Child Rights at the Human Rights Council 57

8 March 2010 - Child Rights at the Human Rights Council 57

 

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Children Have Rights Too!
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Child rights news

Welcome to the first of this week’s series of daily Human Rights Council CRINMAILs. Having identified week 2 of the 13th session as the most significant for the rights of the child, we will be producing daily reports summarising news, reports and events.

We will, in particular, be reporting from the Day on the Rights of the Child which, on Wednesday, will focus on sexual violence.

Our aim is to give a flavour of the proceedings, however for a more detailed account of the plenary (full) sessions, visit the International Service for Human Rights here: http://www.ishr.ch/publications

Elsewhere in Geneva, a series of crucial meetings on the efforts to establish a complaint mechanism to the Convention on the Rights of the Child will be taking place. Those attending are hoping to formulate a firm plan for the drafting process for a new Optional Protocol (what is this?) to the Convention - which would be required to give the new mechanism effect.

Gender was a recurrent theme during Monday’s plenary session and side events, given that it was International Women’s Day. You can read a statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, which focuses on honour killings and domestic violence, here

Torture and FGM

In the morning plenary session, Professor Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, presented his latest report.

In particular, he praised Togo and Nigeria for outlawing FGM. However, he said more needed to be done to “root out FGM practices and bring perpetrators to justice.

He added that although violence against women and children is recognised as a major human rights violation, very little is done in practice to combat it.

He said: “For those involved, it makes very little difference whether they suffer violence as a result of prison officers, or family members.”

Professor Nowak also strongly urged the Human Rights Council to begin the drafting process for a World Court of Human Rights.

You can read reference to children’s rights in Professor Nowak’s report here

Side event: Educating African Children

A lunch time side-event focused on the Right to Education of Children at Risk in Africa.

Scott Campbell, of OHCHR, noted that the right to education, in international law, had been established at both global and regional levels. He went on to focus on the right to education in respect of girls, who are discriminated against in education by virtue of their gender. For example, he said: “The fear of sexual violence, which can be prevalent in schools, may simply deter girls from going to school.”

Mr Crispin Mulumba, of the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE) in the DRC, spoke of the activities of BICE in the DRC. Mr Antoine Akplogan, of BICE in Mali, said that members of his organisation were among the first to begin working with children in conflict with the law in the mid 1990s. Many girls were among those in prison. He emphasised that education can play a preventative role, and that community participation was crucial. Harmful traditional practices could act as a powerful impediment to realising the rights of girls, he said. Read more about BICE here: http://www.biceinternational.org/

Access for Special Procedures crucial

During the afternoon session, in response to statements from Member States, Professor Nowak emphasised that: “Every government in the world can eradicate torture if it so wishes.”

He also spoke of the conduct of countries in allowing, or preventing, access to UN human rights experts. In particular, he said that the conduct of Zimbabwe had been “disgraceful” for a UN Member State. Nowak was deported from the country in October 2009, one day after arriving to investigate torture allegations.

He added that his criticism of the conduct of some countries was intended in the spirit of constructive criticism, and in order to further the principles of the Human Rights Council.

Other reports

For a list of all reports submitted for the 13th Session, click here

Key reports related to child rights include:
- Report of the SP on Torture and other cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment
- Report of the Working Group on enforced and involuntary disappearances
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Report of the Working Group on arbitary detention
- Report of the SG on internally displaced persons

Further information

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Sexual violence: Side event at the Human Rights Council

Sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway in cooperation with Plan, Terre des Hommes International, International Save the Children Alliance, Bureau International Catholique de l’Enfance, Women World Summit Foundation (WWSMF), World Vision International and the NGO group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

With the participation of Ms. Marta Santos Pais, the UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children, this meeting will examine:

  • The reality of sexual violence against boys and girls within the home and in school
  • Good practices for the protection of children and for the consolidation of child protection systems
  • The importance of participation, especially youth involvement as a protection tool against sexual violence, including youth involvements
  • Children’s immediate surroundings, such as the family and the school settings are often perceived as having the greatest potential to protect children from all forms of violence. Sadly, for many children this is not the case. Every year, all over the world, many children become victims of sexual violence, often perpetrated by people who are responsible for their care and protection, including family members, care takers and teachers.

This side-event on sexual violence at homes and in schools, sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign affairs of Norway, takes place at the Human rights Council at Palais des Nations, room XXI on the 11 th of March 2010 at 13-15.00.

Read more about the annual debate on the rights of the child here

For more information, contact:
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 8114 Dep.
N-0032 Oslo
Tel: +47 22 24 36 00; Fax: +47 22 24 95 80/81
Website: http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ud.html?id=833

Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=22094

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Special Procedures: List of Vacancies and Upcoming Visits
[news]

Find out whether a UN expert is visiting your country here

The following positions of the current mandate holders of Special Procedures will come to an end in June 2010:

  • Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (Member from the Group of Latin America and Caribbean States) More here.
  • Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitary executions - More here
  • Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights - More here
  • Special Rapporteur on the freedom of religion or belief - More here
  • Special Rapporteur on the right to education - More here
  • Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - More here.
  • Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Burundi - More here

For more information, contact:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Office at Geneva
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

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News in Brief

Read NGO written statements to the 13th session: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/sdpage_e.aspx?b=10&se=104&t=7

Read the opening statement by Ms. Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to the Human Rights Council 13th Session: http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=9853&La...

**Coming up tomorrow**:
Council of Europe side event on violence against children :
Click here
for a programme of the event
Click here for background information (guidelines for the protection of children)

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