Rights of a Child

Childhood

CHILDRENS RIGHTS AND POVERTY DEVELOPMENT

Discuss the topic of childhood. How it is different from a discussion simply about child development, is the "childhood concept" included in the Convention on the Rights of the child (CRC)? If yes, discuss how and where is it included in the CRC, and where it is not (mention the articles and chapters)? Discuss the concept of 'voice' and participation.

The childhood concept is certainly a different concept than childhood development. The concept of childhood is rather abstract and can vary from culture to culture. Each culture can have their own rights, rituals, and pageantry that children must go through to learn social norms. Although childhood develop certainly also considers the cultural context, there are factors within development that are more universal and all children must go through. These include the biological changes that occur during the child's body as they mature. The childhood concept, by contrast, tries to account for the rights and protections of children as they go through their childhood development. This analysis will provide an overview of the Convention on the Rights of the child (CRC) and discuss some of its implications.

CRC

Nearly 25 years ago, the world made a promise to children: that we would do everything in our power 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; this year, as we approach the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), there is much to celebrate: from declining infant mortality, to rising school enrolment, to better opportunities for girls (UNICEF). Despite all the progress made since the organization was formed, they is a substantial amount of work left to do and there are many children in the world who have yet to find their voices.

The original ratification and accession of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was first established in 1989 and put into force in 1990. Although the Declaration of Human Rights also establishes a set of rights that pertain to children, a special ratification was administered because children are more vulnerable and require special consideration until they reach their adulthood. The document states this in this wording (United Nations):

Bearing in mind that the need to extend particular care to the child has been stated in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924 and in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1959 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (in particular in articles 23 and 24), in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in particular in article 10) and in the statutes and relevant instruments of specialized agencies and international organizations concerned with the welfare of children.

Thus many sources were tied together to attempt to create a unifying set of rights for children that can be governed by the United Nations.

Discussion

The first article in the declaration simply defines the child as someone under the age of eighteen. This is something of an arbitrary date in my opinion. For example, if someone is eighteen years old and one day, then they have a different set of rights and responsibilities as they did the previous day. However, the definition of adulthood must be established somehow and an arbitrary date is probably the easiest way to do so. The second article ensures the rights of children even if their parents or legislative authorities have a different opinion based on race, sex, color, etc. This protects children from discrimination.