A book by Amnesty International, Angelina Jolie and Professor Geraldine Van Bueren about children’s rights is published today. Original conception of Know Your Rights and Claim Them was shaped by The Open University’s Children’s Research Centre’s (OUCRC) report, which explored the representation of children’s rights from discussion through to illustration and interpretation.
After nearly two years in the making, the book is now available online and in all good bookshops in the UK and will be on sale in Australia, Greece, New Zealand, and USA in October.
Prompted by concern that children are largely unaware of their human rights, Know Your Rights and Claim Them aims to equip young people with the knowledge they need to stand up and have their say. The book explains child rights in clear and accessible language, sets out how they came into being and features guides on how to claim them, along with stories of incredible young activists who are at the forefront of human rights change around the world.
Published in 2019 to mark 30 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the OUCRC report Representing children’s rights from discussion through to illustration and interpretation, was created in partnership with Amnesty International to capture children’s and young people’s views and understandings about their rights. The resulting themes included expression and difference; friendship; health and hygiene; education and learning; equality, fairness and diversity; and safety and protection.
Nicky Parker, Publisher and Literary Partnerships Lead at Amnesty International, said:
“Huge thanks to The Open University Children’s Research Centre team for everything you did to produce the early research. The voices of those young people gave us the confidence and understanding to move forward with this book.”
Dr Liz Chamberlain, Senior Lecturer in Education (Primary) and lead academic of the report, commented:
“We’re delighted to see the publication of this new book. The children and young people who inspired the original research will be delighted that their ideas and insights were listened to and acted upon.”
Jolie, Amnesty International and Van Bueren are working towards getting the book published in all languages and countries, empowering millions of young people to know and claim their rights.
To celebrate the book’s release, Jolie, Amnesty International, FANE and Anderson Press are hosting a free event today (2 September) at 6.30pm BST/ 1.30pm, which will also be available to re-watch online until 2 October. Jolie will be in conversation with activists Muhammad Najem, Aisha Saleh and Vinuki Bakmeedeniya, as they answer questions from young people from all over the world. The three young activists will share practical examples of how they have claimed their rights and what activism means to them. To register for the event, visit: https://www.fane.co.uk/know-your-rights
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To read the full report
About the OU’s Children’s Research Centre
About Amnesty International and Know Your Rights and Claim Them
