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Expressing yourself

13 – 17

years

old

What does this mean?

Did you know?

How is this right protected in Ireland?

Does every child in Ireland get this right?

What does this mean?

Article 13 of the UNCRC says that you have the right to freedom of expression, meaning that you should be able to find out information for yourself and share it in the way that you want.

This is also connected to Article 15 of the UNCRC which allows children to meet other young people, form groups, and take part in peaceful protests.

However, there are limits to freedom of expression. For example, you cannot express yourself in a way that harms the rights or reputation of another person. This could be by revealing private information about them or saying things about them that are untrue.

You also cannot express yourself in a way that threatens the safety of another person or a group of people. For example, you should not say or write things that encourage people to act violently or hatefully against others.

Does every child in Ireland get this right?

Children and young people who take action when their rights are not being protected are often referred to as Child Human Rights Defenders.

In 2020, nine girls from the Ecuadorian Amazon took a case against their government, arguing that oil extraction processes harmed their rights to health, clean water, and a healthy environment.

In 2023, six young people from Portugal took a groundbreaking case to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that countries were not doing enough to protect them from climate change.

Around the world, many of child human rights defenders have faced huge challenges when trying to express their views and stand up for human rights. This includes online harassment and cyberbullying, physical attacks, or government surveillance.

Did you know?

In 2018 the people of Ireland voted in a referendum to remove blasphemy (insulting God) from the Constitution.

Before this, it was a crime to say or publish anything that was considered blasphemous. However, nobody had been convicted for blasphemy since 1703!

How is this right protected in Ireland?

Article 40.6 of the Irish Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to express freely their beliefs and opinions.

Ireland also has laws to prevent hate speech. For example, the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 states that it is an offence to communicate in a way that might cause hatred against a group of people because of their race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic origin, being a member of the Traveller community, or their sexuality.

Ireland also has censorship laws to make sure that books, films, magazines, or online content can be banned or restricted if they are offensive or likely to cause violence or hatred.

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