Introduction to the Convention
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an international treaty established specifically for children during the UN General Assembly held on November 20, 1989. The CRC is the most important milestone in the history of children's rights, as it established basic human rights for children to reaffirm that children are the subject of rights and not a subsidiary of the state and their parents.
The "children" protected under the CRC refer to all human beings under the age of 18. The CRC states that every child under the age of 18 shall be entitled to the same inherent human rights as adults. November 20th was been designated as "World Children's Day for Children's Rights" and is celebrated every year.
The CRC Four Key Principles for the Protection of Children's Rights:
1. Non-discrimination.
2. The child’s best interest.
3. The rights to life, survival, and development.
4. Respect the views of the child.
In order to incorporate the CRC into domestic legislation for enhancing the protection of children's rights to be in line with international standards, the President announced the "Implementation Act of the Convention on the Rights of the Child" on June 4, 2014, which entered into force on November 20, 2014. Taiwan prepared its first national report on this convention in 2016 and was subjected to international review in 2017. The review panel commended the current progress of Taiwan and looked forward to seeing Taiwan become in line with the UN’s children's rights standards.