Amnesty International - Know Your Rights and Claim Them: A Guide for Youth

We can stand up for our rights once we understand them. This book is a guide for every child and young person who believes in liberty, equality, and a better world for all.

Malala Yousafzai

Children are the future. This is the perfect book for young people who care about the world and want to make a difference.

Greta Thunberg

First American edition published in 2021 by Zest Books

Text and images copyright Amnesty International, 2021

Foreword copyright Angelina Jolie, 2021

Design Andersen Press, 2021

First published in 2021 by Andersen Press Limited

Published by arrangement with Andersen Press Limited

All US rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

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Certain quoted matter on page 20 appears by permission of the estate of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Quote from Long Walk to Freedom on page 35 appears by permission of the estate of Nelson Mandela.

Lyrics from Get Up, Stand Up on page 177 are credited as follows. Written by Bob Marley/Peter Tosh. Published by Fifty Six Hope Road Ltd/Primary Wave/Blue Mountain/Campbell Connelly/Reservoir Media Management.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Parker, Nicky, author. | Jolie, Angelina, 1975 author. | Van Bueren, Geraldine, author. | Amnesty International.

Title: Know your rights and claim them : a guide for youth / written by Nicky Parker at Amnesty International, with Angelina Jolie and Geraldine van Bueren, QC.

Description: Minneapolis : Zest Books , 2021. | Includes bibliographical references. | Audience: Ages 1118 | Audience: Grades 1012 | Summary: This book provides a deep dive into the protections and rights promised to children by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and before adulthood and how to defend them Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021021851 (print) | LCCN 2021021852 (ebook) | ISBN 9781728449647 (library binding) | ISBN 9781728449654 (paperback) | ISBN 9781728449661 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: ChildrenLegal status, laws, etc.Juvenile literature. | Childrens rightsJuvenile literature. | Children (International law)Juvenile literature. | Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989 November 20)Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC K639 .P357 2021 (print) | LCC K639 (ebook) | DDC 341.4/8572dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021021851

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021021852

Manufactured in the United States of America

1-50434-49943-6/28/2021

This book has complex ideas and can be emotionally challenging. You may find it best to read it in stages, taking time to reflect or discuss it with others before resuming. Or you could consult it as and when you need to. If it motivates you to take action, first check if it is safe for you to do so.

Words highlighted in bold in this book are explained in .

Foreword by Angelina Jolie

Heres a truth you may not know:

As a young person, your rights should have equal status to the rights of an adult.

Not when you reach adulthood, or leave home, or get your first job, but now .

Whoever you are, wherever you live, no matter your race, ethnicity, religion, or gender, or if you are rich or poor, your life is of equal value to any adult, or any other young person on the planet.

No one has the right to harm you, to silence you, to tell you what to think or believe, to treat you as if you dont matter, or to prevent you from participating fully in society. No one has the right to deny you knowledge of your rights.

That is not just my opinion. It is set out in a legally-binding international agreementthe UN Convention on the Rights of the Childratified by 196 countries, though not yet by the United States. Some other countries which have ratified the Convention struggle to, or fail to, uphold it.

If all governments kept their word, and if all adults respected childrens rights, there would be no need for this book.

But there is a huge gap between your rights as a child in principle, and what happens in practice.

I hope this book will arm you with knowledge to help you defend your rights and the rights of other young people around the world.

It explains how child rights came into being, and were put in place with your safety and individual growth in mind.

It describes how your rights work in practice, and the reality of situations in which they are ignored.

It includes chapters on how to develop your skills as an activist, how to exercise your right to peaceful protestsafelyand how to think about your digital security.

And it contains accounts of young people who have successfully claimed their rights, changing the way governments or their communities treat children. These stories show that every act, no matter how small, can make a difference.

When young people join together, you have a moral power and physical presence no one can ignore.

So I hope this book will help you to identify who or what stands between you and your rights, and the action you can take if you choose. I hope it will inspire you to know your rightsand claim them.

Angelina Jolie, October 2020

Introduction

This book is about equality and change. Its about the rights of children and young people through the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child. Only one of the UNs 197 member states hasnt ratified the Convention, and that is the United States.

This doesnt mean children and young people in the United States do not enjoy any rights. You have some through the Bill of Rights, other international human rights treaties, and various state laws. Many human rights lawyers argue that the United States has to uphold some of the Convention under jus cogens , a Latin term that translates to compelling law. Here it means that because child rightsand thus your well-beingare overwhelmingly accepted in international law, the United States cant choose to make them optional.

The Conventions very existence gives you tools to defend yourselves, so you can use this book to claim your rights. You may be motivated to call for the United States to ratify the Convention. You may also be moved to connect with other young people around the world fighting for rights for themselves and others.

Change is always possible. The best way forward is to educate yourself and others about rights. The journey wont be quick or easy, but one day you may have the joy of seeing victory and knowing you were part of it.

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Chinese proverb and the motto of Amnesty International

Your rights

If you are a child or a young person, you have your own set of human rights. Child rights are human rights especially designed for children and young people. You have had them since the moment you were born. They apply from the moment of birth until you reach what is called the age of majority , which in most countries is eighteen years old. They are precious freedoms and protections, your own set of laws. They exist to look after you, to help you flourish, and so your voice can be heard. Most child rights come through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Two US administrations took a lead role in drafting the Convention. One was Republican (under President Reagan), the other Democrat (under President Clinton). The US is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council, so arguably has an extra responsibility to ratify the Convention. Former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright signed it. But it was never ratified by the United Statesand it is ratification that makes your rights binding in law.