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Symposium on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
A symposium was held in Washington on June 1 and 2 examining U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The United States and Somalia are the only countries that have not yet ratified the treaty. Much of the symposium focused on matching practice and policy in the U.S. with provisions in the treaty, and prospects for moving forward toward ratification in the US Senate. CWLA President and CEO Christine James-Brown gave the closing plenary at the symposium and urged all to get involved in the campaign for ratification and called on the Senate to take up this issue as soon as possible.
The CRC calls on governments to develop and implement policies and programs that ensure children grow up in supportive family and community environments that foster an atmosphere of happiness, love, and understanding. The Convention sets out basic standards which individual nations agree to pursue on behalf of children. The standards rest on four underlying principles: the right to survival, the right to develop to the fullest potential, the right to protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and the right to participate in family cultural, and social life.
It is not clear when the Senate will consider ratification, but there is certainly growing interest and support. Read the full text of the Convention here.
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