What is 'CRC@18'?

In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, a ceasefire ended the Angolan civil war, the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Velvet Revolution took hold in Prague and the Convention on the Rights of the Child was born.

The CRC was ratified 18 years ago, and anyone born who turns 18 this year is part of the first generation to go from birth to adulthood protected by the CRC. Welcome and congratulations to you and the CRC!

CRC@18 is a site that not only gives you information about your rights, but also lets you tell us what you think of child rights and the CRC. Has it had an impact on your life? Is it relevant to you and your friends?

Know your rights. Raise your voice. Take action. Be an agent of change.

© UNICEF/HQ00-0779/DeCesare

Edilberto (top row, centre), 16, sits on steps with other members of a child rights group he has organized, at a school in Medellin, Colombia.

Today more than ever before, young people are recognized as having rights.  What’s more, they are seen as playing an active role in asserting their rights.

The Convention is an international human rights treaty that says all children are born with basic freedoms and rights. 

A convention such as this is an agreement between people or countries where everyone agrees to follow the same law. The CRC spells out the range of rights to which children everywhere are entitled. It sets basic standards for children’s well-being at different stages of their development and is the first universal, legally binding code of child rights in history.

To commemorate this landmark anniversary of the CRC, UNICEF has undertaken a number of initiatives to educate, empower and enable young people to express their opinions about the impact the CRC has had – or not had – on their lives.

UNICEF’s 18th anniversary CRC campaign aims to increase the public’s understanding of the Convention in general, as well as motivate young people to play an active role in determining the impact and relevance of the CRC in their lives.

UNICEF is guided by the CRC and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour.