Ask the President to Get the Ball Rolling
The President needs to hear from YOU!
Sign our petition to President Obama, asking him to submit the Convention on the Rights of the Child to the U.S. Senate by next Universal Children’s Day – November 20, 2012.
Before our Nation can ratify a treaty, the Senate must provide its advice and consent; but that can’t happen until the President sends a treaty package for the CRC to the Senate. Although President Obama, Secretary of the State Hillary Clinton, and UN Ambassador Susan Rice have all expressed support for ratification of the CRC, the Administration still hasn’t moved this process forward.
The United States signed the CRC in 1995. We believe 17 years is more than enough time for our government to submit this to the Senate! Remind the President that children and families in America and throughout the world need the United States to act on ratification as soon as possible!
10 Points to Remember
- Many people are aware of the troubling status of US children and want to help, but they do not know how to get started.
- Parents, families and guardians are often viewed as the cause of and solution to issues concerning children.
- People have difficulty discerning the relationship between all US children and the future of the nation. They cannot connect issues affecting children to policies and programs.
- Messages incorporating key phrases, such as "invest in children", "investment in prevention", and "children are the leaders of tomorrow", resound with the general public.
- When discussing issues affecting individuals between 12 and 18 years of age, people respond more positively to the terms "youth" and "adolescents" than to "teens" and "teenagers."
- Negative news, urgent messages, and blaming politicians convey a sense of hopelessness. It is imperative to balance facts with solutions.
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child is an aspirational document and a critical tool. It is not a panacea.
- Implementation of the CRC has led governments to change and formulate laws, policies and programs to meet the specific needs of children in their country.
- The CRC is an instrument that benefits all children regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, ability, culture, religion, and socioeconomic status.
- With US endorsement of the CRC, the world would stand united in its universally shared goal to protect and promote children's best interests.
