Children’s Rights are Human Rights

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?”

First Lady of the United States and United Nations delegate Eleanor Roosevelt asked this question of her colleagues at the UN in 1958. It’s a question worth considering today as we approach November 20, the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). As we pause to reflect on the world’s most widely ratified human rights treaty, it’s important that we look not only at its history but at the urgent need for human rights education for young people today. Do they have opportunities to ponder the question of where universal human rights begin?

The CRC was the result of a decades-long process of legal codification recognizing that children’s unique stage in human development is worthy of special protection under the law. The treaty is based on four foundational principles intended to inform government policy; these include protecting children from discrimination, acting with children’s best interests in mind, prioritizing child survival and individual development, and valuing children’s perspective in matters concerning their welfare.

The CRC is still relevant in our schools and communities. Myriad social challenges affecting American youth—including poverty and unequal access to healthcare and quality education—underscore the necessity for international human rights standards such as the CRC as vehicles for policy analysis and youth advocacy. It is also a valuable document to help young people develop their own beliefs about universal rights and responsibilities.

At TeachUNICEF, we strive to empower educators who want to provide meaningful opportunities for human and child rights education in the classroom with the knowledge that international human rights treaties have no real meaning outside the realm of our communities, classrooms and homes. We believe that the teaching of human rights fosters a sense of global citizenship and strengthens democratic values of inclusivity, equality and diversity.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the CRC, we invite educators to join us in building a movement for human rights education by introducing students to the CRC and educating them about the relevance of these rights in their lives. Our suite of resources related to child rights, the CRC and global citizenship offers ideas and activities for grades PreK-12, including:

• It’s Up for Debate!, an interactive debate lesson on the merits of U.S. ratification of the CRC for grades 8-12
• The Convention on the Rights of the Child, an activity sheet for grades 8-12
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Introduction, a full unit for grades 6-8
• Color It Rights!, a coloring book for grades PreK-2

In answering her own question, “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?” Eleanor Roosevelt went on to say, “In small places, close to home—so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. … Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” Today’s schools are where that concerted citizen action can, and must, begin. 

Hirschfeld is the director of education for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, where he manages the development of global learning resources and programs.