ABSTRACT
An Introduction aims to identify the rights of children and discuss the extent to which English law gives adequate recognition to and protection of these rights. Children's rights enshrined in law range from the right to life, the right to care and protection, the right to education, and the right to medical treatment. Children's rights include rights when they come into contact with the criminal justice system, whether in the form of the police or the courts and/or the prison service. Complicating an explanation of children's rights is the fact that within the United Kingdom, there is more than one legal system. Unlike the European Convention on Human Rights which is confined to protecting civil and political rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child protects both civil and political and social and economic rights. The wardship jurisdiction of the High Court is a legacy from the days of royal power but remains valuable procedure for protecting children's rights.
