The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is an internationally agreed framework of minimum standards and rights necessary for children's well-being. These include the right to develop to the fullest; the right to protection from harmful influences such as abuse and exploitation; and the right to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.
The Government, along with other countries, has its record on implementing aspects of the convention examined periodically by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. The National Children's Office and the Ombudsman for Children were established as a result of the first reportin 1998. The Government has moved to make a single minister responsible for all children's issues and plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility from seven to 12.