CRC General Comment 7 Indicators Framework: A Tool for Monitoring the Implementation of Child Rights in Early Childhood

Abstract

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has universal recognition
\nas the main human rights treaty providing international standards and a yardstick for fulfillment of children’s rights. The Convention stipulates a monitoring system for countries that signed up to it. This system places international legal obligation on
\ncountries to write periodic reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
\nas the monitoring body of the Convention. The monitoring Committee on the Rights of
\nthe Child as a part of the Convention (Articles 42–45 of the CRC) also issues general
\ncomments to guide governments in better understanding, implementing, and monitoring
\nthe implementation of the Convention in their countries. Therefore, it provides a basis for developing child rights indicators. Its General Comment on implementing child rights in early childhood provides an excellent basis for developing early childhood indicators based on human rights. The manual and the framework developed is a tool to address concerns to better realize young children’s rights through better data collection, analysis, monitoring, and reporting through provision of a structured guide to help governments to
\nfulfill their obligation for state reporting and most importantly towards the youngest members and rights holders of their societies.