WUNRN
TEACHING & LEARNING ABOUT CHILD RIGHTS: A STUDY OF
IMPLEMENTATION IN 26 COUNTRIES - UNICEF
Direct Link to Full 88-Page 2015 Report:
http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/CHILD_RIGHTS_EDUCATION_STUDY_final.pdf
Children in 15 of 26 Industrialized Countries in UN Survey Lack Access to
Child Rights Education
Children in a classroom in China. Photo: UNICEF China/Guo
Xiaoping
30 April 2015 – Education programmes in 15 industrialized
countries fail to include child rights education in their schools, according to
a new United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
report, which also highlights that a fundamental step towards exercising those
rights is to know and understand them.
The report, Teaching and
learning about child rights: A study of implementation in 26 countries,
also found that none of the countries studied ensure that all teachers are
trained in child rights and are familiar with the Convention on
the Rights of the Child.
“This report is a wakeup call for countries that have
ratified [the Convention] to take the necessary measures to ensure systematic
implementation of a child’s right to learn about her or his rights,” said Gérard Bocquenet of
UNICEF.
The report, commissioned by UNICEF, analyzed the
situation and identified challenges around child rights education in 26
industrialized countries and territories, including to what extent child rights
are embedded in formal education settings and teacher training.
The Convention, which applies in all of the 26 countries
and territories, requires a formal commitment to make its principles widely
known to adults and children alike. However, 25 years after the adoption of
that document – the most widely ratified UN treaty – much work remains to be
done to ensure that child rights are implemented in schools, including in industrialized
countries. Implementing systematic child rights education in schools is
therefore essential to realize the Convention.
The 15 countries and territories where children lack
systematic access to child rights education in curricula are Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain and United States.
The report also shows that seven countries –Austria,
Belgium, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy and United States – include some child
rights education in school curricula but fail to do so nationwide. Only three
out of 26 countries explicitly and consistently monitor child rights education.
Even when children learn about rights they may not learn about the Convention
or about key aspects of what it means to have rights.
Despite these findings, the research highlights many
examples of how UNICEF and civil society partners are successfully addressing
all aspects of child rights education at different levels in all the countries
analysed. This is being done through policy, curriculum reform, and teacher
training, as well as by embedding child rights into monitoring and inspection
frameworks and by transforming the whole school environment to become
rights-respecting.
“A key challenge is to ensure that these examples of good
practice are aligned and fully integrated throughout education systems,” said
Marta Arias, UNICEF Advocacy and Policy Specialist. “The report will guide
countries in this task and help them to identify the best way forward within
their national context.”