You have the right to know your rights

All people – including children – are entitled to all human rights. Children are also protected by the separate UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was created to ensure the realisation of human rights for all children. All adults must respect children’s rights.

You have the right to know your rights and be informed about them in a form that you can understand. You can learn about them on this website, at school or by asking a trusted adult to go through them with you at home. If you have questions about children’s rights, you can send them to us.

What does this mean?

It is important that you know your rights. Adults are not always familiar with children’s rights. For example, a child’s right to rest, play and leisure, as well as the obligation for adults to put children’s best interests first, are human rights that apply to children specifically.

If you notice that your rights or the rights of another child are not being respected, you can always ask a trusted adult for help – they have a responsibility to intervene and help you. There are also authorities whose job is to ensure that children’s rights are respected.