General comment No. 21 (2017) on children in street situations
Published
20 June 2017
UN symbol
CRC/C/GC/21
Committee on the Rights of the Child
Summary
In this general comment, the Committee on the Rights of the Child provides authoritative guidance to States on developing comprehensive, long-term national strategies on children in street situations using a holistic, child rights approach and addressing both prevention and response in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
While the Convention makes no explicit reference to them, all of its provisions are applicable to children in street situations, who experience violations of a large majority of the Convention’s articles.
The objectives of the general comment are:
- To clarify the obligations of States in applying a child rights approach to strategies and initiatives for children in street situations;
- To provide comprehensive and authoritative guidance to States on using a holistic, child rights approach to: prevent children experiencing rights violations and the lack of choices that results in them having to depend on the streets for their survival and development; and to promote and protect the rights of children already in street situations, ensuring a continuum of care and helping them to develop to their fullest potential;
- To identify the implications of particular articles of the Convention for children in street situations to enhance respect for them as rights holders and full citizens, and to enhance understanding of children’s connections to the street.
Version
Inputs received
In total, 327 children and young people from 32 countries were consulted in seven regional consultations. Civil society representatives responded to a general call for submissions, and an advanced draft was shared with all States parties in October 2016. These submissions are available below.
States and international organizations:
- Algeria
- Australia
- Denmark
- Finland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Mexico
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Switzerland
- Council of Europe
Civil society:
- Escuela Móvil Querétaro, Banco de Alimentos AlVIDA, IAP
- Aoife Daly, University of Liverpool
- APON ODIC
- Asociación “Niñas y niños del Fortín”
- Bahay Tuluyan
- Bureau International Catholique de l’Enfance
- Campanha Nacional Criança Não é de Rua y Comitê Nacional das Redes de Atenção às Crianças e Adolescentes em situação de rua
- Central Child Welfare Board and Street Child of Nepal
- Centre for applied studies in children and justice, Ceara Public University
- Child to Child
- Children Agenda Forum
- Comité de los Derechos del Niño del Uruguay
- Comité de los Derechos del Niño del Uruguay (Niñas)
- Child Rights International Network
- Daniel Stoecklin, University of Geneva
- Defence for Children International Yemen
- Defensoria Pública do Estado de São Paulo
- Dynamo international - Street workers network
- FIAN Delhi
- Glad’s House
- International Labour Organization
- Instituto Generación de Lima Perú
- It’s a Penalty Campaign and Happy Child International
- Kaleidoscope Human Rights Foundation
- Lorraine van Blerk, University of Dundee
- University of Brighton, ChildHope UK and Pendekezo Letu
- Fundación Juconi
- Justice for Children and Youth
- Civil Society Organizations of Madhya Pradesh, India
- Marit Ursin, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- NIWCYD "BACHPAN" Bhopal
- Observatorio sobre Latinoamérica SELVAS
- Penal Reform International
- La Plateforme Nationale de Protection des Migrants du Maroc
- Railway Children
- Retrak
- Safe Child Africa
- Santosh Kumar Mishra, S. N. D. T. Women's University
- Street Child of Liberia and Street Child of Sierra Leone
- Stahili Foundation and Lori E. Talsky Center for Human Rights of Women and Children at Michigan State University College of Law
- Terre des hommes Albania
- Human Rights Clinic, University of New South Wales
- UP! International
- World Federation of the Deaf
- Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action
- Regional consultation with children in street situations in Africa
- Regional consultation with children in street situations in Brazil
- Regional consultation with children in street situations in Central America
- Regional consultation with children in street situations in Europe
- Regional consultation with children in street situations in South Asia