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About Children's Rights

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989 is also called the “Constitution of the Child” and serves as the foundation for international protection of children's rights. On this page, you can learn about the specifics of the “rights of the child” recognized in the Convention through explanations of all the articles. Click on the thumbnails to see the details.

1. Definition of a child
2. No discrimination
3. Best interests of the child
4. Making rights real
5. Family guidance as children develop
6. Life survival and development
7. Name and nationality
8. Identity
9. Keeping families together
10. Contact with parents across countries
11. Protection from kidnapping
12. Respect for children's views
13. Sharing thoughts freely
14. Freedom of thought and religion
15. Setting up or joining groups
16. Protection of privacy
17. Access to information
18. Responsibility of parents
19. Protection from violence
20. Children without families
21. Children who are adopted
22. Refugee children
23. Children with disabilities
24. Health, water, food, environment
25. Review of a child's placement
26. Social and economic help
27. Food, clothing, a safe home
28. Access to education
29. Aims of education
30. Minority culture, language and religion
31. Rest, play, culture, arts
32. Protection from harmful work
33. Protection from harmful drugs
34. Protection from sexual abuse
35. Prevention of sale and trafficking
36. Protection from exploitation
37. Children in detention
38. Protection in war
39. Recovery and reintegration
40. Children who break the law
41. Best law for children applies
42. Everyone must know children's rights
43-54. How the Convention works

Thumbnail images of the Convention on the Rights of the Child were courtesy of the Japan Committee for UNICEF.