After the Convention was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 November 1989, it was opened for signature on 26 January 1990. Only seven months later, on 2 September 1990, the Convention entered into force after the 20th State had ratified it. The Convention defines as a child every human being under 18, unless national laws recognise the age of majority earlier. The Convention sets minimum legal and moral standards for the protection of children's rights. States Parties to the Convention have a legal and moral obligation to advance the cause of child rights, through administrative, legislative, judicial and other measures in implementation of this Convention.
Children have the right to be heard.
Every child has a right to a name and nationality from birth, and States have an obligation to preserve the child's identity. Children have the right to freedom of expression, and the State shall respect their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, subject to appropriate parental guidance. Children also have the right to freedom of association and to be protected against interference with their privacy. Furthermore, no child shall be subjected to torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Both capital punishment and life imprisonment without the possibility of release are prohibited for offences committed by persons below 18 years.