Law and policy
Creating a legal environment to drive business' respect for children's rights.
As children come into contact with the business sector as consumers, legally engaged employees, future employees, users of products and services or members of communities, there are a variety of actions that States are required to take to ensure their rights are fully realized.
Children have their whole life ahead of them. Any deprivation suffered at a young age because of negative business impacts can result in long-lasting consequences and a lifetime of lost opportunities. At the same time, ensuring children’s rights are respected by business can break the intergenerational transfer of deprivations and exclusions.
While businesses are accountable for the impact of their activities on human and children's rights as recognized in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Children's Rights and Business Principles, the ultimate responsibility to ensure respect for human and children's rights lies with the authorities at national level.
Governments have three specific obligations to realize children’s rights in the context of business:
- Protect: Do everything possible to prevent and stop businesses from abusing children’s rights or making violations of children’s rights worse.
- Respect: Never support, enable, allow, or approve of any violations of children’s rights, especially when acting as a business.
- Fulfil: Take active steps to realize children’s rights, and support businesses to do the same.
UNICEF's response
UNICEF advocates for Governments to have in place robust and effective legal, regulatory, policy and institutional frameworks that enable the realization of children’s rights with respect to the business sector as outlined by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General Comment No. 16 as well as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
By working in partnership with Governments, civil society and standard setters, UNICEF provides technical guidance and support to ensure that business-related policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks are designed and implemented in a manner that integrates child rights to create effective mechanisms for protecting and empowering children.
Every child has the right to be protected from abuse and have their rights respected by business enterprises. And every child has the right to have States taking action to ensure business respect children’s rights and hold them accountable.
