Chapter 13. Freedom Of Thought, Conscience, And Religion

Abstract

Article 14 of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) affirms the child's right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. It requires parties to the Convention to respect the parents' right to provide direction to their children. Article 14 also limits a child's civil rights as necessary for the freedom and protection of others. Article 14 of the Convention closely resembles Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which uphold the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion for everyone. In implementing the Convention, the Committee on the Rights of the Child has never interpreted Article 14 to restrict the parent's ability to bring a child up in the parent's religion. Rather, the Committee has focused on protecting the child's civil rights against interference from the government.Keywords: Article 14; child's civil rights; CRC; freedom of conscience; freedom of religion; freedom of thought; ICCPR; Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)