There is hardly any human right more uncontroversial or universally agreed-upon than the rights of a child, at least in principle. Out of the nine binding international treaties on human rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most subscribed, ratified by every UN member state except the US. The success of that treaty is not only a landmark event in the advancement of an international framework for human rights, but also a pointer to the universality of the spirit underlying it; in nearly every culture, religion and legal system, special protections are given to children – particularly to shield them from the actions of adults. READ MORE