2000 Kawasaki City enacted “Ordinance on the Rights of the Child”
In December 2000, the Kawasaki City Council passed the “Kawasaki City Ordinance on the Rights of the Child.” This ordinance is the first comprehensive ordinance on children's rights in Japan. Recognizing that children are in a situation where they are not happy, the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Japan in 1994 triggered the then Mayor of Kawasaki in 1998 to consult the “Kawasaki City Liaison Conference for the Study of the Children's Rights Ordinance” to formulate a draft “Ordinance on the rights of children.”
The Convention is characterized by the fact that the draft ordinance was developed with the participation of citizens, and from the start of its development in 1998 to its report to the mayor in 2000, numerous discussions were held among citizens, children, researchers, city officials, and others. The “Research and Study Committee” consisted of nine adult and nine child members, and the “Children's Committee” consisted of 30 children from elementary to high school who were selected from the public to study the draft ordinance from the children's point of view. In this way, this ordinance, which is a form of “citizens' legislation,” reflects the opinions of children in the process of formulation.
The ordinance consists of a preamble and 41 articles, including articles that stipulate the concept of guaranteeing the rights of the child and specific systems and mechanisms. The preamble clearly states that the ordinance is enacted based on the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the other articles also incorporate the concept of the Convention.
In response to the enforcement of the Convention, Kawasaki City has been promoting the concept of children's rights, establishing the “Kawasaki City Children's Council” to reflect children's opinions in the city government, establishing the “Kawasaki City Children's Rights Committee” to review the city's children's policies from a third party's perspective, also establishing a department in charge of children's rights in the city.
While treaties and national laws establish principles and systems for guaranteeing children's rights, it is local governments and private organizations, rather than international frameworks or national governments, that are closer to the actual fields where policies and initiatives are implemented. The enactment of ordinances on the rights of the child by local governments is considered to have significance in guaranteeing the rights of the child at the field level and in promoting more direct and effective policies.