1. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
From
The Cyprus Children’s Parliament and
The Pancyprian Coordinating Committee for the Protection and Welfare of Children
Original version in Greek by Kyriacos Pastides

2. Important dates
19th century: No collective responsibility towards children (exploitation, child labor, social and economic discrimination)
1924 : The Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child is adopted
1959: The UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child is adopted (a moral framework of no legislative value)
1979 : The International Year for Children (discussions on a forthcoming Convention begin)
1989 : The UN General Assembly unanimously votes for the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

3. General points
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legal binding document recognising the individual rights of children all over the world. In its 54 articles, it sets the fundamental requisites for the protection and welfare of children. It was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly on the 20th November 1989 and put into effect in Almost all UN Member States, including Cyprus, have ratified the Convention.

4. 1990 A year to remember!...
Within the November 1990 Children’s Week, thousands of Cypriot children of all ages participated in a rally through Nicosia streets to the Parliament building, demanding the immediate ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. A month later, the Republic of Cyprus ratified the Convention.

5. Ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in
So, Cyprus …
Ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in
December 1990
with the #243 Law of 1990.
When a state ratifies an international convention it becomes automatically obliged to amend its legislation in such a way as to ensure full compliance with its provisions. It should be noted that ratified international conventions are placed above national legislations.

6. The preamble: State parties
Considering that recognizing the dignity and equal and inseparable rights for all is a foundation to freedom, justice and peace in the world

7. Taking into consideration
That all peoples decided to promote social progress and better living conditions

8. Recognizing
That the United Nations proclaimed and agreed that each and every individual is entitled to enjoy all rights regardless of race, color, gender, language, religion , political or other convictions

9. That children are entitled to special aid and support
Reminding
That children are entitled to special aid and support

10. Convinced
That the family should have the necessary protection and support in order to be able to fulfill its community role

11. Recognizing
That in order for children to harmoniously develop their personality they should be raised in a family setting within a climate of happiness, love and understanding

12. Feeling
That it is important to prepare the child to live an independent personal life within society and with the ideals of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity

13. Taking into consideration
That the need to give children special protection was mentioned in the Geneva Declaration of 1924 and that children, because of their physical and mental immaturity, need special protection and care along with adequate legal protection both before and after birth

14. Reminding
The special mention of placement into care or for adoption and the rules, regulations and procedures governing such cases

15. Recognizing
That in each and every country of the world there exist children who live under very difficult conditions and that special attention should be given to these particular children

16. Taking into serious account
The importance of cultural heritage and tradition in the protection and development of children

17. Recognizing
The importance of international cooperation for the improvement of children’s life conditions in all countries, especially the ones under development

18. Member States Agree to promote THE UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS
OF THE CHILD

19. The four principles The Convention states that all
individuals under 18 years of age
are considered to be children. It is
based on four basic principles:
The Principle of the Right to Survival
The Principle of the Right to Protection
The Principle of the Right to Life, Evolution and Development
The Principle of the Right to Respect Children’s Views and the Right to Participation

20. 1. The Right to Survival
Covering the right to life and the basic needs for a child’s survival: adequate life conditions, a house, adequate food, clean water and medical care.

21. 2. The Rights to Protection
They demand that children are protected from all forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation. They cover cases such as refugee children, tortured children, children in various institutions, child soldiers, child labour, drug abuse and sexual exploitation and they demand special protection and care.
                                  

22. 3. The Rights to Development
They include everything that children need in order o develop their full capacities and abilities. For example, the right to play and recreation, the right to education, the right to cultural life, the right to access information, the right to freedom of thought and religion.

23. 4. The Rights to Participation
They allow children to play an active role in their societies and their nations. They include the right to free expression of opinion, the right to comment on issues concerning them and their life, the right to participate in all kinds of cultural events, the right to organize.

24. The Articles
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child comprises 54 Articles that could be divided into three parts

25. PART ONE
1. Definition
2. Discriminations
3. Care
4. The Member State
5. Parental Support
6. Survival and Development
7. Name and Nationality
8. Identity
9. Life with Parents
10. Family reunion

26. 11. Abduction / Detainment
12. Freedom of Opinion
13. Freedom of Expression
14. Freedom of Thought and Religion
15. Freedom to organize
16. Personal Life
17. Access to Information
18. Parental Responsibility
19. Abuse / Neglect
20. Protection / Orphans

27. 21. Adoption
22. Refugee Children
23. Children with Special Needs
24. Health and Health Services
25. Reconsidering Care
26. Social Services
27. Standard of Life
28. Education
29. Educational targets
30. Minority Children
31. Play and Recreation

28. 32. Child labour
33. Protection from drugs
34. Sexual exploitation
35. Child trafficking
36. Other forms of exploitation
37. Torture and loss of freedom
38. Armed conflicts and War
39. Inclusion - rehabilitation
40. Justice
41. Recognition

29. Article 12
State Parties guarantee to any child that has the ability to judge, the right to free expression of his opinion on any issue relevant to him, taking into consideration the child’s age and maturity.

