CRINMAIL 1218:
In this issue:
To view this CRINMAIL online, click here.
Call for Europe representative at the NGO Advisory Council for Follow-up to the UN Study on Violence against Children
Eurochild has been asked to select a representative of the Europe and Central Asia region to the NGO Advisory Council for Follow-up to the UN Study on Violence against Children. The Council was set up upon conclusion of the Study to follow-up on the Study recommendations and to support the Special Representative to the SG on violence against children (SRSG) in her mandate. It has 18 members: nine representing international NGOs concerned with the Study and nine from national or regional NGOs, “representing” the nine regions designated for regional consultations for the Study: the Caribbean, East Asia and Pacific, Eastern and Southern Africa, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, West and Central Africa.
The Council meets twice a year: in New York in October at the time of the presentation of the SRSG’s report to the General Assembly and in Geneva in March at the time of her reporting to the Human Rights Council.
The selected representative will be appointed from an organisation that is actively involved in work of violence against children and committed to follow-up to the Study in the region. He/she should also commit to liaise with the NGOs in the region and to link them to the Council and vice-versa. Financial support might be provided but the sponsoring organisation should be able to cover some of the costs for the involvement of the representative in the Council. The mandate of the selected representative is expected to be of at least three years.
Further details including tasks and responsibilities can be found in the TORs and nomination form.
Deadline for nominations is 31 May 2011. Please send your submission to [email protected]. Applicants will be informed by mid-June of the final selection.
Latest news and reports
State violence
Violent government repression against pro-democracy protesters in the Middle East and North Africa continues to claim civilian lives, including child victims. Yemen's SEYAJ Organisation for Childhood Protection is calling on several United Nations experts to open an urgent and independent investigation into the murder of 23 children in the country's protests during the past month. The most recent child victim was Moheeb Al-Ya'ary who was beaten with rifle butts. Full story.
Two weeks ago in Yemen, 45 people were killed after security forces and plain-clothes policemen opened fire on demonstrators trying to march through the country’s capital, Sana’a, raising the death toll to more that 70. More on the story.
The country’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, responded to the massacre by announcing a state of emergency. However, youth protesters have appealed against its imposition, saying that “A vote in favour is equivalent to approving the massacre of the innocent.” Yet for martial law to take effect, it first needs to be approved by a majority vote in parliament. And out of the 170 members of congress, between 40 and 50 have quit in protest against the State crackdown on protesters. Full story.
Elsewhere in the region, 15 children were detained in Syria in the southern city of Danaa for writing pro-democracy graffiti on school walls and grain silos with phrases such as “the people want the overthrow of the regime.” Also, around 150 people took to the street in Damascus two weeks ago to demand the release of thousands of political prisoners, which resulted in the arrest of 33 protesters on charges of “weakening social morale.” Full story.
Reports of State violence in Syria have also increased the death toll. For example, a 12-year-old youth died after inhaling tear gas. Full story. Last Wednesday 25 people were killed in Daraa after security forces opened fire on demonstrators. And up to 100 people are feared dead from escalating State violence during this week alone. Full story.
Rula Amin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Damascus, has said that “with the killing of these…people…, it seems that the government is opting for the choice of using force to crack down on the protesters not dialogue as it had [first] indicated.” Full story. Syria has been in a state of emergency for 48 years, under which protests are forbidden and people can be arrested without warrants and imprisoned without a trial. Yet apparently the government is considering ending the emergency law and licensing political parties, the President’s media advisor said. However, no date for implementation has been set. Full story.
Meanwhile in Libya, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1973 on March 17, thus enforcing a no-fly zone in the country so as to protect civilians from being bombed by Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s troops. Previously, however, rebel forces said that a no-fly zone may not be enough because the regime’s bombardment is mostly coming from tanks and rockets. Additionally, four children, the eldest being 13, were killed in Misrata by sniper and tank fire when they were being driven out of the city to escape the violence. A local doctor said that “Snipers are everywhere in Misrata, shooting anyone who walks by while the world is still watching.” Last Monday alone, at least 40 people are reported to have been killed in the city, with another 300 injured. Full story.
State violence against pro-democracy protesters also continues in Bahrain, where 21 people have been killed and around 100 others are still missing since King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa declared a state of martial law three weeks ago. Full story. In an excessive move to quell protests in the capital, Manama, the authorities destroyed protesters' symbolic focal point: the Pearl roundabout. Yet one civilian countered that “It won’t work…Symbolism means nothing. We have the momentum.” More on the story.
