CRC & Human Capital Perspective

Human rights are those rights which are essential to live as human beings –
basic standards without which people cannot survive and develop in dignity.
They are inherent to the human person, inalienable and universal.
The United Nations set a common standard on human rights with the
adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Although this
Declaration is not part of binding international law, its acceptance by all
countries around the world gives great moral weight to the fundamental
principle that all human beings, rich and poor, strong and weak, male and
female, of all races and religions, are to be treated equally and with respect
for their natural worth as human beings.
Human rights apply to all age groups; children have the same general
human rights as adults. But children are particularly vulnerable and so they
also have particular rights that recognize their special need for protection.
Despite the existence of rights, children suffer from poverty, homelessness,
abuse, neglect, preventable diseases, and unequal access to education and
justice systems that do not recognize their special needs. These are
problems that occur in both industrialized and developing countries.

Now Children have become the centre of attention for everyone and it is
globally realized that to improve future of nation we have to improve the
development of our young children as they are the Future of Nation.

According to CRC (Children’s Right Convention) the fundamental features of

a child right approach involves:

• Attention to the whole child. (Holistic approach)

• Working at multiple levels to meet our obligations to children.
(meeting with parents in changing the previous ways and creation a
willing environment towards development)
 • Addressing discrimination and exclusion.( educating parents and
society)

Persuasive economic research indicates that there is a very promising

approach to economic development that has been long overlooked. Research
shows that by investing in early childhood development (referring to
investments from prenatal to age 5), state and local governments can reap
extraordinarily high economic returns: benefits that are low-risk and long-
lived.
Early child development (ECD) and human development (HD) are closely
linked. Early child development refers to the combination of physical,
mental, and social development in the early years of life—those dimensions
that are commonly addressed by integrated programs of ECD. These
programs include interventions to improve the nutrition, health, cognitive
development, and social interaction of children in the early years. Human
development refers to similar dimensions—education, health (including
nutrition), social development, and growth—but at the scale of a nation. The
benefits of ECD—better education, improved health, increased social capital,
and greater equality. All of these outcomes are of value themselves, and the
benefits are immediately tangible at the time of intervention (i.e., in a child’s
early years). ECD programs are most often justified by the immediate
benefits to a child’s social and cognitive development and health and
nutritional status. Yet, as discussed above, these outcomes have positive,
long-term consequences for the children as they mature into adults and for
their nations as a whole. Except for the pathway of education, these long-
term benefits are usually ignored by government officials and policymakers.
The economic and social benefits from ECD investment amount to much
more than just improvements in public balance sheets. Investing in young
children has positive implications for the current generation of children, for
future generations of children, and for earlier generations of children. The
current generation of children will benefit from higher earnings, higher
material standards of living and an enhanced quality of life. Future
generations will benefit because they will be less likely to grow up in families
living in poverty. And earlier generations of children, who are now working or
in retirement, will benefit by being supported by higher earning workers
Who will be better able to financially sustain our public retirement benefit
programs. In other words, solving the economic and social problems of our
youth will simultaneously help provide lasting economic security to future
generations, to us, and to our elderly. Thus, research shows that investing in
high-quality early childhood development programs improves the quality of
life of millions of children, reduces crime, makes the workforce of the future
more productive, strengthens the economy, and reduces income inequality.
The bottom line is that the case for public investment in ECD is compelling.
References:
• Positioning ECCD_Coordinators Notebook_No28_Istanbul” this will
give you an idea about right perspective (CRC) and human capital
perspective.
• American Bar association Volume 9, issue 2.
• Journal of Management and Social Sciences
Vol. 3, No. 1, (Spring 2007) 47-55 etc