Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

Categories of Children’s Rights

In this activity, you will:

 Explore different kinds or categories of children’s rights with participants

Facilitator’s notes:

This activity elaborates what children’s rights are and gives categories of rights that allchildren,

including orphans and vulnerable children, are legally and morally entitled to. These categories

are based on the definitions from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Before you start this activity, do the following preparations: Attach four sheets of flipchart paper

to the wall where participants can see them clearly. Label the top of each paper with one of the

category headings: Survival Rights, Protection Rights, Development Rightsand Participation Rights.

Then copy each right from the categories (see your notes above) on a separate strip of paper.

For example, The right to a name and nationality which comes from the Survival Rights.

Make sure that your writing is large enough for all the participants to read easily. In the activity,

you will get participants to attach these strips to the correct category pages you have pinned up.

The four categories of children’s rights are:

 Survival Rights

• The right to a name and a nationality


• The right to grow peacefully in a caring and secure environment


• The right to the basic necessities of life; for example food, shelter and clothing


• The right to one’s parents or guardian.

 Protection Rights

• The right to have one’s health protected through immunisation and appropriate
  healthcare


• The right to protection from abuse and exploitation


• The right to be treated fairly and humanely


• The right not to be employed or engaged in activities that harm one’s health,
  education, mental, physical and functional development.

 Developmental Rights

• The right to a basic education


• The right to leisure and to socialise in an environment that is not morally harmful.

 Participation Rights

• The right to express one’s opinion


• The right to be listened to


• The right to be consulted according to one’s understanding.

Activity 2

(^128) Unit 2, Module 1 Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children