This is an international agreement that gathers the rights of people under the age of 18, in other words, children. It
It consist of 54 articles that describe the civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights of children. The document indicates the States’ obligations and the responsibilities of
Some of the rights established in the Convention include the right to life, name, nationality, living with their parents (unless the separation is in the child’s best interest), receiving guidance that is appropriate based on the development of their capacities, to receive and look for information, and to think and freely express themselves.
The following three protocols complement the Convention:
– The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. It requests that States do whatever possible to prevent the participation of children and adolescents in armed conflicts, and respect the agreed minimum age of 18 for enlistment.
– The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography. This emphasizes the criminalization of these serious violations of the children’s and adolescent’ rights, also the need for greater public awareness and international cooperation to fight them.
– The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure. This is the guideline to report before the Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Convention on the Rights of the Child changed the paradigm. It went from tutelary protection—which considers children as the objects of protection of the State and society—to the doctrine of integral protection of rights which recognizes children and adolescents as subjects of rights. In other words, with equal conditions as others and with rights and responsibilities based on their age and maturity level. It also meant the recognition of their participation as active actors and agents of change.