With a very simple text accompanied by rich, vibrant illustrations a young narrator describes what it means to be a child with rights -- from the right to food, water and shelter, to the right to go to school, to the right to be free from violence, to the right to breathe clean air, and much more. The book emphasizes that these rights belong to every child on the planet, whether they are "black or white, small or big, rich or poor, born here or somewhere else." It also makes evident that knowing and talking about these rights are the first steps toward making sure that they are respected. A brief afterword explains that the rights outlined in the book come from the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989. The treaty sets out the basic human rights that belong to children all over the world, recognizing that children need special protection since they are more vulnerable than adults. It has been ratified by 193 countries, with the exception of Somalia and the United States. Once a country has ratified the document, they are legally bound to comply with it and to report on their efforts to do so. As a result, some progress has been made, not only in awareness of children's rights, but also in their implementation. But there are still many countries, wealthy and poor, where children's basic needs are not being met. To read a summary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, go to www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf.

What are rights? Why do we have rights? Who has rights? Who bestows these rights? Do we need a document outlining our rights? What does it mean to have rights in the 21st century? What do rights mean to different people in different parts of the world? In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention - a legally binding international instrument - incorporating all the minimum entitlements and freedoms of all children that should be respected by governments. Drawn up by the United Nations, the Convention on the Rights of the Child comprises of 54 articles and has been signed by 193 countries. This exquisitely beautiful picture book takes the articles of the Convention and translates them into a language children can understand, in a non-preachy manner and with full-page artwork to illustrate each of these articles. Topics covered include food and water, healthcare, housing, poverty, international development, gender, race, the environment, disability, education, citizenship, family, war and freedom of speech. AGES: 6+ AUTHOR: Alain Serres was born in 1956 in Biarritz, France. He was a school teacher for thirteen years before turning his hand to publishing. In 1996 he founded the independent French publisher, Rue du Monde, of which he is still the Director. Alain has written more than eighty titles for children. Aurelia Fronty was born in born in France in 1973. After graduating from the art school of Duperre in Paris, she went on to work in fashion before turning her hand to children's illustration. She has illustrated over forty children's titles. SELLING POINTS: have the right to be a child is endorsed by Amnesty International UK and we are very pleased to be working with Amnesty in raising awareness of human rights through education. For more information about Amnesty's work, educational resources and the full Convention on the Rights of the Child (in child-friendly language) visit: www.amnesty.org.uk/education REVIEWS: "This beautifully illustrated book takes key articles of the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child and presents them as deceptively simple - but open - questions that explore the nature of, necessity for, and responsibilities that must accompany our 'rights' as citizens of this planet. Every turn of the page reveals a new opportunity to explore assumptions about our entitlements as human beings, and consider the implications of turning them into a ratified treaty. For example, 'If girls and boys are different, can our rights be exactly the same?' 'Can playing be a right too?' 'How about the right to breathe clean air?' Intended to provoke both independent thought and group discussion, this slim little paperback certainly has the potential to become an immensely valuable KS2 resource - as well as being an appealing, inspiring and accessible read in its own, well, right." -Teach Primary Colour illustrations

In 2014 the world’s most widely ratified human rights treaty, one specifically for children, reached the milestone of its twenty-fifth anniversary. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and in the time since then it has entered a new century, reshaping laws, policies, institutions and practices across the globe, along with fundamental conceptions of who children are, their rights and entitlements, and society’s duties and obligations to them. Yet despite its rapid entry into force worldwide, there are concerns that the Convention remains a high-level paper treaty without the traction on the ground needed to address ever-continuing violations of children’s rights. This book, based on papers from the conference ‘25 Years CRC’ held by the Department of Child Law at Leiden University, draws together a rich collection of research and insight by academics, practitioners, NGOs and other specialists to reflect on the lessons of the past 25 years, take stock of how international rights find their way into children’s lives at the local level, and explore the frontiers of children’s rights for the 25 years ahead.

This book deals with the implementation of the rights of the child as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 21 countries from Europe, Asia, Australia, and the USA. It gives an overview of the legal status of children regarding their most salient rights, such as the implementation of the best interest principle, the right of the child to know about of his/her origin, the right to be heard, to give medical consent, the right of the child in the field of employment, religious education of children, prohibition of physical punishment, protection of the child through deprivation of parental rights and in the case of inter-country adoption. In the last 25 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted, many States Parties to the Convention have made great efforts to pass legislation regulating the rights of the child, in their commitment to the improvement of the legal status of the child. However, is that enough for any child to live better, safer, and healthier? What are the practical effects of this international as well as many national instruments in the everyday life of children? Have there been any outcomes in terms of improvement of their status around the world, and improvement of the conditions under which they live, since the Convention entered into force? In tackling these questions, this work presents a comparative overview of the implementation of the Convention, and evaluates the results achieved.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most extensive and widely ratified international human rights treaty. This Commentary offers a comprehensive analysis of each of the substantive provisions in the Convention and its Optional Protocols on Children and Armed Conflict, and the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Pornography. It provides a detailed insight into the drafting history of these instruments, the scope and nature of the rights accorded to children, and the obligations imposed on states to secure the implementation of these rights. In doing so, it draws on the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, international, regional, and domestic courts, academic and interdisciplinary scholarly analyses. It is of relevance to anyone working on matters affecting children including government officials, policy makers, judicial officers, lawyers, educators, social workers, health professionals, academics, aid and humanitarian workers, and members of civil society.

This open access book presents a discussion on human rights-based attributes for each article pertinent to the substantive rights of children, as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It provides the reader with a unique and clear overview of the scope and core content of the articles, together with an analysis of the latest jurisprudence of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. For each article of the UNCRC, the authors explore the nature and scope of corresponding State obligations, and identify the main features that need to be taken into consideration when assessing a State’s progressive implementation of the UNCRC. This analysis considers which aspects of a given right are most important to track, in order to monitor States' implementation of any given right, and whether there is any resultant change in the lives of children. This approach transforms the narrative of legal international standards concerning a given right into a set of characteristics that ensure no aspect of said right is overlooked. The book develops a clear and comprehensive understanding of the UNCRC that can be used as an introduction to the rights and principles it contains, and to identify directions for future policy and strategy development in compliance with the UNCRC. As such, it offers an invaluable reference guide for researchers and students in the field of childhood and children’s rights studies, as well as a wide range of professionals and organisations concerned with the subject.