Text of UN-Amnesty International Report

Text of United Nations Decade Review of Child Protection, May 2001 (141 pages, PDF)

Text of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (XX pages, PDF)

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, lays out the fundamental human rights of children. The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights agreement in history. 191 countries have ratified the convention.

This follows upon the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child of 1924, and the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1959 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Convention is guided by four fundamental principles:

▪Children should not suffer discrimination.

▪Children's best interests should be at the top of the agenda when decisions affecting them are being made.

▪Children have the right to survive and develop. This includes the right to mental and physical well-being.

▪Children should be free to express their views. And these views should be taken into account in all matters that affect them.

The charter calls for all appropriate measures to promote the physical and psychological protection of children from: any form of neglect, exploitation, or abuse; torture or any other form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; or armed conflicts.

In September 1990 the United Nations General Assembly held the first global meeting dedicated to improving children's lives: The World Summit for Children. The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children, in May 2002, was the first time that children played an official role in a UN General Assembly. In the Children's Forum preceding the Special Session, 404 young delegates from 154 countries debated how best to improve children's lives.

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United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (excerpts):

Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world...

Convinced that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community,

Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding,

Considering that the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity...

Bearing in mind that, as indicated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth...

Recognizing that, in all countries in the world, there are children living in exceptionally difficult conditions, and that such children need special consideration...

In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration....