Measuring children and youth well-being
Are society’s youngest and most vulnerable overlooked?
Signed more than two thirds of a century ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ushered in a civil rights revolution. But there was a fatal oversight: society’s youngest and most vulnerable — children — were overlooked. Fifty years later, the Convention on the Rights of the Child tried to fill that gap — “In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.” But 25 years after, the world is still falling short in its promise and commitment to ensure the right to a safe childhood. We can say that the Convention on the Rights of the Child worked to fill this void, the document remains a statement of good intent rather than a blueprint for action.
