[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 30 (Monday, July 31, 2000)]
[Pages 1702-1703]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of 
the Child

July 27, 2000

    This week I sent to the Senate two historic United Nations protocols 
that will protect the world's children in unprecedented new ways. Over 
the past 7 years, I am proud of the work we have done with Congress on a 
bipartisan basis to stand up for young people and protect the dignity 
and rights of children around the world. These two protocols will

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build on that work. One of these agreements prohibits the forcible 
recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. The other protects 
children from slavery, prostitution, and pornography. Together, they 
represent a large step forward in the international effort to eliminate 
abuses committed against our children and keep them safe.
    Both of these agreements were adopted by the U.N. General Assembly 
on May 25th, and the United States was among the first nations to sign 
them. I was pleased to see that both the Senate (on June 7th) and the 
House of Representatives (on July 11th) expressed their support for the 
Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Neither 
agreement will create obligations for the United States under any 
international agreement to which we are not a party. I am hopeful that 
the Senate will act quickly and give its advice and consent to both of 
these agreements by the end of the year.