UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Article 1
A child is a person younger than 18 years old

Article 2
All children have rights, no matter what

Article 3
Adults should do what is best for children

Article 4
Government must help children enjoy their rights

Article 5
Families should guide children to learn their rights

Article 6
Every child has the right to be alive

Article 7
Children have the right to have a name and belong to a country

Article 8
Children have a right to have an identity: to be who they are

Article 9
Children should stay with their parents unless a parent does not take proper care of a child

Article 10
If a child lives in a different country to their parents, governments must let them travel so they can be together

Article 11
Governments must protect children from kidnapping

Article 12
Children have the right to give their opinions and be listened to

Article 13
Children have the right to share what they learn, think and feel

Article 14
Children can choose what to believe and what to think

Article 15
Children have the right to join groups

Article 16
Children have the right to privacy

Article 17
Children have the right to get information

Article 18
Parents and guardians are the main people responsible for raising a child and doing what is best for them

Article 19
Governments must protect children from being hurt

Article 20
Children without families have the right to be looked after by other people who respect them

Article 21
When a child is adopted, the adults who adopt them must do what is best for them

Article 22
Children who move to another country because it was not safe for them to stay in their home country should be given help

Article 23
Governments should help children with disabilities to enjoy their best life possible

Article 24
Children have the right to healthy food, clean water, a safe environment and the best health care possible

Article 25
Children who live away from their families or home should be checked on to make sure that they are in the best place for them to be

Article 26
Children from poor families should receive money or other help from the government so they can grow up in the best possible way

Article 27
The government should help families who cannot afford to provide food, clothing, and a safe place to live for their children

Article 28
Every child has the right to free and safe education

Article 29
Education for children should help them to develop, teach them to understand their rights and to respect other people’s rights

Article 30
Children have the right to use their own language, celebrate their culture and practise their religion

Article 31
Children have the right to rest, relax and play

Article 32
Children should be protected from doing work that is dangerous or bad for them

Article 33
Governments must protect children from being near harmful drugs

Article 34
All adults should protect children from all kinds of abuse and harm

Article 35
Governments must make sure children are never taken anywhere they don’t want to go

Article 36
Children should never be taken advantage of

Article 37
Children who break the law and go to prison should have help and be able to stay in contact with their family

Article 38
Children have the right to be protected during war

Article 39
Children should be given help to recover if they have been hurt, neglected, or affected by war

Article 40
Children who break the law should be treated fairly and offered help to learn how to become social citizens

Article 41
The best laws for protecting children should be used in every country

Article 42
Everyone should know about children’s rights

Article 43
A special team of experts from different countries work together to make sure all children’s rights are protected, worldwide.

Article 44
Every country that agrees to uphold children’s rights promises to check how well they are protecting them by working with the special team to understand what is working and what could be better.

Article 45
Other important groups, like charities, can help protect children’s rights by sharing good ideas, creating resources and offering support for looking after all children, equally.

Article 46
Every country had the chance to agree to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 196 countries have promised to follow these 54 rules to care for and protect children.

Article 47
If a country signed up to these rights but has questions about how to follow them, there are ways to handle those discussions clearly and fairly.

Article 48
Countries that have not yet signed the UNCRC agreement can change their mind and decide that they do want to help protect children using these rules in the future.

Article 49
For a country to agree to these UNCRC rights, they follow an official process. This process makes sure their promises are clear and serious.

Article 50
If changes are needed to make these rules even better and more helpful for all children, countries can talk about it and decide together.

Article 51
Some countries have made extra agreements to do even more for children that apply the rules of the UNCRC. These extra agreements must work fairly for all children and work well with the original ideas in this list of rights.

Article 52
Countries that agree with these rights can get extra help and guidance from the United Nations to make sure they’re doing the best job possible.

Article 53
If there is confusion about what any of these rights mean, there is a special group at the United Nations that can help explain and guide everyone towards answers.

Article 54
The job of all these articles is to make sure every child everywhere is safe, happy, healthy and cared for.