The Right to Child Nutrition in the Mirror of Human Rights Law: International Norms and Legal Obligations

Background and Aims: Malnutrition remains one of the most pressing and pervasive threats to children’s survival and development globally. Despite significant progress in public health and food production, millions of children continue to suffer from undernutrition, stunting, and food insecurity. The right to adequate nutrition for children is not merely a policy goal but a binding human right recognized under international law, particularly in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This article explores how international human rights law frames the right to child nutrition, identifies legal shortcomings, and offers recommendations for stronger state obligations and accountability mechanisms. Method: This research applies a normative legal methodology, drawing on textual analysis of international treaties, General Comments by UN treaty bodies, and case law from regional human rights systems. The study also examines thematic reports from the UN Special Rapporteurs on the Right to Food and documents from UNICEF, WHO, and FAO. Select case studies from Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia are used to compare national legislative practices. Finding: The findings indicate that while the right to nutrition is widely recognized, enforcement mechanisms remain weak, especially in contexts of conflict, poverty, and systemic inequality. Many states have failed to integrate the right to food into domestic law or to develop rights-based nutrition policies. Furthermore, gender inequality, political instability, and inadequate social safety nets significantly impair children’s access to adequate nutrition. In positive examples, some countries have adopted constitutional guarantees and nutrition-sensitive legislation that link health, education, and social protection with food rights. Conclusion: To effectively realize the right to child nutrition, legal frameworks must move beyond aspirational commitments and impose enforceable duties on states. International bodies should strengthen

کلیدواژه ها:

Child Nutrition ، Human Rights Law ، International Law ، Malnutrition ، Right to Food