As world leaders gather in New York this week, child rights experts and advocates are calling on all governments to strengthen the Convention by ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure – or OP3 for short. This treaty helps children seek justice through the UN when their national legal system cannot provide a remedy for violations of their rights. The OP3 allows children or their representatives to report rights violations directly to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which will then investigate their complaints, and can ask governments to take action. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children and the International Coalition Ratify OP3CRC* welcome the recent ratifications of Ireland, Monaco and Andorra during the Treaty Event on the occasion of the UN General Assembly. They are calling upon more governments to solidly commit to children’s rights by ratifying the OP3 before the Convention’s 25th anniversary on November 20, 2014. - See more at: http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/story/2014-09-26_1135#sthash.fqf13in3.dpuf