As you grow up you have to take more responsibility for your actions and your parents have less responsibility for you.
Think about
What’s happening to the children?
Why are the parents shown as getting smaller?
What do you think is a good caption for each event?
Let’s explore
What are some of the responsibilities for someone of your age?
Do you:
catch the bus to school on your own?
walk to school alone?
look after your younger brother or sister?
have a bank account?
use e-mail to talk to your friends?
use a mobile phone?
For each of these, how do you act responsibly?
Children’s rights
Children have different rights from adults. There are certain behaviours that are restricted if you are under 18 years of age. These include the right to drink alcohol, vote, work, smoke, gamble, get a tattoo or body piercing, leave home, get married, make a will and have sex.
It is often hard to work out what your rights are and what to do if you think these rights are being abused.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child or CROC is a United Nations declaration that Australia signed and agreed to follow in 1990.
This convention protects your rights as a child and youth young person(?) up to the age of 18. Here are some of the rights:
All decisions made about you must be in your best interest (Article 3).
You have the right to a name and a right to acquire a nationality (Article 7).
You have the right to know your identity (Article 8).
You cannot be separated from your parents if it is against your will or not in your best interests (Article 9).
You are capable of forming your own views, and you also have the right to express these views and have them heard (Article 12).
You have the right to your own thoughts, conscience and religion (Article 14).
You have the right to be protected from neglect and abuse (Article 19).
Why do you think that the United Nations had to come up with the Convention on the Rights of the Child? What happened to children in Australia before the Convention?
