Children’s rights are lived every day

Children’s rights are not an abstract concept — they are part of everyday family life. Most Ukrainian parents are aware of children’s rights, yet they do not always recognize them in ordinary day-to-day situations.

That is why, together with UNICEF, we decided not to explain what the UN Convention is, but rather to help parents translate children’s language into clear, adult language about children’s rights.

Before launching the campaign, we conducted research that revealed a key contradiction: parents are well aware of basic rights (education, health, protection from violence), but are far less likely to notice rights related to personal boundaries, self-expression, and rest. This is not due to indifference — but because these rights are much harder to recognize in everyday situations.

The campaign’s identity continues the idea of translation: helping adults see specific rights behind common children’s phrases. Contrasting headlines, fonts, and rich colors amplify children’s voices and put them on equal footing with adults. The illustrations retain a sense of immediacy and sincerity and remind us that behind each phrase there is a real child. 

We suggested shifting the focus — from teaching to helping people see. In this way, a child saying “I want to be a dinosaur” became an illustration of the right to self-expression; “I don’t want you to look in my box” explained the right to privacy; and “I want to go to a different club” reminded parents that this reflects the child’s right to participate in decision-making.

The core of the campaign consisted of three 30-second videos, each showing that behind every “I don’t want to” or “don’t come in” there is a specific child’s right.

This approach was further reinforced by a documentary video series featuring four Ukrainian families, in which children’s rights are shown not as a concept but as a living practice — in conversations, decisions, and everyday compromises.

Daria Gerasymchuk, Advisor–Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation, became the key expert and spokesperson for the campaign. This increased trust in the campaign and its nationwide impact. We talked about children’s rights throughout the campaign in special projects and interviews in national media, articles in regional media, morning TV shows, National Radio broadcasts, social media, and with the involvement of parents who are opinion leaders.

A comprehensive campaign across social media and traditional media helped strengthen the idea that children’s rights are not complicated — they simply need to be noticed.

The second wave of the sociological research showed that awareness of children’s rights among parents increased from 53% to 64%, and among teens from 62% to 78%. 

In addition, adolescents’ knowledge of specific children’s rights increased:

– the right to freedom of expression: 47% to 62%

– the right to identity: 45% to 52%

– the right to privacy: 43% to 52%