UN Convention - UNICEF

1 Article 1 Everyone under 18 has these 2 All children have these rights, no matter whothey are, where they live, what their parents do,what language they speak, what their religion is,whether they are a boy or girl, what their cultureis, whether they have a disability, whether theyare rich or poor. No child should be treatedunfairly on any 3 All adults should do what is best for you. Whenadults make decisions, they should think abouthow their decisions will affect 4 The government has a responsibility to make sureyour rights are protected. They must help yourfamily to protect your rights and create an envi-ronment where you can grow and reach 5 Your family has the responsibility to help youlearn to exercise your rights, and to ensure thatyour rights are 6 You have the right to be 7 You have the right to a name, and this should beofficially recognized by the government.

2 You havethe right to a nationality (to belong to a country).Article 8 You have the right to an identity an officialrecord of who you are. No one should take thisaway from 9 You have the right to live with your parent(s),unless it is bad for you. You have the right to livewith a family who cares for 10If you live in a different country than your par-ents do, you have the right to be together in thesame 11 You have the right to be protected from 12 You have the right to give your opinion, and foradults to listen and take it 13 You have the right to find out things and sharewhat you think with others, by talking, drawing,writing or in any other way unless it harms oroffends other 14 You have the right to choose your own religionand beliefs.

3 Your parents should help you decidewhat is right and wrong, and what is best Convention Rights of the Childon theIn Child FriendlyLanguage Rights" are things every child should have or be able todo. All children have the same rights. These rights are list-ed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the every country has agreed to these rights. All therights are connected to each other, and all are equallyimportant. Sometimes, we have to think about rights interms of what is the best for children in a situation, andwhat is critical to life and protection from harm. As yougrow, you have more responsibility to make choices andexercise your 15 You have the right to choose your own friendsand join or set up groups, as long as it isn'tharmful to 16 You have the right to 17 You have the right to get information that isimportant to your well-being, from radio, news-paper, books, computers and other should make sure that the informationyou are getting is not harmful, and help youfind and understand the information you 18 You have the right to be raised by your par-ent(s)

4 If 19 You have the right to be protected from beinghurt and mistreated, in body or 20 You have the right to special care and help ifyou cannot live with your 21 You have the right to care and protection ifyou are adopted or in foster 22 You have the right to special protection andhelp if you are a refugee (if you have beenforced to leave your home and live in anothercountry), as well as all the rights in 23 You have the right to special education andcare if you have a disability, as well as all therights in this Convention , so that you can live afull 24 You have the right to the best health care pos-sible, safe water to drink, nutritious food, aclean and safe environment, and informationto help you stay 25If you live in care or in other situations awayfrom home, you have the right to have theseliving arrangements looked at regularly to seeif they are the most 26 You have the right to help from the govern-ment if you are poor or in 27 You have the right to food, clothing.

5 A safeplace to live and to have your basic needs should not be disadvantaged so that youcan't do many of the things other kids can 28 You have the right to a good quality should be encouraged to go to school tothe highest level you 29 Your education should help you use and devel-op your talents and abilities. It should also helpyou learn to live peacefully, protect the environ-ment and respect other 30 You have the right to practice your own culture,language and religion - or any you and indigenous groups need specialprotection of this 31 You have the right to play and 32 You have the right to protection from work thatharms you, and is bad for your health and edu-cation. If you work, you have the right to besafe and paid 33 You have the right to protection from harmfuldrugs and from the drug 34 You have the right tobe free from 35No one isallowed to kidnap or 36 You have the right to protectionfrom any kind of exploitation (beingtaken advantage of).

6 Article 37No one is allowed to punishyou in a cruel or harmful 38 You have the right to protectionand freedom from war. Childrenunder 15 cannot be forced to go intothe army or take part in 39 You have the right to help if you've been hurt,neglected or badly 40 You have the right to legal help and fair treat-ment in the justice system that respects 41If the laws of your country provide better pro-tection of your rights than the articles in thisConvention, those laws should 42 You have the right to know your rights!Adults should know about these rights andhelp you learn about them, 43 to 54 These articles explain how governments andinternational organizations like UNICEF willwork to ensure children are protected withtheir rights.