The rights of young people

In 1989 the United Nations passed the Children’s Rights Convention that included among others the child’s right to a safe childhood, education, basic health care, adequate nutrition, a home and citizenship.

Although today nearly all states of the world have ratified the declaration, implementation is often insufficient. Active as a children and youth organisation is concerned about this lack of security and responsibility for children in our world.

Additionally Active, as a youth organisation dealing with the issue of alcohol and other drugs, is specially concerned about the lack of protection against the danger and the negative effects of alcohol and other drugs.

Therefore Active sees a strong need to extend the UN convention of children’s right to, among others, the right of young people to grow up in an environment free of alcohol and other drugs, the right of prevention and the right of medical and social treatment in connection to the abuse of alcohol and other drugs.

Active is convinced that politicians have the duty and the guiltiness to respect the rights and the wishes of children. It is their responsibility to build a world in which the rights of children are respected. We therefore strongly demand all states in the world to ratify and implement both the UN convention about children’s rights and Active´s policy programme on the rights of young people.

Definition
 
Active is supporting the UN declaration on children rights. As Active is a youth organisation we are also using the word Youth for persons under the age of 18. In this programme we will use the expression Young people when we refer to both children and youth. 

This programme
 
This policy programme is a programme that aims on all young people regardless of ethnical group, colour, sex, sexual orientation, religion, social origin, disability, political or other opinion, language, birth or other status. The programme is divided into four different sections: Survival rights, Development rights, Protection rights and Participation rights.

Survival rights
 
All young people have an inherent right to life.
All young people have the right to get enough food and drinkable water.
All young people have the right of housing.
All young people have the right to grow up in a world free from environmental pollution.
All young people have the right to live on a planet free from destruction and exploition.
All young people have the right of freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
All young people have the right of freedom of expression, including the right of information.
All young people have the right to be registered, to get a name, to acquire a nationality and to know -if possible- who its parents are.
All young people have the right to freedom of religion or non-religion.
All young people have the right to a free conscience.

Development rights
 
All young people have the right to get information about the social and physical damages of alcohol and other drugs.
All young people have the right to learn how alcohol and other drugs are working.
All young people have the right not to use alcohol and other drugs.
All young people have the right to participate in programmes on prevention work and if needed medical and social treatment in connection to abuse of alcohol and other drugs.
All young people have the right to think freely and to express their opinion.
All young people have the right to freedom of religion or non-religion.
All young people have the right to a free conscience.
All young people have a right to get a proper education.
All young people have the right to choose their own way of education.
All young people have the right to have spare time and to form it by their selves, including the right to play and to meet who they want to.

Protection rights
 
All young people have the right to be protected against all forms of physical and mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse.
Such protection includes social programmes for prevention and creation of necessary support, if needed.
All young people have the right to grow up in an environment free from alcohol and other drugs, and free from advertisement for these substances.
All young people have the right not to participate in war.
All young people seeking refugee status shall be able to live a life according to their and contemporaries age. For example they shall be offered education, medical care, special support etc.
All young people have the right to be treated with respect. 
All young people have the right to their own privacy and honour.
All young people have the right that their families are not separated arbitrarily.
All young people have the right to meet both their parents regularly while growing up.

 
Participation rights
 
All young people have the right to gather together in associations and peaceful assemblies.
All young people have the right to demonstrate and express their opinions peacefully in other ways.
Young people should be allowed to take part in public elections and referendums that should be open, free and secret.
All young people have the right to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceeding affecting themselves.
All young people have the right to get information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, in any media of the young persons choice.
All young people have the right to learn how to use and participate in media.
All young people have the right to take part in decisions affecting their life and surrounding

Active demands

All countries in the world to ratify the UN Convention on Children’s rights.
All countries in the world to realise the convention into their own political systems.
All countries in the world to consider and implement the Active policy programme on the rights of Young persons into their work.

Active calls upon itself and its member organisations
 
To spread the policy programme to all the governments of Europe.
To arrange seminars or workshops to ensure young peoples rights.
Whenever arranging events, always to implement the rights on young people.
To create a pool for exchanging knowledges of the leaders working with young people within Active.