Ratify UN's Convention of the Rights of the Child

We, the undersigned urge the United States to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,

WHAT: The Convention of the Rights of the Child is a universal set of standards to be adhered to by all countries. It reflects a new vision of the child. Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights. The Convention offers a vision of the child as an individual and a member of a family and a community, with rights and responsibilities appropriate to his or her age and stage of development. Recognizing children's rights in this way firmly sets a focus on the whole child.

Previously seen as negotiable, the child's needs have become legally binding rights. No longer the passive recipient of benefits, the child has become the subject or holder of rights. Ratification or accession signifies an agreement to be legally bound by the terms of the Convention. Though accession has the same legal effect as ratification, the procedures differ. In the case of ratification, the State first signs and then ratifies the treaty. The procedure for accession has only one step—it is not preceded by an act of signature. This Convention has been signed by 192 countries; every country other than Somalia, which has no existing form of government, and the United States. 

  Although the United States is seen as a country with an abundant child safety, that is not always true. 

THAT: In the United states, a report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. Almost five children die every day as a result of child abuse. More than three out of four are under the age of 4. It is estimated that between 60-85% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates. 31% percent of women in prison in the United States were abused as children. Over 60% of people in drug rehabilitation centers in the United States report being abused or neglected as a child.

About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse. About 80% of 21 year old that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder. The estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States for 2007 is $104 billion. Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy. 14% of all men in prison in the USA were abused as children. 36% of all women in prison were abused as children. Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime. Nearly five innocent children die every day in America from abuse and neglect. All these statistics are from the united states.

 THAT:  Another child rights issue in the United States is child labor. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that more than two million children are employed under illegal, often exploitative conditions. Across the United States, illegal child labor accounts for 20,000 workers compensation claims, 200,000 injuries, thousands of cases of permanent disability, and more than 70 deaths yearly. Poverty, massive immigration, and relaxation in enforcement of Federal child labor law are the three factors principally responsible for the last two decades' resurgence of child labor in the United States. Control of the hazards of child labor will require a combination of strategies including vigorous enforcement, education, and public health surveillance. In 2009, the government of Chad conscripted refugee children for unlawful use as guards and combatants in its desert battles against rebel forces. The army of the Democratic Republic of Congo forced children to carry ammunition and supplies through the jungle, and some died under their weight; hundreds of boys and girls were forced into the army of southern Sudan, despite a commitment to release them; and in Yemen, children as young as 14 make up perhaps half the ranks of both the government’s forces and the rebels opposing them. Despite those finding, the United States continued to offer military support to those countries. 

 THAT: In the United States, human trafficking rates have gone up dramatically. Up to 300,000 Americans under age 18 are lured into the commercial sex trade each year. And according to the Central Intelligence Agency, more than 10,000 foreign children are brought here annually as sex slaves or indentured laborers. Whether they work in strip clubs or sweatshops, these boys and girls are victims of human trafficking. A $9.5 billion-a-year industry, human trafficking is on the rise and has been reported in all 50 states. If I, a twelve year old girl can realize the serious breach of children's rights then I am under shock that the United States, considered by many, the most powerful nation on the planet cannot take action to stop this national embarrassment. A simple solution to these cases of extreme injustices would be to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, because after all our children are our future decision-makers and leaders.  They will set public policy and implement laws. In essence, they will shape the future of not only American society and culture, but that of the world. Thus, we need to raise resilient children who will make good citizens, who care about others, who share our values, and who will make excellent parents.  In order for children to thrive, childhood needs to be made a national as well as global priority. Children are seldom considered as a factor in decision-making.  It is passed the time that we think about how our decisions affect the lives of each and every child.  After all, we are going to have to live with the consequences of our actions.