The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is now seeking public submissions about the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure (OPCP).

The OPCP entered into force in 2014 and provides communications procedures for taking claims to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. These communications would mainly consist of complaints that State parties have violated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Becoming a party to the OPCP would improve the protection of children’s rights in New Zealand by providing independent scrutiny of Government actions. There are three mechanisms available within the OPCP to hold State parties accountable under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child:

· Complaints can be submitted by, or on behalf of, individuals.

· The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child can inquire into alleged grave or systematic violations.

· State parties can make complaints of violations where both State parties have opted into the inter-State communications process.

Tell the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee what you think

Make a submission on the international treaty examination by 11.59pm on Friday, 3 December 2021.

For more details about the bill:

· Read the National Interest Analysis

· Read the Optional Protocol

· Follow the committee's Facebook page for updates

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