Definition of 'rights of the child'
In article 1, the Convention on the Rights of the Child gives a clear definition of who is considered a "child" when it comes to children's rights:
“For the purposes of the present Convention, a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.”
Main Rights Protected by the Convention
In particular, the Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees these rights for all children:
- Non-discrimination (article 2)
- Well-being of the child (article 3)
- Right to life and development (article 6)
- Right to a name and a nationality (article 7)
- Right not to be separated from the parents (article 9)
- Right to family reunification (article 10)
- Freedom of displacement (article 11)
- Freedom of expression (article 13)
- Freedom of thought, conscience and religion (article 14)
- Freedom of association (article 15)
- Protection of privacy (article 16)
- Right to information (article 17)
- Protection against maltreatment (article 19)
- Right to protection in the absence of family (article 20)
- Right to adoption (article 21)
- Equal rights for refugee children (article 22)
- Equal rights for children with disabilities (article 23)
- Right to health and medical services (article 24)
- Right to education (article 28)
- Right to protection against exploitation (article 32 to 36)
- Prohibition of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography)
- Prohibition of the participation of children in hostilities and armed conflict (Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in armed conflict)