Students' perceptions of their rights in Lithuania

This article analyses young Lithuanian students' (aged 12-14) perceptions o f the importance and existence of their rights at home and at school. The a nalysis includes a comparison of rights existence with rights importance, a comparison between the importance and existence of the various rights in b oth the home and school setting and a comparison between the findings in Li thuania with those for the composite of the other 20 countries participatin g in the cross-national research. The research revealed an exceptionally pr oblematic situation for children's rights implementation in Lithuanian scho ols. Greatest discrepancies between rights' existence and importance in the school are reported by females and students of parents with high levels of education. The rights to self-determination, dissociation when one needs, freedom and respect for thoughts and opinions, protection from hurting one' s feelings, living independently when one is ready were estimated by Lithua nian students as the most insufficiently realized for a child in the school . Respect for a child's personality, opinion and feelings and his/her auton omy are the main problems children experience in Lithuania and various othe r countries as well.