Context of creation

Human rights, although it may seem hard to believe, are an issue that only became part of society in the 20th century. In fact, its creation is not even a century old. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created in 1948 by the UN (United Nations) as a result of the devastating consequences of World War II. After these events, the nations participating in this declaration agreed never again to allow such acts in society.

Now, in what year do you think the rights of children and adolescents were created? Do you think it was the same year? If you think the answer is yes, let me tell you that you are wrong.

The first signs of the rights of children and adolescents appear in the year 1924, where a woman named Eglantyne Jebb seeks to give protection to children after World War I. The League of Nations approves the Declaration of the Rights of Children and Adolescents. Thus, the League of Nations approves the Geneva Declaration, which states that all people must recognize the right of children to have the necessary tools for their development, to receive help in times of need, to be assisted, not to be exploited and to have access to an education that instills values in them.

In addition to this, the UN in 1948 with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also states that children have the right to special care and assistance. During the next ten years, work on the rights of children and adolescents continued, and in 1959 the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was approved, with the following 10 articles:

1. All children are considered within the rights enunciated in the Declaration. No child may be left out on the grounds of race, sex, religion, nationality, social origin, etc

2. The child shall enjoy special protection and opportunities for development

3. The child has the right to a name and nationality from birth

4. The child shall enjoy the benefits of social security

5. Any child with a physical or mental disability shall receive treatment, education and care according to his or her needs

6. The child shall receive love and understanding for his or her full development

7. The child has the right to receive free and compulsory education during his or her growing stages

8. The child shall be a priority in case of protection and assistance

9. The child shall be protected against all forms of abuse, neglect, cruelty and exploitation

10. The child shall be protected from all discriminatory practices

These ten articles are the only ones incorporated in the Declaration, and they remain unchanged for the next decades. However, in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was created (and ratified by the United Nations). This Convention increases the number of articles to 54, dividing the Declaration into three parts:

**Part 1:** Contains 41 articles where each of the Rights of the Child is mentioned.

**Part 2:** Contains 4 articles that talk about the application of these rights in each country that ratifies the declaration.

**Part 3:** Contains 9 articles that talk about the date on which these rights become effective for each signing country.

Chile is one of the countries that subscribe to this treaty. Our country applied the rights of children and adolescents on August 24, 1990 under the mandate of the first President of the Republic (after the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet), Patricio Aylwin Azócar.

 **Bibliographic references:**

Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional. (s/f). *Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional*. www.bcn.cl/leychile. Recuperado el 24 de noviembre de 2023. https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=15824

CEUPE, B. (s/f). *¿Qué es la infancia?* Ceupe. Recuperado el 24 de noviembre de 2023. https://www.ceupe.com/blog/que-es-la-infancia.html?dt=1700340718819

*Derechos del Niño*. (2012, octubre 24). https://www.humanium.org/es/definicion/

*Mapa del respeto de los Derechos del Niño en el mundo*. (2013, mayo 21). https://www.humanium.org/es/mapa/