SAY IT RIGHT! II – Reaching Our Potential: Our Right To Develop Who We Are

Article 5: Respect for Parents

Governments must respect the rights and responsibilities of parents, extended family and guardians in giving us guidance and direction when we exercise our rights.

Article 7: Our Name and Nationality

At birth, we have the right to be given a name, to acquire a nationality and, whenever possible, to know and to be cared for by our parents.

Article 8: Keeping our Identity

We have the right to preserve and re-establish our name, nationality and family ties. (As Magda Extentus-Delorme explains in her personal story.)

Article 10: Family Reunification

If we need to enter or leave a country to be reunited with our families, governments have the responsibility to deal with our case quickly and humanely. Also, if our parents live in another country, we have the right to have personal and direct contact with them.

Article 21: Being Adopted

In countries where adoption is allowed, it must reflect our best interests as young people and be supervised by competent authorities. If the adoption takes place between countries, governments have the responsibility to ensure that standards are equivalent to adoptions within one country. Read Cassandra Umbach’s personal story.

Article 23: Disabled Young People

If we are disabled, we have the right to special care and education that will help us achieve self-reliance and enjoy a full life in society.

Article 28: Our Education

We have the right to education. Governments have the responsibility to guarantee that primary education is compulsory and free of charge, that we all have equal access to secondary and higher education and that discipline used in our schools does not go against our human dignity. Also, governments will encourage international cooperation to help eliminate ignorance and illiteracy throughout the world, and help us have access to science, technology and modern teaching methods.

Article 29: The Goals of our Education

We have the right to an education aimed at:

• developing our own personalities and abilities, both mental and physical;
• preparing us to become responsible members of a free society;
• developing respect for our parents or guardians, for human rights, for the environment and for the cultural and national values of ourselves and others.

Article 30: Being from a Minority Group

If we are members of a minority or indigenous group, we have the right to enjoy our culture, practice our own religion and speak our own language.

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