Article 39 fights for the rights of children living in state and privately-run institutions (children’s homes, boarding and residential schools, mental health inpatient units, prisons and immigration detention). They take their name from Article 39 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which entitles children who have suffered rights violations to recover in environments where their health, self-respect and dignity are nurtured.
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Where they operate
Organization Type
Main Areas of Work
What They Do
Location
United Kingdom
Article 39 fights for the rights of children living in state and privately-run institutions, a population of around 80,000 in England. They use a variety of methods to promote and protect children’s rights, including:
- Awareness-raising – they run the rights4children website which gives accessible information about children’s rights generally and within specific institutional settings;
- Public policy advocacy – they try and influence laws and government policy so that children are better protected within institutional settings;
- Practice development – they have set up a national network of independent advocates to support them to give the best help to children and young people;
- Strategic litigation – they support and lead legal challenges when this is the best way of protecting children’s rights;
- Research – they make freedom of information requests and consult children and young people who live, or have lived, in institutional settings.