martes, 20 de noviembre de 2012

children rights



Child Rights are fundamental freedoms and the inherent rights of all human beings below the age of 18. These rights apply to every child, irrespective of the child's, parent's / legal guardian's race, colour, sex, creed or other status.

The essential message is equality of opportunity. Girls should be given the same opportunities as boys. ALL children should have the same rights and should be given the same opportunity to enjoy an adequate standard of living.

Why are child rights important?

Children are innocent, trusting and full of hope. Their childhood should be happy and loving. Their lives should mature gradually, as they gain new experiences. But for many children, the reality of childhood is altogether different. 2 million Indian babies will die before they celebrate their first birthday. More girl children will be killed at birth than in any previous year. At least 35 million children aged 6 – 14 years (if you believe the official statistics) will not be in school. 17 million children in India work.

Right through history, children have been abused and exploited. They suffer from hunger and homelessness, work in harmful conditions, high infant mortality, deficient health care and limited opportunities for basic education. A child need not live such a life. Childhood can and must be preserved. Children have the right to survive, develop, be protected and participate in decisions that impact their lives.

What are child rights?

At CRY, we focus on the 4 basic rights of children. In 1992, India ratified the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child. The Charter of Child Rights (CRC) is built on the principle that "ALL children are born with fundamental freedoms and ALL human beings have some inherent rights". The Charter confers the following basic rights on all children across the world:

the right to survival - to life, health, nutrition, name and nationality
the right to development - to education, care, leisure, recreation
the right to protection - from exploitation, abuse, neglect
the right to participation - to expression, information, thought and religion
CRY and Child rights

At CRY, we believe that children are citizens in their own right, entitled to the full spectrum of human rights. Our children will only attain these rights guaranteed to them if each one of believes this should be so and exercises all the power at our command – as parents, neighbours, consumers, employees, businesspeople, teachers, politicians, journalists, professionals, bureaucrats, activists and most importantly as citizens – to make this a reality.

CRY’s role is to amplify the voice of India’s children to reach large numbers of people and enlist their support for this cause by speaking out, demanding, negotiating as required with the relevant state or citizen bodies for the rights of children.

By partnering NGOs at grassroots levels and mobilising individuals like you to address the root causes that leads to violation of child rights, over the past 27 years, CRY has conclusively proven that sustainable change is possible. We must realise that we as a nation, cannot hope to enjoy a peaceful and prosperous future as long as there are hundred million children who go to bed each night hungry, hopeless and angry. We believe that only when enough of us take a stand for child rights will we actually build an India where all children are treated as citizens with equal rights guaranteed to them in the Constitution of India.

For more information read frequently asked questions on child rights.