UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

About the Convention

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) applies to everyone under the age of 18. Its aim is ensure that children grow up in a spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity.

The UNCRC was drafted in 1989 and is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. 196 countries have ratified it, including the United Kingdom on 16^th December 1991. The USA is the only country that has not ratified the Convention.

The fact that a country has ratified the UNCRC does not guarantee that the rights in it will be respected, protected and fulfilled. This will only happen when steps are taken to implement the Convention into domestic law, policy and practice.

What rights do children have under the UNCRC?

Every child has 42 substantive rights under the Convention. These rights can be divided into categories:

General principles
- Right to life, survival and development
- Right to non-discrimination
- Right to express views freely and have these taken into account
- Right to have the child’s best interests taken as a primary consideration in all matters affecting them
Civil rights and freedoms
- Right to a name and nationality
- Right to freedom of expression
- Right to freedom of thought and association
- Right to access to information
- Right not to be tortured or ill-treated
Violence against children
- Right to protection from violence, abuse and neglect
- Right to protection from traditional practices that are bad for children's health
- Right to school discipline that upholds children's dignity
- Right to protection from all forms of sexual exploitation
- Right to protection from inhumane or degrading treatment
- Right to recovery from trauma and reintegration
Family environment and alternative care
- Right to live with and have contact with both parents unless this is not in the child's best interests
- Right to be reunited with parents if separated from them
- Right to appropriate alternative care where necessary
Basic health and welfare
- Rights of disabled children
- Right to health and health care
- Right to social security
- Right to childcare
- Right to an adequate standard of living
Children’s rights and the environment
- Right to non-discrimination
- Right to have the child’s best interests taken as a primary consideration in all matters affecting them
- Right to life, survival and development
- Right to express views freely and have these taken into account
- Right to freedom of expression
- Right to freedom of thought and association
- Right of access to information
- Right to protection from violence, abuse and neglect
- Right to health and health care
- Right to social security
- Right to an adequate standard of living
- Right to education
- Right to develop to the child’s full potential
- Right to play
- Right to rest, leisure and to participate in cultural life
Education, leisure and cultural activities
- Right to education
- Right to play
- Right to rest, leisure and to participate in cultural life and the arts
Special protection measures
- Rights of migrant and refugee children
- Rights of children affected by armed conflicts
- Rights of children in the child justice system
- Rights of children deprived of their liberty
- Rights of children suffering exploitation

The UNCRC says that governments must safeguard these rights and make sure people know them - including children, young people, parents, carers and everyone working with or for children.

The UNCRC is available in child-friendly language here.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

About the Convention

What rights do children have under the UNCRC?

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