In 1946, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established to respond to the needs of millions of displaced and refugee children in the aftermath of World War II. Today, UNICEF is the largest international body looking to promote rights and support children in the areas of nutrition, education, health, water and sanitation and - most important in our context - child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse.

Explore UNICEF's child protection resources here.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights for children. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to ensure that the world recognised that children have human rights too. 

READ the full convention
READ a summary of the convention

In 2006, then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan presented the findings of the Secretary General's Study on Violence against Children to the UN General Assembly. The study resulted in the World Report on Violence against Children and maps the situation of children around the world.

Read more on the background of the study here and download the full report here.

At the EU level, guidelines in the area of human rights serve as a solid regional framework for children’s rights.To allow for more sustained and systematic action to advance children’s rights in its external human rights policy, the EU has resolved to henceforth base the worldwide promotion and protection of the rights of the child on the following guidelines. READ MORE

READ a summary of child protection activities at EU level
Overview of European Conventions on Children' Rights

To address the issue of child abuse and ensure better protection of children, member states of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) have developed laws and institutions to monitor and advocate for children's rights. In July 1990 African governments adopted the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

READ the Charter

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean accepted the International Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Since then, the Organization of American States (OAS) has played a significant role in promoting children's rights and fighting for child protection across the societies of its member states.

Documents on children's rights from the Organization of American States (OAS)
UNICEF information on child protection in Latin America
An overview of children's rights mechanisms in Latin America by the Children Rights International Network - CRIN (in Spanish)

At the 14th ASEAN Summit in 2009, ASEAN leaders adopted the Cha-am Hua Hin Declaration on the Roadmap for the ASEAN Community (2009-2015) which emphasised the need to set up a specific body to promote and protect the rights of women and children. The Women and Children's Commission opened office in April 2010, tasked with promoting and protecting the rights of women and children, building judicial and administrative capacity, and promoting data collection and research.

ASEAN commission on the promotion and protection of the rights of women and children
Declaration on the Commitments for Children in ASEAN

More information on children's rights in the ASEAN region by the Children Rights International Network

Members of the International Save the Children Alliance share a commitment to the protection of children and the prevention ofof child abuse.

This policy sets out common values, principles and beliefs, describing the steps that will be taken in order to meet Safe the Children's commitment to protecting children. READ MORE

READ a mapping of different national child protection systems