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In an effort to mobilize support for the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), more than 200 people participated in a summit at American University in Washington, DC to discuss the treaty. The CRC is the most widely adopted human rights convention, ratified by 192 countries. The United States and Somalia – which lacks a functioning central government – are the only United Nations member states that have not ratified the agreement.
The CRC spells out the rights of children, ranging from freedom of thought, expression, conscience, and religion, to the right to a private life and the right to play. The CRC establishes international standards for human rights for children in the areas of survival, development, protection, and participation. Initiated during the 1979 UN International Year of the Child, the CRC has become a nearly universally recognized statement of the fundamental rights of children. Save the Children supports the ratification of the CRC, which is central to our mission of creating real and lasting change for children in need. The treaty sets forth clear guidelines from which legislators and government officials can develop policies to improve the lives of children. Opponents of the treaty argue that its provisions may conflict with U.S.’s use of the juvenile death penalty and enlistment of soldiers under 18 in non-combat situations. Opponents also fear that establishing the right of children will erode the rights of parents. Adoption by the U.S. would unify nearly all UN nations in a shared vision and common framework for children’s rights. Ratification would give the U.S. and U.S-based organizations a more credible voice by eliminating the contradictory position of defending the rights of children while not being a signatory to this widely accepted treaty. Because treaties signed by the President and approved by the Senate have the force of law, the CRC would also provide a platform for children’s needs here in the U.S. Perhaps most importantly, a movement for CRC ratification would spark a new debate about the rights and needs of children here and abroad. The summit on the CRC, sponsored by the Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, was a first step in beginning that conversation. CRC advocates recognize that educating the U.S. public and policy makers about the benefits of this international agreement is a formidable but worthy challenge.