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Declaration of the Rights of the Child


Proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 1386(XIV) of 20 November
1959


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.