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The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an international convention setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. It is monitored by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is composed of members from countries around the world.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1989. After being ratified by the required number of nations, the CRC came into force on September 2, 1990. The Convention generally defines a child as any person under the age of 18, unless an earlier age of majority is recognized by a country's law. There are 193 states that are parties to the Convention. The United States is not party to the CRC.
The CRC acknowledges that every child has certain basic rights, including the right to life, to his or her own name and identity, to be raised by his or her parents within a family or cultural grouping, and to have a relationship with both parents, even if they are separated.
The CRC obliges states to allow parents to exercise their parental responsibilities. The CRC also acknowledges that children have the right to express their opinions and to have those opinions heard and acted upon when appropriate, to be protected from abuse or exploitation, to have their privacy protected, and requires that their lives not be subject to excessive interference.
The CRC also obliges signatory states to provide separate legal representation for a child in any judicial dispute concerning their care, and asks that the child's viewpoint be heard in such cases. The CRC forbids capital punishment for children.
The Convention has two Optional Protocols, adopted by the General Assembly in May 2000, and applicable to those states that have signed and ratified them.
The First Optional Protocol to the CRC deals with the involvement of children in armed conflicts.
The Second Optional Protocol to the CRC deals with the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Governments of countries that have ratified the CRC are required to report to, and appear before, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) periodically to be examined on their progress with regards to the advancement of the implementation of the Convention and the status of child rights in their country. The CRC Committee can then issue General Comments concerning the Covenant.
The CRC Committee is composed of 18 independent experts who are “persons of high moral character and recognized competence in the field of human rights.” States parties elect members of the CRC Committee for a term of four years. Members serve in their personal capacity and may be re-elected if nominated.
More detailed information regarding the CRC is located in Fact Sheet No. 10 (Rev. 1).
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