A Fairer World :: Youth

Children's Rights

Make A Difference - Links - Did You Know?
Teacher Resources

“About 29,000 children under the age of five – 21 each minute – die every day, mainly from preventable causes.”

United Nations Children’s Fund

“300,000 child soldiers worldwide. 1 in 10 soldiers is a child.”

War Child

Multimedia Links

Recommended sites

Clarence High School students have had some thoughts on child rights and child soldiers.

Global Movement For Children: “No child ever started a war. Yet every time a war breaks out, children as the most vulnerable members of society suffer the worst. The international community has long recognized that children have no place in wars, yet children are still victimized. Many children are even forced to fight in these wars.”

TakingITGLobal: “…an estimated 172 million children aged 5 to 14 partake in child labour globally. Out of the estimated 172 million, about 126 million children regularly engage in hazardous work that can potentially endanger their personal safety, mental & physical health, and development.”

Save The Children: “Even short-term poverty can affect the rest of a child’s life – malnutrition in early childhood can lead to life-long learning difficulties and poor health.”

International Labour Organization: “Children work because their survival and that of their families depend on it. Child labour persists even where it has been declared illegal, and is frequently surrounded by a wall of silence, indifference, and apathy.”

Stir: “In Australia, many young people think they need rescuing from stressful exams, assignment deadlines, nagging parents... In the majority of the world, the situation is very different. Millions of children living in poverty need rescuing from things like:

  • Being kidnapped
  • Being sold into slavery and prostitution
  • Forced into hard labour”

UNICEF: “Human rights apply to all age groups; children have the same general human rights as adults. But children are particularly vulnerable and so they also have particular rights that recognize their special need for protection.”

UN Voices of Youth: “‘As a young girl I was told by my mother that I should not dream the impossible, like going to school. Yet today the gods have surprised me with the chance to hold a book, and to read and write. Now I dare to dream the impossible.’ Teenage girl, Bihar, India.”

Tagd: “HIV/AIDS is having a devastating impact upon the world’s children, depriving them of parental care and protection. Children are being forced to replace parents as head of the household and care for younger siblings. Children are missing out on education, as they are forced to work to support themselves or siblings. Millions of young people also face the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS themselves and of not receiving treatment.”

UNICEF: “Approximately 143 million children are orphaned by one or both parents.”

BBC I Have A Right To...: “Choose a human rights case study from around the world.”

Did You Know?

  • Child soldiering is made physically possible by the availability of light-weight weapons – small arms – typically those produced by developed nations. www
  • 218 million children (aged 5 - 17) are child labourers. The cost of the elimination of child labour is US$760 billion over 20 years. The estimated benefit in terms of better education and health is over US$4 trillion. www
  • Some 115 million children – most of them girls – are still out of primary school. www
  • The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child lays out the fundamental human rights of children. It was adopted on 20 November 1989. It is the most widely ratified – given legal force – human rights agreement in history. 191 countries have ratified the convention. www
  • Every year around 8 million children under five die from preventable diseases. With simple interventions, half of these children would live. www

These sites have ideas on how to make a difference.

Send My Friend to School: “Help put 72 million children into education by joining our campaign.”

Save the Children: “Our experience shows that improving the length and quality of their parents’ lives makes a real difference for children.”

Global Movement for Children: “The changes needed throughout the world to protect the rights of children begin with actions taken by all of us. Everyone must play their part, from governments to organisations and individuals, including children.”

International Labour Office: “… an increasing number of young people, students and committed educators are organising and implementing SCREAM initiatives.”

World Vision: “Demand ethical chocolate!”

Taking IT Global: “Start a TIG group or a project dedicated to informing and empowering young people in your community and around the world about the issue of child labour. ”

UNICEF: “Everyone can participate in respecting, protecting and fulfilling children’s rights. And UNICEF can help. Whoever you are and wherever you are, contact your local UNICEF office or National Committee to see what you can do.”

The Global March Against Child Labour: “seeks to eliminate child labour by questioning, attacking and changing the very systems that compel children to work at the global, regional and national levels.”

Child Rights Information Network: “Children should have access to the media, children’s voices need to be heard in the media, but children also need protection from the media’s harmful influences. Conversely, there needs to be respect for the integrity of the child in media reporting.”

Free The Children: “Here you'll find all the tools you need to get informed and get involved, so dig in already: the whole world's waiting.”

Teacher resources

  • Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning has posters, games, unit plans, books, DVDs and bookmarks on global issues such as child rights. Members are encouraged to contact the Centre for a complete list of resources on this topic which are either available free or on loan.