Almost 2 in 3 adults in Ireland have heard of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but most don’t know much about it.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or the UNCRC, is an international human rights agreement which Ireland formally adopted in 1992. It sets out the rights of children and young people under the age of 18.

The UNCRC is the most widely adopted human rights treaty in the world and it is seen as a critical benchmark in the global effort to promote and protect children’s rights.

The UNCRC’s 54 articles cover all aspects of a child’s life?and set out their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. This includes the right to relax and play (Article 31); the right to be safe from violence (Article 19); and the right to freedom of expression (Article 13).

Despite its near universal adoption globally and adoption in Ireland more than three decades ago, many people still don’t know much about the UNCRC. A recent survey of 1000 adults in Ireland commissioned by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth found that whilst two thirds of respondents had heard of the UNCRC, 68% of respondents knew little to nothing about it and only 1% knew ‘lots about the UNCRC’.

However, those surveyed did show an interest in the subject matter with 85% expressing a desire to learn more about the Convention.

A new campaign from the Government of Ireland has just been launched which aims to deliver information to the public on the UNCRC and children’s rights. By using a simple message that: ‘Children in Ireland have rights… everywhere’, the campaign aims to increase public awareness of the Convention. It encourages the public to find out more about children’s rights in Ireland and the important framework the UNCRC provides in supporting those rights by visiting the dedicated webpage gov.ie/UNCRC.

#RightsHere #UNCRC

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