National Children's Month Part 4 – The CRC Optional Protocols

THE United Nations CRC is an important agreement by countries which have promised to protect children's rights. It explains "who children are, all their rights, and the responsibilities of governments. All the rights are connected, they are all equally important and they cannot be taken away from children." (https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text-childrens-version) The Philippines signed the UN CRC on Jan. 26, 1990, making it the 109th country to sign the Convention. It was ratified by the Philippine Senate on Aug. 21, 1990.

What optional protocols are. Protocols added to existing treaties are not necessarily binding on all signatory parties/countries. They "complement and add to existing treaties" and are referred to as "Optional Protocols." A protocol may be "on any topic relevant to the original treaty and is used either to further address some matter in the original treaty, address a new or emerging concern or add a procedure for the operation and enforcement of the treaty. They are 'optional' because the obligations may be more demanding than those in the original convention." Ratifying states/governments of the CRC "must independently choose whether or not to be bound by them." Since these "Optional Protocols are treaties in their own right," they "are open to signature, ratification or accession."