There are visible differences between the two legally binding documents of children's rights: the Unites Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child (UNDRC)(1959) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)(1989). Although there are some similarities within the content of the documents.
Differences:
- UNDRC has 10 articles; UNCRC has 54 articles.
- UNDRC does not include a definition of what is considered 'a child' within their articles; unlike the UNCRC who included this definition in their first article.
- UNDRC only consists of one section; UNCRC has three parts, including the main articles, the compliance agreement articles, and the implementation agreement articles.
- More issues that children face are covered in the UNCRC than in the UNDRC.
- The rights of protection for children with disabilities is listed early in the UNDRD (5th) rather than later on in the UNCRC (23rd).
Similarities:
- Both documents include articles on protection from discrimination.
- All of the articles within the UNDRD are covered in the UNCRC