General Comment No. 7

Indicator Set 17: Inclusive Policy and Provisions for Marginalised Groups

General Comment No. 7 emphasises that early childhood is, in its own right, a period of particular vulnerability and that young children are subject to exclusion on that basis alone. However, among all young children, GC7 (para. 36) identifies numerous other categories of vulnerability as subject to exclusion and/or discrimination. GC7 enhances the non-discriminatory language in article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child with respect to particular groups (for example, young children). It also highlights the potential for multidimensional discrimination (for example, of young girls, young disabled children, or young refugee children). This indicator cuts across all of the GC7 indicators as it deals with the umbrella right of CRC article 2 (non-discrimination) and also requests specific information on vulnerable or excluded populations.

Key Question: With respect to article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, what measures are in place to investigate and challenge the root causes of discrimination against young children and to ensure that young children from vulnerable populations are given equality of access to services of equal quality?

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