from the moment they are born until they are 18 years old. This is called being a rights holder.
There are four General Principles of the UNCRC. They underpin all the other rights. They are:
- Article 2 Non-discrimination
- Article 3 Best interests of the child
- Article 6 Life survival and development
- Article 12 Respect for the views of the child
You can find out more about these on the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child page.
Public authorities, such as Cornwall Council, are duty bearers of the UNCRC. This means they have responsibilities towards the children in their area. They must do all they can to ensure children are being allowed the rights they are entitled to. Cornwall Council is the duty bearer for the children and young people of Cornwall.