The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, often referred to as “CRC”, is an international convention setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. The United Nations General Assembly agreed to adopt the Convention into international law on November 20, 1989; it came into force on September 2, 1990, after it was ratified by the required number of nations. The Convention generally defines a child as any person under the age of 18, unless an earlier age of majority is recognised by a country’s law. The Convention has two Optional Protocols, adopted by the General Assembly in May 2000 and applicable to those states that have signed and ratified them.

You can learn more about the CRC on the UNICEF website.