Appendix
Kawasaki City Ordinance on the Rights of the Child
Enactment
The “Kawasaki City Ordinance on the Rights of the Child” was passed by the Kawasaki
City Council on Dec. 21, 2000, and came into force on Apr. 1, 2001.
The “Ordinance on the Rights of the Child” was established based on many views andopinions of the City’s citizens and children.
Under the motto of “Together with Our Citizens, the City as a Whole, Rooted in
Kawasaki”, the Ordinance was compiled through over 200 meetings and opinion
exchanges with citizens and children which took place in a period of about two years.
Understanding
The “Ordinance on the Rights of the Child” was established based on our desire
to further common understanding of the rights of the child for both children and adults,
to respect the child as an individual human being (an actor of the rights), to protect thechild from infringement of his/her rights, and to support the child in pursuing his/her own
unique life. As such, the Ordinance consists of two parts; the first part prescribes therights of the child and the philosophy of the Ordinance, and the latter part prescribes themeasures to be taken in order to protect the rights of the child in different areas of thechild’s life, as well as concrete systems to protect the rights of the child.
It is our sincere wish that the 21st century will be an age in which the rights of thechild are guaranteed, and in which children can live a vigorous life and care about boththemselves and others.
Preamble
Each and every child is an individual human being, who has unique worth and dignity.
The child wishes that his/her individuality and difference from others be accepted and that
respect be given to what he/she naturally is.
The child is a full subject of rights. Under the international principles including thebest interest of the child, non-discrimination and respect for the views of the child, his/herrights shall be guaranteed comprehensively and in reality. These rights are indispensablefor the child to realize him/herself and lead a life of his/her own with human dignity.
Children can go through affluent childhood when their rights are guaranteed. Throughlearning about their rights and exercising them in practice, they can have a better
understanding of rights and acquire skills to realize their own rights as well as skills andAppendix

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responsibilities to respect the rights of others. In order that one’s rights are respected andguaranteed, the rights of others must be respected and guaranteed in the same manner;
it is indispensable that the rights of one’s own and others are mutually respected.
Children are partners, who form society with adults. As members of the present
society and as responsible actors of the future society, children have specific roles toplay through the involvement in the design and formation of society as well as the rightto participate in society. For this and other purposes, society shall be open to children.
Children have essential roles to play in promoting mutual understanding andexchanges with their counterparts in and outside Japan as global citizens who live in thesame generation, in wishing coexistence and peace, in preserving nature and in creating
better urban environment.
Efforts to guarantee the rights of the child in the City will have the effects to promotecoexistence among all the residents in the City, leading to the protection of the rights of
the residents themselves.
Bearing in mind the first call for children and other international principles, wewill seek to ensure that the necessary rights to live as an individual human being are
guaranteed for each and every child.
On the basis of the above considerations as well as the philosophies of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on November 20, 1989,
we proclaim that we will promote the better implementation of the rights of the child andenact the present Ordinance.
Children have Child’s Rights — A Child is any Person Under 18
The rights of our children to grow, learn and live life in a way that matches who theynaturally are are enshrined in the following 7 pillars.
The following rights were assembled by taking into account the opinions of Kawasaki’s
children, and we are required to respect them.
1. The Right to Live in Security
The child shall be nurtured in love and understanding and be protected against all
forms of discrimination/violence so that they might be able to live life in a peaceful andsafe environment.
2. The Right to be One’s Natural and Comfortable Self
The child shall have his/her individuality and difference from others recognized
and shall be protected against interference with his/her important personal secrets. Inaddition, he/she shall be able to rest/have leisure in a place of security and shall not be302

H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i ctreated unfairly on the basis of his/her childhood.
3. The Right to Protect Him/Herself and to be Protected
In order to protect him/herself, the child shall be able to seek shelter, escape allviolations of his/her rights, and to be provided with appropriate opportunities for complaints
and counseling.
4. The Right to Enrich Him/Herself and be Empowered
The child shall be able to enrich him/herself and grow by playing, learning, andparticipating in any number of different ways, and the child shall be able to receive
support in pursuing these activities.
5. The Right to Make Decisions by Him/Herself
The child shall be able to make decisions on matters concerning him/herself inaccordance with his/her age and maturity, and shall receive appropriate information/advice in making such decisions.
6. The Right to Participate
The child shall be able to express him/herself as well as his/her opinions and views,
and shall be able to participate in the society.
7. The Right to Receive Support in Accordance with Individual Needs
The child shall not be discriminated against or disadvantaged due to or on the groundsof nationality, ethnicity, religion, sex, disability, or other circumstances. In addition, in orderto ensure that children with disabilities/foreign children are able to live in a way thatmatches who they naturally are and to proactively participate in society, these children
shall be able to receive support in accordance with their situation.
Source: Kawasaki City, www.city.kawasaki.jp/en/page/0000037109.html