Convention on the Rights of the Child

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Parties to the convention   Signed, but not ratified   Non-signatory
Signed	20 November 1989
Location	New York City
Effective	2 September 1990
Condition	20 ratifications
Signatories	140
Parties	196 (all eligible states except the United States)
Depositary	UN Secretary-General
Languages	Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Full text
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at Wikisource

Logo the UNCRC

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC or UNCRC) is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The convention defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under national legislation.

Nations that have ratified this convention or have acceded to it are bound by international law. When a state has signed the treaty but not ratified it, it is not yet bound by the treaty's provisions but is already obliged to not act contrary to its purpose.

The UN General Assembly adopted the convention and opened it for signature on 20 November 1989 (the 30th anniversary of its Declaration of the Rights of the Child). It came into force on 2 September 1990, after it was ratified by the required number of nations. As of 14 September 2026, 196 countries are party to it, including every member of the United Nations except the United States. Many countries have entered reservations or interpretative declarations for the convention.

Two optional protocols were adopted on 25 May 2000. The First Optional Protocol restricts the involvement of children in military conflicts, and the Second Optional Protocol prohibits the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. More than 170 states have ratified both protocols. A third optional protocol relating to communication of complaints was adopted in December 2011 and opened for signature on 28 February 2012. It came into effect on 14 April 2014.