One-Minute Lecture: Why Do Children Have Rights?
Not so long ago, a child was the property of their parents – someone with whom they could do whatever they deemed right. Ingrid Sindi, Associate Professor at Tallinn University, why do children even have rights?
Today, it seems natural that children have human rights. But did you know that not very long ago, a child was considered more like a parent's property? Someone with whom a parent, and actually any adult, could basically do whatever they deemed right.
In the industrial society of the 18th and 19th centuries, children played an important role. This, however, meant that children as young as 4 to 6 years old often worked long days in mines and factories, and under dangerous conditions. Hand in hand with restricting child labor, the development of the education system began. Going to school became the child's job.
The development of children's rights is one of the most important international achievements of the 20th century. The pinnacle of this journey can be considered the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989.
The Convention does not only talk about protecting the child, but also about the fact that every child has the right to develop to their full potential. The right to be cared for, loved, and treated with dignity. And think about it – only recently did we reach the understanding that a child must also truly be listened to.