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One of the special moments at the 2009 World Forum on Early Care and Education was an opening address by Youssef Hajjar, one of the World Forum Global Leader facilitators. In his address, "The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is 20 Years Old: Should We Celebrate?" he raised this challenge...

"We should celebrate the sheer existence of the Convention, as a set of standards that we have set for ourselves. As you all know, it is the only Convention that has been signed and ratified by all countries of the world, except Somalia and the USA. Somalia, who has managed to sign, but not ratify the Convention ... has been without a stable political structure for such a long time that the fact that they have not ratified the CRC does not have a real significance. But the USA?

"This is of course a complex issue. I think it is worth spending a few seconds on the major objection to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is put forward mostly by some of the religious circles, not only within the Christian tradition, but also the Islamic and other faith traditions. This objection is at the core of the position of those who oppose the signing of the Convention in the U.S. They say that the construct of rights that underpins the Convention goes against the primary responsibility of parents. This is, of course, a fallacy. The Convention gives a key role to the family in upholding the rights of children, and we, the early childhood community, we know that the best interest of the child, a leading principle of the Convention, cannot be achieved without working with the family."

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What do you think? This week the Exchange Insta Poll invites readers to vote on whether it is time for the United States to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Let your voice be heard.

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