You must not be discriminated against

Discrimination is when someone is treated unequally because of a particular characteristic. This may be related to where they come from, what they look like, their religion, an illness or a disability they have, for example.

All children are equally valuable, regardless of their background, characteristics or parents. You must not be discriminated against on any grounds or treated worse than others. All children’s rights belong equally to everyone under the age of 18.

The prohibition of discrimination also applies to you: you must not discriminate against others for any reason.

What does this mean?

Adults must make sure that all children and young people can take part in games, celebrations or sports teams, for example. Everyone should have equal opportunities and be treated fairly, and every child’s opinions and thoughts must be heard.

At school, a teacher must not favour certain pupils, and, at home, a parent must not favour one sibling over another.