Convention on the Rights of the Child

Introduction

The implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Caribbean was met with the issue of parental resistance. The concept of children’s rights was characterised as foreign to parents. The critical traits valued in the Caribbean are obedience and mannerliness. As a result, the concept of Children’s Rights is seen as undermining the right of the parent to control and discipline the child and develop the valued traits.

The Convention for the Rights of the Child was signed by Barbados on 19 April 1990 and ratified on 9 October 1990. At the time of ratification, some of the legislative requirements necessary to implement the Convention were already in place. “Since ratification of the Convention, two areas were specifically addressed, namely:

(a) the non-imposition of capital punishment in respect of convicted offenders under the age of 18 years;

(b) the provision of legal services to and for the benefit of minors.”

In order to assist in the publicizing of the Convention, many activities were held. These include the following:

• Several discussions on the Convention were held with various schools, Parent- Teacher Associations, churches and youth groups across the island. These were held as a part of the Child Care Board’s commitment to public education.

• Government Information Service made a commitment to utilize radio and television to make the public more aware of the Convention.

1. Gormly, A. (1997). Lifespan Human Development Sixth Edition. Thomson Learning.

2. Liberty. (August 2002) Your Rights: The Rights of Children and Young People: Parental Responsibility and Children’s Rights