Litigating the rights of the child: Taking stock after 25 years of the CRC

Abstract

The 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the guiding legal framework for the development and implementation of legislation and policies concerning the human rights of children in 194 countries. This human rights treaty has contributed to universalising children’s rights globally and regionally. It has had significant impact on domestic legal systems throughout the world and on domestic legislation in particular. The CRC has also had an impact on domestic and international human rights jurisprudence, but due to the absence of global studies a clear picture of the extent and nature of this impact is lacking. This book is a first step in a process of systematically compiling and analysing international, regional and national jurisprudence concerning the rights of the child. This chapter presents the key findings and provides guidance on how to proceed from here.