Understanding Human and

Child Rights

Activity 1:
1. What are rights?
2. Give examples of rights
3. What is meant by human
rights?
4. Define what is meant by a
child
5. Is there a need for special
rights for children? Why?

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

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, existing
capacities and abilities (Inalienable)
cannot be taken away

(Inalienable)

equally important and connected to

each other (indivisible and interdependent)

History of Human Rights,

International Treaties and
Conventions

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

Human Rights Henyo

Arrange according to chronology:
World War II
Early Civilization
US Independence
Magna Carta
Frances Rights of Man
World War I and Inter War Years

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 Childrens
1924: adoption of the Declaration
Rights:
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

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

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

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.

Childrens Rights are

Human Rights
Childrens Rights belong to a
family of human rights.
The enjoyment (or violation) of
human rights of parents and
people in the community affects
childrens enjoyment of their own
rights.
Other international human rights
standards (treaties) are also
applicable to children.

Child Rights Henyo 1

What are the (4) four broad

groups or major areas or
basket of Childrens Rights?
1

Child Rights Henyo 2

What do each of these (4) four

broad groups or major areas
or basket of childrens rights
promote and protect?

Four Main Areas or Baskets

(Groups) of Childrens Rights:
The Right to
PROTECTION
From Discrimination, Abuse,
Neglect, Exploitation, Torture

The Right to
SURVIVAL
Life, Nutrition, Water, Health, Air

The Right to
PARTICIPATION

The Right to
DEVELOPMENT

Expression of views, decisionmaking, access to information,

freedom of association

Education, Standard of living

adequate for the childs 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

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

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

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

Child Rights Henyo 3

What are the (4) Basic

Principles of the Rights of the
Child?
1

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

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

Key Messages
Childrens rights belong to a family
of human rights
The enjoyment (or violation) of
human rights of parents and people
in the community affects childrens
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 childrens rights and

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

CRCs 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

CRCs 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

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.