Children are the future – they will grow into adults and contribute to society. It is therefore important to take care of them, and this starts in their earliest years. Often this means providing them with good food, clean water and health care. It also means giving them a safe place to live, in which they can enjoy their childhood.

It is not right for any child to be killed, tortured or treated badly. This is especially important during wartime – and children must not be used as soldiers or forced to go to war. Governments should make sure that children are protected from all kinds of exploitation (being taken advantage of), such as being kidnapped and sold, and being made to work or be sexually exploited in any way. Children should be allowed to express their opinions, in particular on matters that affect them, and they should be listened to. They should not be punished, and prison should only be the last choice, even for children who have committed crimes.

Parents and other adults should be able to look after their children, as long as they do not harm them in any way. Children must be allowed to use their own language, culture and religion, unless this would cause them harm. They should be able to play, learn and take part in creative activities. Governments must protect them from doing work that is harmful or bad for their education, health or development, and they must be paid fairly.

Governments should ensure that all children have access to quality education and healthcare. They should also help them to become healthy and responsible citizens. Children have the right to an identity, which is an official record of who they are, including their name, nationality and family relations. They should be able to keep this identity, and governments should help them if it is lost.

The enjoyment of children’s bodily autonomy and integrity is more restricted compared to adults’, largely because of paternalism, presumptions about their immaturity or lack of capacity based on their age and also because of flawed or discriminatory laws and policies. Practices that amount to violations of these rights include virginity testing on girls, female genital mutilation, circumcision of boys, child marriage and corporal punishment.

There are also various other harms that befall children because of their childlike vulnerability and which may or may not be related to their age, such as being subjected to violence or abuse and neglect. They are often overlooked, but they need to be addressed as a matter of urgency if the rights of children are to be realized. This is essential not only for them, but for society as a whole. This is why implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child is so vital. It is a roadmap for all nations to achieve the ambitious goals set out in it, by 2030. This is why the international community must continue its efforts to raise awareness of the Convention and support the implementation of its principles, including through cooperation with civil society organizations.