RIGHT

Indivisibility and article 31
Article 31 had become known
as ‘the forgotten right’ because
its place with the CRC as a whole
was not understood.
In the CRC Handbook (2007)
Hodgkin and Newell commented
that it is perhaps because
children find ways and means
of playing ‘even in the most dire
circumstances,’ that the right
to play is overlooked.
The late IPA Vice President and
campaigner, Valerie Fronczek,
asserted that an important
principle of the Convention
however is that its articles are
interdependent, interrelated and
indivisible and therefore there
should be no ‘forgotten’ articles
within the Convention and
certainly not one ‘so basic
to childhood’ as the right to play.
Article 31 has a strong relationship
with the Convention as a whole,
supporting realisation of other
rights – education, health etc.
The UN Children’s Committee
have said that article 31 serves
to enrich the lives of children
and is fundamental to:
• the quality of childhood
• to children’s entitlement
to optimum development
• to the promotion of resilience
• and to the realization
of other rights.
“How can we promote a better
understanding of the full implications
of respecting children’s right to play?”
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