Conventions on rights of child

1. What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)?

• Definition: The CRC is a human rights treaty that sets out civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights specifically for children.
  
  

• Adopted: Presented for signature to the UN General Assembly on November 20, 1989.
  
  

• Definition of a Child: A child is defined as any human being under the age of 18, unless a country’s own laws set a different age of majority.
  
  

2. Ratification and Monitoring

• Countries that Ratified the CRC:
  
  

  • 196 countries have ratified the CRC, including every member of the United Nations except the United States.
    
    

  • Somalia and South Sudan ratified the convention in 2015, leaving the U.S. as the only signatory country not to ratify it.
    
    

• U.S. Opposition:
  
  

  • The United States was instrumental in drafting the CRC but has not ratified it.
    
    

  • Reasons for the U.S. not ratifying include:
    
    

    • The prohibition of the death penalty and life imprisonment for children, which the U.S. does not agree with.
      
      

    • Some critics argue it’s due to political and religious influences, with concerns over foreign power interfering in domestic matters.
      
      

    • Some Americans, including former President Obama, have called it “embarrassing” that the U.S. has not ratified it.
      
      

    • Others argue that it would give the United Nations power over U.S. children and parental rights.
      
      

• Monitoring Compliance:
  
  

  • The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child monitors compliance by countries that have ratified the CRC.
    
    

  • Governments are required to report periodically to the Committee and appear before it to be examined on their progress in advancing child rights.
    
    

3. Optional Protocols

• Two Optional Protocols were adopted on May 25, 2000 and have been ratified by over 170 states:
  
  

  • First Protocol: Restricts the involvement of children in military conflicts.
    
    

  • Second Protocol: Prohibits the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography.
    
    

• A third optional protocol was adopted in December 2011, opening for signature on February 28, 2012:
  
  

  • Purpose: It allows children or their representatives to file complaints if they feel their rights under the CRC have been violated.
    
    

  • Came into effect on April 14, 2014.
    
    

4. Canada’s Role

• Canada used its commitments under the CRC to help in changes made to the Youth Criminal Justice Act.