Committee on the Rights of the Child
Monitoring children's rights
The
Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the body of 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.
All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the
Committee on how the rights are being implemented. States must
report initially two years after acceding to the Convention and then
every five years. The Committee examines each report and addresses
its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of
“concluding observations”.
The Committee reviews additional reports which must be submitted
by States who have acceded to the two Optional Protocols to the
Convention.
The Committee cannot consider
individual complaints, although child rights may be raised before
other committees with competence to consider individual
complaints.
The Committee meets in Geneva and normally holds three sessions
per year consisting of a three-week plenary and a one-week
pre-sessional working group. In 2006, the Committee will consider
reports in two parallel chambers of 9 members each, "as an
exceptional and temporary measure", in order to clear the backlog of
reports.
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.
For more information about the work of the Committee on the
Rights of the Child, click here. |