Four key concept in implementing article 4 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

By Bruce Abramson and Clara Didio, 2007

One important reason for the persistent gap between the CRC and its implementation is the failure of governments to allocate adequate resources for the realization of rights, in spite of their obligation to fulfill economic, social and cultural rights “to the maximum extent of their available resources”, as set out in CRC Art. 4. As a matter of fact,  military spending takes a far greater share of both public spending and national income in most countries, thereby diverting huge resources from programmes for children and adolescents.

Reduction of military spending, greater fairness in budget allocations for young people, as well as more transparency and accountability in government expenditures, must all become major components of efforts to promote the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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