Grassroots Children’s Rights

Abstract

Generally, when speaking of children’s rights, reference is made to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 20 November 1989. The CRC is a formally binding international treaty by which the signatory states commit to adapt their laws and administrative regulation to match the provisions of the convention. The CRC is, without a doubt, ‘a mile-stone in the history of children’s rights’ (UNICEF), as for the first time it has made children the subjects of their own rights. It has also intensified the debate on children’s rights worldwide and, in many countries, has led to initiatives and legal measures that have brought about improvements in the legal status of children. Manifold initiatives to promulgate the CRC have led to children taking on an increased interest in their rights.

Only children know what children want.

(Hannah, 12 years old, ‘Child Mayor’ in Moers, Germany)