SPEECH

The following essay investigates Children Rights and their impact on

society. Human rights are the basic standards that people need to live in dignity. All
human beings are entitled to enjoy human rights. Human rights exist to make sure
that we are treated properly and fairly, and given the freedom to develop to our full
potential, and to promote our wellbeing. In addition to the rights that are available
to all people, there are rights that apply only to children. Children need special
rights because of their unique needs they need additional protection that adults
dont. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international
document that sets out all of the rights that children have a child is defined in the
Convention as any person under the age of 18. The Convention on the Rights of the
Child has been ratified by every country in the world, except for the United States
and Somalia.
I chose this topic as I believe it represents a sensitive subject in
todays society. Children's rights have been argued about for centuries, and the
concept touches raw nerves when adult decisions and actions are put to the test.
However, children still remain vulnerable creatures often not entitled to an opinion
that need protection and that is why Children Rights are so important and why I
chose to write about it.
My presentation is structured in three main parts, one presenting the current
situation of the Rights of the Child, all over the world. The second part consists in
giving on overview of the main rights and the most important ones and the third
consists in explaining how these rights are applied in Romania.

Romania signed the Convention on 26 January 1990 and ratified it on 28

September 1990.By this approval, the Convention got juridical force in the internal
law, the institutions of the state and the law courts having the obligation to observe
and to apply it.
The child, in his quality of a human being, is the holder of the fundamental
rights assured by the Romanias Constitution and by the international acts Romania
takes part.
CRC grants children, in Romania, the following most important rights:

The right to identity. In our country, the right to identity stipulates as

follows: the child has the right to establish and to keep his identity.. The
identification of a person is a complex institution, being of interest for all juridical
relations where the person appears as holder of rights and obligations.
The Romanian law also stipulates the childs right to be registered soon
after his birth. This thing is very important to a child, because, firs of all, it is the
first recognition by the society of his existence, and secondly, starting with this
moment, the authorities know about his existence, being recognized by the state
and thus having a legal status. Until the registration the child does not exist, cannot
hold rights in the society.
The right of the child to the freedom of expression. The right to the freedom of
expression is strictly bound to the childs right to express opinions and to be taken
into consideration.
Right to health The parents are obliged to ask medical assistance in order to
assure the child the best health state and development. In the situation in which the

life of the child is in danger or there is the risk of major consequences regarding
his health or integrity, the physician has the right to make those strictly necessary
medical operations in order to save the childs life, even without having the
consent of the parents or of the legal representatives.
The right to benefit from social assistance and social insurances.
According to the law, the child has the right to benefit from social
assistance and social insurances, according to the resources and the situation in
which he is, and the persons in the care he finds.
The right to education.
Education in Romania is compulsory from 6 to 15 years old. Only about
90% of children are educated. Children from poor families are those most likely to
be affected by this problem since their parents often prefer them to work rather
than study.
Right to identity
Romanian nationality can be transmitted as long as one of the parents is
Romanian. However, children are not always registered at birth in Romania, and
therefore have no official identity. The situation and the development of these
children can be very limited, since, without identity, access to public services such
as education, health, etc. can very difficult.
Right to non-discrimination
The Roma people, often called Gypsies, are settled in Eastern Europe; more
than 3 million of these live in Romania. Although they are from this country, acts
of discrimination towards them are many. Also, these people are victims of

harsh discrimination towards both children and adults. Access to education, certain
jobs and health and social services is often restricted.
It is easiest to really understand what the children's rights are all about, if we
take into consideration real-life situations and problems that many children have to
confront on a daily basis. Separation from parents, kidnapping, freedom of
expression, adoption, all these are issues that the articles of the Convention cover
and which are, unfortunately, still not always dealt with appropriately.
As all the other fundamental human rights, children's rights can only make a
difference if they are respected by each and every one of us. If we have a family,
for example, we should not only make sure that our children are able to satisfy
their basic needs, such as a shelter, food or affection, but also that they are happy
and content with their life. We should respect their right to expression and always
take into account their views and opinions. We should do our best to help them
develop their self-confidence, assertiveness, while growing up in a positive
environment. Once we all make sure that the children around us are safe, healthy
and happy and that they enjoy the childhood that we would have wanted for
ourselves, we will then be able to say that the rights are truly respected. Until then,
raising awareness is perhaps the most beneficial thing we can do; this paper is only
a small step in this direction. As the problems for children worldwide tend to
unfortunately become even worse, we should all realize that respecting children's
rights should certainly be a priority, now, before more and more generations are let
to suffer. After all, the children that we are protecting today are the adults of
tomorrow