The Convention on the Rights of the Child All member countries – with the exception of the USA – have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is therefore the UNO treaty with the greatest acceptance globally
Children have rights
All children, regardless of where they grow up, have the same rights. In addition to general human rights, they also have their own children’s rights. This is because children and young people need special protection. Their needs are different to those of adults and they are not always able to assert their rights themselves.
Children’s rights are enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This was ratified unanimously by the UNO on 20 November 1989 and consists of 54 articles. Among others, the Convention states that every child has the right to grow up in a safe and healthy environment, to develop their abilities to their fullest potential, to be heard, and to be taken seriously. All members who signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child are obliged to ensure children’s rights are implemented in their countries.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in child-friendly language pdf - 117,16 KB
Children’s rights form the foundation of our work
Although almost all countries have pledged to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the rights of children and young people are violated on a daily basis around the world. Millions of children and young people are growing up in poverty, in conflict zones or without access to basic needs such as food or protection. This can be due to the climate crisis, which leads to countless children and young people going hungry, or wars that force entire families to flee. We therefore work every day and in times of crisis so that the rights of children are fully implemented.
160 million children are still forced to work.
72 million children affected by crises cannot go to school.
An estimated 12 million girls are forced into child marriage each year.
Children’s rights in Switzerland
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has been in force in Switzerland since 1997. Although Switzerland has made efforts to realise children’s rights since then, implementation has been fragmented.
This is why we are committed to improving the situation with our offerings for disadvantaged children in Switzerland. The focus here is on our projects for refugee children and young people and children of incarcerated parents.
Together with other organisations, we also give children a voice on a political level. With educational material for teachers, we make children and adults aware of the rights of children in everyday life. Last but not least, we also discuss children’s rights together with other specialist organisations from Switzerland.
100 years of children’s rights
1919: The world lies in ruins and millions of people suffer from hunger and poverty. Children in particular are left to the mercy of the consequences of the First World War.
This injustice was something the then 42-year-old Eglantyne Jebb was not prepared to accept: She wrote the message «Every war is a war against children» on leaflets and distributed these to passers-by on the streets of London. In the same year, the British woman founded the organisation Save the Children with her sister.
Eglantyne Jebb’s ideas were well ahead of their time: «I am convinced that we should assert a claim to certain rights of the child and should work towards the recognition of these rights.» Her conviction that all children should be entitled to their own rights led her to draw up the first declaration on the rights of the child three years later in 1922. In doing so, she laid the foundation for children’s rights.
Children’s rights are our past, present and future
We have worked on behalf of children and their rights for over 100 years. We provide children with medical care and food, allow them to learn, and protect them in emergencies such as conflicts, natural disasters or when fleeing. We support young people in having their voices heard on a political level. We continue to work hard, and will not stop our commitment to children’s rights until every child grows up healthy, can go to school and is protected against violence. After all, every child should be able to live like a child.