2. Grouping children’s rights into four dimensions

Living Democracy » Textbooks » Exploring Children’s Rights » Part 3: Documents and Teaching Materials » 2. Grouping children’s rights into four dimensions

The Convention on the Rights of the Child can be subdivided into four groups of rights. These categories can be used in lessons by allowing pupils to try to order the rights into these four categories. This could be done individually or in groups for each section.

I. Playing a part – means being able to take part in decision-making processes, the freedom to form groups, freedom of thought, and the freedom to gain access to information from a range of sources.

II. Reaching our potential – means that particular conditions must be fulfilled in order for optimal personal development to take place. Included in this group of rights are: education, family, culture and identity as important parts of our lives.

III. Living well – The right to survival comprises our basic needs. These include food and protection, standard of living and health.

IV. Being free from harm – means that young people have a right to protection against abuse, neglect, economic exploitation, torture, abduction and prostitution.

In the following list, the children are ordered into these four categories:

Group	Article	Abbreviated title
I. Playing a part: our right to participate	3	The well-being of the child is paramount
	12	The child’s freedom of opinion
	13	Freedom of expression
	14	Freedom of thought, conscience and religion
	15	Right to peaceful public gathering
	16	Protection of privacy
	17	Access to appropriate information
II. Reaching our potential: our right to develop who we are	5	Respect of parental rights
	7	Name and state membership
	8	Protection of identity
	10	Family reunification
	21	Adoption
	23	Disabled children
	28	Education
	29	Educational aims
	30	Children of minorities

III. Living well: our right to survival	6	Survival and development of the child
	9	Separation of parents
	18	Responsibility of parents
	24	Health and medical services
	26	Social security
	27	Standard of living
	31	Rest, play and free time
IV. Being free from harm: our right to protection	2	Non-discrimination
	11	Protection from kidnapping and abduction
	19	Protection from abuse
	20	Young people without families
	22	Refugee children
	25	Review of treatment or care
	32	Child labour
	33	Protection form narcotic drugs
	34	Protection from sexual exploitation
	35	Protection from sale and trafficking
	36	Protection from all other forms of exploitation
	37	Torture and imprisonment
	38	War and armed conflict
	39	Rehabilitation and integration
	40	Juvenile justice

In In the above table, four rights are missing. They cannot be ordered into any of the four categories, as they focus mainly on the responsibilities of the state. These are:

1	Definition of the child
4	Implementation of rights
41	Higher national standards have priority
42	Disclosure of children’s rights

1. Pupil's version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

3. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (20 November 1989)

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