Children's rights are the perceived human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young, including their right to association with both biological parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education, health care and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development of the child. Interpretations of children's rights range from allowing children the capacity for autonomous action to the enforcement of children being physically, mentally and emotionally free from abuse, though what constitutes "abuse" is a matter of debate. Other definitions include the rights to care and nurturing.
Definition of Child
A child is any human being below the age of eighteen years, unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier. Though UNCRC has given a clear cut definition of child, in many countries there is lot of ambiguity over who is a child and what should be the unanimous definition of child. There are various debates going around the definition of child, various countries have different laws and as per these laws definition of child varies. In India itself under different laws there are different definitions. Juvenile Justice Act 2002 defines a child in consonance with UNCRC, while other laws such as CLPRA 1986, RTE 2009; etc defines a child who is under 14 years of age.
Major events in Child Rights (International)
1919: League of Nations established the Committee for the Protection of Children.
1920, the International Save the Children Union (ISCU) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland. It was one of the earliest international organizations which promoted children's welfare.
On Sept. 26, 1924, the League of Nations adopted the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which was drafted by the ISCU. This document addressed a child’s right to the following regardless of race, nationality or creed: survival, nutrition, shelter, health care, humanitarian relief, protection from exploitation, and the right to grow up in an environment that fosters their development.
1934: League of Nations re-affirmed its support of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
1946: UNICEF was created by the UN General Assembly with the express purpose to address and alleviate the needs of children affected by WWII.
1948: UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although not directly stated, these rights implicitly apply to children.
November 1949, the Women's International Democratic Federation council meeting held in Moscow declared June 1 as the International Children's Day to be celebrated annually.
December 1954, by Resolution 836 (IX), the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children all over the world, and to promote the protection, welfare and education of children.
1959: Declaration of the Rights of the Child was unanimously endorsed by the UN General Assembly. This document built upon the provisions listed in the 1924 Declaration by adding provisions regarding a child’s right to an identity, family, education, and freedom from discrimination.
1973, the International Labor Organization adopted Convention 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, which makes 18 years the minimum age for work that might be hazardous to an individual's health, safety or morals.
1978: The 1924 and 1959 Declarations of the Rights of the Child were not legally-binding instruments but statements of goodwill. Recognizing the need for a legal mechanism to ensure that the rights of all children were upheld, the Polish Government drafted the precursory text for what would eventually become the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
1979: UN General Assembly celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by proclaiming 1979 as the International Year of the Child.
1979: Working group established by the UN Commission on Human Rights to review and further build upon the provisional child rights treaty created by the Polish Government.
1979-1989: Governmental representatives and NGOs worked on drafting the CRC. Provisions regarding a child’s right to freedom of thought, speech, association, religion and privacy were largely inserted by U.S. delegates at the request of President Reagan’s Administration.
November 20, 1989: UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the CRC.
September 2, 1990: Following ratification by 20 countries, the CRC became international law.
September 29-30, 1990: Gathering of 71 heads of State and Government and 88 other senior officials in New York for the World Summit for Children to discuss how to translate the CRC into action. The event culminated with the signing of the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection, and Development of Children- a broad plan of action which committed world leaders to undertake efforts to improve child survival, health, nutrition, education, and protection.
1990-1994: Resolutions are introduced in the U.S. Senate calling for ratification of the CRC.
February 16, 1995: On behalf of President Clinton and the United States, Madeleine Albright, acting as the U.S. Delegate to the UN, signed the CRC.
1999, the International Labor Organization adopted Convention No. 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
May 25, 2000: UN General Assembly adopted the following optional protocols to the CRC: Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.
2000, Sweden's World Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC), honoring those who defend youth rights, was first awarded. It was set up by the Swedish Children's World Association, with millions of children worldwide voting on the winners each year.
January and February 2002: Following ratification by 10 countries, the Optional Protocols became international law
May 8, 2002: More than 7,000 individuals convene in New York for the UN Special Session on Children to discuss how to improve the situation of the world’s children and young people. The event concluded with the adoption of A World Fit for Children, a document which reaffirmed leadersrsquo; obligations to promote and protect the rights of children as established by the CRC and its Optional Protocols. During the Special Session, the U.S. delegates dismissed the CRC and its principles.
2005, UNICEF initiated the first "C8 Children's Forum" accompanying the G8 Summit in Gleneagle, UK, with children from the G8 countries and from developing countries. Since then, there has been a Junior 8 Summit accompanying each year's G8 Summit.
2008: 193 nations have ratified the CRC
Some Important Indian events in field of child rights
1919; Gopal Krishna Gokhale raises the issue of children’s right to education
1929: Act to stop child marriage, “Child marriage restraint act 1929” comes into force
1930: Mahatma Gandhi talks about children’s right to free and compulsory education
1974: India formulates national child policy “The policy reaffirmed the constitutional provisions and stated that "it shall be the policy of the State to provide adequate services to children, both before and after birth and through the period of growth to ensure their full physical, mental and social development. The State shall progressively increase the scope of such services so that within a reasonable time all children in the country enjoy optimum conditions for their balanced growth."
1986: Child Labor prohibition and regulation Act comes into force
1992: India Ratifies UNCRC
1993; Unnikrishannan judgment by Constitutional bench of supreme court of India
2005: Set up of National commission for protection of child rights (NCPCR) as a ombudsman to safe guard the rights of children in India.
2009: Government of India Passes historical Right to education Act which promises free and compulsory education to all children of 6 to 14 years of age.
- This chronology has been prepared by Madhukar of Vikas Samvad |
