Child rights in action
The Convention in action
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
is not a stagnant international treaty. It is a dynamic and empowering
advocacy tool that is changing the fundamentals of children's lives
around the world. These are just a few examples of the Convention
in action. More extensive country-by-country reports on how effectively
it has been implemented have been prepared in the detailed End
Decade Reviews to the 1990 World Summit
for Children Plan of Action and appear in the Secretary
General's Report for the Special Session on Children.
Law reform
Many governments begin promoting child rights by including the
Convention's principles in national law. This includes either removing
legislation that discriminates against children or creating new
legislation that protects children's rights. In the past decade,
countries have established legislation specifically for children
and several have modified their constitutions to incorporate the
Convention's principles into every aspect of national law.
Institutional bodies/mechanisms
The creation of national structures focused on children and young
people is another example. Almost every government in the world
now has a Ministry, Commission or Council responsible for children.
These bodies keep national attention on children, monitor progress
in children's lives, and advance children's rights in policy-making.
Today, more than 20 countries have established, or are in the process
of establishing, independent human rights bodies for children.
Policies
Once legislation and structures are in place, governments must
follow through with "child-friendly" policies and programmes
that promote and protect children's rights. These initiatives extend
to improving the quality of social services and making them more
friendly to children, making education systems more accessible to
children and implementing child protection policies. Examples include
family support mechanisms, programmes for families without access
to pre-school care and better parenting initiatives.
Resources for children
Good laws and policies are essential to ensuring that children's
rights are respected, but they are not enough. States must back
their words with the financial and human resources necessary to
guarantee that real action is taken. Governments have started talking
about "children's budgets" and begun examining national
budgets to see the percentage of government resources allocated
to programmes benefiting children and whether these programmes adequately
address their needs.
Participation
The Convention clearly recognizes that children's rights cannot
be realized if their opinions and voices are not heard. True child
participation encourages adults to listen to children, and gives
children, in accordance with their age and maturity, an opportunity
to have a say in decisions that concern them.
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