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In the 1920s, activists - notably Englishwoman Eglantyne Jebb who founded Save the Children - were working to help children suffering from the effects of World War I. They were frustrated because governments were not taking responsibility for ending the suffering their war had caused. They argued that unless governments gave children the power to start and stop wars, adults - not children - should take responsibility for providing for and protecting children. Interest in child rights was also motivated by a growing interest in human rights.
In 1924 these activists for children were successful in getting the League of Nations (the predecessor of the United Nations) to agree to uphold a set of international rights for children called the Declaration of Geneva. This declaration was expanded in 1959 and became the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child. In 1979, the International Year of the Child, a process began to create a United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Unlike the previous two Declarations, the Convention was legally binding which meant that it could be enforced and, in turn, have a greater impact on the lives of children. Because of this and because of differences between children and between cultures it wasn't until 1989 that governments were able to agree on all the rights of the Convention.
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Why is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child a big deal?
• It was the first time leaders of the world agreed that the term "children" applied to everyone under 18
• It was the first time all of children's rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, were listed in a single document
• It asserts that children should not be seen as objects of charity or pity, but as human subjects with inherent dignity and rights that, like those of all human beings, must be respected
• It deals with the whole child and treats children as individuals
• It states that children can act according to their ability on everything that concerns them
• It has paved the way for the opinions of children and youth to be heard by their communities and their governments
• It acknowledges that some groups of children are particularly vulnerable and therefore need special protections. For example, children affected by war, street children and children with disabilities must be respected and included.
• It was the first time that the world agreed on a set of specific, minimum standards for protecting children's rights. It explicitly states that if a country's own laws or policies are "more conducive to the realization of the rights of the child" then they will override the provisions of the Convention. So the best laws we have will be the ones applied to children.
• It has mass support and is the most widely accepted document of its kind in history. This makes governments and people accountable to meeting the standards of this agreement, both inside and outside their own country.
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The rights of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are set out in 54 articles or statements, which can be grouped into five broad categories:
• civil rights and freedoms;
• family and alternative care;
• health and welfare; education,
• culture and leisure and;
• special protection measures.
These rights, be they economic, social, cultural, civil or political, are equally recognized and important. This means that no person or government can rank or pick-and-choose which rights are respected or denied. According to the Convention, every young person of 18 years and under is entitled to the same inherent, indivisible rights, regardless of where they live, what religion they practice, what ethnic group they belong to or who their parents are.
Adopted by United Nations in 1989, the Convention has been agreed to by all but two countries in the world - that's over 190 countries. Canada agreed to it in 1991. Agreeing to or ratifying the Convention means that a government is committed to making the Convention the law and, therefore, a reality in that country.
The performance of countries that agree to the Convention is monitored by a Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Committee evaluates the progress of governments and makes recommendations to each country on improvements that need to be made in order to fulfill the Convention. The Committee also listens to groups who work for the welfare of children (including groups run by children) to get their perspective on whether or not a government is doing its job. |
