My Thoughts on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

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It's no secret that I am in favor of good men being good fathers to their children. I am, however, very much opposed to the "Father's Rights Movement." How can I be for one and against the other? Easily. The Father's Rights Movement is largely about the rights of dads against the children's mother and against the children themselves. A lot of good fathers have gotten sucked into the Father's Rights Movement without knowing all the details of the campaign. I suggest they research the movement further and get all the facts.

So, if I'm against the Father's Rights Movement, what am I in favor of? The Children's Rights Movement.

First of all, let me explain that I am an American citizen and a conservative Christian. I am also a Republican. I have a long history of involvement in the Republican Party. I even worked as a legislative consultant for the Senate Republican Caucus at the California State Capitol.

I have written policy papers and bill analyses on the importance of protecting parents’ rights and the rights of homeschoolers. I have trusted in the wisdom and intelligence of the American people. I have adhered to the belief that the freedoms we have in America must be preserved. I believed (and still do) that the U.S. government is incrementally infringing upon the rights of U.S. citizens by imposing more and more laws that decrease our constitutionally protected freedoms. There’s just one “little” problem with all of these human rights protections and all my philosophies and beliefs and that "little" problem is that they don’t adequately protect the rights of children.

Now, some of you are thinking, “I am a parent and I have the right to protect my own child. I don’t need the ‘nanny state’ telling me what to do.” Yes, that may be true—for you and your children. However, I have become aware of the harsh realities of “America the Beautiful.” Despite the idealistic view of many conservatives, the United States is no longer a Christian nation. The “moral majority” no longer exists and the “immoral majority” has taken over. There is always hope that we can take action, turn the tide, and pray for another “Great Awakening,” but the fact is that children around the world and in the United States are deprived of many basic human rights—not because of all the good people, but because the depravity of humanity continues its steady decline. Poverty, child abuse, drug abuse, divorce, family violence, kidnapping, abductions, murders, human trafficking, child pornography, and child prostitution are worse than ever. Despite all efforts of good citizens to stop these crimes, children remain in harm’s way and many suffer in unspeakable ways.

Because of our nation’s moral decline, I believe that we ought to set aside our fears concerning the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) and join with the other 191 countries to ratify the treaty.

Why has the United States not ratified this treaty? It is primarily due to the qualms of conservative Christian organizations and their successful efforts to pressure Congress and keep our country from going forward with it.

What are their fears? Mainly that homeschooling, spanking, and other parental rights will be revoked from U.S. citizens. Whereas I understand these concerns, I find revocation of these rights to be highly unlikely. In fact, there are many other nations that have ratified this treaty and they continue to allow homeschooling, spanking, and other parental rights. (I have strong views both for and against spanking: abusive people should not spank; non-abusers should be allowed to spank; however, how does one distinguish between the two? There are no easy answers there.) Not only is there the fear that children will have too many rights and that the treaty would take away parents’ rights, but there are concerns that children’s rights would still not be adequately protected, since there are several countries that have ratified this treaty and children’s rights continue to be grossly violated.

My point is that Americans should harbor no angst with regard to the UN CRC. In fact, we (especially Christians) ought to embrace the opportunity to increase important protections for children in our country. There have been many laws passed in certain states that increase children’s rights; however, this UN resolution would pressure states to gradually pass laws that would be in compliance with the treaty and dramatically improve children's rights in our nation.

What rights would children have if the UN CRC were passed? The Convention gives children and young people over 40 substantive rights, including the right to:

• special protection measures and assistance
• access to services such as education and healthcare
• develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest potential
• grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding
• be informed about and participate in achieving their rights in an accessible and active manner.

Since my own involvement in working to protect children from abusive parents, I have made small, yet significant strides in favor of children's rights. I'm so glad I received a comment on my last blog article from rapses. Even though his words were contentious, they motivated me to do more research on the Children's Rights Movement and I am even more greatly compelled to continue my work in this area.