Cities as Playgrounds: Active leisure for children as a human right

Abstract

The child's right to play is enshrined in article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. That article recognises the right together with an obligation on nation states to ensure that the right is recognised: 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. 2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity. Other parts of the Convention also bear on matters to do with the right of children to play. For example, article 3 states that "in all actions concerning children whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration". Article 12 demands that children should be provided with the opportunity to express their views on all matters which affect them, and article 23 states that children with disabilities are to be provided with a "full and decent life" and "in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self-reliance and facilitate the child's active participation in the community". When blended together, such rights provide a context within which the right of the children to play must be analysed and given effect.