Statement on the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child

This week I sent to the Senate two historic United Nations protocols that will protect the world's children in unprecedented new ways. Over the past 7 years, I am proud of the work we have done with Congress on a bipartisan basis to stand up for young people and protect the dignity and rights of children around the world. These two protocols will build on that work. One of these agreements prohibits the forcible recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. The other protects children from slavery, prostitution, and pornography. Together, they represent a large step forward in the international effort to eliminate abuses committed against our children and keep them safe.

Both of these agreements were adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on May 25th, and the United States was among the first nations to sign them. I was pleased to see that both the Senate (on June 7th) and the House of Representatives (on July 11th) expressed their support for the Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Neither agreement will create obligations for the United States under any international agreement to which we are not a party. I am hopeful that the Senate will act quickly and give its advice and consent to both of these agreements by the end of the year.