Do Good Jamaica > Children’s Rights

All children in Jamaica have rights.  Follow our efforts to raise awareness on our blog:

On the eve of Universal Children’s Day, November 20, Do Good Jamaica teamed up with UNICEF Jamaica and the Jamaica Gleaner to host a Twitter chat on children’s rights, using the hashtag #dogood4children. Read some of the tweets using Storify.

On November 20, 1989, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  On January 26, 1990, Jamaica signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child and ratified it on May 14, 1991, which made it brinding law in this country.  Children’s rights are reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedom and the Child Care and Protection Act.

According to UNICEF, the Convention on the Rights of the Child spells out the basic human rights that every child under age 18 has:
  • the right to survival;
  • the right to develop to the fullest;
  • the right to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and
  • the right to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. 

The four core principles of the Convention are

  • non-discrimination;
  • devotion to the best interests of the child;
  • the right to life, survival and development; and
  • respect for the views of the child.

See here for rights categorized by:

For the full text of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, click here.

This UNICEF simplified version makes it clear what the rights of children are:

For more details, see the UNICEF fact sheet below:

See more here for the Keep Children Safe campaign