In 1922 our founder, Eglantyne Jebb, wrote the first Declaration on the Rights of the Child in Geneva – the "Geneva Declaration".
Children have rights
Children and adolescents have rights. Our founder, Eglantyne Jebb, set this down in 1922 in the first “Declaration on the Rights of the Child” in Geneva (this is why it is called the "Geneva Declaration"). On November 20, 1989, these universally valid, non-negotiable rights of the child were officially adopted by the United Nations as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most recognised human rights convention in the world. Switzerland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1997.
The children’s rights laid down in its 54 articles are indivisible and universally valid. They are the minimum standard for the well-being of all children between 0 and 18 years and are binding under international law. Given that children are especially vulnerable and, due to their social position, cannot enforce their rights alone, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child contains additional, special rights on top of the common human rights. For the first time, children are regarded as autonomous persons, who have their own legal status and who can claim these rights.
In our work at Save the Children, we place special emphasis on the following ten rights from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:
- the right that a child’s well-being is always the main priority
- the right to life, development and health
- the right to immediate help in emergencies and to protection from violence, exploitation, neglect and persecution
- the right to be treated equally and to be protected against discrimination, irrespective of origin, gender or religion
- the right to a name and a nationality
- the right to education and training
- the right to leisure, play, recreation and cultural participation
- the right to seek and impart information, to be heard and to assemble
- the right to a family, care, a safe home and privacy
- the right to support in the case of disabilities
In 1989 the UN adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 1997 Switzerland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Founder of Save the Children: Eglantyne Jebb
In 1922, Eglantyne Jebb wrote the first Declaration on the Rights of the Child in Geneva - the "Declaration of Geneva".
Implementation of children’s rights – a summary
Does the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child actually have any influence on the implementation of children’s rights worldwide? Our report “Milestones for Children” shows how the situation of children has changed since 2000.
There is no doubt that children today have more opportunities to exercise their rights than just a few years ago. The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets important standards and provides corresponding guidelines. It also helps to include children’s rights in the national legislation of the signatory countries.
Despite the epochal progress that has been made in the past years, some real challenges still remain – too many children still die before their fifth birthday, never see a classroom from the inside or are regularly beaten and exploited.
Global Childhood Report pdf - 2,45 MB
Implementation in Switzerland
The implementation of children’s rights is not yet complete in Switzerland, either. There is a lack of coordination between the Confederation and the cantons with regard to the implementation of children’s rights, and there is no complaints office to which children and adolescents can turn when seeking to claim their rights.
The rights of especially vulnerable groups of children are only insufficiently met (e.g. children with disabilities, children affected by poverty and minor asylum seekers). Moreover, corporal punishment is still legal in Switzerland.
Every child has a right to be heard
Our advocacy work helps disadvantaged children to claim their rights. We convince governments and administrations to assume responsibility for children and challenge governments to fight poverty and inequality on the political, social and economic level in a sustained manner.
As an internationally active organisation, we always combine our advocacy work with our projects on the ground. Every day, our teams witness children’s needs in various regions of the world. We bring this experience into our discussions with regional and national organisations and authorities and thus stimulate positive change for the benefit of children.
Our advocacy offices in Geneva, Addis Ababa, Brussels and New York campaign for children’s rights to be respected on an international level. Through our collaboration with the UN and with international organisations, we achieve important legislative changes and help children worldwide to lead self-determined lives.
Switzerland: Working together for children’s rights We are an active member of the Child Rights Network Switzerland, we support the ombudsman service for children’s rights, and we take part in the early support coalition "Ready". We contribute our expertise to the NGO report and to the participatory report on children and youth regarding the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for the attention of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Moreover, we support political initiatives for the embedding in law of the children's right to a non-violent upbringing.