User:Hipersons/sandbox/The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Parties to the convention

Only signed, but not ratified

Non-signatory

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is at the core of the transnational protection of children.

The Convention is part of a larger body of international human rights law. It affords a broad set of rights for all persons under 18 years of age and is comprehensive as it combines social, economic and cultural rights with civil and political rights in a single treaty. The Convention promotes an empowering understanding of children as rights holders. It stipulates their human rights and the correlated legal obligations of states as well as obligations of parents and caregivers, public authorities, private service providers and the private sector. In addition to its legal relevance, the Convention has a programmatic character in that it guides policy makers and practitioners on how to safeguard children and promote their well-being, safety and development in a holistic way.

The Convention applies to all children within the jurisdiction of a state (Article 2). This includes children who are within the borders of a state, and those who come under the state’s jurisdiction while attempting to enter the country’s territory, for instance at borders or airports. In consequence, the rights under the Convention apply to all children on the move, regardless of the purpose or conditions of their movement for family reunification, travel, economic migration, asylum or trafficking.

The Convention provides standards for care and protection, identification, case management, reporting and referral. It affords children a right to education and training, access to social services, health care and treatment and provides for the right of girls and boys to develop their evolving capacities. Children who have been exposed to acts of violence, exploitation or abuse have a right to be recognised as victims of crime, to access assistance for recovery, rehabilitation and justice. This applies to child victims of trafficking and all other children who have been exposed to violence, abuse or exploitation in any form.