Home
United Nations Association
in CanadaYouth Action Course
ScheduleRegister
" A century that began with children having virtually no rights is ending with children having the most powerful legal instrument that not only recognizes but protects their human rights."
Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
more detail about the Convention
more information at http://www.unicef.org/crc/crc/htm
Other links and resources
What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child?
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations in 1989, spells out the basic human rights to which children everywhere are entitled: the right to survival; the right to the development of their full physical and mental potential; the right to protection from influences that are harmful to their development; and the right to participation in family, cultural and social life.
The Convention protects these rights by setting minimum standards that governments must meet in providing health care, education and legal and social services to children in their countries.
The Convention is the result of 10 years of consultations and negotiations between government officials, lawyers, health care professionals, social workers, educators, children's support groups, non-governmental organizations and religious groups from around the world.
More countries have ratified the Convention than any other human rights treaty in history -- 191 countries had become States Parties to the Convention as of October 1999.
Why is a document describing children's rights necessary?
Although many nations have laws relating to children's welfare and rights, the reality is that too many nations do not live up to their own minimum standards in these areas. Children suffer from poverty, homelessness, abuse, neglect, preventable diseases, unequal access to education and justice systems that do not recognize their special needs; children of minority groups are often particularly affected. These are problems that occur in both industrialized and developing countries.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its acceptance by so many countries has heightened recognition of the fundamental human dignity of all children and the urgency of ensuring their well-being and development. The Convention makes clear the idea that a basic quality of life should be the right of all children, rather than a privilege enjoyed by a few.
How does the Convention define a 'child'?
The Convention defines a 'child' as a person below the age of 18, unless the laws of a particular country set the legal age for adulthood as younger than 18.
.
