Which is the most important right?
Every right must be respected if people are to live complete lives as human beings. For example, you cannot enjoy your right to play if you are hungry and don’t have enough food. Therefore we can say that every right is of equal importance.
Are children’s rights different from adults’ rights?
Children and adults mostly have the same rights. However there are some differences. For example, children have the right to be looked after by their family or by whoever will care for them best. Adults don’t have this right. On the other hand, adults have the right to get married. These differences exist to make sure that children are looked after until they are old enough to look after themselves.
Whose rights are the most important?
Everyone’s rights are equally important. A child’s rights are not more important than an adult’s rights and an adult’s rights are not more important than a child’s rights. We must therefore make sure that we do our best to ensure that we respect our own rights and other people’s rights equally.
What can I do if I feel that my rights are not being respected?
First of all, if it’s possible, talk to the person who you feel has not respected your rights. Or talk to someone who you think can help improve the situation, e.g. a teacher or your school council. Finally, if it is a situation that neither your school nor family can help with you can contact NICCY (Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young people) if you are in Northern Ireland, or the Ombudsman for children if you are in the Republic of Ireland. Both NICCY and the Ombudsman work to ensure that the rights of children are upheld.
What is a convention?
A convention is an agreement between countries to obey certain laws. Both the Republic of Ireland and the UK governments have signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child which means they now have a duty to make sure that children’s rights are upheld.
Do I have responsibilities as well as rights?
Because the government has signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is their responsibility to protect children’s rights. However the Convention also refers to the responsibilities of children. For example, in article 29 it states that children should respect their parents and the rights of others. We should all therefore do our best to work together to make sure that everyone is able to enjoy all of their rights.
