Declaration of the Rights of the Child

International document promoting child rights

Children's day 1928 in Bulgaria. The text on the poster is the Geneva Declaration. In front are Prime Minister Andrey Lyapchev and Metropolitan Stefan of Sofia.

The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, sometimes known as the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, is an international document promoting child rights, drafted by Eglantyne Jebb and adopted by the League of Nations in 1924, and adopted in an extended form by the United Nations in 1959.

## Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1924)

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The text of the document, as published by the International Save the Children Union in Geneva on 23 February 1923, is as follows:

>   1. The child must be given the means requisite for its normal development, both materially and spiritually.
>   2. The child that is hungry must be fed, the child that is sick must be nursed, the child that is backward must be helped, the delinquent child must be reclaimed, and the orphan and the waif must be sheltered and succoured.
>   3. The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress.
>   4. The child must be put in a position to earn a livelihood, and must be protected against every form of exploitation.
>   5. The child must be brought up in the consciousness that its talents must be devoted to the service of its fellow men.

This text was endorsed by the League of Nations General Assembly on 26 November 1924 as the World Child Welfare Charter, and was the first human rights document approved by an inter-governmental institution.[1] It was reaffirmed by the League in 1934. Heads of State and Government pledged to incorporate its principles in domestic legislation. In France, it was ordered to be displayed in every school.[2]

## History

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After considering a number of options, including that of drafting an entirely new declaration, the United Nations resolved in 1946 to adopt the document, in a much expanded version, as its own statement of children's rights. Many different governments were involved in the drafting process. A slightly expanded version, with seven points in place of five, was adopted in 1948.[3] Then on 20 November 1959 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Declaration of the Rights of the Child, based on the structure and contents of the 1924 original, with ten principles. An accompanying resolution, proposed by the delegation of Afghanistan, called on governments to recognise these rights, strive for their acceptance, and publicise the document as widely as possible.[2][4] This date has been adopted as the Universal Children's Day.

This Declaration was followed in 1989 by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the UN General Assembly, adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989; entry into force 2 September 1990, in accordance with article 49.

## See also

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* Save the Children
* Timeline of young people's rights in the United Kingdom
* Timeline of young people's rights in the United States

## References

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1. ^ Trevor Buck, International Child Law (Routledge, 2014) page 89.
2. ^ a b Geraldine Van Bueren, The International Law on the Rights of the Child (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1998) page 9.
3. ^ Sharon Detrick, J. E. Doek, Nigel Cantwell, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Guide to the "Travaux Préparatoires" (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1992) page 19.
4. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 14  Resolution 1386. Declaration of the Rights of the Child A/RES/1386(XIV) 20 November 1959. Retrieved accessdate.

## External links

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* Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924 on the UN Documents Database
* Declaration of the Rights of the Child (UN 1948)
* Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1959
* Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN 1989)

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International human rights instruments

Declarations, manifestos, and resolutions

* Brazilian Resolution
* Declaration of the Basic Duties of ASEAN Peoples and Governments
* Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples
* Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
* Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
* Declaration of Montreal
* Declaration of the Rights of the Child
* Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (DEDAW)
* Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW)
* Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
* Declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity
* American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man
* Paris Principles
* Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA)
* Yogyakarta Principles
* Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP)

International law

* United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples
* Convention against Torture
* Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
* Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
* Convention on the Political Rights of Women
* Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
* Convention on the Rights of the Child
* Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
* International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid
* International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
* Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989
* International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
* International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Regional law

* African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
* Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol)
* European
* Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
* Convention for the Prevention of Torture
* Convention on Nationality
* Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
* Social Charter
* Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention)
* American Convention on Human Rights
* Inter-American Convention
* to Prevent and Punish Torture
* on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities
* on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Belém do Pará Convention)

International humanitarian law

* Genocide Convention
* Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
* Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees
* Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
* Geneva Conventions
* Hague Conventions
* Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

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