Modern society has recently recognized the need for special protections for children, and many of these have become enshrined in international legal agreements. The politics of children's rights protection differs from that of adults, because children typically require advocates willing to articulate and press their interests. International law can play an important role in advocacy on behalf of children. One of the most important things international law can do is to provide a rights-based framework at least to supplement the protective framework that has a much longer history in many societies and their constitutions. Moreover, it can provide a lever to give their would-be advocates influence over policies likely to have an important impact on the well-being of those who are not able to organize and speak for themselves.

This chapter explores the extent to which the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its Optional Protocol Relating to Children in Armed Conflict (OPCAC) have been important in improving the lot of the world's children.