The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

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The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

• From
• The Cyprus Childrens Parliament and
• The Pancyprian Coordinating Committee for the
  Protection and Welfare of Children
• Original
  version in Greek by Kyriacos Pastides

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Important dates

• 19th century No collective responsibility
  towards children (exploitation, child labor,
  social and economic discrimination)
• 1924 The Geneva Declaration on the Rights of
  the Child is adopted
• 1959 The UN Declaration on the Rights of the
  Child is adopted (a moral framework of no
  legislative value)
• 1979 The International Year for Children
  (discussions on a forthcoming Convention begin)
• 1989 The UN General Assembly unanimously votes
  for the adoption of the Convention on the Rights
  of the Child

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General points

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is
  the first legal binding document recognising the
  individual rights of children all over the world.
  In its 54 articles, it sets the fundamental
  requisites for the protection and welfare of
  children. It was unanimously adopted by the UN
  General Assembly on the 20th November 1989 and
  put into effect in 1990. Almost all UN Member
  States, including Cyprus, have ratified the
  Convention.

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1990 A year to remember!...

• Within the November 1990 Childrens Week,
  thousands of Cypriot children of all ages
  participated in a rally through Nicosia streets
  to the Parliament building, demanding the
  immediate ratification of the UN Convention on
  the Rights of the Child. A month later, the
  Republic of Cyprus ratified the Convention.

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• So, Cyprus
• Ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the
  Child in
• December 1990
• with the 243 Law of 1990.
• When a state ratifies an international convention
  it becomes automatically obliged to amend its
  legislation in such a way as to ensure full
  compliance with its provisions. It should be
  noted that ratified international conventions are
  placed above national legislations.

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The preambleState parties

• Considering that recognizing the dignity and
  equal and inseparable rights for all is a
  foundation to freedom, justice and peace in the
  world

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• Taking into consideration
• That all peoples decided to promote social
  progress and better living conditions

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• Recognizing
• That the United Nations proclaimed and agreed
  that each and every individual is entitled to
  enjoy all rights regardless of race, color,
  gender, language, religion , political or other
  convictions

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• Reminding
• That children are entitled to special aid and
  support

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• Convinced
• That the family should have the necessary
  protection and support in order to be able to
  fulfill its community role

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• Recognizing
• That in order for children to harmoniously
  develop their personality they should be raised
  in a family setting within a climate of
  happiness, love and understanding

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• Feeling
• That it is important to prepare the child to live
  an independent personal life within society and
  with the ideals of peace, dignity, tolerance,
  freedom, equality and solidarity

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• Taking into consideration
• That the need to give children special
  protection was mentioned in the Geneva
  Declaration of 1924 and that children, because of
  their physical and mental immaturity, need
  special protection and care along with adequate
  legal protection both before and after birth

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• Reminding
• The special mention of placement into care or for
  adoption and the rules, regulations and
  procedures governing such cases

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• Recognizing
• That in each and every country of the world there
  exist children who live under very difficult
  conditions and that special attention should be
  given to these particular children

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• Taking into serious account
• The importance of cultural heritage and tradition
  in the protection and development of children

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• Recognizing
• The importance of international cooperation for
  the improvement of childrens life conditions in
  all countries, especially the ones under
  development

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• Member States

Agree to promote
THE UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
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The four principles

• The Convention states that all
• individuals under 18 years of age
• are considered to be children. It is
• based on four basic principles
• The Principle of the Right to Survival
• The Principle of the Right to Protection
• The Principle of the Right to Life, Evolution and
  Development
• The Principle of the Right to Respect Childrens
  Views and the Right to Participation

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1. The Right to Survival

• Covering the right to life and the basic needs
  for a childs survival adequate life conditions,
  a house, adequate food, clean water and medical
  care.

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2. The Rights to Protection

• They demand that children are protected from all
  forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation. They
  cover cases such as refugee children, tortured
  children, children in various institutions, child
  soldiers, child labour, drug abuse and sexual
  exploitation and they demand special protection
  and care.

                                  
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3. The Rights to Development

• They include everything that children need in
  order o develop their full capacities and
  abilities. For example, the right to play and
  recreation, the right to education, the right to
  cultural life, the right to access information,
  the right to freedom of thought and religion.

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4. The Rights to Participation

• They allow children to play an active role in
  their societies and their nations. They include
  the right to free expression of opinion, the
  right to comment on issues concerning them and
  their life, the right to participate in all kinds
  of cultural events, the right to organize.

