Protecting Children’s Rights
The Constitution is the highest law in the country and it was adopted to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights. These rights are listed in the Bill of Rights, in Chapter 2 of the Constitution.
How are children deprived of their rights?
Child labour, child marriage, children recruited into armed conflicts, and other forms of oppression deprive children of their rights. Children are also deprived of their rights when their birth is not recorded, so they do not have a birth certificate, or when they are forced to flee conflict.
Children worldwide suffer insidious forms of violence, exploitation and abuse
Violence against children knows no boundaries. It happens in every country, and in the places, children should be most protected, their homes, schools and online. It can be physical, emotional, or sexual. And in most cases, children experience violence at the hands of the people they trust.
Children in humanitarian settings are especially vulnerable. During armed conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies, children may be forced to flee their homes, some torn from their families and exposed to exploitation and abuse along the way.
Harmful cultural practices pose another grave risk to girls and boys worldwide. Hundreds of millions of girls have been subjected to child marriage and female genital mutilation, even though both are internationally recognized human rights violations.
No matter their story or circumstance, all children have the right to be protected from violence, exploitation and abuse. Child protection systems help children access vital social services and fair justice systems starting at birth. Child protection systems prioritize children’s physical, mental, and psychosocial needs to safeguard their lives and futures.
Children’s Rights
Every child has the right to
a name and a nationality from birth
family care or parental care, or to appropriate alternative care when removed from the family environment
basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services
be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation and
to be protected from exploitative labour practices
Education
Everyone has the right to
a basic education, including adult basic education; and
further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible.
