Children’s right to learn about their rights was identified as a top priority during the recent Raise the Bar for Children’s Rights conference, hosted by the CCRC. The benefits of teaching children and parents about children’s rights are evident in research and practice. Fulfilling the Convention in Canada requires scaling up existing good practices so all children can learn about their rights. Including children’s rights in provincial education curricula was one of the recommendations in the last review of children’s rights in Canada. The current curriculum review in Ontario is an opportunity to respond to the recommendations in the last review. A CCRC submission highlights the benefits of teaching children about their rights, the duties of provincial governments under the Convention, children’s rights in relation to sexual and reproductive health education, and the relationship between children’s rights and parental rights in education. All of these are themes across provinces in Canada. The CCRC hopes plans by other provinces to fulfill their duties under the Convention will be part of the official report on children’s rights in Canada, which is now five months late.
