Posts tagged ‘CRC’
Last Week in International Law
1. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)’s 20th Anniversary
The CRC is the most universally accepted international human rights treaty in the world, ratified by every country except the US and Somalia. The CRC is based on the principles of non-discrimination; the best interests of the child; children’s rights to survival, development, and protection; and children’s right to participate in decisions affecting them. Ten years on, in Canada, it became one of the issues in the Baker litigation, in which the SCC decided that although the CRC had not been implemented into domestic law, its values should still inform the contextual approach to domestic statutory interpretation and judicial review.
Twenty years on, UNICEF reports fewer child deaths, improved child health, and improved and more gender-equal primary school enrollment. However, approximately 1 billion children still suffer some form of “material deprivation”, and children are disproportionately likely to suffer the negative effects of the global economic crisis and climate change. UNICEF reaffirms the importance of the best interests principle in governance; capacity-building to realize children’s rights; support for social and cultural values that respect children’s rights; and cooperation “to make the vision of the Convention a reality for every child.”
2. Khadr’s Day at the SCC … and US Military Tribunal?
On November 13, the SCC heard arguments in the case of former child soldier/alleged terrorist and Canadian Guantanamo…
