The Office of the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights was created during its 100th regular session held in Washington D.C. from September 24 to October 13, 1998, for the purpose of bolstering respect for the human rights of children and adolescents in the Americas. One of the seven Commissioners designated by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is responsible for the rapporteurship.

The Rapporteurship on the Rights of the Child cooperates with the analysis and evaluation of the situation of the human rights of children in the Americas. The Rapporteurship provides advice to the IACHR in the proceedings of individual petitions, cases and requests of precautionary and provisional measures which address the rights of the child. Likewise, the Rapporteurship undertakes on site visits in the OAS Member States and prepares studies and publications.