Does the Convention Undermine Parental Rights?

This essay examines the impact of the UNCRC on parental rights with regards to anti-vaccination and homeschooling. It discusses the benefits and criticisms of the Convention's decisions and emphasizes the need for parents to prioritize the welfare of their children.

DOES THE CONVENTION UNDERMINE PARENTAL RIGHTS?
Introduction
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a human
rights agreement, which decides the social, political, health and cultural rights of children, i.e.
those who are over eighteen years of age. The Convention is built of four principles – non
discrimination, devotion to the best interests of children, the right of children to life, survival
and development, and respect for the views of the child (CRC 1990). However, there are
many criticisms on the UNCRC that it tends to take away or undermine parental control, by
imposing its views on the society. In this essay, two societal issues – anti-vaccination and
homeschooling shall be discusses with respect to the standpoints of both the parents of the
children and the UNCRC.
Anti-vaccination
The anti-vaccination movement was started due to pseudoscience and religious
dominance over science and law. It gained traction over a fraudulent research by a discredited
doctor Andrew Wakefield, who had issued a report that linked the MMR vaccine with autism.
However, in spite of several clarifications by health personnel that there was no connection
between the two, this led to many parents not vaccinating their children (Blume 2006). In
order to combat this dangerous practice, the UNCRC mandated compulsory vaccinations for
vaccine-preventable diseases (UNCRC 2014). This is indeed a welcome step, as the
movement interferes with the right of children to life, survival, and development; not
vaccinating the children when they are not in a position to consent to the parent’s inclination
also violates children’s basic rights. This UNCRC decision would save the society from
pseudo-science.
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Homeschooling
Homeschooling is the method wherein the child is tutored at home by parents or
tutors. Homeschooling is preferred if the parents are dissatisfied with the quality of education
provided in school, concerned about the safety issues such as bullying, or if the child has
some special needs which the schools are unable to provide, etc. Even though homeschooling
has a great deal of benefits, many say that it lacks to provide the child a holistic education.
The UNCRC voices its concern over homeschooling, and has formed a protocol providing
regulations on parents who home-school their children, which choose to control the handling
of the children by the parents, to enable the children choose their own religious beliefs, etc
(UNCRC 2013). This has been severely criticized by many parents, who feel that the
UNHRC, by intending to protect the children, violates the human rights and privacy of the
parents.
Conclusion
Does the Convention undermine the rights of the parents? The insistence of UNCRC
on the rights of children has been received with mixed responses, depending on the cultural
upbringing and rigidity of the society. Many parents tend to impose their views on their
children, leading to violation of their rights by not acting in their best interests. Thus, it can
be concluded that even as there are many concerns to be addressed, the parents need to be
appreciate and abide by the decisions of the Convention, keeping ahead the welfare of the
children.
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REFERENCES
Blume, S 2006, 'Anti-vaccination movements and their interpretations', Social science &
medicine, vol 62, no. 3, pp. 628-642.
CRC 1990, 'The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child', UNICEF, UN, UK.
UNCRC, ICTAFRTT 2013, 'Ireland’s Consolidated Third and Fourth Reports to the UN
Committee on the Rights of the Child', UN Report, UNCRC, United Nations,
Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Ireland.
UNCRC, TFPRTT 2014, 'The Fifth Periodic Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of
the Child', UN Report, UNCRC, The United Nations, The United Nations, United
Kingdom.
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