Brief History of Human Rights

BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND HOW THIS RELATES TO THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDREN.

What are Human Rights?

“Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination; these rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible” (United Nations, 2013).

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created in December 1948 after World War II; this was to ensure that future generations would not see the devastation of international conflict again.  Today the document bonds the governments and the people of the world together (United for Human Rights, 2013).  The commission of Human Rights had 18 members and Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of President Franklin Roosevelt, was the driving force behind the document.

The Declaration of Human Rights has 54 articles, each article clearly defining that all people have the right to be treated fairly, and not in a cruel or inhumane way.  The people should have the right to live, and to experience things in life such as education, cultural life, and communities and to also strive for “freedom, justice, and peace in the world” (United Nations, 2013).

Whatever our nationality, gender, culture or where we live, all people should be treated equally and with dignity.  The international document, The Declaration of Human Rights provided the people with recognition that basic rights and fundamental freedoms are innate (United Nations, 2013).

However, human rights violations are still happening around the world with people in some countries still being tortured, neglected and abused, experiencing war and devastation, as well as starvation.  Restricted freedom of voice and expression is another breach of the document seen around the world.  http://www.humanrights.com/what-are-human-rights/violations-of-human-rights/article-3.html

 

What are Children’s Rights?

In 1989, the United Nations recognised that they wanted to protect children around the world, as they identified that children often need more care and protection than adults do.  They also wanted to give children more freedom to express themselves in society (Unicef, 2005).

“Children’s rights are the human rights of all children. The United Nations defines children as being any persons under the age of 18. Their rights include the right to be protected from all types of harm, the right to be provided with what they need to survive and grow and the right to participate in community and political life” (Take Action Guide, n.d).

The Convention on the Rights for the Children [UNCROC] is for children under 18 years of age.  192 countries have signed the Convention around the world, including New Zealand and uphold the commitment to ensure children’s rights. New Zealand made a legal commitment to the rights of the children by joining the United Nations Conventions on the Rights for the Child [UNCROC] in 1993.  UNCROC has 54 articles that outline the range of the rights of the child (Ministry of Social Development, n.d).  Here is the link to a child friendly version of the rights of the child http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SAF_resources_crcchildfriendly.pdf

UNCROC says the basic human rights that children everywhere should have are the rights to survival, to develop to the fullest and to be protected from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.

 The Children’s Rights fall into three categories

1.    Provision rights - children have a right to adequate shelter and health care and free 
education.      

2.    Protection rights – children have rights to protection from bullying, neglect and abuse, discrimination and safety of the justice system.

3.   Participation rights – the right for children to have freedom of expression and participate in society (Action for young children and youth Aotearoa Incorporated [AYCA], 2005, http://www.acya.org.nz/?t=43 or (Fernekes, 1999, http://search.proquest.com/docview/210644085?accountid=39646

 After reading all of this I feel one way that children’s rights are being supported in early childhood settings is using Te Whāriki as a framework. I believe Te Whāriki supports UNCROCS articles as it looks at supporting the child holistically and encourages children to participate in society while exploring and discovering their rights.

I believe as a professional teacher I encourage the children’s well-being and sense of belonging. I value their contribution and participation, and through communication, the children exercise their rights of expression.  Therefore, when I found the following quote, I found it was in line with my own philosophy and thought I would share it with you

I’ll leave you with this quote I like from the Green Party

 “We are the guardians of the earth for our children. They are our future, so we must give them the best possible start to life. Each child should have the opportunity to grow with joy, be fully supported by their family and be an integral part of our society. Each child deserves a secure base from which they can express their creativity and discover life as an adventure” (Green Party, 2013).

 

From here I want to know are the rights of children actually being protected in New Zealand? This is where I plan to look next.

References:

Action for young children and youth Aotearoa Incorporated [AYCA], (2005).  Retrieved from. http://www.acya.org.nz/?t=43

Fernekes, (1999), Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/210644085?accountid=39646

Green Party. (2013). Children’s policy-every child matters.  Retrieved from. http://www.greens.org.nz/policy/childrens-policy-every-child-matters

Ministry of Social Development, (n.d)  Children and Young People / Ko ngā tamariki me ngā Rangatahi. Retrieved from. http://www.msd.govt.nz/what-we-can-do/children-young-people/uncroc/index.html

Unicef (2005). Understanding the convention on the rights of the child.  Retrieved from. http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_understanding.html

http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SAF_resources_crcchildfriendly.pd

United Nations Human Rights (2013).  Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  Retrieved From:  http://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx