Understanding Human and Child

Rights
Exploring “Rights”
What we will do:

1. Define rights, human, and child

rights
2. Share examples of rights
3. Define what is meant by a child
4. Discuss the need for special
rights for children
What are Rights?

Rights are

Entitlements which everyone

(including children) should claim and
hold
Examples of Rights:

• “I have a right to go to school and

acquire good education so I can have
a decent life.”

• “I have a right to health care when I do

not feel well in any circumstances.”

• As a child, I have a right to be given

the opportunity for play and leisure.”
What Are Human Rights?
Human Rights are:

•the same for all human beings

regardless of their sex, race, color,
language, national origin, age, class,
religion or political beliefs.

•cannot be taken away

•equally important and connected to

each other
Who is a child?

Anyone under eighteen (18) is

considered a child and have all the
rights contained in the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child.
What are Child Rights?

Child Rights are human rights with

additional rights and provisions to
safeguard the care, protection,
development and well-being of children.
Key Messages:
• Child rights are meant to safeguard the
care, protection, development and well-
being of the child.

• Awareness and understanding of the

rights by the children will help empower
them to claim and hold their rights – but
a lack of interest / knowledge about
rights does not mean that people lose
them
History of Human Rights,
International Treaties and
Conventions
What we will do:

1. Explore the history and evolution

of human rights

2. Learn about the major

international treaties and
conventions on human and child
rights
History of Human Rights
Early Civilization

•no international laws

•leaders and philosophers such as
Hammurabi, Moses, Daco¸ Manu and
Confucius began to outline acceptable
behaviour of people mainly within their
territory
History of Human Rights

Magna Carta - 1215

Britain's King John was forced by his

lords to sign the Magna Carta in which
free men are entitled to judgment by
their peers and the king is not above
the law
History of Human Rights
US Independence and France's
Rights of Man

1776 - the United States declared

independence and proclaimed that "all
men are created equal“

1789 - France adopted the Rights of

Man and Citizen which defined a set of
individual and collective rights of the
people
History of Human Rights
World War I and Inter War Years -
1920

After World War1, the League of

Nations was formed. The League
aimed to prevent war and promote
global welfare and human rights
History of Human Rights
World War II

1945: The United Nations was formed in

the hope of preventing wars

1948: The Universal Declaration of

Human Rights
(UDHR) was adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly
History of Human Rights
Recent history
Adoption of detailed
conventions related to specific
issues, such as racial
discrimination and torture,
and to the rights of specific
groups, such as women and
children
2007 - adoption of the
Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities
Important dates in development of
Children’s Rights:
1924: adoption of the Declaration of
Child Rights by the League of Nations
as the Geneva Declaration of the
Rights of the Child

1959: adoption of the Declaration of

Child Rights by the United Nations

1979: United Nations declared 1979 as

the International Year of the Child
1989: adoption of the CRC by the UN
General Assembly
In the Philippines:
1974: enactment of Presidential
Decree 603 (PD 603) or the
Child and Youth Welfare Code
by then President Ferdinand E.
Marcos

1990: Philippines became the

31st country to ratify the UN
Convention on the Rights of the
Child by virtue of a senate
resolution 109, authored by then
Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani
The Universal Declaration on
Human Rights (UDHR)

•adopted by the General Assembly

in 1948 to prevent war and
promote global welfare and human
rights.

•the first international set of human

rights and includes economic,
social and cultural rights as well as
civil and political rights
Examples of International Human
Rights Treaties Addressing
Concerns of Specific Groups
• International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (CERD) 1965
• Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW) 1979
• International Convention on the
Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of Their
Families (CRMW) 1990
• International Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities. 2007
Key Messages:

• Struggle for human rights started

many years ago, and is on-going

• There are human and child rights

in place – but the challenges are
on claiming and holding them
Understanding Child Rights
What will do in this session:
• Further explore our understanding of
children’s rights
• Explain the four essential child rights
principles
• Describe how child rights can be
applied in day-to-day life
Children’s Rights are Human Rights
• Children’s Rights belong to a
family of human rights.
• The enjoyment (or violation) of
human rights of parents and
people in the community affects
children’s enjoyment of their own
rights.
• Other international human rights
standards (treaties) are also
applicable to children.
Four Main Areas or “Baskets” (Groups) of
Children’s Rights:

