Caring for children's health is part of children's rights.
Children's rights are those principles and norms that provide protection to minors under 18 years of age , defending and promoting their interests. These are inalienable and non-waivable guarantees.
Before continuing, it is interesting to analyze the terms that make up this concept. Rights are the faculties or powers of a person to demand what the laws grant in their favor and that which emanates from the human condition. A child , meanwhile, is someone who is going through the stage of childhood: that is, the period that begins with birth and extends until puberty.
History of children's rights
The notion of children's rights is not very old. For much of history, children were considered to be the property of their parents ; therefore, in situations of poverty or when their parents died, they were forced to work.
In this context, boys could become labourers or street vendors , for example, while girls were forced into prostitution . There were even frequent situations of enslaved boys and girls.
It was not until the end of the 19th century that children's rights began to be considered. An emblematic case was that of the American Mary Elle Wilson , who was mistreated by her adoptive family: between the ages of 6 and 8 she suffered all kinds of abuse and mistreatment. When a neighbour of the family filed a complaint, social worker Etta Angell Wheeler became aware of the facts. Given the lack of legal protection for children, Wheeler argued that Mary Ellen , as a human being, was part of the animal kingdom, and that protection could be requested, just as it was done for animals in danger and subjected to punishment. Through the efforts of the diplomat Henry Bergh, the girl was finally released in 1874 and, after various steps, she ended up being adopted by Wheeler herself.
This emerging awareness of the importance of protection against child abuse was expressed by the French journalist and novelist Jules Vallès in "L'Enfant" ( 1881 ) and by the American educator and author Kate Douglas Wiggin in "Children's Rights" ( 1892 ), among others. This led to the first declaration of children's rights in late 1924 : the Geneva Declaration .
This text was adopted by the League of Nations (which would later lead to the founding of the United Nations ) and is considered a precursor to the Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) of 1989. Concepts such as the right to food and to be protected from exploitation already appear in the Geneva Declaration .
In this historical evolution, we cannot fail to mention the creation of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) in 1946 , nor the mention of "special care" for children and their mothers in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 .
Children's rights include the prevention of xenophobia and racism.
Special needs
Children's rights arise from the understanding that minors have special needs derived from their state of physical, intellectual and emotional development . Therefore, children, as well as having the same human rights as adults, have additional ones. It is important to note that children are the holders of their own rights.
These rights are linked to the imperative to promote the healthy development and well-being of children . It must be considered that all people, at the time of birth, are totally dependent. With the passage of years, a progressive independence is achieved that is only fully achieved in adulthood.
In this process, families must first and foremost look after the interests of children, as well as the State. Without special protection of the rights of children at this stage of life, child development is impaired, which even harms the future of society as a whole.
The right to education , protection from discrimination , access to clean water and sanitation , and support for positive parenting are some of the pillars for healthy child growth. Childhood and adolescent policies must also combat child labor, child trafficking, and other serious problems.
The right to physical integrity is one of the rights of children.
Examples of children's rights
Although all children's rights are important and necessary for their development and well-being , some can be distinguished as examples due to their obvious relevance.
The right to life is of course fundamental. It is understood that all children have an "intrinsic right" to life, and therefore the authorities must ensure their survival.
The right to food (considering the nutritional needs of children), the right to health (promoting the prevention of childhood illnesses and guaranteeing access to essential medicines) and the right to adequate housing are also key, as they are directly linked to living conditions. Other basic guarantees are the right to identity , the right to play and the right to a healthy environment .
Children's freedom of expression , protection against harmful cultural practices and the prevention of bullying and cyberbullying are other aspects that must be taken into account by the State to protect children.