Poland as the Initiating Country of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - Acta Universitatis Sapientiae

Acta Univ. Sapientiae, Legal Studies, 13, 1 (2024) 231–248

DOI: 10.47745/AUSLEG.2024.13.1.12

Abstract. This study explores the role of Poland as the initiating country of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.It introduces prominent Polish legal scholars and emphasises the significance of children’s rights as a human rights protection system. Subsequently, the most important milestones leading to the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child are analysed, including key declarations, legal acts, guidelines, and findings. The thoughts of Janusz Korczak, a Polish educator and philosopher, which form the foundation of contemporary thinking on the welfare of children and children’s rights, as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, are presented. Furthermore, the work on the Convention, such as the submission of the Polish draft, circumstances of adoption, and doubts about its functioning are examined.Importantly, this study discusses the major changes, introducing alterations in the children’s rights protection system and presenting Polish legislative examples. The study concludes by summarising Poland’s confirmed role in the context of the Convention’s adoption and the demand for further observation of children’s situations and responses to threats.

Keywords: children’s rights, human rights, child, Convention on the Rights of the Child, Janusz Korczak