Global Political news/blog for IB Global Politics
The Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC) was created to acknowledge children (those under 18) around the world as human, and thus deserving of the same inalienable rights as everyone else. It is the most widely ratified human rights document in history, as it has been ratified by all UN member states but the US. While the CRC prompted numerous states to create and update human rights laws for children, and has resulted in decreased child and infant mortality rates in many countries, it has not been as successful as hoped. Although many countries consider themselves close to eliminating violations of the CRC, children are still greatly affected by conflicts and violence around the world. For example, around 300 million children around the world have not been registered with any government, and around 25 percent of all deaths in Afghanistan were of children in the past decade. Through widespread war and violence, children continue to be deprived of many of their rights throughout the world, despite the existence of the CRC.
One example of a violation of the CRC is the widespread violence which is still prevalent in many parts of the world, like in the Gaza Strip. There are six cases which are considered grave violations of the CRC for crimes against children: killing and maiming, use in the armed forces and military conflicts, sexual violence, attacks on schools or hospitals, abduction, and denial of aid. Within the Gaza Strip these grave offenses are committed every day as part of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Such evidence of violations of the CRC support the idea that while progress has been made, the goal of the convention has not been achieved. Furthermore, through lack of registration of their births, children around the world are deprived of legal identity. This lack of legal existence not only violates the CRC, but also facilitates further violations of said convention through a lack of ability to monitor through reliable methods the protection of these children from further harm. Through the continuous examples of violence against children in certain areas of the world, the conditions of the convention have not been fully met by the international community.
According to Amnesty International, all children’s rights are regularly violated around the world, especially those of young girls. Many children do not have access to education, and even more are victims of sexual violence every year. Despite this, they also recognize that children are being increasingly made aware of their right to be heard, and the other rights which the CRC grants. Around the world, Amnesty International considers it a success that more children have been becoming politically active, even as they also recognize that many are not being acknowledged by governments and older generations throughout the world. These people feel that even if CRC has slightly improved conditions for children around the world, its goal of protection for all children has not been close to being recognized.
Although it is often difficult to gauge the successes of the Convention on the Rights of Children due to the fact that there are no baselines with which to compare progress, most organizations argue that the Convention has been a partially successful piece of legislation. These organizations also monitor the vast amount of work which remains necessary for the complete achievement of the goals of the CRC. Although it has succeeded to an extent, the CRC remains a work in progress with the continued violation of its Articles around the world.
Connections:
Human Rights: As an article which finds its basis in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (UDHR), the CRC is an example of attempts to ensure the rights of all people around the world.
Equality: The CRC attempts to ensure that all children experience equal rights throughout the world.
Development: The goals of development include ensuring that equality is achieved through development.
