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Know your rights

7-12

years

old

What does this mean?

The UNCRC says that you have the right to know about your rights.

Adults such as parents and teachers should help you learn about your rights in a way that is easy for you to understand.

Some children may need extra help to learn about their rights – for example if they have a disability or if English is not their first language.

Andriy’s story

I came to Ireland with my family when the war started in Ukraine as it wasn’t safe for us to stay in our country.

When I arrived, I didn’t speak much English but the staff in our accommodation were really helpful. They gave me and my sister a leaflet in Ukrainian that explained all of our rights in Ireland. Our games room also has lots of posters in Ukrainian telling us about our rights.

Because of this I now know about all my different rights – such as protection from war, education and healthcare

Did you know?

One of the main jobs of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office is making sure that children in Ireland know about their rights in a way that is fun and easy to understand!

We run free workshops for schools and youth groups where children of all ages can learn about their rights.

Find out how you can visit the Ombudsman for Children’s Office with your class to take part in a workshop about children’s rights

Governments in every country around the world have a responsibility to make sure that children and adults are aware of the UNCRC. They can do this by running campaigns or making sure that children learn about it in school.

Adults must make lots of decisions for children everyday so it’s really important they also understand children’s rights.

Can you think of any jobs where adults should know about children’s rights?

Find out what you can do when you’re not getting your rights.