Click to expand Image Children wait near the site of Okhmatdyt children’s hospital hit by Russian missiles, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 8, 2024. © 2024 Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo In the process leading toward a new international treaty to prevent and punish crimes against humanity, there is already growing, cross-regional support to ensure the final effort includes justice for crimes against children. In recent weeks, countries submitted formal proposals for amendments to the draft articles under consideration for the treaty. A civil society coalition, including Human Rights Watch, has supported this process.Unlike for war crimes and genocide, there is no dedicated international treaty under which countries agree to prosecute or extradite those responsible for crimes against humanity. If negotiations yield a new and broadly ratified treaty, this effort would close that gap.Crimes against humanity entail some of the worst crimes during a widespread or systematic attack on civilians: murder, extermination, torture, sexual violence, persecution, and more. Despite children being routinely targeted, the current draft articles mention children only in the preamble and in the definition of enslavement. This low starting point makes the new proposals especially significant:Of the 63 countries who submitted proposals, 16 explicitly supported recognizing age as a basis for persecution, showing that at least a quarter (25%) of them are in favor of this change.14 (22%) proposed creating a new crime of “recruiting persons under the age of 18 as part of the attack, or using them to participate in the attack.”12 (19%) proposed excluding people who were children at the time of the alleged crime from the adult criminal justice system’s jurisdiction.Other countries proposed ensuring child victims and witnesses have access to justice and to reparation procedures. Given how often children are overlooked in such proceedings, making protections explicit is critical. Some proposed amendments came from countries such as Liberia and Colombia with first-hand experience in these crimes.The civil society coalition has supported this process by elaborating the firm legal basis for these proposals, and the value of aligning the new treaty and international criminal law more broadly with progress made on other fronts, from human rights law on child soldiers to enabling children to testify safely.In 18 months, delegates will come together to negotiate the treaty’s content. The solid set of children’s rights proposals already put forward provides a strong foundation for that negotiation. All countries should consider the proposals carefully and come to the conference ready to use this singular opportunity to protect children.