Freedoms: civil and political rights

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 14

1. States Parties shall respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

2. States Parties shall respect the rights and duties of the parents and, when applicable, legal guardians, to provide direction to the child in the exercise of his or her right in a manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the child.

3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 15

1. States Parties recognize the rights of the child to freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly.

2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of these rights other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 16

1. No child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his or her honour and reputation.

2. The child has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 17

States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health. To this end, States Parties shall:

(a) Encourage the mass media to disseminate information and material of social and cultural benefit to the child and in accordance with the spirit of article 29;

(b) Encourage international co-operation in the production, exchange and dissemination of such information and material from a diversity of cultural, national and international sources;

(c) Encourage the production and dissemination of children's books;

(d) Encourage the mass media to have particular regard to the linguistic needs of the child who belongs to a minority group or who is indigenous;

(e) Encourage the development of appropriate guidelines for the protection of the child from information and material injurious to his or her well-being, bearing in mind the provisions of articles 13 and 18.

Freedoms are the cornerstones of modern democracies. They embody all that celebrates the human spirit and what we have achieved. Freedoms are about tolerance of others, acting responsibly to others and valuing diversity. They are self obvious truths but what are they?

The Convention outlines them as religious freedom, the right to associate, privacy without unlawful interference and access to a diversity of information.

It is easy to find examples of what happens when these freedoms are ignored and violated: Northern Ireland's sectarian violence (Christian against Christian), Israel and Palestine (Jew against Muslim), Rwanda (Hutu against Tutsi), the treatment of indigenous peoples (many countries,) the right to associate freely in Timor and the role of the KGB in communist USSR or the McCarthy era in U.S.A. when the rights to privacy and associate were threatened or banned.

It is also possible to find examples of societies or people who respect the rights to freedoms, one example is indigenous communities which have complex traditions defining rights and responsibilities as a way of life. If you teach tolerance, by living tolerantly, then each person's rights are respected and there is a shared responsibility to yourself and your community. This community could be your family, school, nation or all nations.

Tolerance is something that we can learn.

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