ABSTRACT
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC; or ‘the Convention’) stands as a landmark international treaty. As the first articulation of children’s rights standards in binding international law, the drafting and adoption of the Convention was characterised by unusual consensus and unity of purpose. The CRC was adopted by unanimous vote of the General Assembly of the United Nations on 20 November 1989 (now known as international children’s rights day)1
and it came into force in record time on 2 September 1990. It remains the most highly ratified instrument in international law; 197 states have ratified the CRC, and only one signatory – the United States of America – has not undertaken ratification.
