The Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes parents and other primary caregivers as children’s first educators.  The Committee on the Rights of the Child in its General Comment 7 (paras. 15 to 21 and 29) elaborates in detail the parental responsibilities and the assistance states need to provide to the parents in performing their child-rearing responsibilities, especially in early childhood. This includes a) enhancing parents' understanding of their role; b) providing services and programmes and c) ensuring their participation in the planning and execution of children’s policies and programmes. The set of indicators in this section focuses on the first aspect – assessing various measures taken by the States in enhancing the understanding of parents about their role in children’s early education, development and welfare, protecting children from violence and also on common responsibilities of both parents in the upbringing and development of the child.  Such measures include parenting skills education, home visitation, support groups, family counselling and publicity campaigns and workshops. The indicators given below can be assessed separately or together depending on the scope of the monitoring. 

• Measures taken to enhance parents’ understanding of the importance of their children’s early education 

Comments: 

Lack of concrete measures to enhance parents' understanding of the importance of their children's early education may reduce the likelihood that parents will send their children to pre-primary schools.

Human Rights Standards: 

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Articles 6.2, 29.1, General Comment No. 7 (paras. 20, 21 and 28); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Article 10, General Comment No. 36 (paras. 36 and 39.a); Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families, Article 30, Joint General comment No. 4 (para. 59), Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 24, General Comment No.4 (para. 65).

• Measures taken to enhance the understanding of parents and legal guardians on the holistic development of a child covering aspects related to nutrition, health, safety and development

Comments: 

Lack of adequate knowledge of parents, the primary caregivers on children’s nutrition, health and safety, may affect the holistic development of a child. Therefore, as emphasised in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (article 24) guidance should be provided to parents about healthy and safe child-rearing practices. This includes promoting parental education on essential child health aspects, such as breastfeeding, nutrition, hygiene, preventive health care, sanitation, and protecting children from harm due to accidents and violence for both parents and caregivers of young children. For more details refer to General Comment No. 7 (para. 27)  and General Comment No. 15 (paras. 64 and 67), Committee on the Rights of the Child. 

Human Rights Standards:

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 24.2 (e) (f), General Comment No.7 (para. 27.b) and General Comment No. 15 (paras. 64 and 67).

• Measures taken to enhance the understanding of parents and legal guardians on non-violent child-rearing responsibilities and protecting children from violence and abuse

Comment:

Violence against children is widespread, across different cultures and societies. It occurs everywhere including homes, schools and streets; in places of work and entertainment, and care and detention centres. At home, children may be exposed to either violent situations or experience violence by parents and other close family members – physical, sexual and psychological violence, as well as deliberate neglect. At the same time, families hold the greatest potential for protecting children from all forms of violence and empowering them to protect themselves. Therefore, it is key to promote parental education programmes for parents and other caregivers about positive and non-violent parenting, reducing home and family violence and protecting children from violence in other situations.  

The Committee on the Rights of Child (CRC), through a series of General Comments including General Comment No.  8, 13, 24 and 26 provide guidance on how States can meet their obligations to protect children from violence.  In these General Comments, the Committee highlights preventive strategies which include enhancing parents' understanding of good child-rearing and promoting non-violent forms of parenting. For instance, refer below to some references from the general comments:

‘The promotion of non-violent forms of parenting and education should be built into all the points of contact between the State and parents and children, in health, welfare and educational services, including early childhood institutions, day-care centres and schools.’ CRC General Comment No. 8: The right of the child to protection from corporal punishment and other cruel or degrading forms of punishment (arts. 19; 28, para. 2; and 37, inter alia) (para. 48.)

‘Supporting parents and caregivers to understand, embrace and implement good child-rearing, based on knowledge of child rights, child development and techniques for positive discipline to support families’ capacity to provide children with care in a safe environment.’ CRC General Comment No. 13  on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence (para. 47 c(i)).

Human Rights standards:

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 19, General Comment No. 8, (paras. 44 and 48), General Comment No. 13 (paras. 8, 44.c, 47.c (I -vi), 66, 72.e, General Comment No. 24 (para. 10).

Reference: 

World Report on Violence Against Children

• Measures taken to promote equal responsibility of parents – emphasising that father and mother have equal roles in the upbringing and development of the child

Both parents have to play an equal role in taking up child-rearing responsibilities. As emphasised by CEDAW (art. 5(b), family education should emphasise ‘the common responsibility of men and women in the upbringing and development of their children’. By encouraging fathers to play an equal role in the care and development of their young children, States should promote gender-transformative early childhood care and development. This indicator assesses if the parental education undertaken by the States is gender responsive and has provisions for promoting and engaging men in the care work of young children. 

Human Rights Standards: 

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Article 5(b)); Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art. 18, General Comment No. 7 (para. 19); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, General Recommendation No.3, General Comment  No.36 (para. 27b, c).  

Reference:

To know more about engaging fathers in care work, refer to, Plan International (2021), Promoting Men’s Engagement in Early Childhood Development -  A Programming and Influencing Package,