National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges - 20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

November 20, 2009 was the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The CRC provides the legal framework for children and guarantees a child’s right to be free of sexual exploitation, to proper treatment while in detention, and highlights economic, social, educational and health care rights. It is the world’s most recognized legally binding human rights treaty with the specific purpose of advancing and safeguarding the rights of all children.

All over the world, governments and individuals celebrated the most comprehensive treaty on children’s rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989 and instituted as international law in 1990. It has since been ratified by 193 United Nations member countries. Only two members have failed to ratify the CRC: the United States and Somalia.

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges has supported the signing and ratification of the CRC since 1991 when its members passed a resolution urging the President of the United States to sign the treaty and the Senate to ratify the Convention. (Please click here to view the NCJFCJ resolution.) Although the United States signed the CRC in 1995, the CRC has not been ratified by the Senate. In 1991, our members recognized the importance of this document as a guide to the development of polices and programs that meet children’s needs. In 2009, the CRC’s ratification and implementation remains a critical component in ensuring the most vulnerable U.S. children receive the full extent of rights and privileges afforded by our Constitution.

As a national leader in promoting justice for children, the NCJFCJ continues its support for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and urges you to become informed about this issue. These Web sites: http://childrightscampaign.org and http://www.unicef.org/crc offer specific information and resources on the Convention and the national efforts that support its ratification and implementation.