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.
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