On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, four UN experts* on children’s rights urge States to protect all children from sale, sexual exploitation and recruitment and use in hostilities with immediacy, and call for universal ratification of two international human rights instruments that protect children from these violations of their rights. Read the Statement here.

“We need to do more and act together, better and faster now, not tomorrow, to prevent and to end these crimes and to keep our promise on ending violence against children by 2030”, the experts said.

The experts remind that currently, 176 States ratified the OPSC and 170 the OPAC. There are 58 overdue State reports under OPSC and 48 overdue State reports under OPAC.

Child Rights Connect is encouraging both State parties and civil society to use our Reporting guide on the OPSC and OPAC, and reminding States that the CRC Committee adopted new OPSC guidelines in 2019.

*Luis Pedernera, Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child;
Mama Fatima Singateh, the UN Special Rapporteur on sale and sexual exploitation of children;
Najat Maalla M´jid, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children;
Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.