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Convention on the Rights of the Child
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is built on varied legal systems and cultural traditions, and is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. These basic standards—also called human rights—set minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be respected by governments. They are founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each individual, regardless of race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origins, wealth, birth status or ability and therefore apply to every human being everywhere. With these rights comes the obligation on both governments and individuals not to infringe on the parallel rights of others. These standards are both interdependent and indivisible; we cannot ensure some rights without—or at the expense of—other rights.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too.
The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.
By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. States parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child.
UNICEF's child-friendly summary of the CRC explains each article in simple language.
General Comment 7: Implementing child rights in early childhood
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's General Comment 7: Implementing child rights in early childhood explains how the Convention on the Rights of the Child should be interpreted when it comes to very young children. General Comments are formal statements in which the UN Committee on the Rights of Child, which is composed of independent experts elected by state signatories to the CRC, advise on how the CRC should be interpreted. While not legally binding, they are widely regarded as authoritative.
The CG was included in the group of early childhood specialists the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) was instrumental in bringing together to inform the deliberations of the Committee. UNICEF, the CRC Committee and BvLF, published, A Guide to General Comment 7, containing extracts from the papers that the Committee considered when drafting GC7.enables readers to explore in further depth the thinking behind how child rights apply to young children:
UN 2010 Secretary General's Report on the CRC and Third Committee Omnibus Resolution (A/65/452)
The UN Secretary General's Status of the CRC report of August 2010 focuses specifically on early childhood which was followed by an adoption of the Third Committee Omnibus Resolution (A/65/452) at the UNGA 65th Session in December 2010. The General Assembly allocates to its Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee, commonly referred to as the "Third Committee", agenda items relating to a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues.
The Resolution reaffirms the committment of State Parties to the promotion and protection of the rights of children, including specific recommendations and strategies for implementing child rights in Early Childhood - see pages 8 to 14.
Both documents were based on the CRC's General Comment 7 (GC7) which had laid the ground for implementing the CRC in Early Childhood.
GC7 Indicators Working Group
The GC7 Indicators Working Group convened in 2008 and includes WHO, UNICEF, UNCRC Committee, HELP, the Consultative Group, Aga Khan Foundation, etc has developed and is piloting monitoring indicators, (initiated in Tanzania and currently being piloted in Chile) which aims to assist countries, policy makers and implementers to assess, analyze and report on implementing CRC in the early childhood years. Stay tuned for updates on the work of the GC7 Indicators Working Group.
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