The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959): Genesis, transformation and dissemination of a treaty (re)constituting a transnational cause

Abstract

Over the course of the 20th century, the social and legal status of the child evolved considerably. One remarkable illustration of this process can be seen by tracing the evolution of specific international treaties on the rights of the child. Although developments in national legislation inspired the authors of these treaties, it was through inter- and non-governmental organizations that the rights of the child developed a new dimension. Using archival data from several such organizations, this article adopts a transnational perspective to analyze how the 1959 United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child was drafted, institutionalized, and disseminated. The declaration joined together two causes: the defence of children and the promotion of the child’s universal human rights. Thus the adoption of this declaration was an essential stage in reformulating transnational norms on the rights of the child.