USING INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INSTITUTIONS TO PROTECT CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law and Physicians for Social Responsibility, provides a comprehensive framework for using international law and institutions to protect children's environmental health. It details how human rights, labor, environmental, and health treaties can be leveraged to hold governments accountable, build capacity, and resolve disputes regarding the disproportionate vulnerability of children to environmental toxins and degradation.

• Children are biologically and socially more vulnerable to environmental hazards than adults. Biologically, they breathe, ingest, and absorb more toxins on a weight-basis ratio and have developing organs, such as kidneys, that do not reach full functional capacity until their first birthday. Socially, they lack legal capacity and are dependent on adults to represent their interests.
• International law provides several 'blueprints for action' to protect children, categorized into human rights, labor, environment, and health. Key instruments include the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which recognizes the right to the highest attainable standard of health, and the San Salvador Protocol and African Charter, which explicitly recognize the right to a healthy environment.
• Environmental treaties address specific threats to children's health through various mechanisms: the Stockholm Convention targets Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs); the Rotterdam Convention manages the prior informed consent for hazardous chemicals in trade; and the Basel Convention controls the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes.
• Air pollution treaties include the Montreal Protocol, which phases out ozone-depleting substances to reduce UV radiation risks for children, and the Kyoto Protocol, which sets greenhouse gas emission limits to mitigate climate change impacts, such as increased water-borne diseases from flooding.
• The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the first multilateral instrument to address a public health concern, specifically targeting the risks of secondhand smoke to children and prohibiting the sale of tobacco to and by minors.
• Customary international law offers three key principles for protecting children: State Responsibility for Transboundary Harm (preventing damage to other nations), the Precautionary Principle (taking action despite scientific uncertainty to prevent irreversible damage), and Intergenerational Equity (conserving resources for future generations).
• Compliance with international obligations is encouraged through reporting requirements and monitoring committees. For example, the CRC allows NGOs to submit 'Alternative Reports' and the ICCPR provides a formal individual petition procedure to report violations.
• International institutions provide programmatic support for children's environmental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) established the Healthy Environments for Children Alliance (HECA) to reduce environmental risks, while UNICEF supports the implementation of the CRC and provides technical advice on water and sanitation.
• International financial institutions, such as the World Bank and regional development banks, can both benefit and harm children's health. While they fund health and water projects, they may also fund dams or land-clearing that displace families or increase disease. Accountability mechanisms, like the World Bank Inspection Panel, allow affected communities to file complaints.

APA

Perrault, A., & Levitt, J. (2005). USING INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INSTITUTIONS TO PROTECT CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChildrensHealth_June2005.pdf

Chicago

Perrault, Anne, and Joanna Levitt. USING INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INSTITUTIONS TO PROTECT CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. Center for International Environmental Law, 2005. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChildrensHealth_June2005.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Perrault |first1=Anne |last2=Levitt |first2=Joanna |title=USING INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INSTITUTIONS TO PROTECT CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=31 March 2005 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChildrensHealth_June2005.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{perrault2005using, author = {Perrault, Anne and Levitt, Joanna}, title = {{USING INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INSTITUTIONS TO PROTECT CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2005}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChildrensHealth_June2005.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }