BLOG 10 : Children’s Rights

Children are human beings who can feel, understand , question and react. All
children have the right to live. Governments should ensure that children survive
and develop healthily (Article no. 6, UNICEF). It shows children have the right to
live a healthy life and government is responsible to provide all those resources to
children which help them to develop physically , mentally, socially and
emotionally in a positive manner. The healthcare sector for children is equally
responsible for providing best healthcare services to children worldwide. All the
children deserve best medical treatment and care. This responsibility lies on
healthcare professionals. In Canada the Indigenous children are deprived of this
basic right. The government has failed to provide proper funding for children
healthcare. As a result, there are no good medical facilities on reserves for these
children. Hence, there is a disparity between the rights of the Indigenous children
and the rest of the children in Canada.
Apart from Indigenous children, the children in underdeveloped countries are
exposed to all sorts of harassment and medical issues. The hospitals are
understaffed and there are barely proper medical facilities available to the children.
The private hospitals are so expensive that a middleclass family cannot afford that.
The developed countries provide much better treatment and care to the children as
compared to hospitals in third world countries. There doctors ,nurses and other
health professionals do not take any responsibility. They are lazy and corrupt. In
these countries children have no rights. All the rights are for the rich children since
they can spend large amount of money on their treatment and others are left to die.
Nobody acknowledges their rights.
There is inequality and injustice which has led some children enjoy their rights
whereas others do not even know that they have rights too. This injustice is due to
corruption which is widespread in some countries. For example, in Pakistan the
government is greedy. Instead of spending taxes on citizens , it swallows their
money. Every year in Thar, a vast village in Pakistan , hundreds of children die but
government has turned a deaf ear to this issue which needs immediate action. The
healthcare professionals are lazy and corrupt too. They are not loyal to their
profession since there are no checks and balances in that system. How can children
get their rights there? Another example is that of the Indigenous children
worldwide who are deprived of their basic rights due to discrimination. Their
mortality rate is very high due to the lack of medical facilities provided to them.
According to Waterston & Yilmaz (2013), “ There is still much exploitation of
children globally in relation to issues such as child labour, child trafficking,
violence against children and basic health needs not being met. Even though
almost all countries in the world have signed up to the CRC, fine words are not
always followed by action (UNICEF).” Children living in underdeveloped
countries and the Indigenous children both suffer with poverty and hence they are
at greater risk. Waterson & Yilmaz, (2013) further explained that besides these
children , there are other children too who are disabled , minorities, asylum
seekers, children living in foster care and those who have emotional issues and
learning disabilities are also vulnerable. I agree with Waterson and Yilmaz (2013)
who recommended that National Paediatric Associations should develop a strategy
to promote child rights through training, research, health policy development and
advocacy. In my opinion UNO and WHO both should intervene to investigate and
eliminate corruption from the healthcare sector where children are at risk. These
organization should appoint their staff there who can monitor and evaluate the
healthcare sector and they should also make sure that the children’s rights are
being acknowledged. Moreover, the health professional should be given proper
education and training about children’s rights.

Rights leaflet – UNICEF. (1991). Retrieved July 5, 2022,

from https://sites.unicef.org/rightsite/files/rights_leaflet.pdf

Waterston, T., & Yilmaz, G. (2013). Child rights and health care: International society for
social pediatrics and child health (ISSOP) position statement. Child: Care, Health &
Development, 40(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12118