Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on November 20, 1989 and entered into force on September 2, 1990. The CRC is the main human rights treaty dealing with the specific issue of child rights and is the most widely ratified international human rights instrument. The CRC is unique in the sense that it explicitly combines social, economic and cultural rights with civil and political rights. The CRC also recognizes the right to equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex and sets out certain rights that relate specifically to the girl-child.