Convention on the Rights of the Child
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (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! Today we live in a world where almost everyone agrees that anyone below 18 years old is a child and has the right to special care and protection. However, that has not always been the case. It has only been since 20 November 1989, when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child that the world has benefited from one set of legal rights for all children and young people. Today, 193 States parties have ratified the CRC. Romania signed the CRC on 26 January 1990 and ratified it on 28 September 1990. The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights agreement in the world. It details your rights and how they should be applied in its 54 articles, plus two optional extras (or 'protocols'). The Convention expressly recognizes that parents have the most important role in bringing up children. The text encourages parents to deal with rights issues with their children "in a manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the child" (article 5). Parents, who are intuitively aware of their child's level of development, will do this naturally. The issues they discuss, the way in which they answer questions or the discipline methods they use will differ depending on whether the child is 3, 9 or 16 years of age. Visit the 18@18 link below; it 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.
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