“Humanity has to do its best for the child.” Declaration of Geneva.
Children are tender and fragile yet powerful to be around. Adults often tend to underestimate their abilities and neglect the need to educate children about their rights. Therefore, here we’ll be talking in detail about the basic rights that every child should be familiar with!
What characterizes children and set them apart from the categorization of adulthood is their vulnerability. The majority of the children are unable to protect themselves without the supervision of an adult which is why they are required to be under the protection of an adult until they themselves are capable to do so. Therefore, children should be the pivot of attention, affection and care; they rightfully deserve the provisions of special child-friendly laws and policies for the vital process of their holistic development.
According to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights. Children have the right to “special help and assistance.” Children’s
Rights are human rights that are structured for the child as they take into account their fragility,
specificities and age-appropriate utilities. The children thus have the right to live and to develop physically, mentally and intellectually. These rights act as the safeguard to protect children and recognize fundamental guarantees to all human beings: the right to life, the right to dignity through the protection of mental and physical integrity which constitutes the safeguard against slavery, torture and abusive treatment etc. Children’s Rights are also civil and political in nature which implies their right to identity and nationality. These rights also have economic, social and cultural dimensions which include their right to quality education, the right to a decent standard of living, the right to better healthcare etc. Moreover, children’s rights include collective rights: rights of refugee and disabled children, of minority children or from autochthonous and indigenous groups.
As we are talking about rights, it is significant to discuss the purpose. The aim of these rights is to satisfy the essential needs for good development of the child, such as the access to necessary care, attention, protection as a child is considered vulnerable, therefore, it is necessary to grant specific assistance to them. Help and support must be provided to children along with the strict provisions for protection against labour exploitation, kidnapping, and ill-treatment, etc. More than half of the abuses and assault inflicted upon children are committed by a close and known group of people who have a relationship of trust and authority with the child. To fully realize and implement a child’s right to protection, it is essential to adopt a distinct and kind attitude towards children and their necessities. It is extremely necessary to invest in educating and training guardians on children’s fundamental right to protection, and prosecuting those who neglect it in order to make the world a better place for children.
Children, too, deserve rights, dignity and opportunities as much as adults in order to grow, blossom and explore the world around them. Every child is equal in the eyes of law and in no way, should not be discriminated against.
We will be talking more about child rights and protection. Stay tuned!
Written by Ayusshi