When we are born, we know what we want straight away. We know we want a nice hug and love from the people we are close to and we know we don’t want to stay hungry. We know that we want all of this from our family and friends.

But what we want isn’t always what we get. And that is why it is important that you learn from a young age, what your rights and responsibilities are.

I am a child and do not want to be hurt. Are there are laws that have been written to make sure that I am not hurt? What are they?

Yes, children do need special rights because they are vulnerable people. “Vulnerable” means that people need to work extra hard to make sure that you do not get hurt. That is why the Constitution was written to protect all of us.

The South African Constitution’s Bill of Rights (Section 28) talks about the rights that children have: 

• You should be given a name when you are born and you should be looked after and become part of a family. 
• You should not have to work whilst you are small as this could make you tired and sick (this includes being made to beg on the side of the road). 
• Even if you have done something very bad and the police need to arrest you, you should not be put in jail. If you are put in a jail, it should be for a very short while and it should not be with people that are older than 18. 
• You must have shelter (somewhere dry and comfortable to sleep). 
• If you are sick, you must be able to see a doctor and get medicine that will make you better. 
• You must have food to eat so that you aren’t hungry.

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