How does the international community monitor and support progress on the implementation of the Convention?
Governments that have ratified the Convention have to submit regular reports on the status of children’s rights in their countries to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The countries that have signed the Convention have to present their first report within two years after ratifying the Convention. Afterwards they have to present a report every five years. The Committee sits in Geneva and is composed of 10 member states with different judicial systems that have a great moral integrity and a recognized competence concerning the rights of the child. The members of the Committee are elected by the governments that have ratified the Convention, but act on personal behalf and do not represent their countries. The Committee encourages States to take special measures and to develop special institutions for the promotion and protection of children’s rights. The Committee does not supervise the personal behaviour of individuals, nor does it receive complaints from civilians. Where necessa
