Whereas the peoples of the United Nations
have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and in
the dignity and worth of the human person, and have determined to promote
social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas the United Nations has, in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed that everyone is entitled to
all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind,
such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or other status,
Whereas the child, by reason of his
physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including
appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth,
Whereas the need for such special
safeguards has been stated in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child
of 1924, and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the
statutes of specialized agencies and international organizations concerned with
the welfare of children,
Whereas mankind owes to the child the best
it has to give,
Now therefore,
The General Assembly
Proclaims this Declaration of the Rights of
the Child to the end that he may have a happy childhood and enjoy for his own
good and for the good of society the rights and freedoms herein set forth, and
calls upon parents, upon men and women as individuals, and upon voluntary
organizations, local authorities and national Governments to recognize these
rights and strive for their observance by legislative and other measures
progressively taken in accordance with the following principles:
Principle 1
The child shall enjoy all
the rights set forth in this Declaration. Every child, without any exception
whatsoever, shall be entitled to these rights, without distinction or
discrimination on account of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political
or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,
whether of himself or of his family.
Principle 2
The child shall enjoy
special protection, and shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and
by other means, to enable him to develop physically, mentally, morally,
spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of
freedom and dignity. In the enactment of laws for this purpose, the best
interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration.
Principle 3
The child shall be entitled
from his birth to a name and a nationality.
Principle 4
The child shall enjoy the
benefits of social security. He shall be entitled to grow and develop in
health; to this end, special care and protection shall be provided both to him
and to his mother, including adequate pre-natal and post-natal care. The child
shall have the right to adequate nutrition, housing, recreation and medical
services.
Principle 5
The child who is
physically, mentally or socially handicapped shall be given the special
treatment, education and care required by his particular condition.
Principle 6
The child, for the full and
harmonious development of his personality, needs love and understanding. He
shall, wherever possible, grow up in the care and under the responsibility of
his parents, and, in any case, in an atmosphere of affection and of moral and
material security; a child of tender years shall not, save in exceptional
circumstances, be separated from his mother. Society and the public authorities
shall have the duty to extend particular care to children without a family and
to those without adequate means of support. Payment of State and other
assistance towards the maintenance of children of large families is desirable.
Principle 7
The child is entitled to
receive education, which shall be free and compulsory, at least in the
elementary stages. He shall be given an education which will promote his
general culture and enable him, on a basis of equal opportunity, to develop his
abilities, his individual judgement, and his sense of moral and social
responsibility, and to become a useful member of society.
The best interests of the
child shall be the guiding principle of those responsible for his education and
guidance; that responsibility lies in the first place with his parents.
The child shall have full
opportunity for play and recreation, which should be directed to the same
purposes as education; society and the public authorities shall endeavour to
promote the enjoyment of this right.
Principle 8
The child shall in all
circumstances be among the first to receive protection and relief.
Principle 9
The child shall be
protected against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation. He shall not
be the subject of traffic, in any form.
The child shall not be
admitted to employment before an appropriate minimum age; he shall in no case
be caused or permitted to engage in any occupation or employment which would
prejudice his health or education, or interfere with his physical, mental or
moral development.
Principle 10
The child shall be
protected from practices which may foster racial, religious and any other form
of discrimination. He shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding,
tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, and in
full consciousness that his energy and talents should be devoted to the service
of his fellow men.