아동권리옹호를 위한 국제적 노력과 과제 ― 인도네시아를 중심으로

Abstract

Since the adoption of UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989, the nations around the world are putting forth an unprecedented effort to protect children’s rights and creating a better place for them to be nurtured. While CRC promotes unconditional safeguarding of children’s rights regardless of where they live, it is common in poor countries to find children exposed to dreadful living conditions where their basic rights are not adequately protected. Therefore, the current study aims to clarify the details of what CRC mandates and provide an overview of how some of the developing nations in Southeast Asia are responding to CRC mandates, including their compliance status, specific recommendations by CRC, and their action plans to achieve compliance. In addition, a case study was performed on a children’s rights protection education program implemented by an international NGO in Indonesia, where child labor issue remains to be a serious problem. The case study highlights the positive impact of advocacy and educational activities of children’s rights even for the children exposed to very poor living conditions. The current study concludes by providing a reminder that children’s rights must be protected and advocated more actively, and by providing suggestions on how these activities can be implemented in a more effective and sustainable fashion.