Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-un-convention--on-the-rights-of-the-child/5021238/
“Are we there yet?” This is a familiar question to anyone traveling with a child. Those of us who are working to establish the international policies and procedures of the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a global agreement are looking forward to the time when we can say that we have all arrived. The United Nations General Assembly adopted its Resolution 44/25 on November 20, 1989. All nations soon ratified it except for the United States and Somalia. We may ‘get there’ sooner because both of these nations inaugurated new presidents in 2009.This long journey to establish global support for the rights of families and young children has passed several landmarks:
• It began in the United States and some other countries in the 19th century with the recognition that children are not just possessions of their parents but are individuals whose ideas and activities deserve respect.
• The establishment of kindergartens, based upon Friedrich Froebel’s German system of education for children’s development from the ages of three to seven, emphasized freedom within established parameters.
• Froebel’s ‘children’s gardens’ were spread to many countries by missionaries and by those who attended the original training schools. As a result, most ...