Children’s Well-Being: Indicators and Research, 2022, Volume 25

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child — the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world — entered into force in 1990. This was a major milestone, but only the beginning of the long journey toward greater respect for the rights of children and young people. Three decades of reporting from the States Parties to the Committee on the Rights of the Child have revealed many gaps between the promise of the convention and the reality on the ground for children. As with other human rights treaties, the full realization of children’s rights under the convention remains a challenge.

This book is an article-by-article analysis of almost all substantive, organizational, and procedural provisions of the Convention. These analyses have identified the main attributes to be considered when measuring a State’s progressive implementation of the convention. As a global advocate for children’s right to freedom from violence, this will be a valuable resource for my [the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children] mandate, as it will be for other child rights advocates. Providing clarity on what child rights obligations mean in practice is an essential part of effective advocacy with States Parties. (From the Foreword).

This open access book is part of a series which focuses on the subject of measurements and indicators of children’s well
being and their usage, within multiple domains and in diverse cultures. More specifically, the series seeks to present measures and data resources, analysis of data, exploration of theoretical issues, and information about the status of children,
as well as the implementation of this information in policy and practice. By doing so it aims to explore how child indicators can be used to improve the development and the well being of children. Record #7439