of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules); and the Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict, Recognizing that, in all countries in the world, there are children living in exceptionally difficult conditions, and that such children need special consideration,
Taking due account of the importance of the traditions and cultural values of each people for the protection and harmonious development of the child, Recognizing the importance of international co-operation for improving the living conditions of children in every country, in particular in the developing countries,
Have agreed as follows:
Part I
Article 1. For the purposes of the present Convention, a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.
Article 7. The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and. as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.
States Parties shall ensure the implementation of these rights in accordance with their national law and their obligations under the relevant international instruments in this field, in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless.
EVERY HUMAN BEING BELOW THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN YEARS IS A CHILD AND HAS THE RIGHT TO HAVE A NAME
Russian Folk Tale. The Snow Maiden
An old man and an old woman hadn’t had children for a very long time. They had been waiting for decades. One winter the old man and the old woman sculpted a girl from snow. She turned out to be beautiful and slim, just like a living one. The old man and the old woman desperately wanted this girl to be their daughter! So they started thinking of a name for her. They thought and thought and finally called the girl The Snow Maiden. Just as they named her, the girl came to life. She walked to the old man and the old woman, embraced and kissed them. The old people were very glad, and they took the girl home. The Snow Maiden enjoyed her life with the old people a lot. They surrounded her with sincere affection and care, and she answered them with love and diligence. The Snow Maiden did housekeeping, embroidered, she spun and cooked. The Snow Maiden was mild, modest and bashful. Other girls rarely managed to take her out with them.
At the end of winter the Russian people usually celebrate Maslenitsa, when they say goodbye to the hard frost. All girls are clothed in colorful dresses and gather around a bonfire at a high hillock to sing and dance in a ring. The Snow Maiden agreed to come to the bonfire. She jumped over the fire with the other girls – and melted because of the strong heat.
Article 2. States Parties shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child's or his or her parent's or legal guardian's race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child's parents, legal guardians, or family members.
THE SOCIETY VALUES EVERY CHILD
British Fairy Tale. Tom Thumb
Once upon a time there were a husband and his wife, and they didn't have any children. They were very upset, but they didn't lose hope. One day the wife was cutting some cabbage and chopped off her little finger by accident. She took her finger, wrapped it in a rag and put it in a basket. In the morning the husband and his wife woke up and heard somebody crying. Surprised, they came to the basket and saw a tiny boy there. He was only as tall as a finger, so they called the boy Tom Thumb. Now they were happy and they showed the child to all the neighbours. But nobody believed that Tom Thumb was born in such a way and everyone laughed at the husband and his wife.
Once the father went to till the land and Tom Thumb decided to help him. He climbed into the horse’s ear and started to command it. In that way the horse tilled the whole field. In the meanwhile a nobleman was passing by. He saw the horse tilling the land on its own and he was amazed by such a wonder. The nobleman began to ask for this horse to be sold to him. He offered a lot of money. The honest man told the nobleman that it was his son who was ruling the horse. The nobleman didn’t trust him and got angry. ‘The sonny couldn’t be so tiny!’ he cried. The nobleman bought the horse and took it to his stable. At night, when the nobleman was asleep, Tom Thumb sneaked into the stable and commanded the horse to go back home. So the man earned some money and the horse remained with him.
Since that time everyone believed that the husband and his wife really had a son, despite the fact that he was very small.
Article 3. In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.
States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures.
Article 4. States Parties shall undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognized in the present Convention. With regard to economic, social and cultural rights, States Parties shall undertake such measures to the maximum extent of their available resources and, where needed, within the framework of international co-operation.
THE CHILD SHOULD HAVE SUCH CARE AS IS NECESSARY FOR HIS OR HER WELL-BEING
Hans Christian Andersen. The Princess and the Pea
Once upon a time there was a prince in a kingdom. He wanted to get married, but only to a real princess. He couldn't find an acceptable fiancée for a long time. One evening, during a terrible storm, a girl knocked at the door of the castle. She was wet through and she trembled with cold, but she claimed that she was an absolutely real princess. 'We shall check it! an old queen, the prince's mother thought. She hurried to the bedroom, prepared everything for the girl, and put a little pea on the boards of the bed. The servants put twenty feather beds and twenty blankets made of swan fuzz on top. They put the princess on this bed, and in the morning the queen asked the princess how she had spent the night. 'Very bad! – The girl answered. 'My whole body is aching, as if there was a huge stone in my bed! So the prince was assured that it was an absolutely real princess right in front of him. After all, only a real princess could feel a pea through twenty feather beds and twenty blankets made of swan fuzz.
The prince offered her his hand and heart right away, and also half of the kingdom in addition. They arranged a merry wedding rapidly, and the pea was put in a beautiful crystal casket as a reminder of what a real princess should be like.
Article 5. States Parties shall respect the responsibilities, rights and duties of parents or, where applicable, the members of the extended family or community as provided for by local custom, legal guardians or other persons legally responsible for the child, to provide, in a manner consistent with the evolving
