Committee on the Rights of the Child

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a body of independent experts that monitors and reports on implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by governments that ratify the Convention.^[1] The Committee also monitors implementation of the optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OP-AC) and the optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OP-SC).

The CRC is one of the eight UN human rights treaty bodies. States that have ratified the Convention (i.e., all UN member states except Somalia and the United States) are required to submit initial and periodic reports on the national situation of children's rights to the Committee for examination. The Committee examines each report and raises concerns or makes recommendations to the State party. It also issues occasional General Comments on the interpretation of particular CRC obligations.

The Committee cannot consider individual complaints, although child rights may be raised before other committees with competence to consider individual complaints.^{[citation needed]} However, at least the case of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, 11th Panchen Lama, was considered by the Committee on May 28, 1996, as well as at other later dates.^[2]

The Committee is made up of 18 members from different countries and legal systems who are of 'high moral standing' and experts in the field of human rights. Although members are nominated and elected by states parties to the Convention, Committee members act in a personal capacity. They do not represent their countries' governments or any other organization to which they might belong. Members are elected to a four-year term and can be re-elected if nominated.

The current and incoming members of the CRC are:^[3]

Name	State	Term Expires
Agnes Akosua Aidoo	Ghana	2015
Hadeel Al-Asmar	Syrian Arab Republic	2013
Peter Guran	Slovakia	2013
Maria Herczog	Hungary	2015
Sanphasit Koompraphant	Thailand	2013
Hatem Kotrane	Tunisia	2015
Yanghee Lee	South Korea	2013
Marta Mauras Pérez	Chile	2013
Awich Pollar	Uganda	2013
Susana Villarán	Peru	2013
Jean Zermatten (chair)	Switzerland	2013

Leaving on 28 February 2011:

• Luigi Citarella (2011)
• Azza El Ashmawy (2011)
• Kamel Filali (2011)
• Lothar Friedrich Krappmann (2011)
• Rosa María Ortiz (2011)
• Dainius Puras (2011)

Joining on 1 March 2011:

• Aseil Al-Shehail (2015)
• Jorge Cardona Llorens (2015)
• Bernard Gastaud (2015)
• Gehad Madi (2015)
• Kirsten Sandberg (2015)
• Hiranthi Wijemanne (2015)

References

1. ^ Text of the Convention.
2. ^ Gedhun Choekyi Nyima: the XIth Panchen Lama of Tibet website of TCHRD
3. ^ Members of the CRC

See also

• Child helpline international

External links

• Committee on the Rights of the Child at OHCHR website
• Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Children's Rights Portal