Monitoring World Society: The Convention on the Rights of the Child in Cameroon

Abstract

This paper examines the significance of the treaty monitoring process that is routinely prescribed by international human rights treaties. The authors employ world society theory to claim that the monitoring process simultaneously reflects world cultural principles and promotes the diffusion of cultural scripts. To illustrate these claims, the paper integrates examples of the monitoring process of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and its application in the state of Cameroon. The convention is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and symbolizes the global commitment to protect and promote the rights of children, while Cameroon exhibits typical ongoing challenges of treaty implementation. The paper situates the monitoring process within world society as a manifestation and agent of its characteristic practices and values, shedding light on the taken-for-granted nature of the process, despite known problems of decoupling.