The Right to
The Right to
SURVIVAL
PROTECTION Life, Nutrition, Water, Health, Air
From Discrimination, Abuse, Neglect,
Exploitation, Torture

The Right to The Right to

PARTICIPATION
Expression of views, decision-making,
access to information, freedom of
association
DEVELOPMENT
Education, Standard of living adequate
for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual,
moral and social development
Some examples:
•The right to survival
The right to have enough food and
shelter and to have a healthy body
The right to be nurtured in difficult
circumstances such as war, famine,
natural and man-made disasters
•The right to development
The right to have good education
The right to be given the opportunity
for play and leisure
Some more examples:

•The right to protection

The right to be given protection
against abuse, danger and violence
The right to be defended and assisted
by government
•The right to participation
The right to express views and
opinions
The right to join associations and
peaceful assemblies
Child Rights in Daily Life Situations
– Examples:
• Right to Survival:
 When I am sick, my parents bring me to the clinic
 Both my parents are working in the field to earn
money for our food, clothing, shelter, education and
other needs

• Right to Development:
 Mother helps me with my assignments from school
 My parents don't want me to miss school
Child Rights in Daily Life Situations
– More Examples:
• Right to Protection:
 If I do something wrong, my parents do not beat me.
They help me understand why it was wrong
 I don't talk to suspicious looking strangers

• Right to Participation:
 I am a Child Club member
 I give suggestion to my parents on solutions to our
problems
CRC Principles

Non-discrimination

Best interest of the child

The right to life, survival and

development

Respect for the views of the child

Child Rights Principles in Daily Life
Situations – Examples:
• Non-Discrimination:
 Rich or poor, everyone of us is entitled to free
elementary education
 Our Health Centre provides services to everyone

• Best Interest of the Child

 Sokha is now an orphan. Relatives and Government
are talking about what is best for him
 Although my father has no regular work now, he said
that I will not stop going to school
Child Rights Principles in Daily Life
Situations – Examples:
• Right to Life, Survival and Development:
 We boil water for drinking. Mother said it is safer
 My parents advised me to attend English classes

• Respect for the Views of the Child:

 If I think I am right, I try and explain my views and adults
listen to me
 We spoke to our teacher about the problem with not
enough chairs in our classroom and she spoke to the
villages leaders who arranged for more chairs
Key Messages:

• Children’s rights belong to a family of

human rights
• The enjoyment (or violation) of human
rights of parents and people in the
community affects children’s enjoyment
of their own rights
• Other international laws are also
applicable to children
• People with different needs such as
those with disabilities have a right for
those needs to be met
Duties and Responsibilities in
Relation to Child Rights
(Who is responsible for what on child rights?
Including children themselves….)
What will do in this session:
1. Explore connections between needs
and rights
2. Analyse the responsibilities of the
duty bearers and rights holders
2. Describe the state's level of
obligation
3. Identify secondary duty bearers and
their contributions to the
implementation of child rights
4. Explore children’s rights and
responsibilities as duty bearers
Needs Vs. Rights

Needs – are the things that will sustain life

and make us function effectively

Rights – are entitlements everybody

(including children) should claim and all
hold
CRC’s Primary Duty Bearers &
Their Responsibilities
1. Parents and Other Legal Guardians -
are responsible for the upbringing,
development and best interests of
the child
2. State - should make sure that the
child rights are implemented
without discrimination
CRC’s Secondary Duty Bearers:

Non-state actors are regarded as secondary

duty bearers and include NGOs, businesses,
and communities.
NGOs, business groups and community
members need to work with the State and
all sectors of the society in the
implementation of the CRC
Roles of Children in CRC Implementation:
• Not just passive beneficiaries who
should wait and be grateful for goods
and services!
• Information dissemination
(distribution) and awareness raising
• Claiming their rights
• Monitoring and reporting child rights
violations
• Advocating on CRC areas not
implemented
Key Message:
CHILD RIGHTS ARE EVERYBODY'S
BUSINESS!
All sectors in the community should
work for the implementation of
child rights. This should happen at
all levels – from local to national to
international.