Human rights, according to the UN, are the “basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, including the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.” Whatever your origin or gender, human rights apply to us all.
But for some reason, these basic human rights are not recognised everywhere in the world today.
Every human being should have the right to life without fear. But according to Unicef and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, in 2002 an estimated 150 million girls and 73 million boys under the age of 18 were subject to forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence.
Children who are abused are often afraid of speak up due to shame or fear. In most cases, the child is abused by someone close to them – a family member or close friend. In many instances it leads to anti-social behaviour borne of the victim’s frustration; they feel they can’t trust anyone.
Many people know something about their rights. They know they have a right to be paid for the work they do, for instance, and they have a right to vote. But there exist many other rights, and when these are not well known, abuses such as discrimination, intolerance, injustice, and oppression can arise.
I believe that the right to an education is the most important right a youth should have. The protection of this right is essential for a life free from poverty and other undesired outcomes in life.
In 1990, the Unesco Education for All (EFA) commitment was launched to ensure that by 2015, all children – particularly girls, those in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities – have access to free quality primary education. This was the first of many steps taken to improve the quality of life for young people around the world.
According to Unicef, over 100 million children work in agriculture in rural areas, where access to schools, availability of trained teachers and educational supplies is severely limited.
In most developing countries, education is only offered to boys and the girls are either subjected to labour or are married off to virtual strangers while they are still children.
In families with limited resources, child marriage is often considered a way to provide for a daughter’s future. Some are as young as six or seven years old when they are married off; the girls themselves rarely have any say in the matter. Many do not even know or fully understand what is planned for them.
Worldwide, 100 million girls will be married before the age of 18 in the next decade alone. In countries such Niger and Bangladesh, traditional ways of life and widespread poverty result in more than three out of every four girls being married off before they reach adulthood.
The youth of today are the future. Without them Ireland – and the world – won’t prosper, so it’s vital that they and their rights are protected.
Children should not be fighting wars or working for others’ selfish gains. As Global Action for Children states, “to suffer violence in childhood is to be wounded in the soul, and if not healed, to go on to inflict pain on others as well as oneself.”
No child should be victim to violence or abuse, or condemned to a life without a hope of anything better.
Collins Hekson is a secondary school student on work experience with Metro Éireann
