Cet article est disponible seulement en anglais.<\/p>\n
Journal<\/em> article written by: Marv Bernstein, Chief Policy Advisor, UNICEF Canada, and Pat Convery, Executive Director, Adoption Council of Ontario<\/p>\n Although North Americans typically greet one another with the phrases \u201cHow are you?\u201d, \u201cComment allez vous?\u201d, or \u201cComo est\u00e1s?\u201d, Masai warriors say \u201cKasserian ingera?\u201d (meaning \u201cAre the children well?\u201d). This phrase\u2014which puts children front and center\u2014resonates nicely for our work in child welfare, permanency planning, and adoption, and can help those of us in the child welfare and adoption communities remember the importance of having a child rights focus at all levels of our work. What better way to guide our discussions, our advocacy, and our policy than to ask: \u201cAre the children well?\u201d<\/p>\n UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD<\/strong><\/p>\n Almost universally, we believe children have the right to be safe from physical harm, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. We believe children have the right to education, family relationships, and access to their culture. The list goes on. These beliefs in children\u2019s rights have been translated into obligations for us to consider in our practice by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (available at www.ohchr.org\/EN\/ProfessionalInterest\/ Pages\/CRC.aspx).<\/p>\n The four guiding principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child are:<\/p>\n Since its adoption by the United Nations in 1989, this treaty has received near-universal ratification by 193 countries (Canada has ratified the Convention; the U.S. has signed but not ratified it, although it has ratified two Optional Protocols). The treaty has inspired changes in policies to better protect children, altered the way organizations see their work for children, led to a better understanding of children as having their own rights, and served as a catalyst for children\u2019s rights advocacy and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n