The Convention on the Rights of the Child gives explicit recognition to the civil and political rights of children. Those rights include:Although the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in principle extends to all people by virtue of their humanity, the inclusion of civil and political rights in the Convention on the Rights of the Child constitutes the first clear recognition that they apply equally to children. However, there are differences in the formulation of some of these rights, as well as additional rights to take account of children’s different legal and developmental status. Thus, for example, Article 7 goes beyond the right to a name and nationality to address children’s right to know and be cared for by their parents. Article 8, a new provision, focuses on the preservation of the child’s identity in context where a child is removed from their birth parents. Article 17 is another new provision, extending the right to information as elaborated in Article 13, the right to freedom of expression, to assert the right to information from the mass media, recognising its critical role in enabling children to exercise their rights. And in Article 14, the right to freedom of thought and religion, the wording references the rights of parents to provide direction and guidance in accordance with the child’s evolving capacities.