Rights group welcomes global support for treaty to guarantee the right to free education – JURIST

Human Rights Watch (HRW) welcomed on Thursday that significant progress has been achieved globally towards strengthening children’s rights in its 2025 highlights. It praised various measures adopted by some countries to protect children’s right to education. However, it stressed that an international treaty remains necessary to complement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

HRW highlighted that the positive measures implemented by different countries pave the way for an international treaty to further strengthen every child’s right to free education. For instance, countries such as Japan and Malawi abolished education fees in public secondary schools, while Vietnam enacted free tuition for all public schools. Additionally, the US and Kosovo endorsed the Safe School Declaration, which is an international political commitment that requires the protection of schools, students, and teachers during armed conflicts.

HRW added that the most significant step was the September 2025 meeting in the UN, where 92 countries gathered to consider the creation of a treaty to guarantee free education for all children from pre-primary school to secondary school. The potential treaty would be an optional protocol to the UNCRC. It is expected to address the gaps that exist in the mentioned convention, which only mandates free primary education.

According to HRW, free education should include early childhood as well as secondary levels, which are as important as primary schooling. The inclusion of free access to both pre-primary and secondary education would help unify the currently fragmented global approaches to free education. The rights group further emphasized that establishing this “universal guarantee” would enable millions of disadvantaged children to access education.

Another innovation of this treaty was the direct participation of children in the UN discussions. These young advocates expressed their support for the treaty and drew attention to the fact that barriers such as high education costs, social inequality, and inadequate infrastructure in schools continue to restrict access to education for children in many countries.

On the other hand, HRW pointed out that other improvements have been achieved regarding child labor and the protection of children’s online safety. However, more efforts are still needed in these subjects in order to further improve the global situation.

Children’s rights have been a subject of global concern due to the growing challenges that are threatening their basic rights, ranging from online threats to armed conflicts. In November, HRW reported that the French territory of Mayotte failed to provide education to all children in the country. In June, the UN recorded the highest number of violations against children in armed conflicts.

UNICEF has also expressed concerns about the high rates of child poverty worldwide, which impacts their general well-being and their right to education. Other concerns have been raised about children’s access to harmful content on social media, which has led countries such as Denmark and Australia to impose a minimum age to access social media platforms.