The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) calls for complete
adherence to Child Rights. To fulfil all these rights, societies would have to
recognize all children as equal citizens, irrespective of their social,
economic or personal attributes. While many of the Caribbean countries
have ratified the CRC, policies and programmes continue to be centred on
groups of children considered to be more productive. Such a narrow view
of citizenship and economic development has meant that some individuals

We view indicators of success in health in the Caribbean with some

ambivalence. Macro-level indicators mask the inequities that threaten the

health of one of the most vulnerable groups in the society: the children. This

paper examines child health rights in five Caribbean countries: Barbados,

Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. These countries

present interesting similarities and contrasts. They vary in size,

population and economic performance, yet they have all recorded either