The overwhelming majority of the world's governments have ratified the Convention, meaning that they have made a commitment in law not only to meeting children's needs, but also to ending the violence and abuse that deprive children of these needs. However, many others, routinely violate the Convention through their own actions or by turning their backs when children's rights are violated in the community and in the family. The Convention is one of the most comprehensive international frameworks for human rights protection. The Convention stresses that the rights it protects cannot be isolated from each other, protected only in part, or exercised only by some, but are interdependent, indivisible and universal. The Convention requires governments to always act in the best interests of children.
All children have the right to food, shelter, education and the best possible health care.
Children are entitled to rest and play, to be informed, to express themselves and to have their privacy respected. Children have the right to maintain their language, family and cultural ties. Governments must ensure that parents, legal guardians or others responsible for the care of children have the protection and the assistance that they need to provide a nurturing environment for children. The rights protected by the Convention are not be denied to any child - even during war or when children come in conflict with the law. The Convention says children have the right to be shielded from the effects of war.