Children's Rights
What’s new?
- New Commissioner a win for children (02 May 2012)
- Information concerning Australia and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (04 May 2012)
- Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (August 2011)
- A national approach to child rights: Speech by Catherine Branson QC
(26 July 2011) - Submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the Children’s Commissioner Bill (December 2010)
Are you a student or young person looking for human rights information? See the Information for Students page.
Are you a teacher looking for resources for teaching about child rights? See the RightsEd resources for teachers page.
Do you think you have been discriminated against because of your age? Go to our Complaints page for information on how to make a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission.
You can also make a complaint if you think your human rights (including the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child) have been breached. Go to our Complaints page for information on how to make a complaint to the Commission.
What are children’s rights?
Human rights are children's rights too. International human rights instruments recognise that children as well as adults have basic human rights. Children also have the right to special protection because of their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.
In November 1989 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (the CRC). The CRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world . There are only 2 countries, which have not signed the CRC; the United States of America and Somalia.
- Click here for the full text of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Click here for a child-friendly version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
The CRC incorporates the whole spectrum of human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural - and sets out the specific ways these rights should be ensured for children and young people. The CRC recognises that the degree to which children can exercise these rights independently is influenced by their evolving maturity. It also emphasises the rights and responsibilities of parents where applicable.
Some of the core principles in the CRC are:
- the right to survival and development;
- respect for the best interests of the child as a primary consideration;
- the right of all children to express their views freely on all matters affecting them; and
- the right of all children to enjoy all the rights of the CRC without discrimination of any kind.
Australia ratified the CRC in December 1990, but it has not yet been incorporated into Australian law. Nevertheless, the Commission has the role of monitoring Australia’s compliance with the CRC.
Current projects on Children’s Rights
- The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child is currently considering Australia’s progress in implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Click here for more information and for the Australian Human Rights Commission submission to the UN Committee.
- The Commission supports the establishment of a National Children’s Commissioner. See the Commission discussion paper on a National Children’s Commissioner and the Commission’s submission to a Senate Inquiry into the Commonwealth Children and Young People’s Commissioner Bill 2010.
Past projects on Children’s Rights
Promoting and protecting children's rights is an important part of the Commissions work. Some key past projects include:
- Rights of Passage: A Dialogue with Young Australians about Human Rights (November 2005)
- A last resort? - Report of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention (May 2004)
- National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education (August 2000)
- The Australian Human Rights Commission’s participation in the UN Special Session for Children (May 2002)
- Seen and heard, the report of the national inquiry into children in the legal process (November 1997)
- Mandatory detention of juvenile offenders in WA and NT (February 2000)
- Age Matters: a report on age discrimination (June 2000) examines a number of age distinctions made in Australian law and policy, many of which adversely affect children and young people.
- Submission to the Inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties into the Status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (July 2000)
- Information Briefs on Children’s Rights
Useful links
Last updated: May 9, 2012 .
