CYP Now - Convention on the Rights of the Child: Two-thirds of young people ‘have never heard of act’

Two-thirds of young people have never heard of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a new survey has revealed.

The CRC covers a child's right to education and play. Image: Adobe Stock - Alena Ozerova/Adobe Stock

The Children’s Society polled 2,400 10- to 17-year-olds on the topic as part of their annual household survey.

Just one in six (16 per cent) of those asked said they had heard about the UNCRC, while a further 68 per cent said they had not. The remaining 19 per cent did not indicate whether they knew of the convention.

Of those who had heard of the UNCRC, 81 per cent said they only knew “a bit” or “not much” about it.

Major milestones surrounding children’s rights in England since the CRC was signed include:

The convention adopted by the UN in 1989 marked the first time that children all over the world were given their own set of binding human rights covering every area of their lives from their right to education and play, to their right to be free from violence and have their views and opinions taken seriously.

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