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The Articles

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
  comprises 54 Articles that could be divided into
  three parts

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• PART ONE
• 1. Definition
• 2. Discriminations
• 3. Care
• 4. The Member State
• 5. Parental Support
• 6. Survival and Development
• 7. Name and Nationality
• 8. Identity
• 9. Life with Parents
• 10. Family reunion

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• 11. Abduction / Detainment
• 12. Freedom of Opinion
• 13. Freedom of Expression
• 14. Freedom of Thought and Religion
• 15. Freedom to organize
• 16. Personal Life
• 17. Access to Information
• 18. Parental Responsibility
• 19. Abuse / Neglect
• 20. Protection / Orphans

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• 21. Adoption
• 22. Refugee Children
• 23. Children with Special Needs
• 24. Health and Health Services
• 25. Reconsidering Care
• 26. Social Services
• 27. Standard of Life
• 28. Education
• 29. Educational targets
• 30. Minority Children
• 31. Play and Recreation

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• 32. Child labour
• 33. Protection from drugs
• 34. Sexual exploitation
• 35. Child trafficking
• 36. Other forms of exploitation
• 37. Torture and loss of freedom
• 38. Armed conflicts and War
• 39. Inclusion - rehabilitation
• 40. Justice
• 41. Recognition

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Article 12

• State Parties guarantee to any child that has
  the ability to judge, the right to free
  expression of his opinion on any issue relevant
  to him, taking into consideration the childs age
  and maturity.

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Article 13

• The child has the right to free expression.
  This right includes the freedom to seek, gather
  and disseminate information and ideas of any kind
  and on any issue, irrespective of borders, either
  in oral or written or printed or artistic form or
  in any other form of his choice.

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Article 16

• No child could be subject to arbitrary or
  illegal interference in his private life, in his
  family, in his home or in his correspondence nor
  could he be subject to arbitrary or illegal
  insults of his reputation and honour.

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Article 19

• State Parties take all necessary legal,
  administrative, social and educational measures
  to protect the child from any form of violence,
  insult, corporal or mental punishment,
  abandonment, neglect, abuse or exploitation
  including sexual abuse and exploitation at all
  times, be him under the care of both or one
  parent or in custody or under the care of a legal
  representative or any other person to whom his
  care was entrusted.

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Article 30

• In countries where ethnic or religious minorities
  or indigenous peoples exist, an indigenous child
  or a child of any minority could not be denied
  the right to his own cultural life, the right to
  believe and exercise his own religion or the
  right to use his on language along with the other
  members of his group.

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Article 32

• State Parties recognize the right of the child to
  be protected from economic exploitation and from
  any labour that could be dangerous to his life,
  to his education, to his health corporal,
  mental, psychological or moral or to his social
  development.

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PART TWO

• Implementation and Monitoring Articles 42 to 45.
• They define the monitoring mechanism for the
  implementation of the Convention and a relevant
  body is instituted for this purpose, the UN
  Committee on Childrens Rights.

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PART THREE

• POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS ARTICLES 46 to 54They
  include regulations on possible future amendments
  to any article of the Convention.

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According to the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child, students have the following rights

• The right to free expression of their opinion
• The right to disagree with the official opinion
  of the Ministry, the Headmaster, the Professor or
  Teacher
• The right to freely disseminate ideas or
  information within the school, in written or oral
  form
• The right to freely hand flyers, announcements,
  magazines or other printed material to fellow
  students within the school
• The right to freely organize, rally or protest
  without anybody having the right to interfere or
  stop them
• The right to participate and the right to have
  their opinion respected in all issues and
  decisions that directly or indirectly affect them
  in respect to the school system, regulations or
  administration

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According to the ConventionIn the Family

• All members are equal regardless their age
• Children have the right to express their opinion
  and that opinion should be heard and respected
• Children have the right to deny to follow an
  order given by the parents if they feel it would
  be harmful to their best interest or if it
  insults their beliefs or convictions
• Children have the right to demand good life
  conditions and family serenity
• Children have the right to chose family
  activities
• In the case of divorce, children have the right
  to chose where and with which parent they wish to
  stay

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All these are valid given that

• Any action taken as a result of the
  implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights
  of the Child, is not contrary to national
  legislation of a democratic society, is not
  threatening to national interest or national
  security or public order or public health or
  public morals or the rights an freedoms of other
  citizens.

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Why is the Convention important?

• It is the first legally binding document on
  Childrens Rights
• Failure to implement the Convention results in
  legal consequences and penalties
• It is universally recognized and accepted
• Almost all countries in the world have ratified
  it and try to conform by amending their
  legislation
• State Parties are monitored by special Committees
  and Institutions

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Who monitors the implementation in Cyprus?

• The Office of the Ombudsperson for the Protection
  of Childrens Rights
• In cooperation with the Pancyprian
• Coordinating Committee for the Protection
• and Welfare of Children (PCCPWC)

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• The Un Convention on the Rights of the Child
  EXISTS!
• Is it implemented?
• Is the implementation monitored properly?
• Do children know and demand their rights?
• What is the States responsibility?
• What is the Childrens Parliament responsibility?
• What is YOUR responsibility?
• THINK ABOUT IT!!!

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Oooooh! Is it not over yet?
?? Got the message!
Oh! Enough!!
Im so sleepy
Hey Im bored!

• Any way thanks for your patience!
• THE CYPRUS CHILDRENS PARLIAMENT

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PCCPWC
CHILDREN'S PARLIAMENT


CHILDREN'S RIGHTS RECOGNITION