What are General Comments?

UN treaty bodies, including the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, produce General Comments to provide further explanation of the rights outlined in the UN treaties.

A General Comment can cover:

• a specific article (such as the CRC’s General Comment 12 on the right of the child to be heard); or
• an issue affecting children and young people that the Committee feels needs further guidance (such as the CRC’s General Comment 21 on children in street situations)

What Topics do the General Comments Cover?

The Committee on the Rights of the Child has produced 24 General Comments to date:

• General Comment 1 (2001) - Education
• General Comment 2 (2002) - Role of National Human Rights Institutions
• General Comment 3 (2003) - HIV/AIDS and Children's Rights 
• General Comment 4 (2003) - Adolescent Health 
• General Comment 5 (2003) - General Measures of Implementation
• General Comment 6 (2005) - Unaccompanied Children
• General Comment 7 (2005) - Early Childhood
• General Comment 8 (2006) - Cruel and Degrading Treatment
• General Comment 9 (2006) - Children with Disabilities
• General Comment 10 (2007) - Juvenile Justice
• General Comment 11 (2009) - Indigenous Children
• General Comment 12 (2009) - Right to be Heard
• General Comment 13 (2011) - Violence
• General Comment 14 (2013) - Best Interests of the Child
• General Comment 15 (2013) - Health
• General Comment 16 (2013) - Business and Children's Rights
• General Comment 17 (2013) - Rest, Leisure, Play and Cultural Life
• General Comment 18 (revised 2019) - Harmful Practices
• General Comment 19 (2016) - Public Budgeting and Children's Rights
• General Comment 20 (2016) - Adolescence 
• General Comment 21 (2017) - Children in Street Situations
• General Comment 22 (2017) - International Migration: General Principles
• General Comment 23 (2017) - International Migration: Transit and Destination Countries
• General Comment 24 (2019) - Children’s Rights in the Child Justice System (replaces General Comment 10)
• General Comment 25 (2021) - Children’s Rights in relation to the Digital Environment