CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
Children's rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights
of special protection and care afforded to minors. The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC) defines a child as "any human being below the age of eighteen years, unless
under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.
United Nations educational guides for children classify the rights outlined in the
Convention on the Rights of the Child as the "3 Ps": Provision, Protection, and Participation.
They may be elaborated as follows:
Provision: Children have the right to an adequate standard of living, health care,
education and services, and to play and recreation. These include a balanced diet, a
warm bed to sleep in, and access to schooling.
Protection: This includes the right to safe places for children to play; constructive
child rearing behavior, and acknowledgment of the evolving capacities of children.
Participation: This includes children's involvement in libraries and community
programs, youth voice activities, and involving children as decision-makers.
12 RIGHTS (shortened)
1. Every child has the right to be born well.
2. Every child has the right to a wholesome family life.
3. Every child has the right to a well-rounded development of his personality to the
end.
4. Every child has the right to a balanced diet, adequate clothing, sufficient shelter,
proper medical attention, and all the basic physical requirements of a healthy and
vigorous life.
5. Every child has the right to be brought up in an atmosphere of morality and
rectitude for the enrichment and the strengthening of his character.
6. Every child has the right to an education commensurate with his abilities.
7. Every child has the right to full opportunities for safe and wholesome recreation and
activities.
8. Every child has the right to protection against exploitation.
9. Every child has the right to live in a community and a society that can offer him an
environment free from pernicious influences.
10. Every child has the right to the care, assistance, and protection of the State
11. Every child has the right to an efficient and honest government.
12. Every child has the right to grow up as a free individual.
VIOLATIONS
40 million children below the age of 15 suffer from abuse and neglect.
More than 300,000 children under the age of 18 are being exploited as child soldiers
in armed conflicts worldwide.
There are approximately 246 million child laborers worldwide.
Globally in 2014, 1 billion children aged 2–17 years experienced physical, sexual,
emotional or multiple types of violence.
A quarter of all adults report having been physically abused as children.
One in five women and one in 13 men report having been sexually abused as a child.
In 2014, children comprised 28 percent of detected trafficking victims.
Every year, there are an estimated 41,000 homicide deaths in children under 15
years of age.
US$7 trillion is lost due to violence against children each year equivalent to 8
percent of global GDP
Main problems faced by children in Philippines:
Poverty
o In the Philippines, close to 1 out of every three individuals lives below the
poverty line, while the country itself is in full economic expansion.
Health
o Access to healthcare remains difficult in the country’s more remote regions.
Of course, it is in these areas that undernourishment and resulting problems
are the most virulent.
o no one takes responsibility for children who suffer from mental health
problems. They remain marginalized and do not receive the appropriate
care.
Child Labour
o More than 10% of Filipino children are compelled to work so as to support
the needs of their family.
o Close to a million Filipino youths work as garbage scavengers in public
dumps. Other children find employment in rural sectors. They work nonstop
on sugar, rice or tea plantations as the case may be. Filipino youths also
work in their nation’s fishing sector which is highly developed.
Right to non-discrimination
o Children born out of wedlock, Native people, young girls, handicapped
children.
Child Soldiers
Child marriage
o 14% of young women in the Philippines get married before the age of 18.
What can schools and teachers do to advance the principles set forth by the
Convention on the Rights of the Child?
Teach children about their rights.
Provide a broad, relevant and inclusive curriculum. Provide opportunities for play
consistent with the right to optimal development.
Develop rights-based learning and assessment. Ensure that children’s right to
express their views is granted and that their views are given due weight.
Ensure children’s participation. Establish and encourage student participation at all
levels.
Protect integrity. Prohibit all forms of violence against children, including physical
and humiliating punishment in school and at home.
Introduce children’s rights and related issues into the academic course work.
Develop oral history projects.
Organize workshops, seminars, lectures, debates and symposia on child rights inside
and outside your school.
Host lectures, book and poetry readings, or film festivals to explore, celebrate and
promote children’s rights.
Ensure that all children in the community attend a child-friendly school full time
and receive an education that is of good quality, equal for all children and free from
violence.
Establish safe complaint mechanisms for all forms of violence against children,
including sexual violence and abuse, bullying and corporal punishment.
Support the reintegration of children who have been victims of any form of violence,
including support for psycho-social counselling from trained staff.
Be a role model for respecting the dignity and integrity of children.
