Article 10 of the UNCRC says children and young people should be able to stay in contact with and visit their parents, even if they live in different countries. It also says children and young people should be able to live with their parents if possible and talks about the ways in which States should make this happen.
In particular, it says that:
- children and young people should be able to enter countries to see one or both of their parents, either permanently or as a visitor,
- children and young people should be able to enter and leave countries in order to see a parent, and a parent should be able to enter and leave a country in order to see them, and
- children and young people should always be able to enter and leave their own country.
Relevant General Comments
The Committee on the Rights of the Child has produced many General Comments that help people understand how the UNCRC works in practice.
Some General Comments that are relevant to Article 10 are:
- General Comment 6, on the treatment of unaccompanied and separated children outside their country of origin,
- General Comment 22, on general principles around human rights of children in the context of international migration, and
- General Comment 23, on state obligations regarding human rights of children in the context of international migration.
Days of General Discussion
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child facilitates Days of General Discussion where experts from around the world can discuss a child rights issue in detail. The reports of their discussions are a helpful tool to understand how the UNCRC should be interpreted.
2012’s Day of General Discussion on the rights of all children in the context of international migration is relevant to Article 10.