All children have rights. Children's rights are guaranteed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Germany ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its additional protocols in 1992 and committed itself to respecting children's rights. In 2015, the Institute was entrusted with the task of promoting, supporting and monitoring the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Germany and established the National CRC Monitoring Mechanism for this purpose.
The Monitoring Mechanism contributes to raising awareness of children's rights and, where
necessary, reminds organisations to comply with the UN Convention. Using a research-based
approach, it advises politicians at the federal, state and local levels as well as the judiciary, the legal profession and civil society on the interpretation and child-friendly implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It also exchanges information with the national human rights institutions of other countries and informs the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child about the implementation of children's rights in Germany. The Monitoring Mechanism works closely with civil society, government agencies and research institutes. And of course, with children and young people directly, because participation – as set out in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – is the basis of its work.
