Andersen Press has secured world rights to KNOW YOUR RIGHTS (AND CLAIM THEM), a vitally important book in collaboration with filmmaker and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, Amnesty International, and Geraldine Van Bueren QC. All children up to the age of 18 have rights, but these are not always upheld. Many young people don’t even know that they have these rights. This book aims to change that.
World publishing rights were secured by Chloe Sackur, Commissioning Editor at Andersen Press from Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown, acting as agent for the project. Andersen Press will coordinate a global publishing moment with international partners, showcasing the book for the first time at Frankfurt Book Fair.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS (AND CLAIM THEM) aims to counter misinformation by helping every child and young person to know their rights, understand how they relate to them individually, where to go for help if their rights are violated and how to claim them. It comes at a time when unprecedented numbers of children are protesting on a global scale, in the streets and online.
With an introduction by Angelina Jolie, the book sets out the history of child rights and why they matter, before introducing each of the main groups of rights and how they apply in the real world. They include rights of urgent interest to young people today, such as free speech, gender and racial equality, health, a clean climate and a sustainable environment. Each group of rights is accompanied by true accounts of child activists who have fought to make a difference in every corner of the world, as well as quotes in their own voices. Know Your Rights (And Claim Them) also includes a guide for young people on how to claim their rights – through campaigning and protesting, educating themselves and others, and by challenging injustice at home, in school or at a community level.
Andersen Press will publish Know Your Rights (And Claim Them) in September 2021, it will be designed to be both a practical tool and a source of inspiration, with a look that is stylish, clear and easy to navigate. It is written by Amnesty International in consultation with Angelina Jolie and Professor Geraldine Van Bueren QC, one of the original drafters of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as children and young people from around the world. This will be a book that readers aged 13+ can depend upon for clear and accessible facts.
Andersen will follow with an abridged mini-version, A Pocket Book of Rights in Spring 2022, a young person’s ‘passport’ to their rights. It will be designed to be used both as an on-the-go handbook and as a simpler, shorter introduction to child rights. Aimed at 11+ readers, this book is perfect for a world where youth activism is flourishing on the streets, in schools, youth parliaments and online.
Speaking of the project, Angelina Jolie says, ‘Today we have youth engaged and ready to fight. But many struggle with misinformation from adults, a lack of awareness of their rights, and a lack of knowledge of how to use the specifics of their rights, applying them to the country and circumstances in which they live. We need to give them the tools to strengthen their fight and empower them. Amnesty, Geraldine and I hope to get these books into the hands of young people, and for them to be a guide that they can carry with them and use. Not just to inform them, but to activate them and serve as a source of reference where needed.’
Nicky Parker, Publisher and Literary Partnerships Lead at Amnesty International says, ‘We at Amnesty are delighted to work with Angelina Jolie, Geraldine Van Bueren and young people from around the world to create this powerful book. It has been desperately needed since the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989 gave children and young people their own unique set of rights. Today we see young people all over the world speaking up for what they believe in, from fighting climate change to Black Lives Matter. Many children face daily violations, like extreme hunger, homelessness and trafficking. But whoever they are and wherever they live, they have the right to know their rights. This book addresses the challenge at last. It empowers young people with the facts and the tools they need to stand up for themselves and each other. As the Convention says, All children should be brought up in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity . . . Children deserve the best the world has to give.’
Geraldine Van Bueren QC said: ‘The Convention is for the children of the world, who can use its provisions to call for their rights to be protected. They can also help other children and prevent their rights being violated. To do this, children need to know their rights and be supported in how to use them. This book does that.’
On the deal, Chloe Sackur, Andersen Press’ Commissioning Editor says, ‘When we first heard of this project we knew we wanted to be the ones to bring it to young readers. This is an incredibly important book with an inspiring partnership between Amnesty International and Angelina Jolie, and we couldn’t be more excited to play our part in ensuring future generations know their rights and how to uphold them.’
Know Your Rights (And Claim Them) will publish September 2021, A Pocket Book of Rights, Spring 2022. Rights for both available at Frankfurt Book Fair.
For interview opportunities and more information please contact Paul Black, PR Director at Andersen Press:
pblack@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
T. 0207 840 8710
