CRC: Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 (entered into force 1990)

This Convention is the most widely ratified of all the major human rights treaties, even though it is the most recent. Children are given a special status in human rights law in order to ensure they are adequately protected from harm and given appropriate care, in keeping with their evolving capacities. Thus the CRC sets out a long list of children's rights in a wide range of situations, including armed conflict. It specifies that a primary consideration guiding all actions concerning children must be the best interests of the child, taking into account the rights and duties of parents or others who are legally responsible for the child. It does not specifically refer to the rights of the girl-child, but it does use gender-neutral language, which is more inclusive than the language in the earlier Conventions. The CRC establishes a Committee on the Rights of the Child to monitor progress towards full implementation of the Convention.