UNICEF - Convention on the Rights of the Child turns 21

UNICEF - Press centre , New York, 20/11/2010, extracto.-

21 years ago today a remarkable milestone for the protection and realization of the rights of all children - the Convention on the Rights of the Child – was officially opened for signature by United Nations Member States.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the first legally binding instrument designed to protect and promote the rights of people under 18 years old. Its adoption by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1989 is celebrated annually as Universal Children’s Day. It has now achieved near-universal acceptance, with ratification by 193 parties.

The Convention sets out rights that children enjoy as human beings and also identifies special rights and protections they require during this vulnerable phase of their lives.

The rights in the Convention are predicated on the principles of universality, non-discrimination and accountability. This means that they apply equally to every child, including the most disadvantaged. The Convention creates a moral imperative, determined by the world leaders and governments who drafted and subsequently joined the Convention, to ensure that efforts to protect and promote children’s rights must be equitable. Every child, not matter how disadvantaged by parental income or family circumstance, geography, disability, race or gender, has an equal right to enjoy the protection of the Convention and the rights it sets out.

There are 54 articles in the CRC. These set out universal human rights, including the rights to:

* survival
* develop to the fullest
* protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation
* participate fully in family, cultural and social life

Every one of these rights is essential to human dignity and to the harmonious development of every child. In a more concrete sense, these rights set global minimum standards for children’s health care, education and their access to legal, civil and social services.

By ratifying or acceding to the Convention, national governments commit themselves to protecting and ensuring children’s rights as outlined in the Convention and they hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community.