Questionable compliance
In India, the effective implementation of Delhi's Right to Education (RTE) Act of April 2010 has been questioned, after the city's Commission for Protection of Child Rights received 40 cases of violence against students at the hands of their teachers, breaching Sections 16 and 17 of the RTE Act which ban corporal punishment and psychological harassment of children. Full story.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka state Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), which recently launched an investigation into instances of corporal punishment in schools, is facing several obstructions to its work, including a lack of political will from the government. The Commission functions as a civil court and hears complaints of child rights violations, and according to the rules stipulated by National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, chairpersons of all state commissions should have the powers of a cabinet secretary, and the members, that of a secretary. Yet “the government hardly takes any action on our suggestions,” said Vasudev Sharma, a member of the commission, and is moreover unwilling to pay salaries, said another member. Full story.
On the issue of political will, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed its disappointment with the country's government for failing to effectively implement a number of signed human rights treaties, saying that it is too unaware about human rights laws. The HRCP Director, IA Rehman, said that “Promises and lies concerning [violations] of human rights are at their peak at the government level,” adding that each individual should also be made aware of his/her rights and current legislation in order to galvanise the population. Full story.
As seen on TV!
Also in Pakistan, the Child Rights Legal Centre has launched the country’s first-ever online TV on children’s rights, ChildRights.TV. The website contains an array of documentaries and other media productions on issues such as child labour, health, education, juvenile justice, participation, discrimination, trafficking, sexual abuse, birth registration, among others. Additionally, it has a weekly series of ‘Meet the Expert’ where child rights experts share their knowledge and experience on problems facing children in Pakistan.
(Im)migrant children
In the United States, the issue of how to treat families in which children are citizens by birth but their parents are there illegally, has once again made the news after a four-year-old New York native, Emily, was not allowed to be reunited with her undocumented Guatemalan parents after a holiday abroad. The girl’s parents were informed that she could either enter state custody as they are illegal immigrants, or she would be returned to Guatemala. Emily and her grandfather, who was accompanying her, were eventually deported. Full story.
On the same issue, following a proposed law to deny benefits and citizenship to children of illegal immigrants in the state of Arizona, United States, a State Senator from New York City has introduced a new bill, which if approved, would grant undocumented immigrants rights currently only held by legal residents and citizens. More details here.
On a related note, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has published a report that examines whether United States policies and practices on immigrant-related detention are compatible with the country’s international obligations in the area of human rights. In relation to children, the IACHR's main concerns are: the lack of access to legal representation for cases of unaccompanied children, which infringes their right to counsel; the abusive treatment of children by customs and border patrol staff; and reports and lawsuits alleging physical and sexual abuse of children. Full story.
The IACHR has also passed a petition to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights involving the forced disappearance of 26 people and the detention and torture of a girl in Guatemala. The Commission has declared that the State of Guatemala has failed to conduct a proper investigation and consequently also identify and punish the perpetrators. Full story.
Stopping child abuse
After two long decades of lobbying for the prohibition of corporal punishment in all schools in Belize, the country's Education Minister, Hon. Patrick Faber, has finally committed himself to sign a statutory instrument in May 2011 to bring an outright prohibition into force. Corporal punishment is already banned in pre-schools and day care institutions, yet a full ban was the only piece of legislation put on hold when the Education Act was passed in February 2010. The country's National Organisation for the Prevention of Children Abuse has hailed this achievement as a historic milestone in children's rights advocacy, as 'there is now legal protection for all our children from violence at the hands of adults in schools,' and that 'while law reform is not in of itself the remedy, it does lay down the framework for children’s dignity to be respected.' Full story.
Meanwhile in the Philippines, that a six-year-old boy was made to dance and gyrate like a male go-go dancer on prime-time television while the show's audience clapped and laughed, has been described as a 'clear form of child abuse', said the country's social welfare minister, Corazon Soliman. Full story. In response to the case, Bernadette Herrera-Dy, vice chair of the House Committee on the Welfare of Children, also emphasised the need to establish measures that would guarantee legislative protection for children and prevent similar incidents from happening again. More on the story.
Read more on child participation in television in India and Bulgaria.
Hearing children out
A Court of Appeal Judge in Malaysia has ruled that a 12-year-old girl currently caught in a custody battle between her parents has the right to express her views in matters affecting her, in line with Article 12 of the CRC, which Malaysia ratified in 1995. Full story.
In Ireland, young people from minority belief backgrounds have also voiced their opinions on religious education (RE) in schools in a report published by Queen’s University Belfast. The project looked at the effectiveness of the opt-out clause as a mechanism to protect freedom of religion in schools. One of the main findings was that the lack of attention given to minority beliefs in the RE curriculum made students feel that their beliefs were not of concern to the school nor valued or respected by it, which parents thought was damaging to a child’s self esteem. In order for pupils to feel that their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is respected, they expect schools to do more than just offer an opt-out clause. Download the report here.