30. Article 13
The child has the right to free expression. This right includes the freedom to seek, gather and disseminate information and ideas of any kind and on any issue, irrespective of borders, either in oral or written or printed or artistic form or in any other form of his choice.

31. Article 16
No child could be subject to arbitrary or illegal interference in his private life, in his family, in his home or in his correspondence nor could he be subject to arbitrary or illegal insults of his reputation and honour.

32. Article 19
State Parties take all necessary legal, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from any form of violence, insult, corporal or mental punishment, abandonment, neglect, abuse or exploitation – including sexual abuse and exploitation – at all times, be him under the care of both or one parent or in custody or under the care of a legal representative or any other person to whom his care was entrusted.

33. Article 30
In countries where ethnic or religious minorities or indigenous peoples exist, an indigenous child or a child of any minority could not be denied the right to his own cultural life, the right to believe and exercise his own religion or the right to use his on language along with the other members of his group.

34. Article 32
State Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from any labour that could be dangerous to his life, to his education, to his health – corporal, mental, psychological or moral – or to his social development.

35. PART TWO Implementation and Monitoring: Articles 42 to 45.
They define the monitoring mechanism for the implementation of the Convention and a relevant body is instituted for this purpose, the UN Committee on Children’s Rights.

36. PART THREE
POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS: ARTICLES 46 to 54 They include regulations on possible future amendments to any article of the Convention.

37. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, students have the following rights:
The right to free expression of their opinion
The right to disagree with the official opinion of the Ministry, the Headmaster, the Professor or Teacher
The right to freely disseminate ideas or information within the school, in written or oral form
The right to freely hand flyers, announcements, magazines or other printed material to fellow students within the school
The right to freely organize, rally or protest without anybody having the right to interfere or stop them
The right to participate and the right to have their opinion respected in all issues and decisions that directly or indirectly affect them in respect to the school system, regulations or administration

38. According to the Convention In the Family
All members are equal regardless their age
Children have the right to express their opinion and that opinion should be heard and respected
Children have the right to deny to follow an order given by the parents if they feel it would be harmful to their best interest or if it insults their beliefs or convictions
Children have the right to demand good life conditions and family serenity
Children have the right to chose family activities
In the case of divorce, children have the right to chose where and with which parent they wish to stay

39. All these are valid given that:
Any action taken as a result of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, is not contrary to national legislation of a democratic society, is not threatening to national interest or national security or public order or public health or public morals or the rights an freedoms of other citizens.

40. Why is the Convention important?
It is the first legally binding document on Children’s Rights
Failure to implement the Convention results in legal consequences and penalties
It is universally recognized and accepted
Almost all countries in the world have ratified it and try to conform by amending their legislation
State Parties are monitored by special Committees and Institutions

41. Who monitors the implementation in Cyprus?
The Office of the Ombudsperson for the Protection of Children’s Rights
In cooperation with the Pancyprian
Coordinating Committee for the Protection
and Welfare of Children (PCCPWC)

42. What is YOUR responsibility? THINK ABOUT IT!!!
The Un Convention on the Rights of the Child EXISTS!
Is it implemented?
Is the implementation monitored properly?
Do children know and demand their rights?
What is the State’s responsibility?
What is the Children’s Parliament responsibility?
What is YOUR responsibility?
THINK ABOUT IT!!!

43. Any way… thanks for your patience! THE CYPRUS CHILDREN’S PARLIAMENT
Oooooh! Is it not over yet? ΟΚ
Got the message!
Oh! Enough!!
I’m so sleepy…
Hey… I’m bored!
Any way… thanks for your patience!
THE CYPRUS CHILDREN’S PARLIAMENT

44. CHILDREN'S RIGHTS RECOGNITION
PCCPWC
CHILDREN'S PARLIAMENT + =
CHILDREN'S RIGHTS RECOGNITION