The United States' non-ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Childism

The 1989 Convention

In 1989, there was a United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Child, 2008). It was a treaty that was focused on human rights for people throughout the world who were under 18 years of age. Rights that were addressed included social, economic, political, civil, health, and cultural (United, 1989). While 18 was the age used for the definition of the line between childhood and adulthood, the UN did make provisions for countries where the age of majority occurred before the 18th birthday (United, 1989). Any nations that agreed to the treaty and ratified it were then bound by international law (Child, 2008). There is a UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that monitors the compliance of the member countries when it comes to this particular treaty. The Committee is made up of people from around the world, and that helps to avoid any type of favoritism for any country that may be violating the treaty (Child, 2008). In other words, looking the other way is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

Children must be protected and they must have rights that belong to them even before they become legal adults. Not all countries see the value in children, of course, and some of them give children nearly no rights at all. It makes sense that children do not have the same rights as adults, because children are not yet mature enough to make the wise decisions that go along with some of those rights. Despite that, all children have the right to a good life and protection from harm and abuse (Child, 2008; United, 1989). Giving children those rights takes nothing away from adults and only helps the child to have a chance at more success in life. If the rights given to children in a Convention overstep a country's bounds, though, it is possible that country will seek to avoid being involved in any treaty or agreement that would offer those rights.

Non-Ratification by the United States

The United States helped to draft the treaty and did a lot of work on it, but the U.S. did not ratify it (Child, 2008; United, 1989). It was signed by the U.S., but that is not the same thing as ratification. Somalia is the only other country on the planet that has not ratified this treaty. There are religious and political conservatives in the U.S. that are against the ratification of the Convention, and it is believed these groups are behind the reasons that the U.S. has not gone ahead and made sure that the Convention was ratified (Child, 2008). One of the main points of contention for these groups is the belief that domestic policy would be controlled by the UN if the Convention was ratified, and there are many groups that are seriously against that (Child, 2008). While it makes sense that the U.S. should control its own domestic policy, the Convention is mostly about making sure that children are safe and protected throughout the world. President Obama indicated that he was embarrassed by the lack of ratification and said he would examine the issue. The lack of ratification seems particularly odd, given the fact that the U.S. has signed and ratified two other, optional protocols that have been created since the Convention (Child, 2008).

Parental rights (for issues such as homeschooling) and death penalty concerns seem to be at the heart of the problem when it comes to whether the Convention will be ratified (Child, 2008). There are groups in the U.S. that are for the ratification and groups that are against it, but so far the U.S. government has not made a ruling as to whether the Convention ratification will take place or whether things will remain at the current status quo. There is no way of knowing when that ruling will come, or whether the U.S. will simply avoid addressing the issue and never ratify the Convention. It may depend on who holds the presidency and what kinds of values that person has, but it can also depend on the political climate in the U.S. At the time and/or how much influence the special interest groups have with a particular presidency. To that end, the Convention may never be ratified and the issues that surround it and what it was trying to correct may be issues with which the United States must continue to deal and to address on its own terms.

The General Inequality in the United States

Within the United States, there are issues with equality. Some of these issues are related to race, but there are other ways in which people are shown that they are not equal (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). Gender, religion, age, and all types of other differences are used in order to make people feel as though they are not equal. Overall, inequality in the United States is something that is said not to exist, but that people know actually does take place quite a lot (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). One of the biggest differences in people is economic. Some have a lot of money and some do not even have enough to get by. Most people are somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. It is important to understand that this inequality is there, because people who try to pretend that all people are equal and treated equally are not being honest with the way the world actually is.

It would be lovely if everyone was treated the same, but that does not happen within the U.S. Those who have a great deal of money are generally more privileged than others, and they are able to get themselves out of trouble and have everything that they want and need - including the nicest material things and the best medical care. Some people are also set apart socially, because they are "famous" or they have a social standing that affords them treatment that others would not receive. The inequality between people on social and economic issues is significant, and there are many more issues that also have to be considered when it comes to people not being treated equally (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009).

The Link Between Inequality and Childism

Among the issues addressed by the 1989 Convention was the general inequality of children throughout the world (Child, 2008). This is a serious issue for all children, and a serious issues for the communities in which these children live. Within the United States, the link between inequality and children is strong on several levels. Firstly, people in general are not treated equally (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). They are singled out based on factors that matter to society, such as social status and amount of money. Additionally, some kinds of people are seen as much stronger than other kinds of people. Men are judged to be stronger than women, for example, and while that may be true in most cases from a physical standpoint, it is not always true in other ways. Sexism is alive and well in the U.S., however, and children are another rung down the ladder from women in the eyes of many people.

With that being the case, children are already at a disadvantage because they are not seen to have as much value to society as adults and certainly not as much as male adults - even if they are male children (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). That does not mean that children in the U.S. are not treated well, because the United States, overall, is one of the best countries for the welfare of children. Despite that, children still do not have very many rights, and that is not the same thing as being treated properly (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). There are arguments on both sides of the issue when it comes to how children should be treated and what rights they should have, as well. Some argue that children are treated too leniently in the U.S. today and that they have too many rights, while others feel as though children (especially older children) should have more rights than they currently do. That way they are able to move forward in life more quickly in the realms of education and work.

