CRINMAIL 1201:

Status of Children's Rights in the UPR

In this issue:

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Status of Children's Rights Report Launched

CRIN has undetaken an extensive analysis of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), to assess the extent to which children's rights are addressed and how NGOs and other organisations are engaging with this new mechanism. The report highlights the key research and analysis carried out.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has attracted a great deal of attention since it was established in 2008, in part due to its emphasis on States questioning fellow States on their human rights records. With the mechanism yet to complete its first cycle of reviews (48 countries still have to undergo a review at the Human Rights Council), it is too early to fully evaluate its effectiveness, however some notable trends have already emerged.

This report assesses the status of children's rights in the first seven sessions of the UPR (112 countries reviewed), examining the extent to which they are addressed, and which children's rights issues receive prominence and which are neglected. The report also looks into experiences NGOs have had in using the UPR, drawing on successes achieved and challenges faced by a broad range of children's rights organisations.

Key findings include:

The status of children's rights in the UPR

• One in five mentions focus on children's rights: Approximately one fifth of all points made across the UPR process are children's rights focused, but is this really satisfactory given children cut across all human rights clusters? Furthermore, the findings highlighted below raise concerns over which issues are being addressed adequately and which ones are not.

• States are avoiding more controversial issues: States tend to focus on, and accept, mostly recommendations on 'softer' issues, such as education and health, and neglect, or reject recommendations on more controversial issues, such as corporal punishment or juvenile justice.

• NGOs have an important role to play: NGOs lag behind UN bodies and UN Member States in the extent to which they address children's rights in the UPR. Indeed, with States shown to avoid the more controversial issues, NGOs have an important role to play to address the full spectrum of children's rights issues and ensure neglected issues are brought to the forefront of the agenda.

NGOs' experiences of using the UPR

CRIN interviewed a number of children's rights focused organisations, including international NGOs, national NGOs, Ombudspersons and academic bodies, to get their experiences in engaging with all stages of the UPR process, from pre-review report submission and lobbying activities, through to post-review follow-up strategies.

Key findings to emerge from the Survey were:

• NGOs are still learning about the UPR: As the UPR differs from existing UN mechanisms in a number of ways, NGOs are, to an extent, still finding their feet.

• Two different perspectives: A clear distinction exists between those who engage at the Geneva level (primarily international NGOs) and those far from Geneva (national NGOs amongst others). Having a representative based in Geneva enables organisations to combine report submission with lobbying. For obvious reasons, this is often not an option for national NGOs.

• The UPR as an additional advocacy tool: A number of organisations alluded to the need to treat the UPR as an additional advocacy tool that complements their existing day to day work. The UPR was often seen as an 'enforcer' of existing advocacy work done in relation to the CRC, for instance.

• Wider benefits of engaging with the UPR: A number of internal and external benefits emerged from the survey, particularly national NGOs reporting how the UPR helps them build alliances with the wider human rights community.

This practically orientated report provides organisations, both those who have already submitted reports to the UPR and those exploring opportunities to engage with the mechanism for the first time, with a presentation of trends in the reviews to date and a series of practical tips to consider when using the UPR.

The report also draws attention to CRIN's country by country report, based on data extracted from the UPR process, and indeed several areas of further research which could be useful for organisations in the children's rights community, whether or not they are looking to use the mechanism.

A crucial point to emerge from this research is the need for the children's rights community to work together and share information on their experiences with the UPR. Many organisations have been developing their own strategies, toolkits and evaluations, and have collected a certain amount of 'learning' that could benefit many smaller, less experienced organisations around the world. This is CRIN's rallying call to all its members and partners!

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For further information:

-Read the full report here
-Read more about CRIN's work on the UPR
-Read our Guide to Children's Rights Mechanisms

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CRIN's children's rights reference reports

CRIN has compiled a special report for each individual State Review, detailing references to children's rights throughout the UPR process, from the pre-review report submissions to the post-review outcome reports. Reports for Sessions 1 - 9 of the UPR can be found below.

Click here to access all reports

Session 9
Session 8
Session 7
Session 6
Session 5
Session 4
Session 3
Session 2
Session 1

There have been new developments in the campaign for a complaints mechanism (or Communications Procedure) in the CRC, including an updated Advocacy Toolkit, and a joint submission by The NGO Group for the CRC and partner organisations in response to the Chair's draft proposal.

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OTHER NEWS / EVENTS

Children in Haiti face new danger

After illegally being placed for adoption, and whilst a growing number are still being trafficked by gangs to the neighbouring Dominican Republic, children in Haiti now face the new threat of widespread cholera, which has already claimed the lives of over 1,000 people.

Read the full story here

Begging on the increase in Ireland

The number of children begging in Dublin is on the increase with 966 sightings in 2009, a 9 per cent increase on the previous year, a leading NGO has warned. Roma and Traveller children are the two biggest groups involved in begging. There are also a small number of homeless children begging, according to the Leanbh service of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Read the full story here

Youngsters get their say in Scotland

Youngsters in Inverness will cast their vote on issues that concern them this Saturday 20th November, which marks the 21st anniversary of the CRC. On the day, participants will be given a voting paper and asked to choose which issues they feel most strongly about out of a selection that relate to home, school, and community.
 
Read the full story here

King of Saudi Arabia responds to plea

The Asian Human Rights Commission is happy to learn that His Royal Highness King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has taken the initial steps towards a reprieve for Rizana Nafeek, the Sri Lankan girl who is currently on the death row in Saudi Arabia convicted for strangling a baby in her care. Rizana, who was 17-years old at the time of the incident, claims it was an accident in which the baby choked while being bottle-fed. The Supreme Court in Riyadh confirmed her death sentence in late October 2010.

Read the full story here

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