27 March 2007 - Child Rights at the Human Rights Council 27
- Child Rights Caucus: Morning briefing with Special Rapporteur on Health [event]
- PLENARY SESSION – Presentation of reports of Special Procedures [update]
- *Coming up**
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Children Have Rights Too!
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This update is also available in Word format at: http://www.crin.org/docs/HRC_Daily_briefing_6.doc
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Child Rights Caucus: Morning briefing with Special Rapporteur on Health [event]
27 March 2007, Right to Health must be seen as “fundamental human right”
The profile of the Right to Health needs a boost, Paul Hunt, Special Rapporteur on the Right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, said today.
Mr Hunt, speaking at the Child Rights Caucus morning briefing, said most health professionals he talks to have no knowledge of the Right to Health, or of how a human rights perspective can help them do their jobs better.
He identified discrimination, particularly against women and children, and poverty as the main obstacles to health provision in his report to the Human Rights Council. He aims to determine how people in poorer areas, and disadvantaged groups, can better access health care.
He said his report had three main goals:
- To raise the profile of the Right to Health as a fundamental human right.
- To clarify the meaning of human rights, and to better define country’s obligations
- To “operationalise” the Right, so that countries can put theory into practice
Mr Hunt stressed the Right to Health does not just mean the right to health care, but access to water, food, and sanitation. The duties of both national governments and the international community must be considered, while non-state actors such as pharmaceutical companies must also face up to their responsibilities, he said.
He spoke of his experience of Severe Withdrawal Syndrome in Sweden, which is especially prevalent amongst asylum-seeking children. The condition leads to a “withdrawal from the world in a sort of coma,” he said, adding it is a “very political issue” in Sweden which needs to be addressed. He has recommended the integral involvement of the children’s commissioner to ensure the issue becomes more than a mere medical or political matter.
He also raised the issue of maternal mortality, reporting that 500,000 women die in childbirth every year. He said the issue could become a vehicle for strengthening the health system as a whole.
Further information:
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PLENARY SESSION – Presentation of reports of Special Procedures [update]
The Human Rights Council this morning concluded the interactive dialogue on the reports by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Martin Scheinin, and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, which were presented yesterday.
In a Statement on arbitrary detention, Defence for Children International (DCI) said they were disappointed that the Special Rapporteur (on Torture) did not pay special attention to the over one million children being held in detention, where most of these children have not actually been convicted of any offence, or most of the convictions are only for petty crimes. Child detainees are at higher risk of suffering from physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. “No child should be deprived of his or her liberty and pre-trial detention should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only for the shortest amount of time”, the speaker said.
In the afternoon, the Council discussed the reports of its Special Procedures on the freedom of religion or belief, on people of African descent, on the freedom of opinion and expression and on racism and discrimination.
Although there were no specific mentions to children’s rights, Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, said her report that many of the communications and urgent appeals concern cases where women (and girls) suffer from aggravated discrimination with regard to their religious, ethnic and sexual identities. Women in many countries appear to be victims of double or triple forms of aggravated discrimination, owing to serious restrictions in the areas of education and employment.
Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, said the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression was a significant indicator of the level of protection and respect of all other human rights in a given society; not only did it benefit from a democratic environment, but it also contributed, and was indeed instrumental, to the emergence and existence of effective democratic systems.
Mr. Doudou Diene, Special Rapporteur on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and related intolerance highlighted examples of increasing racism and xenophobia taking different forms in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, particularly against minority groups. He said countries need to address socio-economic inequalities and recognise the importance to express firm political will to combat racism and discrimination.
For more information, read the report on ‘Child rights in the reports of the Special Procedures’: http://www.crin.org/docs/S.R.%20Summaries.doc
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**Coming up** 28 March 2007
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9 - 10 AM, Room 3023: Child Rights Caucus Morning Briefing with Ms Zerrougui, Chairperson of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
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2 - 4 PM, Room 12: "Negotiating Culture: Intersections between culture and women's human rights"
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1 – 3 PM, Room XXII: Business and Human Rights: A new approach at the UN?
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1 – 3 PM, Room XIX: Activist Summit on Darfur
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12.30 - 2 PM, Room 12 Old building: Human Rights Violations in Burma, launching 'State of Terror'
Full agenda is available online at: http://www.crin.org/hrc
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This update has been produced by CRIN, in collaboration with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Subgroup for the Commission on Human Rights. To subscribe, unsubscribe or view archives, visit http://www.crin.org/email.
Further information about the 4th Session of the Human Rights Council is available on the CRIN website at: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=12237. To submit information, email us on info@crin.org. CRIN, c/o Save the Children, 1, St John's Lane, London EC1M 4AR, UK.
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