As a person, you have rights that apply to everyone in the world.
As a young person you have other rights, too. These are listed in a document called the UN Convention on The Rights of the Child, or UNCRC.
The UNCRC builds on other rights
It builds on the Charter of the United Nations (1945), which recognised that the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family are the foundation of freedom, justice, peace and social progress.
And it breathes life into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance.
Read the UNCRC
Read our simplified UNCRC Articles
Our easy to understand versions of the articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
UNCRC Full Text
Read the full text of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Key UNCRC concepts
The rights contained in the 54 articles of the UNCRC are universal, inalienable, indivisible, and interdependent.
UNCRC rights are universal
Everyone under 18 has the human rights contained in he UNCRC.
UNCRC rights are inalienable
Human rights can’t be taken away from you. That includes the ones in the UNCRC.
UNCRC rights are indivisible
The rights in the UNCRC can’t be separated from each other. They shouldn’t be placed in an order so one’s more important than another, because they’re all part of a single broad structure that’s essential to human dignity.
UNCRC rights are interdependent
Different rights in the UNCRC depend on each other.
For example, for many children and young people the right to the best health possible outlined in article 24 of the UNCRC will depend on the right to be free from discrimination set out in article 2.
What are Scotland’s promises to children under the UNCRC?
By signing the UNCRC, Scotland and the UK agree that the rights of children should be protected and promoted in all areas of their life, including their rights to:
- education,
- freedom from violence, abuse and neglect,
- be listened to and taken seriously,
- a proper house, food and clothing, and
- relax and play.