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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
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
Apply empirical data to the analysis of child protection issues in your country
and elsewhere
In Section 1 you will hear from the following experts who are practitioners and
policymakers. You can read more about them here.
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:
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Key Concepts
States Parties: The States that ratify treaties and are therefore legally bound by the
provisions in the treaty