The Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child was drafted by Eglantyne Jebb, a British social reformer and activist, during the winter of 1923. It was adopted by the League of Nations in 1924. The declaration states that all children need to be protected, fed, housed, and safe from exploitation in the workplace.

This Declaration was one of the first instances where the rights of the child were put at the forefront of the international community for careful consideration.  Read document >

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely accepted human rights treaty in history, having been ratified by all UN Member States except the United States.

In 1978, a representative from Poland introduced the first draft of the convention.  The original document had nineteen legislative and procedural articles that Poland thought would quickly be accepted by the global community; however, it took over ten years for the UN member states to agree on a legally-binding document.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was finally adopted in November 1989. Its core tenets are: non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the child’s views. Read document >

The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child was adopted in 1990 by the Organization of African Unity (OAU). It was created in response to the Convention of the Rights of the Child, which the UN had ratified a year earlier.

The member states of the OAU felt that the UN convention overlooked some of the social, cultural, and economic realities that were being faced by children in Africa. As a result, this charter worked to incorporate African values and experiences into the goals of the UN convention. It serves as a document outlining and protecting the rights of children to be free from abuse, sexual exploitation, gender discrimination and use in armed conflict. Read document >