25 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Is the world a better
place for children?
Published by UNICEF
ISBN: 978-92-806-4765-5; September 2014, 122 page
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) articulates, for the first time, that children also possess innate rights, equal to those of adults: rights to health, to education, to protection and to equal opportunity - regardless of gender, economic status, ethnicity, religious belief, disability or geographical location. It also states that in all actions concerning children, 'the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.' The most rapidly and widely ratified human rights treaty in history, the convention has now been ratified by 194 states. As the world is ready to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF examines how the world has changed over the past quarter century and poses a vital question: Is the world a better place for children?
The Report '25 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Is the world a better place for children?' presents a statistical analysis of the progress since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. A collection of essays and viewpoints are included in this latest UNICEF publication.
Twenty-five years ago, the world made a commitment to its children for doing everything to protect and promote their rights - to survive and thrive, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and to reach their full potential. Now the question is: Does a child born today have better prospects in life than the one who was born in 1989? The answer is 'yes', but not every child. Progress has been made in many important areas, which means that children born today have a far better chance to survive, thrive and reach their potential than children born before 1989.The lives of millions of children have improved since 1990. Several countries have incorporated the provisions of the convention in their laws, constitutions, policies and budgets. Children are now widely viewed differently - as holders of their own rights to health care, adequate nutrition, education, participation, freedom from violence and exploitation, and the time and space to play. But millions of children continue to lack essential services that can ensure their survival, reduce their vulnerability to disease and under-nutrition, provide them with access to improved water and sanitation, increased access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services, and allow them to obtain a quality education. Millions of children lack a protective environment that shields them from violence, exploitation and abuse - in their homes, schools and communities. Millions of children continue to live in extreme poverty, a number that is disproportionate to their share of the global population. Children born to poor parents, children of ethnic minorities, children who live in rural areas, and children with disabilities --- all remain particularly vulnerable.
In her essay 'The genesis and spirit of the Convention on the Rights of the Child', Professor Kirsten Sandberg, a Norwegian Jurist and Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, reminds us that the convention is legally binding on all countries that have ratified it, and with its 194 state-parties, it is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. Separate rights for children are also necessary to ensure that their interests are valued, at least equally with the interests of adults. Children have the right to be included in forming their present and their future. The writer also argues that countries have an obligation to involve children in decision-making at the central and community levels, such as policymaking and resource allocation, as well as in decisions that affect an individual child.
Kevin Watkins, Executive Director, Overseas Development Institute, UK, expresses his views in the essay 'The Convention on the Rights of the Child: Delivery on the promise for children is long overdue'. He observes that the convention offers a vision of expanded freedom for children. Yet it has done little to galvanise action against the scourges of child labour, child marriage and child trafficking that deny freedom, opportunity and security to so many millions. Nor has it led to comprehensive action aimed at securing the rights of children trapped in armed conflict or forced by violence to flee their homes. The inequalities and civil rights violations highlighted in this essay are not in a narrow sense 'legal problems'. They are the product of unequal power relationships, of governments placing the interests of elites before those of their most marginalised citizens, and of failures of international cooperation. Kevin Watkins, who is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Centre for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution and a senior visiting fellow at Oxford University's Global Economic Governance Programme, concludes his essay by noting, "The convention provides a mechanism for the advancement of child rights - but we need to use that mechanism far more effectively."
The last essay 'The Convention on the Rights of the Child: What it would mean to fulfill its potential' is written by Jody Heymann, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, and Founding Director, WORLD Policy Analysis Center, and Amy Raub, Senior Research Analyst, WORLD Policy Analysis Center.
They believe that successfully implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child around the world would not only further dramatically reduce infant and child mortality, but would also diminish the marked inequalities in opportunity individuals face in overall health, education, and economic livelihoods throughout the life course. The authors' final suggestion is very crucial: 'To make the promise and the principles of the Convention a reality will require active engagement by citizens and civil society worldwide to ensure that States parties act quickly and comprehensively to ensure rights for all children."
In the foreword titled 'Children's rights, equity and our common future', Executive Director of UNICEF Anthony Lake rightly says: "We cannot claim that children's rights are being upheld when 17,000 children under the age of 5 die every day, largely from causes we know how to prevent." He draws our attention by saying, "These children are the future leaders of their societies, the future doctors and innovators, dreamers and doers. How will they view the world, and their responsibility to that world? If their own rights are violated, how will they learn respect for the rights of others, which is the foundation of civic duty and citizenship? How will they resist the lure of cynicism about the future, if their hopes for a better life have been destroyed?"
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is not just a historic document. It is a living force for change that directs and guides everyone from governments and international agencies to teachers, parents, child rights activists and so on. But it is equally important that further change is still required - because we are far from having achieved the child-friendly world promised by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The writer is an independent researcher.
 smrayhanulislam@hotmail.com