The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC) is an agreement by countries who have promised to protect children's rights. It is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Aotearoa New Zealand has ratified this convention, which means the government has an obligation to ensure these rights are fulfilled.
In order to further the rights in the UNCROC, the United Nations has three shorter treaties called Optional Protocols. These Optional Protocols (or OPs) add to certain rights and clarify how to better protect them. The first two OPs are on children in situations involving war and on children who are sold or sexually exploited through prostitution or pornography. The OP that this leaflet is about – the Optional Protocol on a Communication Procedure, or OP3 – allows children to submit a complaint to the United Nations when their rights are not fully protected in their countries. These complaints are officially called “communications.” Optional protocol 3 came into effect for Aotearoa New Zealand on 23 December 2022.
This leaflet created by Child Rights Connect is written to help understand what the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure, called the OP3 CRC for short, is all about. Download it below.
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