General Comment No. 16 (2013) on State obligations regarding the impact of business on children’s rights

Adopted by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in February 2013, General Comment No. 16 addresses the state obligations regarding the impact of businesses on children’s rights. It is one of the most recent pieces of international law available on business and children’s rights. It includes guidance on the measures of implementation that are required to prevent and remedy violations of child rights by business actors, and ensure business enterprises carry out their responsibilities in the realisation of the rights of the child and encourage business to positively contribute to the realisation of these rights. The General Comment is guided by the principles of the CRC throughout: the best interests of the child (article 3(1)) ; the right to non-discrimination (article 2); the right of the child to be heard (article 12) and the right to life, survival and development (article 6).