S. Sudan assembly passes bill on child rights convention

November 24, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan lawmakers have passed the bill to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which, if signed, will make it the latest nation to ratify the law and two other optional protocols.

The CRC is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights, civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have.

“By passing the bill for ratification, the parliament of South Sudan have shown the people of this country especially our children and the international community that we are committed to ensuring that the rights of children in the world’s youngest nation are realized,” Anne Abyei, a lawmaker said in a statement.

Currently, 193 countries have ratified the CRC since its adoption by the UN General Assembly in 1989, making it the world’s most ratified international treaty.

South Sudan will thus become the 194th nation to ratify the convention, once it is signed by President Salva Kiir.

However, by agreeing to undertake the obligations of the CRC, national governments commit to protecting and ensuring children’s rights and agree to be held accountable for this commitment before the international community.

“The United Nations (family) in South Sudan and its partners congratulate the country on the passing of the bill for ratification of the CRC and the two optional protocols”, said Fatuma Ibrahim, the chief of child protection at the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“We are committed to continue supporting the government and other partners in its implementation to ensure that children’s rights are realized,” she added.

(ST)