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UN Children's Rights Article of the Week

This week's UNCRC Article of the week is:

Article 15:

You have the right to be with friends and join or set up clubs, unless this breaks the rights of others.

What does this mean?

Article 15 of the UNCRC makes it clear that – like all people in the world – children and young people have the right to freedom of association. This means that they should be free to:

• meet individual people and groups of friends
• set up an organisation
• join an organisation
• take part in peaceful protest.

Limits to freedom of association

While Article 15 promotes freedom of association, it does say there are some circumstances where it doesn’t apply. For example:

• children and young people can’t meet with individuals or groups when they threaten their rights. For example, they can’t meet people who are likely to pose a danger to them
• children and young people can’t meet with individuals or groups when they would threaten other people’s rights
• children and young people can’t meet with individuals or groups in order to break the law.