Children's rights and wrongs: respect, equality and dignity.

Despite the almost global ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Ireland and the international community fall short on the full realisation of these standards. Among the many pervasive and enduring failures are the persistence of child poverty, inadequate access to healthcare services, inequality of access to education, and continued discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, and disability. A highly relevant concern in today's world is the increasing exposure of children to armed conflict and our inability to effect change. This paper reviews the progress made in upholding children's rights and areas of ongoing concern.