The United Nations (UN)- adopted UN Convention on the Rights of the Child applies to all children under 18.
All the world’s countries including Namibia and except for Somalia and the United States of America (USA) have ratified (pledged to follow) the Child Convention. This means they are obliged to take children’s rights into consideration and to listen to what children have to say.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child consists of 54 articles. Its basic principles are that:
• All children are equal and have the same rights.
• Every child has the right to have his or her basic needs fulfilled.
• Every child has the right to protection from abuse and exploitation.
• Every child has the right to express his or her opinion and to be respected.
The right to complain
A brand new protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children whose rights have been violated can submit complaints directly to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, if they have not received help and rehabilitation from their own country. This increases the pressure on the countries of the world to take the rights of the child seriously. The protocol was written in 2011 but had to be approved (ratified) by at least ten countries in order to be valid. Now (2014) Costa Rica, Albania, Bolivia, Gabon, Germany, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Thailand have ratified the protocol on children’s right to complain! Therefore you and all other children now have better chances of making your voices heard regarding your rights. This is a historic moment for children’s rights!
We are helping countries to fulfil the Child Convention
Countries that have ratified the UN Child Convention have committed to regularly informing their citizens on the rights of the child.
The World’s Children’s Prize helps countries to be able to fulfil this commitment to children, their teachers and parents, and the country’s media. It is the only regular programme for implementation of the UN Child Convention in schools all over the world.