Article 7 of the UNCRC says that all children and young people have the right to a name and nationality, which they should be granted at birth. It also says that they have a right to – as far as possible – know and be cared for by their parents.
Knowing your parents
Article 7 recognises that not all children and young people can know who their parents are, as:
- it may be impossible to identify who a parent is
- a child’s mother may have refused to identify who their father is
Being cared for by your parents
Article 7 of the UNCRC is intended to be read alongside Article 5, which talks in more detail about how parents, guardians or family should care for a child or young person. Like Article 5 , it accepts that there are some cases where children and young people should not be cared for by their parents.