WASHINGTON, DC – Today, on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), polling data was released finding that, by a four to one margin (62-14%), Americans favor the ratification of the CRC. The survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted by respected public opinion firm Lake Research Partners and commissioned by First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. This majority is true across party lines, as a majority of Democrat, Republican, and Independent voters favor ratification. In fact, voters are more than five times as likely to strongly favor ratification as they are to strongly oppose this action.
The CRC is the most widely recognized of any international agreement in existence today. It sets forth basic human standards that ratifying nations agree to pursue on behalf of children. These are a child’s right to survival, the right to develop to the fullest potential, the right to protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and the right to participate in family, cultural, and social life. Out of 195 nations eligible to ratify the CRC, 193 have done so. The United States is one of just two nations that have not ratified the document, joining only Somalia, which currently has no recognized national government. Iran, Syria, and North Korea are just some of the countries that have endorsed this document, known as the most rapidly ratified human rights treaty in history.
“Across the globe, the Convention on the Rights of the Child has been a catalyst for changing public policy, laws, and programs to improve the lives of children. The last twenty years have seen child well-being improve throughout the world, as governments and citizens have used the CRC’s principles to view and prioritize young people in a new and comprehensive way,” saidBruce Lesley, President of First Focus, who commissioned the poll. “In the U.S., the CRC would serve as a framework from which our leaders could improve federal programs addressing the specific needs of children and their families. Because of the reporting requirements contained in the CRC, our leaders would be compelled to reassess the state of children U.S. and undertake new and innovative efforts that will improve their lives. This type of change is needed now more than ever in our nation, as federal spending on children’s programs make up less than ten percent of the entire non-defense budget.”
Through this inclusive, legally binding human rights treaty, the United Nations sought to give the world’s children special status. The countries that ratified the Convention use it as a guide to develop and implement policies and programs that best address and fulfill the needs of children.
Lesley adds, “[R]atifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child would force our leaders to pay much-needed attention to the status of our children, and measure their progress against that of other countries. This undertaking transcends party politics and campaign rhetoric. In order to escalate our children back to the top, all our elected leaders must acknowledge this problem, and work together to ensure our nation provides every child a chance to achieve the American Dream.”