For an article on how religious education in schools may breach children’s human rights, click here.
Meanwhile in England and Wales, 89 young people have participated in a recently published report on the use of restraint in secure juvenile estates, expressing the view that staff should use dialogue rather than physical force to deal with situations. There were even instances in which restraint was used against young girls for refusing to go to their room. In response to the report’s findings, Penelope Gibbs, director of the Out of Trouble programme at the Prison Reform Trust, has said that “Staff who look after children in custody need better training to resolve conflict peacefully, and restraint should never be used just to get a child to go to bed, or leave a room.” Full story.
Taking the first step
On March 17, Wales became the first country in the United Kingdom to incorporate the CRC into domestic law, after the National Assembly for Wales passed it unanimously. The new Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure means that government ministers now have to consider the rights of people under 25 years when drafting new laws. Full story.
International Day for Street Children
April 12 will mark the launch of the inaugural International Day for Street Children, which aims to remind governments of the rights of children living and/or working on the street. Created by the Consortium for Street Children, the Day will be celebrated across the world by street children in countries like Ethiopia, Uganda, Guatemala and India. For further information, click here.
CRIN on Facebook!
For extra coverage of CRIN’s work and broader children’s rights issues, check out our Facebook page which is now active, and where you can also contribute by posting your comments and other relevant information, articles and campaigns.
Forthcoming events
Free E-Course: 'Socio-Economic Policies for Child Rights with Equity'
Organisation: UNICEF and Economic Research Foundation
Description: Topics covered include: the human rights-based approach to development; socially-responsive macroeconomic policies; equitable sector policies; public finance and social budgeting; multidimensional poverty; social protection, migration and climate change.
More details: http://www.policyforchildrights.org/
Employment
UNICEF (Regional Office for CEE/CIS): Consultant for regional violence project
UNICEF is inviting applications for an 11-month consultancy in its Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The consultancy period is between 15 April 2011 – 15 March 2012, during which time the successful candidate will support the Regional Office in the coordination of an EC-funded project on violence against children covering four countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Turkey, and will involve travel to those countries.
For more information, including a detailed job-description, please contact Elizabeth Platts at: [email protected]
Application deadline: 7 April 2011
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ECPAT UK: Protection Officer (Child Trafficking)
ECPAT UK is inviting applications for the role of Protection Officer (Child Trafficking) to be based in London for an initial contract period of three years.
For a detailed description of the role and more information on the application process, click here.
Application deadline: 11 April 2011
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Child Rights Alliance for England (CRAE): Legal Director
CRAE is accepting applications for the role of Legal Director, ideal for an experienced human rights lawyer who wishes to work in national children’s rights advocacy. The successful candidate will be responsible for: running CRAE’s You've got the Right advice service and producing accessible web-based resources, drafting a publication on how lawyers and children's rights advocates can use the CRC, and strengthening the organisation’s capacity in strategic litigation by building on our current legal challenge around unlawful restraint in child custody.
To download the job pack, click here.
Application deadline: 18 April 2011 (10AM)
Jargon of the week: **Clichés**
In the same way that authors use jargon in NGO reports to sound impressive, clichés also sneak in the barn door when we try to be creative with language.
By definition, a cliché is an overused, predictable and unoriginal phrase or expression. And despite the temptation to use what we think is colourful wording, clichés tend to work against the author, as they demonstrate a lazy use of language.
The clichés that mostly appear in human rights literature are the type that conveys a figurative sense of a phrase different from its literal meaning – an offence of which CRIN is also admittedly guilty! For instance, in our last CRINMAIL, we used the expression “Moving forward” in relation to Ireland’s increased concern for children’s rights issues. However, by this, we were not alluding to actual physical movement, but to the progress that was being made. In retrospect, “Making progress” would have in fact been a clearer and more accurate alternative.
We also came across other clichés in the human rights literature, including:
• “the bottom line” (the most important aspect of a situation)
• “raising the bar” (setting a higher standard)
• “pushing the envelope” (to reach and extend the limits of what is possible)
• “bridge building” (improving relationships between individuals or groups)
When writing your next report, you may have to think harder to avoid such expressions, given how easy it is to slip one in without realising. As journalists and other professional writers would probably suggest: avoid clichés when plain alternatives exist (such as the ones above). This will work in your favour, as you will be presenting your ideas in a more articulate and straightforward way, which your readers will appreciate because 1) it’s easier to engage with, and 2) it doesn’t turn reading a report into an eye-rolling exercise!
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