Originally published on the CGS blog on November 1, 2014.
It might be hard to believe, but did you know that the United States, South Sudan, and Somalia are the only countries not to have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child? The United States prides itself on being a global leader and defender of human rights, but ironically, it seems that it has not lived up to this expectation in regards to the treaty.
Adopted on November 20, 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) aims to defend the rights of children by addressing issues that deal with children’s political, cultural, economic, and social rights. With such high praise, the treaty has been the fastest ratified international human rights treaty in history. Such a feat is a clear example of global cooperation that aims to remedy the problems of our world.
But why does the United States not take part in such a monumental global achievement? It took six years for the United States to endorse the principles of the treaty by signing it in 1995. Despite not ratifying the treaty, the US does have many laws protecting the rights of children in our country.
However, the CRC comes with many benefits that will help our global society thrive. Such benefits include keeping children free from violence, hazardous employment, and exploitation, while ensuring free compulsory education, adequate healthcare, the right to express opinions, and more. These benefits only prove to strengthen and protect the rights of our children here in the United States. So what is the issue that is holding us back from ratification?
Opponents of the treaty in the United States fear that American sovereignty will be usurped by the United Nations. However, this argument proves to be categorically false because no international treaty can supersede the Constitution of the United States. Other issues that seem to push resistance towards ratification of the treaty in the US include the undermining of parent’s rights. Parent’s rights organizations claim that the treaty would “undermine parents’ authority, particularly over religious and sex education.” In actuality, the treaty takes no aim on diminishing parents’ rights, but rather protects parents as well.
These issues highlight some of the reasons that the United States refuses to ratify the treaty, despite the fact that Presidents Obama and Clinton have supported ratification. With fierce opposition towards ratification, such efforts only hinder the United States’ prestige and reputation as a nation that defends human rights. In essence, the treaty only serves to better the United States as a leading role model and not undermine the rights of Americans. Adding to the hypocrisy of the issue, Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch states that,
It is awkward when the U.S. tries to promote child rights in other countries—they all remind us that they’ve joined the treaty and we have not.
Overall, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is a global accomplishment, praised for protecting the rights of children and being the most widely adopted international human rights treaty. The United States’ conspicuous absence undermines our moral standing and hinders the absolute progress the treaty seeks to establish. We must push and persuade the US government to ratify this important agreement. Ratification will have a profound impact on the lives of children here at home and around the world.
Join us in asking President Obama to stand up for children’s rights by moving the treaty forward!
