1989　Convention on the Rights of the Child

Following in the footsteps of the Geneva Declaration and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted, and the International Covenants on Human Rights were enacted to legislate the protection of human rights internationally. In the midst of this movement to promote the protection of the human rights of all people, including children, the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” was unanimously adopted at the 44th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on November 20, 1989. The Convention was first proposed by Poland at the UN Human Rights Committee in 1978, and was adopted after about 12 years of deliberations. The Convention, also known as the “Constitution of the Child,” guarantees the human rights of children in a systematic and realistic manner. Currently, the only country that has not signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the United States of America, and it is widely accepted throughout the world.

The Convention consists of a Preamble and 54 articles. The concept of giving priority to the “best interests of the child,” which was clearly stated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, has been carried over to this Convention. The Convention seeks to guarantee children the same human rights as adults, not only as objects of protection but also as subjects who exercise their rights.