Lion and Club

3 - The Rights of the Child

Did you know that all children and young people have rights? These are listed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (or UNCRC for short).

Rights make sure that children and young people can live safe, healthy and happy lives. These rights were only introduced in 1991 in the UK. Even today, many children and young people’s rights are not respected.

When David Livingstone was a child there was no UNCRC. This meant that David and other children were expected to work just as hard as adults and had less time for school and for play.

Look at the rights listed in this activity. Do you think David’s rights were respected when he was growing up? Are your rights respected today?


We are very grateful to our key funders the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Government for their support in helping us deliver the Birthplace Project.

National Lottery Heritage Fund
Scottish Government
Historic Environment Scotland
Note: Please note that David Livingstone Birthplace (and the David Livingstone Trust) is no longer part of National Trust Scotland (NTS). NTS members will therefore no longer receive discounted/free entry to the Birthplace Museum.

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