The United Nations Human Rights System Date of adoption Date of entry into force Number of State parties Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) • Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) 10 Dec 1984 26 June 1987 164 18 Dec 2002 22 June 2006 88 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) • Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (CRC-OPAC) • Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC-OPSC) • Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure (CRC-OPIC) 20 Nov 1989 25 May 2000 2 Sept 1990 12 Feb 2002 196 167 25 May 2000 18 Jan 2002 174 19 Dec 2011 14 April 2014 39 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW) 18 Dec 1990 1 July 2003 52 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) • Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (OP-CRPD) 13 Dec 2006 13 Dec 2006 3 May 2008 3 May 2008 177 91 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED) 20 Dec 2006 23 Dec 2010 58 Treaties and their optional protocols 1 ÎÎIf you wish to be informed of the status of ratification of any country, including acceptance of any complaint procedure, click here or visit the OHCHR website at the following link: http://indicators.ohchr.org/ Sometimes States enter one or more reservations to human rights treaties. A reservation is a unilateral statement made by a State – however phrased or named – by which it purports to exclude or modify the legal effect of a treaty provision in its application to that State. A reservation may be entered when signing, ratifying, accepting, approving or acceding to a treaty by the Head of State or Government or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or a person acting in that capacity or having delegated authority for that purpose from one of the authorities mentioned above). Reservations made on simple signature (i.e., signature subject to ratification) are declaratory in nature and must be confirmed on ratification. The reservation is permitted only if (1) it is not explicitly prohibited by the treaty; (2) it is explicitly authorized by the treaty itself (specified reservation); or (3) the reservation is compatible with the object and purpose of the treaty. Reservations that do not fall within these categories are considered invalid, devoid of any legal effect, and thus null and void. Other State parties or signatories to the treaty may lodge objections to a State party’s reservation. Furthermore, the objecting State may declare that its objection has the effect of precluding, between itself and the reserving State, the entry into force of the provisions of the treaty affected by the reservation, or of the treaty itself. Reservations may be withdrawn completely or partially by the State Party at any time. 7