Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
International Network
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first instrument to incorporate the complete range of international human rights-including civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights as well as aspects of humanitarian law.
In 1989, world leaders decided that children deserved their own convention, because children under 18 often need a special protection and assistance. The Convention was also a way of ensuring that the world also recognised children having rights.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the rights that must be realized for children to develop their full potential, free from hunger and want, neglect and abuse. It reflects a new vision of the child. Children neither are the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights. The Convention offers a vision of the child as an individual and as a member of a family and community, with rights and responsibilities appropriate to his or her age and stage of development. By recognizing children's rights in this way, the Convention firmly sets the focus on the whole child.
By accepting to honour the obligations stipulated in the Convention (by ratifying or by acceding) States voluntarily agree to defend and guarantee children's rights and to respond of these commitments before the international community. States have to realize and implement measures that take into consideration the best interests of the child.
The Convention 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.
