Children's Rights with This Project

Main reference : International Convention for Children' s Rights, including rights for disabled children, United Nations, New York, 1990.

All children have a right for respect, protection and assistance.

Right to heal : right to give informed consent after having been explained what the treatment consists of with us, and "right to withdraw their consent at any time for any reason" (Bennett & al.). Children' s therapy must not

be interrupted for any other reason than the children' s personal will to finish.

Right to live with the people of their choice.

Right to be human, that is to say experience feelings and act in accordance with them.

Right to act on the basis of their own judgement, i. e. make decisions for themselves, in particular right to say no, that is to say refuse something they don't feel good about, this right for prevention of abuses and recognition of their personhood. Generally speaking, non-directivity is designed to "allow them to make decisions about matters that directly concern them" (Corey, Corey & Callanan).

Right to live in a family-like environment the least restrictive as possible.

Right to be recognized as a person : to be treated with respect whatever their age is, the same goes for babies. Respect must be all the more

attentive as the very young persons do not have the verbal abilities for protesting when their rights are being forgotten. Being young and little does not make that children are inferior persons in comparison to adults.

Right to be loved and cared for : no child, nobody can grow well without receiving a minimum amount of affection.

Right to be protected to prevent any damage to their emotional and

physical health : right to live in a violence-free environment without threats

of being hit, injured or abused verbally.

Right to be listened to, i. e. to express their opinions and feelings.

Right to control their body in basic needs like sleep (when and how long), food intake (when, what and how much), toilet, hair, movements.

Right to be happy : the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Right to stability and to feeling secure : to be not moved to an other place except when they want so, permanency being a necessary component for healthy mental growth, especially when very young.

Right to be free from harmful and hazardous procedures, notably by professionals and medical practitioners (from the state of California

Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act, 1977).

This forbids being submitted to :

- electroshocks also called convulsive therapy

- being permanently medicated when it leads to intoxication and poisoning

- injections when not accepted

- excessive radiations

- temperature taken in anus when not accepted : the legal definition of rape

is unwanted penetration

- in general any proceeding that

/ is unwanted by the child

/ leads to the child' s physical or mental degradation.

Right to be truly oneself and to be free from having to please adults, i. e. to

be free from being alienated from oneself because of external pressures like behavior conditioning.

Right to privacy : with mail, diary, in bathroom and in bed, not having to answer intruding questions, with telephone except long distance calls might have to be restricted for cost.

Right to confidentiality : whatever a child says to an assistant is not disclosed outside of the home except with the child' s consent or in case of mandatory reporting to authorities.

Right to be assisted by an adult if accused by somebody, and to full investigation before being declared guilty.

Right to know everything about their past and about everything that

might have incidence on their life, including right to see whatever is written in

their file. "Professionals have a responsibility to their clients to make a reasonable disclosure of all significant facts" (Corey, Corey & Callanan).

Right to be free from being privately kept captive.

Right to personal property.

Right to have preferred relationships with some elected others, to be visited and to receive relatives and friends at the location.

Right to have their needs considered first and given priority in case of conflicting interests with adult(s).

Right to engage in activities of their choice.

Right to have a private meeting on simple request with a children' s authority and to be provided transportation for it.

Right to refuse to meet their parents or any other person : please see

the Children' s Everyday Life in the Project.

rev. 2015