Article 2

You have the right to protection against discrimination.

Article 2 of the UNCRC says that individual children and young people shouldn't be discriminated against. Some forms of discrimination it covers include:

  • sexism
  • racism
  • sectarianism
  • homophobia
  • transphobia
  • discrimination against the disabled.

Direct and indirect discrimination

Article 2 is about indirect discrimination as well as direct discrimination.

Direct discrimination happens when a person is treated differently because of the way they are— such as if someone doesn't get a job because of their gender, or isn't treated equally because of their race.

Indirect discrimination happens when a rule applies to everyone in the same way, but affects some people unfairly. For example, if there was a rule that nobody who went to an after school club would have transport provided for them, this would have more negative effects on young people with limited mobility.

Related articles

Article 2 is considered a general principle of the UNCRC. This means it should be considered when thinking about any other articles in the Convention.

Other general principles of the UNCRC include:

  • Article 3, which says a child or young person's best interests should always be considered
  • Article 6, the right to life of children and young people
  • Article 12, which says a child or young person's opinion matters.