title: The rights of children: public policy statement.
abstract: Children, who are vulnerable at the start of existence, are a concern shared by nations and cultures. The importance of children's conditions has led 192 out of 194 countries to ratify the UN General Assembly's Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United States has not yet ratified the convention, despite having exercised influence on the drafting of its provisions. Given the global importance of nurturing and protecting children, the Society for Medical Anthropology strongly and emphatically supports that the convention be ratified, and that the U.S. government submit the convention for approval by the U.S. Senate.
mesh_terms: D002649:Child Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011640:Public Policy; D014480:United Nations; D014481:United States