You should know that children have rights and not just obligations
29 June 2011
Each country is required to adopt and enforce a series of laws aiming at defending the intellectual and physical rights of children, ensuring thereby a sustainable living. The term "child" refers to any living being, between the ages of 0 to 18 years of age, regardless of gender, religion and origin, which should be declared in the National Registry immediately after the moment of its birth, acquiring a surname, parentage and a country of origin.
The most fundamental right of every child is that it should never be exposed to any form of violence (physical, mental, sexual), face abandonment or neglect of any form either from other adults or other minors or from those responsible for its care and custody. It is reprehensible to exploit children for economic gains, by trafficking them or forcing them to child labor to earn money for their family. Kidnapping of a child or exposing a child to torture, is illegal and no child should suffer from it. In the event that anything of the above takes place, the state is obligated to intervene, remove the child from family, assume custody and provide a new, safe and healthy housing.
Every child has the right to live with its natural parents, who are responsible for his upbringing. To achieve this all appropriate actions should be taken by the state and in cases where parents are unable to provide for their children, the state should encourage communication between the parents and children unless this contrary to the best interest of the child. In cases there are good reasons for removing the child from the family environment, the state is obligated to find alternative forms of custody for the child.
Children also have rights to medical care and education. In medical care, the child should be provided with precautionary medical care but also with access to medical treatment and services should this be required. In the education field children should have access to and attend elementary education easily and free of charge, but are also able to continue to secondary and tertiary studies free of any charges, given the opportunity to develop their intellectual skills and abilities to the degree they wish to.
All guardians are obligated to provide children with sufficient time for rest and leisure and allow children to use their free time as children are pleased. All children are allowed to participate in cultural and artistic events and freely express their views as long as these do not contradict laws of public order or the rights of others. Guardians are required to respect the privacy of their children and allow them to engage in activities appropriate to their age range. Any form of deprivation of liberty is an offense and is prosecuted by the law.
Finally, there is a plethora of laws protecting the rights of minors. All children, for instance, accused of an offense are considered and treated as innocent until proven otherwise and must have legal counsel and assistance in each case. The same applies in events of hostilities where it is prohibited by law to involve children. This series of international laws, acknowledges that children are the future of the world and should be of forms of exploitation or any type of situations exposing them to any danger.
The most fundamental right of all children remains that children should be taught and know their rights and lawfully claim them when they feel these rights being violated in any way.
