CRINmail 177
In this issue:
The terms of nine members of the 18-strong UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will expire in February 2019 and elections of the new members will be held at the UN in New York on 29 June 2018. The Committee is the world’s principal international human rights body for children, empowered to monitor how States implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), interpret its provisions and hear complaints about children's rights violations.
Elections for the Committee take place every two years, with half of the positions up for election or reelection. Candidates are nominated by States that have ratified or acceded to the CRC from among their nationals for a four year term, but elected members serve in their personal capacity, independent of the State which nominated them. The CRC says consideration should be given to “equitable geographical distribution, as well as to the principal legal systems.” The nine current Committee members whose terms expire on the 28 February 2019 are:
Ms. Suzanne AHO ASSOUMA, Togo (Vice-Chairperson) - Standing for re-election
Ms. Hynd AYOUBI IDRISSI, Morocco - Standing for re-election
Mr. Jorge CARDONA LLORENS, Spain
Mr. Bernard GASTAUD, Monaco (Rapporteur) - Standing for re-election
Mr. Hatem KOTRANE, Tunisia
Mr. Gehad MADI, Egypt - Standing for re-election
Mr. Clarence NELSON, Samoa (Vice-Chairperson) - Standing for re-election
Mr. José Angel RODRÍGUEZ REYES, Venezuela (Vice-Chairperson) - Standing for re-election
Ms. Kirsten SANDBERG, Norway
A questionnaire has been sent to all candidates standing for election and their responses and profiles will be published on the UN treaty body election website. In addition to the current members who are standing for reelection, the new candidates are:
Mr. Ayed, ABU EQTAISH - Palestine
Ms. Ella AGBO - Côte d’Ivoire
Mr. Muhammad Imman ALI - Bangladesh
Mr. Bragi GUDBRANDSSON - Iceland
Mr. Philip D. JAFFE - Switzerland
Mr. Dalibor JÍLEK - Czech Republic
Mr. Lucien Kayaba Téné KERE - Burkina Faso
Mrs. Faith MARSHALL-HARRIS - Barbados
Ms. Anne MUSIWA - Zimbabwe
Ms. Anta NDIAYE - Senegal
Mr. Ali Riza ÖNAY - Turkey
Ms. Aïssatou Alassane Moulaye SIDIKOU - Niger
We will bring you the full breakdown of the election results in the June edition of the UN CRINmail.
The UN Secretary-General has included Myanmar’s military in the annual list of parties that have committed sexual violence in armed conflict for the first time. The report details conflict-related sexual violence carried out in 2017 by national armed forces and non-state armed groups in 19 countries, spotlighting its use as a weapon of war and persecution. The report found that the Myanmar military's “widespread threat and use of sexual violence was integral to their strategy, humiliating, terrorising and collectively punishing the Rohingya community.” The report found that sexual violence was used against women and girls, who are seen as custodians and propagators of ethnic identity, as well as on young children, who are seen as representing the future of the Rohingya. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said most victims are “politically and economically marginalised women and girls” concentrated in remote, rural areas with the least access to services that can help them, and in refugee camps and areas for the displaced.
Myanmar’s military is one of 51 government or armed groups listed in the report. Other countries addressed in the report include Syria, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali and Somalia.
Read more:
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The speech by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed at the UN Security Council's debate on sexual violence in conflict;
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For Rohingya refugees, imminent surge in births is traumatic legacy of sexual violence - special report;
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Recommendations by the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict for the UN Secretary-General’s 2018 Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict and Listings.
A new general comment adopted by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has been published on equality and non-discrimination. It includes provisions and recommendations that are related to children with disabilities. In particular, the Committee condemns institutionalisation and non-consensual treatment, including sterilisation of women and girls with disabilities (para. 30). It also urges States to prohibit all forms of corporal punishment and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of children, in all settings and to take appropriate measures to enforce this ban (para. 37). The general comment also recommends the mainstreaming of disability in laws and policies on childhood and adolescence, and states that the children’s best interests should not be used to prevent children, especially girls with disabilities, from exercising their right to bodily integrity. It further states that children’s best interests include ensuring that children with disabilities are informed, consulted and have a say in every decision-making process related to their situation and be able to exercise their right to be heard, in all procedures that affect them, including in parliament, committees and bodies of political decision-making (para. 38).
