The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in November 20, 1989, a date proclaimed to be celebrated since then as the World Children’s Rights Day.
The CRC, a UN document ratified by all the states worldwide except from the USA (https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=IV-11&chapter=4&lang=en), became the most acknowledged UN binding document. By ratifying the document, the States abide to implement the CRC in the area of their jurisdiction and to harmonise their legislation in accordance to its elements. Once ratified, the CRC becomes a legal document for the respective State, above any national law. States are obliged to submit to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) (https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRC/Pages/CRCIndex.aspx) a report every 5 years, describing the progress made at a national level, along with possible violations that still exist and need to be dealt with. Various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), along with independent institutions, such as the Commissioner for Children’s Rights which operate in a number of European countries, are invited to submit a supplementary report to the CRC Committee, expressing their own concerns and viewpoints on the application of children’s rights on their jurisdiction.