Economic Inequality and Childism

Economic inequality is not seen in children specifically as much as social inequality, because the majority of children are on relatively equal economic footing based on what they, personally, have. However, their parents are a different story, and that can easily translate to how the children are viewed (Page & Jacobs, 2009). In other words, the children of wealthy parents have more, do more, and are treated differently than the children of parents who have very little money. The way the children dress and what they bring to school in the form of supplies can differ greatly based on economic class, as can what the children have for lunch and whether they are on free or reduced lunch programs. Even teachers and other adults sometimes treat underprivileged or poor children differently (and not as well) as children who come from families where there is a lot of money. While this should not be the case, it often is and there is no reason to think it will be changing in the near future.

When it comes to the treatment of children based on the financial abilities and offerings of their parents, it is easy to see that there can be problems between children who have much and children who have little (Salverda, Nolan, & Smeeding, 2009). It is also easy to see that society overall is not as kind to people who do not have much money. It is no different for children than it is for adults, because both groups struggle if there is little money to be offered for the things they want and need (Salverda, Nolan, & Smeeding, 2009). Some children are even homeless, and they sleep in shelters or in cars and still go to school each day. When that is the case, other children (and even adults) can judge them harshly for something they cannot help or control. Overall, it is a difficult thing for a child to go through and the child may have a hard time understanding why he or she is treated differently - especially if the child is very young at the time.

What Can be Done About Childism in the United States?

Can something be done about childism in the United States? Is there hope for equality among children? The odds are against this, unfortunately. The reason behind this is not specifically targeted to children, however, because the problem is a societal issue. Equality is not something that comes easily to any society. There will always be "haves" and "have nots." This is a normal part of life, and a normal part of the way people actually treat one another. It has been seen throughout society and throughout all different areas of the world, as long as historical events and information has been recorded. As much as some societies try to be equal, and as much as they make rules and laws to ensure that people are treated fairly, there are still areas of life where fair treatment (or the lack of fair treatment) is a problem. Adults struggle with this, but they have the power to make laws and affect change.

When children struggle with the inequality and childism issues, there is little they can do because they do not have the power to make any kind of changes to their surroundings. They are not old enough to vote, run for office, or do anything else that would allow them to make a difference in their society in a positive way through legal channels. That must certainly be frustrating for children, and it is something on which they will remain stuck until they reach adulthood and are better able to do more to correct any problems that they see in society. Without large numbers of people working for change, though, even adults will not be able to make changes that will be lasting. In short, childism will be in the United States in the future because there are not enough adults who are attempting to change it. They may not even realize its importance or see it as an issue, and until they are made aware of the seriousness of the concern, nothing will change.

Current and Future Plans to Combat Childism

In the U.S. And across the world, there are currently no specific plans to combat childism. The UN clearly saw it as a problem in 1989 when it held its Convention (Child, 2008). Because so many countries ratified the Convention, it could be assumed that childism was nearly wiped out and that all children were given rights and treated equally. However, that is not really the case. There is still a large degree of childism even in well-developed countries such as the United States. Until the U.S. decides that the UN is not trying to control its domestic policy, it will not ratify the Convention (Child, 2008). Without that ratification, there is no reason to believe that childism will be removed from society. Even with ratification, there will still be concerns about the rights that children have. One thing that the U.S. is doing, however, is encouraging children who are being mistreated and bullied by other children because they are not perceived as equal or "good enough" to speak out.

Children are killing themselves over the intense levels of bullying that some of them experience, and working to stop bullying in schools is one of the ways that the U.S. can combat childism. There are many anti-bullying policies and just about every school says that this kind o inequality treatment will not be tolerated. Still, the problems persist. It is clear that future plans for eliminating childism should include stronger policies against bullying, because children in the U.S. should not have to be afraid to go to school. Sometimes these children are beaten up physically, but for the most part they are beaten up mentally and emotionally. Those scars can be carried far longer, and sometimes they never really heal. In order to stop childism, bullying and unequal treatment must stop. That starts with adults, and the laws they decide to make in order to protect children.

Conclusion

Conclusions can be drawn about childism, but often those conclusions are incorrect and people fail to understand the seriousness of the issue or how it should actually be addressed and handled. Childism is not a relatively common term, and some may not even know what it means. Further education of the American people on this subject is an important way to make sure that children are treated properly and that adults understand the kinds of problems that children are facing and what can be done about it. No one is suggesting that children should have all the same rights as adults and should be treated like adults. They are more focused on the idea that children have the right to a good life and proper treatment. They have the right to not be abused, and the right to an education. Those are the kinds of rights that are important to children and should be important to adults in taking care of those children, but too often they are swept under the rug and not handled correctly.

When children are being mistreated, whether it is by adults or by other children, there are some laws and regulations that prevent this but there are not enough of those laws and they do not always cover every eventuality. Until more laws are made and there is a deeper understanding of what kinds of rights are needed for children, there will still be struggles. Overall, the U.S. has come a long way when it comes to the rights of children, women, and minorities, but that does not mean there is still not work to be done. Other countries are more progressive about the rights they provide to children, and the U.S. needs to follow suit and move forward to ensure that children are protected correctly and that they are offered all that they need in order to be successful in life.