Rights

Every child has the right to protection.
UNICEF/HQ00-0638/Roger LeMoyne

The right to protection:
Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been signed and ratified by every country in the world except Somalia and the USA, every child in the world has the right to protection from things that may harm them. The convention lists many things that young people should be protected from, including dangerous work, abuse, exploitation, violence, drugs, war and harmful imprisonment.

What the CRC says:

• Governments should make sure that children are properly cared for, and protect them from violence, abuse and neglect by their parents or anyone else who looks after them.
• The government should protect you from work that is dangerous or might harm your health or education.
• The government should provide ways of protecting you from dangerous drugs, and from the business of making or selling them.
• The government should protect you from sexual abuse. Nobody can do anything to your body that you don't want them to do, and adults should protect you.
• If you have been neglected or abused, you should receive special help to restore your self-respect.
• The government should make sure that you are not abducted or sold.
• You should be protected from any activities that could harm your development.
• If you are accused of breaking the law, you should receive legal help. Prison sentences for children should only be used for the most serious offences.
• If you break the law, you should not be treated cruelly. You should not be put in a prison with adults and you should be able to keep in contact with your family.
• Governments should not allow children under 16 to join the army. In war zones, you should receive special protection.
• If the laws of a particular country protect you better than the articles of the Convention, then those laws should stay.

Do all children get their right to protection?
Hundreds of millions of children are missing out on the protection they need. Millions suffer from abuse and neglect. Around 218 million children are involved in child labour. It's thought that 1.2 million children are trafficked every year, while over a million children are in jails around the world. It's thought that 300,000 child soldiers are now being used in conflicts.