Whereas
the peoples of the United Nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in
fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and
have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in
larger freedom,
Whereas the United Nations
has, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed that everyone is
entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction
of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other
opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,
Whereas the child, by reason
of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care,
including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth,
Whereas the need for such
special safeguards has been stated in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of
the Child of 1924, and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and in the statutes of specialized agencies and international organizations
concerned with the welfare of children,
Whereas mankind owes to the
child the best it has to give,
Now therefore,
The General Assembly
Proclaims this Declaration of
the Rights of the Child to the end that he may have a happy childhood and enjoy
for his own good and for the good of society the rights and freedoms herein set
forth, and calls upon parents, upon men and women as individuals, and upon
voluntary organizations, local authorities and national Governments to
recognize these rights and strive for their observance by legislative and other
measures progressively taken in accordance with the following principles:
Principle 1
The child shall enjoy all the rights set forth
in this Declaration. Every child, without any exception whatsoever, shall be
entitled to these rights, without distinction or discrimination on account of
race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or
social origin, property, birth or other status, whether of himself or of his
family.
Principle 2
The child shall enjoy special protection, and
shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and by other means, to
enable him to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and socially
in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity. In the
enactment of laws for this purpose, the best interests of the child shall be
the paramount consideration.
Principle 3
The child shall be entitled from his birth to
a name and a nationality.
Principle 4
The child shall enjoy the benefits of social
security. He shall be entitled to grow and develop in health; to this end,
special care and protection shall be provided both to him and to his mother,
including adequate pre-natal and post-natal care. The child shall have the
right to adequate nutrition, housing, recreation and medical services.
Principle 5
The child who is physically, mentally or
socially handicapped shall be given the special treatment, education and care
required by his particular condition.
Principle 6
The child, for the full and harmonious
development of his personality, needs love and understanding. He shall,
wherever possible, grow up in the care and under the responsibility of his
parents, and, in any case, in an atmosphere of affection and of moral and
material security; a child of tender years shall not, save in exceptional
circumstances, be separated from his mother. Society and the public authorities
shall have the duty to extend particular care to children without a family and
to those without adequate means of support. Payment of State and other
assistance towards the maintenance of children of large families is desirable.
Principle 7
The child is entitled to receive education,
which shall be free and compulsory, at least in the elementary stages. He shall
be given an education which will promote his general culture and enable him, on
a basis of equal opportunity, to develop his abilities, his individual
judgement, and his sense of moral and social responsibility, and to become a
useful member of society.
The best interests of the child shall be the
guiding principle of those responsible for his education and guidance; that
responsibility lies in the first place with his parents.
The child shall have full opportunity for play
and recreation, which should be directed to the same purposes as education;
society and the public authorities shall endeavour to promote the enjoyment of
this right.
Principle 8
The child shall in all circumstances be among
the first to receive protection and relief.
Principle 9
The child shall be protected against all forms
of neglect, cruelty and exploitation. He shall not be the subject of traffic,
in any form.
The child shall not be admitted to employment
before an appropriate minimum age; he shall in no case be caused or permitted
to engage in any occupation or employment which would prejudice his health or
education, or interfere with his physical, mental or moral development.
Principle 10
The child shall be protected from practices
which may foster racial, religious and any other form of discrimination. He
shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among
peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, and in full consciousness that his
energy and talents should be devoted to the service of his fellow men.
© Copyright 1997 - 2000
Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Geneva,
Switzerland