It has been 20 years since Malaysia signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC, which is also the world’s most ratified human rights treaty, lays out the legal commitments made by governments to place children at the centre of its focus and attention.
Wivina Belmonte, the Unicef representative to Malaysia, in her letter to Malaysiakini reminds us that while poverty rates in this country has gradually decreased and almost all children have access to education, much more needs to be done especially for children from vulnerable and marginalised segments of society. She lists the key areas as follows:
- Addressing gender violence and safety;
- The need for, and value of, child-focused data to better inform effective policies and programmes for children, especially from marginalised and vulnerable backgrounds;
- A long-term strategy for children in conflict with the law; and
- Greater collaboration across all sectors and stakeholders to ensure that the rights of all children, including children with disabilities, are addressed.
Read more here.
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Image Credit: Leanne Ali via Unicef Malaysia.