Read more:
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Armed conflict
The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia condemned recent terrorist attacks in the country, and called for the immediate release of all children kidnapped or recruited as fighters in the country’s armed conflict.
Since the protests began in Gaza in March, 87 Palestinians taking part in demonstrations have been killed by the Israeli army, including 12 children. More than 12,000 people have been injured. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an international, independent and impartial investigation at the special session of the Human Rights Council on 18 May.
Dozens of children have been killed since fighting intensified in the north-western Syrian town of Afrin, where people are under bombardment, hospitals have been shut down and water supplies cut off, the UN has reported.
Sexual violence & reproductive rights
The number of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by personnel serving with the UN has slightly dropped from 165 in 2016 to 138 last year, according to the latest report by the UN Secretary-General on implementing a zero-tolerance policy for sexual violence.
A group of UN experts has called on the Polish parliament to reject a new draft bill entitled “Stop Abortion” which risks causing serious damage to women’s health and lives, and violating Poland’s international human rights obligations.
Education
Yemen’s education system has been devastated by the country’s brutal conflict, according to UNICEF, which reports that at least half a million children have dropped out of school since the 2015 escalation of the war.
The education system in eastern Ukraine is bearing the brunt of four years of crossfire, with 45 schools damaged or destroyed over the last 16 months, in addition to the more than 700 schools affected overall since the conflict began.
UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery: call for submissions for the thematic report to the Human Rights Council on "domestic servitude of migrant women and girls" - deadline 18 May 2018.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: call for inputs for the report on "the implementation of the UNGASS joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem with regard to human rights" - deadline 18 May 2018.
UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues: call for submissions for the thematic report on the issue of statelessness, its root causes and specific conditions or barriers that result in a huge proportion of the world's stateless persons belonging to minorities - deadline 24 May 2018.
UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery: call for submissions for the thematic report to the General Assembly on "the gender dimensions of contemporary forms of slavery, its causes and consequences" - deadline 1 June 2018.
Human Rights Committee: 11 June, for the review of Algeria, Bahrain, Gambia, Laos, Liberia and Lithuania.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women: 11 June, for the review of Australia, Cook Islands, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Mexico, New Zealand, State of Palestine, Turkmenistan.
The 63rd session of the Committee Against Torture, from 23 April to 18 May. The Committee will consider the reports of Belarus, Czech Republic, Norway, Qatar, Senegal and Tajikistan.
The 78th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, from 14 May to 1 June. The Committee will consider the reports of Angola, Argentina, Lesotho, Montenegro and Norway. It will also review the reports of Angola and the Russian Federation under the OPSC as well as the reports of Algeria and Angola under OPAC.
The 14th session of the Committee on Enforced Disappearance, from 22 May to 1 June. The Committee will consider the reports of Albania, Austria and Honduras.
UN General Assembly High-level Event on Youth: the event will take place on 30th May in New York, focusing on the experiences, challenges, and ideas of young people, including on education, employment and opportunities, prevention of violent extremism and radicalisation.
Special Procedures' forthcoming visits:
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Ireland: Sale and exploitation of children, 14-21 May 2018.
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France: Human rights and counter-terrorism, 14-23 May 2018.
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THE LAST WORD
“It's time for UNICEF -and all UN agencies- to adopt and enforce strict measures of not accepting funding or partnerships with tobacco.”
-- Researchers from the University of California who reported that the tobacco industry has been manipulating the United Nations Children’s Fund for more than a dozen years, diverting the Agency from its focus on children's rights.
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