CHILD Protection & Rights >

Introduction

Who is a Child?
According to International Law, a ‘child’ means every human being below the age of 18 years. Childhood is characterized as a period of special consideration in human rights terms, as a period of evolving abilities and vulnerabilities relative to those of adults.
Today this is a universally accepted definition of a child which comes from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), an international legal instrument agreed and ratified by 192 States in the world to promote Child Protection and Child Rights.



What is ‘Child ‘Protection?
Child protection is crucial to ensuring that children under 18 years of age have the rights, confidence and environment in which they can make choices, express their views and communicate effectively with other children and adults.
It is a broad term to describe philosophies, policies, standards, guidelines and procedures whose aim is to protect children from both intentional and unintentional harm and from vulnerability.
Child protection incorporates both prevention and care as well as recovery and rehabilitation aspects. Children can only become change agents to improve their lives and that of their families and communities if they are safeguarded from abuse, discrimination and harm of any kind, be it physical, sexual, emotional or neglect.



What are ‘Child’ Rights?
A right is as an agreement or a “social contract” established between the persons who hold a right (often referred to as the “rights-holder”) and the persons or institutions which then have obligations and responsibilities in relation to the realisation of that right (often referred to as the “duty-bearer”.)
Child Rights can be defined as the fundamental, vital freedoms and the inherent rights of all human beings below the age of 18. These rights apply to every child, irrespective of the child's, parent's / legal guardian's race, colour, sex, creed or other status