and observations to State parties with a view to strengthening the capacity and mandate of the national preventive mechanisms; and (c) Cooperates with relevant United Nations bodies as well as international, regional and national bodies for the prevention of ill-treatment. F. Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) The first treaty to deal comprehensively with the rights of children was the Convention on the Rights of the Child. While children, as human beings under 18 years of age, of course enjoy all of the human rights set Four “general principles” for implementing children’s rights out in the other treaties, restating these rights in a single compreThe Committee on the Rights of the hensive document with emphasis Child has identified four general prinon the particular circumstances ciples contained in the Convention of children and the conditions which should guide the way States implement children’s rights: required for them to enjoy their rights provided an opportunity to 1.  Non-discrimination: the obligadevelop additional provisions reltion of States to respect and ensure the rights set forth in the Convention to evant to them. each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind (art. 2); Both article 24 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 10 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provide that children are entitled to any special measures of protection that they require as children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out these measures in much greater detail. For example, particular provisions cover the child’s right to an identity (arts. 7 and 8), separation from parents (art. 9), family reunification (art. 10), the illicit transfer of children (art.11), protection from abuse (art. 19) and adoption (art. 21). Article 22 addresses the particular situation of child refugees. Recognizing the particular vulnerabilities of chil- 2.  The best interests of the child: that the best interests of the child should be a primary consideration in all actions concerning the child (art. 3); 3.  The right to life, survival and development: the child’s inherent right to life and State parties’ obligation to ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child (art. 6); 4.  The views of the child about his or her own situation: the child’s right to express his or her views freely in “all matters affecting the child”, those views being given due weight “in accordance with the age and maturity of the child” (art. 12). For more information, see the Committee’s general comment No. 5 (2003). 12