Children are a blessing and bring a lot of joy to our lives. They make us laugh, they help to keep our family strong and they bring love into our world that we can never fully understand. However, it is also important to remember that they can be vulnerable to many things including poverty, lack of access to education, health and nutrition, exploitation and violence.

As humans, we have a responsibility to protect and care for all children. Children should be able to enjoy their childhood, free from pain and suffering. They should be able to grow up and reach their full potential. They should be able to live with their parents in a safe and healthy environment, where they have enough food and water to survive. They should be able to go to school, receive medical care when necessary and have the right to work and earn an income to support themselves.

The rights of the child are described in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), an agreement by countries that sets out a single set of civil, political, economic and social rights for all children, everywhere. It is the most comprehensive statement of children’s rights ever made and it applies to every child, no matter where they are born, what language they speak or what religion they practice.

Each child should be allowed to express themselves freely through talking, drawing, writing or any other means of creative expression unless it hurts others. They should be allowed to determine their thoughts, beliefs and opinions on sociopolitical issues affecting them. Their views should be taken seriously as long as they are based on their evolving capacities, and not dismissed as irrational or harmful.

Everyone has a right to rest and leisure, to take part in cultural activities and to play. Children should be protected from doing any work that is dangerous or bad for their health or development. They should be able to go to schools that are safe, secure and inclusive. They should be protected from sexual exploitation and abuse, which includes being forced to perform sexual acts for money, being exposed to pornographic material or being sold as an organ donor.

All children should be able to have their views heard and be taken into consideration in making decisions that affect them, especially as they age and develop. Taking their views into consideration can change what adults believe to be in a child’s best interests, and can also help to ensure that the laws that are being enacted, or policies that are being implemented, are designed with children’s needs in mind.

There are still millions of children who don’t get the health care, nutritious food, education and protection they need. Their childhoods are being cut short by hunger, malnutrition, disease, armed conflict, lack of safe water and shelter, poor living conditions, harmful work and violence. It is time to rethink how we are protecting children and upholding their rights.