Welcome to Section 1: Every Child’s Right to Protection!
This section introduces the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),
explores the definition of child protection, and examines key child protection issues.
This section has two parts:
Section 1.1 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC): The Legal Foundation of Child Protection
Section 1.2 Defining Child Protection and Measuring Child
Protection Issues
Section 1.1 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): The Legal
Foundation of Child Protection
In the first part of Section 1 we will introduce the Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC), its history, meaning, and drafting process. In this section you will:
Hear about the process of creating the CRC, an international legal treaty
(agreement) that defines who is a child, that sets out the rights children are entitled to
and the obligations that governments have to implement those rights
Learn the fundamental principles set out in the CRC, and the four main
categories of children’s rights; survival rights; development rights; protection rights;
participation rights
Explore the history of child protection policies that have been developed using
the CRC
Apply the CRC to child protection issues in your country
Assess the strengths and limitations of the CRC
Section 1.2 Defining Child Protection and Measuring Child Protection Issues
The second part of Section 1examines the definition of child protection and the main
global child protection issues that are of current concern. It discusses the importance
of engaging children themselves in efforts to implement child protection for
themselves and others. In this section you will:
Understand how child protection is defined by UNICEF, Save the Children and
other experts
Become familiar with the range of institutions doing child protection work and
how they set targets for improving their results
Learn about 16 key child protection issues, and their prevalence
Apply empirical data to the analysis of child protection issues in your country
and elsewhere
Learn principles of child participation and how to understand child protection
issues by talking to children and including them in the design and development of
programs and policies that affect them
In Section 1 you will hear from the following experts who are practitioners and
policymakers. You can read more about them here.
o Marta Santos Pais, UN Special Representative of the UN Secretary-
General on Violence against Children
o Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Associate Professor of Law at the Dullah Omar
Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights, University of
Western Cape
o Cornelius Williams, Associate Director and Global Chief of Child
Protection, UNICEF's Programme Division
o Sumnima Tuladhar, Executive Director, CWIN-Nepal
Welcome to Section 1.1 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC): The Legal Foundation of Child Protection
This is the first part of Section 1. Every Child's Right to Protection and we will
introduce the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), its history, meaning, and
drafting process. In this section you will:
Hear about the process of creating the CRC, an international legal
treaty (agreement) that defines who is a child, that sets out the rights children are entitled to
and the obligations that governments have to implement those rights
Learn the fundamental principles set out in the CRC, and the four main
categories of children’s rights; survival rights; development rights; protection rights;
participation rights
Explore the history of child protection policies that have been
developed using the CRC
Apply the CRC to child protection issues in your country
Assess the strengths and limitations of the CRC
Key Concepts
Convention: A ‘convention’ (e.g. the Convention on the Rights of the Child) is a
formal agreement between States. The generic term ‘convention’ is synonymous with
the generic term ‘treaty’. UN Conventions, such as the CRC, can be signed and
ratified by any member state of the UN.
Adoption: Once a convention/treaty has been discussed and negotiated by states, it
becomes open for signature or ‘adoption’. This is the formal act by which the finalized
text of the convention/treaty is accepted by states parties (states who become a party
to the treaty).
Ratify/ratification: ‘Ratification’ is an act by which a State that has already signed
(or adopted) a treaty agrees to be legally bound by its terms. Before ratifying a treaty,
a State must ensure that its national laws do not contradict or differ from the treaty
terms, if necessary by making changes to its domestic law. If a state does not want to
change a particular provision in its domestic law that conflicts with a treaty it intends
to ratify, that state must enter a “reservation” to the treaty, setting out the item where
it will follow its own domestic law and not the provisions in the treaty. Once the
ratification process is completed, the instrument of ratification, a formal sealed letter
referring to the decision and signed by the State’s responsible authority, is deposited
with the United Nations Secretary-General in New York. Treaties come into force (ie
become operative) when a certain number of states parties (specified in the treaty)
have ratified the treaty.
Adapted from: UNICEF and CRIN
Key Concepts
Please review these key concepts before watching the optional videos
below and continuing on to learn about the history of child protection and
the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). All the links
provided in the key concepts are optional and provided in case you
would like more information on any of these concepts.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR) is a milestone document, developed and signed in 1948, the aftermath of
World War 2 to ensure respect for the human rights of all individuals and all peoples.
The human rights articles in the UDHR include both civil and political rights (such as
the right to a fair trial and to free speech) and economic, social and cultural rights
(such as the right to primary education, health care and shelter). The UDHR was
drafted by representatives of countries with different legal and cultural backgrounds
from all regions of the world. The UDHR is not a binding international treaty but
rather an aspirational declaration. It took 18 years, and the separation into 2 distinct
instruments, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), for the
provisions of the UDHR to become binding obligations for ratifying states. Together,
the UDHR, the ICCPR, and the ICESCR are known as the International Bill of Rights.
You can read the UDHR here.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): The ICCPR outlines civil
and political rights such as the right to life (Article 6), freedom from torture and cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 7), freedom from slavery (Article 8), the right
to liberty (Article 10) and the right to respect for privacy and family (Article 17). The
ICCPR was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1966.
More information on the ICCPR here. You can read the ICCPR here.
International Covenant on Economic and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
The ICESCR outlines economic, social and cultural rights which protect the basic
necessities for life which includes the rights to food and water, to have a roof over
your head, and to adequate healthcare. The ICESCR was adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966
You can read the ICESCR here.
Geneva Convention and Additional Protocols: The four Geneva Conventions and their
Additional Protocols regulate the conduct of armed conflict including traditional civil
wars, internal armed conflicts that spill over into other States or internal conflicts in
which third States or a multinational force intervenes alongside the government. The
Geneva Conventions seek to limit the effects of armed conflict. In particular, they
protect people who are not taking part in the hostilities (civilians, health workers, and
aid workers) and those who are no longer participating in the hostilities (wounded,
sick and shipwrecked soldiers and prisoners of war). The Geneva Conventions were
adopted in 1949. Two Additional Protocols were adopted in 1977, and the third
Additional Protocol was adopted in 2005.
More information on the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols here.
Committee on the Rights of the Child: The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC
Committee) is the body of 18 Independent experts that monitors implementation of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child. All states parties to the CRC have to
submit a report about their compliance with the terms of the treaty every 5 years. The
reporting cycle provides an opportunity for expert organizations and civil society
organizations to present “shadow” reports highlighting particular areas of concern or
failure to ensure the protection of children’s rights. We will further examine the role of
the CRC Committee in Section 4.
Learn more about the committee here.
Key Concepts
States Parties: The States that ratify treaties and are therefore legally bound by the
provisions in the treaty
Duty Bearers: In agreeing to be bound by a treaty, a state becomes a duty bearer,
accepting the obligation to abide by the terms of the treaty. This responsibility
devolves onto government employees who have relevant duties – e.g. police,
teachers, social workers. Duty bearers must consider and apply the provisions of the
CRC in all aspects of their work
