Children's rights

Children's rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young,^[1] including their right to association with both biological parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education, health care and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development of the child.^[2] Interpretations of children's rights range from allowing children the capacity for autonomous action to the enforcement of children being physically, mentally and emotionally free from abuse, though what constitutes "abuse" is a matter of debate. Other definitions include the rights to care and nurturing.^[3]

"A child is any human being below the age of eighteen years, unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier."^[4] According to Cornell University, a child is a person, not a subperson, and the parent has absolute interest and possession of the child, but this is very much an American view. The term "child" does not necessarily mean minor but can include adult children as well as adult nondependent children.^[5] There are no definitions of other terms used to describe young people such as "adolescents", "teenagers," or "youth" in international law,^[6] but the children's rights movement is considered distinct from the youth rights movement.
The field of children's rights spans the fields of law, politics, religion, and morality.