Save the Children is one of India’s leading NGOs for the rights of children. Since 2008, Save the Children has positively transformed the lives of over 10 million children across India. It runs multiple social outreach programs across 19 states in India. The rights of children have been defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, (UNCRC) as the minimum basic entitlements, which should be extended to every child below the age of 18. These rights should be guaranteed to every child by their government and should be afforded to them irrespective of their gender, religion, caste, colour, wealth, social status, etc. These fundamentally guaranteed rights of children include their freedom to civil rights, freedom, education, cultural activities, protection from all forms of physical and mental abuse, etc.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) broadly divides the rights of children into four categories: social, economic, cultural and political. It also takes the violation of child rights extremely seriously. Unfortunately, millions of children all around the world have their rights violated every day. There are several acts that constitute a violation of child rights. These include child labour, child marriage, child trafficking, child sexual abuse, violence against children.
There are four general principles that support all children’s rights. These are; non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, the right to survival and development, the views of the child. The violation of child rights involves the violation of the Right to Survival, the Right to Protection, the Right to Participation, the Right to Development and the Right to Participation. The Right to Survival includes the right of the child to be born, to live with basic standards of food, shelter, and clothing, as well as the right to live with dignity.
Children also have the Right to Protection. This means that they should be protected from all sorts of violence. All children should be protected from physical and mental forms of abuse and neglect. The rights of children also include the Right to Participation, which encompasses the rights of the child to freedom of expression, freedom of opinion, freedom of association, and the right to information. Under the Right to Development, all children are guaranteed the right to education, the right to learn, and the right to play. Above all, they are extended the right to develop physically, mentally and emotionally.
Save the Children is an NGO that advocates for the rights of children to be upheld. It works tirelessly to make sure that underprivileged children receive access to proper education, nutrition, sanitation, and healthcare.