Want to be a member of HRE USA? JOIN TODAY

A network dedicated to building a culture of human rights

Every Child, Every Right Toolkit

The Every Child, Every Right Toolkit is a curated online resource for teaching and learning about The UN Convention on The Rights of the Child.

Thirty years ago, on November 20th, 1989, world leaders adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)1 an international agreement on childhood. Now the most ratified of all international treaties, this historic commitment to the world’s children has radically transformed young lives across the globe. It sets out the rights that must be realized for children to develop to their full potential.

The Children’s Convention offers a vision of the child as an individual and as a member of a family and community, with rights and responsibilities appropriate to his or her age and stage of development, as well as special needs. Children are neither their parents’ property nor passive recipients of adult protection. From birth children are equal members of the human family and the subject of their own rights, which must be realized for them
to develop to their full potential.

As a legally binding treaty, the CRC establishes standards that the governments that ratify it are committed to uphold. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, a body created to monitor the CRC, has established a systematic process for gathering and responding to reports from UN
member states concerning their progress towards meeting the standards set forth in the convention. It also offers expert understandings on how the CRC is to be interpreted and implemented, which are available at http://www.unhchr.ch

Table of Contents

BACKGROUND ON THE CHILDREN’S CONVENTION

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS FACT SHEETS

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

  • Activity 2: What Does a Child Need?
    Age Level: Adaptable K-Adult
    Summary: Stimulates thinking about the needs of children; links human rights to human needs; increases familiarity with the articles of the CRC.
  • Activity 3: What Does a Child Need?
    Age Level: Adaptable K-Adult
    Summary: Stimulates thinking about the needs of children; links human rights to human needs; increases familiarity with the articles of the CRC.
  • Activity 5: Children’s Rights Here and Now
    Age Level: Middle school – Adult
    Summary: Examines the current situation regarding children’s rights in the USA.
  • Activity 6: It’s Up for Debate: Should the United States Ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child?
    Age Level: Middle school – Adult
    Summary: Participants research, take positions, and debate US ratification of the CRC.
  • Activity 7: Taking action for the CRC
    Age Level: High school – Adult
    Summary: Suggested advocacy actions in support of children’s rights.

HANDOUTS

ADDITIONAL LESSONS

ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL

  • The Rights Of The Child: Who Matters?
    Time: 2 class periods
    Age: Grades K-4
    Summary: Students read Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss and explore the concept that all people’s human rights are important no matter how young or old they are.

SECONDARY SCHOOL AND ADULTS

  • The World’s Largest Lesson
    Grade Level: K-12
    Summary: A comprehensive resource that introduces the UN development goals to young people with lesson plans, action ideas, and much more.
  • Who is Responsible for Children’s Rights?
    Time: 5-8 class periods
    Grade Level: 8-12
    Summary: Students identify children’s rights of and the barriers to their realization; consider the roles different members of society play in guaranteeing those rights, and compare approaches to rights in the United States and another country.

TEXT OF THE CHILDREN’S CONVENTION

COMPLETE TEXT

STUDENT-FRIENDLY TEXT

TEXT WITH POSTERS AND GRAPHICS

We are grateful for the generous support of our members, individual donors, and The Puffin Foundation Ltd
The core values of HRE USA and its partner organizations include transparency and critical thinking skills. We believe that human rights--and human rights education--belong to everyone, and that the full realization of human rights means that access to human rights education materials must never be conditioned upon the subscription to any particular religious faith, ideology, political affiliation, or membership in any particular organization and that any organizational connections should be openly acknowledged.