Press Room

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
by Elaine Lowe

On December 13, 1991, Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The convention has 99 per cent global ratification by UN member countries. On September 19-21, 2001, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session will examine the state of children around the world.

There are many reasons why we should all know and understand the CRC. It is a powerful tool and there are many areas of activity around the country and globally working to breathe life into it. The following web addresses can help you get informed about the CRC and give you ideas about how various organizations are using it to advance children’s rights in practice.

Convention on the Rights of the Child
www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/ddp-hrd/english/rotc/croc.htm
The complete text of the Convention as well as other official documents related to the CRC and Canada’s role as a signatory.

Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children
www.rightsofchildren.ca
Formed for the promotion and protection of children's rights in Canada and abroad. Information about the UN Special Session. Online version of Canada's first five year non-governmental progress report to the United Nations, The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: How Does Canada Measure Up? Interactive quiz tests your knowledge of the Convention. Youth edition of the CRC. List of and links to over 50 member organizations.

UN Special Session on Children
www.unicef.org/specialsession
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) site provides details about the upcoming special session on children. This unprecedented meeting of the UN General Assembly dedicated to the children and adolescents of the world is a follow-up to the 1990 World Summit for Children. Government leaders and heads of state, NGOs, children's advocates and young people will gather in New York City to review the progress made for children since 1990 and to inform world leaders as they plan future actions for children. This is an important opportunity to change the way the world views and treats children. Other information about children’s rights activities around the world at www.unicef.org.

Children’s Rights Centre, University College of Cape Breton
http://faculty.uccb.ns.ca/childrensrights
The Children’s Rights Centre’s mandate is to conduct research on issues of children's rights, to answer questions about children's rights, to further public education about children's rights and to monitor the implementation of the CRC. This website offers interactive games, links to sites of interest to children, the Convention in plain language, where to go for help and an extensive question and answer section. A guide to resources – websites, books, videos etc. – completes this wonderful site. Nova Scotia is the first province to have made a children’s rights education part of its core curriculum. These curricula, developed by the Children’s Rights Centre, are free to download from this website.

The Information Sidewalk
www.sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson/index-e.html
The website of the Honourable Landon Pearson, known as the Senator for Children and Youth, is filled with information, including a newsletter, Children & the Hill, about what is happening at home and abroad in the way of government legislation that impacts on children and youth. Senator Pearson advises the Minister of Foreign Affairs on children's rights and will be the personal representative of Prime Minister Chrétien at the UN Special Session on Children in September 2001.
© CCCF 2001