Children's rights

In the area of children's rights, Liechtenstein actively participated in the UN Human Rights Council in the negotiations to draft the Third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The protocol entered into force in April 2014 and establishes a right of individual complaint. Liechtenstein ratified the additional protocol in January 2017.

Further, Liechtenstein has been committed to expanding the UN Security Council's activities to protect children in armed conflict. This particularly includes the protection of children from sexual violence and the sanctioning of attacks on schools.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1989, and Liechtenstein ratified the convention in 1996. With 193 States Parties, it is - in terms of the number of ratifications - the most successful international human rights convention ever. The high status of the convention in Liechtenstein is underpinned by the fact that children's rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child are explicitly mentioned in the Children and Youth Act.

In addition to the UN, the Council of Europe is also committed to improving the rights of children. Numerous conventions have a direct impact on the legal situation of children and young people. Liechtenstein has ratified several of them, such as the European Convention on Adoption, the European Convention on the Legal Status of Children born out of Wedlock, and the European Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions concerning Custody of Children and on Restoration of Custody. In 2015, Liechtenstein ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention)