Children have the right to live in safety, health and education, and to be free from abuse and neglect. They also have the right to play and enjoy life. They are equal to everyone and must be treated with dignity.

Children’s rights were first recognised after the 1st World War when the UN was set up to help children. The agency became UNICEF and ran the first worldwide campaign against yaws, a disfiguring disease that was affecting millions of children. It then went on to fight polio and other diseases affecting children around the world.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was signed by all countries, and it states that every child has human rights. It also says that children must be taken into account in laws and policies made by governments. This is a great achievement, because it means that the rights of children are taken seriously and that governments try to put them into practice.

It is important that everyone, especially adults, knows about these rights. Otherwise they might not know that they are being violated. People who don’t know about children’s rights are more likely to mistreat or exploit them. It is therefore vital that all adults, especially parents, read and understand children’s rights and do what they can to protect them.

One of the most important things is for governments to make sure that all children have enough food, water and shelter. This is because if they do not have these things they can not grow and learn. Children should also have access to good quality primary and secondary education, and they should be protected from violence and abuse. They should also have the chance to work, if they want to, but only in jobs that don’t harm their health or their future.

If a child has no parent or guardian, the government should try to find them another adult to look after them. These adults should treat the child well and respect their religion, culture, language and other aspects of their life. Governments must also protect children from being kidnapped or sold, and they should prevent people forcing them to have sex for money or making sexual pictures or films of them.

It is also important for governments to help children communicate with other people. They should help them to have a way of letting other people know what they think about issues that affect them. They should also allow children to express their views and ideas without hurting anyone else. They should also provide children with access to information through the internet, radio, television and books.

The final thing that governments must do to help children is educate them about their rights. This is something that should happen both in schools and at home. It is also important that people who work with children, such as teachers and social workers, know about the convention and what it says. They should also encourage children to get involved in organisations that campaign for children’s rights.