Summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The complete text of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the Preamble, exceeds 7,400 words. Many online summaries are more than two thousand words long. This brief summary is less than 700 words. It provides a short outline of the 54 Articles.

List of Children's Rights:

• Preamble - An overview of the treaty.

PART I.

• Article 1: Definition of a child.

• Article 2: Protection of the child against discrimination.

• Article 3: Best interests of the child
  (taking into account the rights and duties of parents).

• Article 4: Legislative measures to implement the treaty.

• Article 5: Rights of the parents.

• Article 6: The right to life.

• Article 7: The child's right to birth registration.

• Article 8: The child's right to a name, nationality and family relations.

• Article 9: The child's right of not being separated from his or her parents against will.

• Article 10: The child's right to maintain contact with both parents, if separated.

• Article 11: Measures against the illicit transfer of children abroad.

• Article 12: The child's right to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings.

• Article 13: The child's right to freedom of expression.

• Article 14: The child's right to freedom of thought.

• Article 15: The child's right to freedom of association.

• Article 16: The child's right to privacy.

• Article 17: The child's right to information from national and international mass media.

• Article 18: Parents or legal guardians have the primary responsibility for the child's upbringing.

• Article 19: State obligations to protect children against maltreatment and abuse.

• Article 20: State obligations to children deprived of their family environment, temporarily or permanently.

• Article 21: State obligations to children with regard to adoption.

• Article 22: State obligations to children classed as refugees.

• Article 23: State obligations to mentally or physically disabled children.

• Article 24: State obligations to provide health care services to children.

• Article 25:  The right to a periodic review of the circumstances and treatment provided to children placed in physical or mental health care settings.

• Article 26: The child's right to social security insurance and benefits.

• Article 27: The child's right to a standard of living in accordance to his or her physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development.

• Article 28: The child's right to education.

• Article 29: The goals of a child's education, and the right of individual adults to establish and direct educational institutions towards those goals.

• Article 30: The rights of children belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minority groups.

• Article 31: The child's right to rest, leisure and recreational activities.

• Article 32: The child's right to be protected from economic exploitation.

• Article 33: State obligations to protect children from the illicit use of narcotic and psychotropic drugs.

• Article 34: State obligations to protect children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.

• Article 35: State obligations to prevent the trafficking or abduction of children.

• Article 36: State obligations to protect children from all other forms of exploitation prejudicial to the child's welfare.

• Article 37: State obligations to ensure that children are not subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishments, including capital punishment or life imprisonment without the possibility of release.

• Article 38: State obligations to ensure that children under fifteen years of age do not take a direct part in wars or other hostilities, and to protect and care for children affected by armed conflicts.

• Article 39: State obligations to promote physical and psychological recovery of child victims of torture, degrading treatment or armed conflicts.

• Article 40: State obligations concerning children who infringe penal laws.

• Article 41: No part of the Convention shall override provisions contained in State laws which are more conducive to children's rights.

PART II - Committee on the Rights of the Child

• Article 42: State obligations to make the provisions of the Convention widely known.

• Article 43: Description of the role of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

• Article 44: Reports to the Committee.

• Article 45: The process by which the Committee evaluates reports.

PART III - Procedures for ratification, amendments, etc.

• Article 46: The Convention shall be open for signature by all States.

• Article 47: The Convention is subject to ratification.

• Article 48: The Convention can be adopted by accession (same as ratification but not preceded by signature).

• Article 49: The Convention enters into force on the 30th day after the 20th ratification/accession.

• Article 50: A State Party may propose an amendment.

• Article 51: A State Party may file reservations.

• Article 52: A State Party may denounce the Convention
  (i.e. announce termination of the State's participation).

• Article 53: The Secretary-General of the United Nations is designated as the depositary of the Convention.

• Article 54: The original of the present Convention resides with the Secretary-General of the UN.