Source description last updated: 2 March 2021
 
In brief: The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a United Nations body of independent experts that considers reports submitted by UN members states on their compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the Optional Protocol on the involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
 
Coverage on ecoi.net:
State reports, concluding observations (for countries of priorities A-E) as well as NGO reports and reports of national human rights institutions (for countries of priorities A-C).
Covered monthly on ecoi.net.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the body of 18 independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its State parties. It also monitors implementation of two Optional Protocols to the Convention, on involvement of children in armed conflict and on sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. On 19 December 2011, the UN General Assembly approved a third Optional Protocol on a communications procedure, which will allow individual children to submit complaints regarding specific violations of their rights under the Convention and its first two optional protocols.” (CRC Website, undated)

“All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented. [...] The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of  ‘concluding observations’.

The Committee also publishes its interpretation of the content of human rights provisions, known as general comments on thematic issues and organizes days of general discussion.” (CRC Website, Monitoring children’s rights, undated)

Funding:

UN budget.

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Thematic focus: Children’s rights

Methodology:

“[...] the Committee has prepared two sets of guidelines regarding the form and content of initial and [sic!] reports to be submitted by States parties under article 44, paragraph 1 (a), of the Convention. [...] Both sets of guidelines request that the reports contain relevant legislative, judicial, administrative and other information, including statistical data, to give the Committee a good basis for its analysis. [...]

States parties undertake to submit to the Committee reports on the implementation of the Convention within two years of the entry into force of the Convention for the State party concerned and thereafter every five years. [...]

Prior to the Committee session at which the State party’s report is reviewed, the pre-sessional working group of the Committee convenes a private meeting with UN agencies and bodies, NGOs, and other competent bodies such as National Human Rights Institutions and youth organizations, which have submitted additional information to the Committee. [...] The end result of the pre-sessional working group’s discussion on a State report is a ‘list of issues’. [...] the Committee requests the State party to provide the answers to its List of Issues in writing and in advance of the session [...]

The State party report will be discussed in open and public meetings of the Committee, during which both the State representatives and the Committee members take the floor. Relevant United Nations bodies and agencies are represented. [...]

After the discussion with the State party, the Committee will, in a closed meeting, agree on written Concluding Observations which include suggestions and recommendations. [...] The Committee may in its observations request additional information from the State party [...] in order to be able to better assess the situation in the State party. [...] The Committee expects to receive written information on the follow-up measures taken by the State party to address the issues of concern identified in the previous concluding observations. [...]

The Committee has systematically and strongly encouraged NGOs and NHRIs [National Human Rights Institutions] to submit reports, documentation or other information in order to provide it with a comprehensive picture and expertise as to how the Convention is being implemented in a particular country. [...] Based on the written information submitted, the Committee will issue a written invitation to selected NGOs to participate in the pre-sessional working group of the Committee.” (CRC Website, Working Methods, undated)

Languages of publications:

English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese

Further reading / links:

Rights of the Child [A/C.3/67/L.23/Rev.1], 21 November 2012
http://undocs.org/a/c.3/67/l.23/rev.1

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Website: Human Rights Bodies - Complaints Procedures, undated
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/TBPetitions/Pages/HRTBPetitions.aspx

Committee on the Rights of the Child Website: Membership, undated
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRC/Pages/Membership.aspx

CRC: Working methods for the participation of children in the reporting process of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, [CRC/C/66/2], 16 October 2014
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRC/CRC-C-66-2.doc

CRC: Text of the Convention
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx 

 

All links accessed 2 March 2021.