Defence for Children International was founded during the international year of the child (1979) exclusively to promote and protect the rights of the child. DCI has had a considerable role in the drafting process of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, which entered into force in 1990. Today, some 188 countries have ratified this Convention and DCI participates actively in the monitoring mechanisms to check whether States Parties are implementing the provisions of the Convention. DCI is an international non-governmental organisation whose action in the field is carried out through Sections established in over 60 countries.