The Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes parents and other primary caregivers as children’s first educators. The Committee on the Rights of the Child in its General Comment No. 7 (paras. 15 to 21 and 29) elaborates in detail the parental responsibilities and the assistance States need to provide to the parents in performing their child-rearing responsibilities, especially at the early childhood. This includes a) enhancing parents' understanding of their role; b) providing services, assistance and programmes and c) ensuring their participation in the planning and execution of children’s policies and programmes.  The set of indicators in this section focuses on the second aspect – assessing if States provide necessary services and other assistance to parents in performing child-rearing responsibilities.
 
The two sub-indicators evaluate if  States have legal and/or policy provisions for assisting parents with childcare services.   
Note that laws / legislative provisions will be more protective than policies. For more information see our webpage ‘What information to look at’ and chapter 6 of the RTE / UNESCO Right to Education handbook.

• Existence of laws and/or policies that guarantees child care services for children of working parents

States have to provide assistance to parents and legal guardians in performing their child-rearing facilities. In order to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life, States have to establish child care institutions, facilities and services  for which they are eligible.

Human Rights Standards:

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Articles 18.2, 18.3, General Comment No. 7 (para. 21) ; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Article 11.2 (c), General Comment No. 34 (paras. 43(g) and 52(h) and General Comment No. 35 (para.31 (a.iii); ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183).

• Existence of law and/or policies that guarantees maternity/paternity/parental leave for working parents

Maternity, paternity or parental leave is paid time off that parents are entitled to care for the newborn child. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has made the provision for child welfare and maternity protection a primary concern since its inception. While most countries have adopted legislative provisions on maternity protection at work, it doesn’t cover a specific category of workers, especially those in the informal sector (e.g. Domestic workers, agricultural workers, women in small and medium-sized enterprises and migrant workers).  On the other hand, not all countries have legal provisions for paternity leave, although it is essential to promote equal responsibility of both parents in child care and the overall development of a child. This indicator examines if maternity/paternity/ parental leave are guaranteed in laws and policies at the national level.  

For more details about maternity, paternity or parental leave refer to ILO policy brief: Maternity and Paternity at work: Law and practice across the world.

Human Rights Standards:

ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183), and Maternity Protection Recommendation, 2000 (No. 191); Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 18; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Article 11.2 (b).