"A Chance to Protect Children and the Environment: Children face twin threat from pollution and climate change," 22 Sept 2016

…This week, the United Nations’ expert body on child rights will meet governments, experts, nongovernmental organizations, and affected children to find ways of better protecting children’s rights in the context of environmental harm…Too often, governments fail to regulate businesses that generate toxins to which children are then exposed. Human Rights Watch has documented the consequences of those failures…Because of this exposure, children – whose developing bodies are especially vulnerable – have become sick and even died…Governments, supported by the UN and civil society groups, need to take comprehensive action. They should properly regulate businesses, monitor children’s exposure to toxic chemicals, and ensure that those responsible for harming children are held accountable. Too often governments and UN agencies approach the environment and children’s rights as totally separate things. Environmental treaties, laws, and policies on chemicals, climate change, or other environmental issues often fail to address child rights. But research shows they are inextricably linked…