Thailand Withdraws Reservation to CRC Article 22, Strengthening Rights of Refugee Children

The withdrawal fulfills a key promise Thailand made at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum in Geneva and underscores the importance of recognizing the equal rights of refugee children.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has welcomed the Royal Thai Government's decision to withdraw its reservation to Article 22 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which pertains to the rights of refugee children. This decision reaffirms Thailand’s commitment to ensuring that refugee children receive the same rights to education, healthcare, legal protection, and family reunification as any other child under the CRC.

The withdrawal fulfills a key promise Thailand made at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum in Geneva and underscores the importance of recognizing the equal rights of refugee children. UNHCR, while commending the decision, emphasizes that effective implementation will be crucial. Existing legal frameworks in Thailand, such as the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on alternatives to detention, the country’s inclusive education policies, and the National Screening Mechanism for asylum-seekers, already reflect Thailand’s efforts to protect refugee rights.

By expanding legal protection and improving access to essential services, Thailand is creating a more inclusive environment for refugee children, despite not being a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. UNHCR hopes these efforts will contribute to ending the detention of refugee children in Thailand.

This development comes as the world faces unprecedented levels of forced displacement, with children being particularly vulnerable. Thailand currently hosts over 81,000 refugees from Myanmar in nine temporary shelters along its border, as well as over 5,500 refugees and asylum-seekers from more than 40 countries outside of these shelters.