CRINMAIL 1221:
In this issue:
To view this CRINMAIL online, click here.
CRIN's Transparency Campaign
With State crackdowns on civilian demands for democracy intensifying around the world, the role of children's rights advocates has become all the more crucial. Their work is to speak out against abuses of children’s rights, but this depends on their freedom to do so – a freedom which serves as a litmus test for other freedoms in society.
Without the work of these advocates, CRIN would not exist. We believe that civil society, grass roots activists and children all have the right to participate and express themselves freely and openly in all matters affecting them.
While in some places the Internet is opening up opportunities for NGOs, human rights defenders and journalists to express and find out about new ideas, many States are clutching at threats to national security as a pretext for closing in on civil society and restricting access to information.
As part of CRIN’s Transparency Campaign, we have begun to monitor these restrictions on children’s rights defenders around the world.
Constraints on human rights defenders have been proposed or enacted in the following countries, among others: Afghanistan / Burundi / Cambodia / Ethiopia / Honduras / Iran / Israel / Philippines / United States / Venezuela / Vietnam
ALERT US: If you are aware of draft laws to restrict civil society activities or existing restrictions not listed on our campaign page, email us at [email protected].
LATEST NEWS AND REPORTS
Post-election turmoil
Over 120 people have been killed in post-election riots in Nigeria, while many others have been injured, including children, with gunshot and machete wounds. Both current President Goodluck Jonathan and defeated rival Muhammadu Buhari have condemned the violence and called for peace. A journalist has reported extensive violence, particularly in the northern state of Kaduna: "Eyewitnesses are telling us that soldiers - or men dressed in military fatigues - are conducting door-to-door searches, removing people from their homes and actually attacking and in some cases killing them." Full story.
‘Correcting’ effeminate boys
In Malaysia, 66 boys have been sent to a boot camp "to correct their effeminate behaviour" in an attempt to guide them back “to a proper path in life”. The news has caused a public outcry from rights activists. The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) has condemned the move by the Terengganu state Education Department in a letter of appeal which describes the singling out of boys who behave effeminately as “highly discriminatory bordering on predatory.”
In its letter, JAG makes reference to Article 2 of the CRC, ratified by Malaysia in 1995, which stipulates that all children should be accorded equal rights and treatment without exception, noting that in this case, the 66 boys have been denied and persecuted for the expression of their personalities and identities. JAG also cites Article 29, reminding the state Education Department that its role is to nurture the personality and talents of children, and that “school is supposed to provide a safe and neutral space for [them] to develop without fear of recrimination for being themselves.”
JAG demands that the Ministry of Education immediately abolish these corrective boot camps to 'fix' children and individuals, as their existence violates the rights of people who are perceived as 'different' and promotes homophobia and prejudice. The coalition concludes that “institutions...have no business meddling with an individual’s identity and personal preference.” Full story.
Also read CRIN's editorial on children, sexuality and discrimination.
State violence
In Libya, children as young as 15 are being used by security forces to regain control of Misrata, and threatened with being shot if they refuse to fight, according to young government troops captured by rebels. Seventeen-year-old Umran told how he and 90 others aged 15 to 19 were given rifles, instructed to shoot targets for practice, and were then thrown into a war zone. "We were told we had to cleanse Misrata. There were invaders from Egypt and we had to fight against them," he said. "We didn't want any part in it and requested to leave. They refused and some tried to run off and officers fired on them." Umran is now recovering in a rebel hospital after being hit by an anti-aircraft gun, resulting in a broken arm and amputated leg. Full story.
The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has released a statement on the situation of children in Misrata and Libya, emphasising that the use of children as combatants on both sides of the conflict is a grave violation against children, and perpetrators will be held accountable. She also condemned heavy shelling, bombardment and land mines which have claimed children as victims. Full statement.
One woman has told how her son was killed by a sniper in Misrata, and that “[t]here were corpses in the gutter and in the vegetable market where I buy produce. The militia raped women, slaughtered men and killed children.” More on the story.
Meanwhile in Yemen, at least 26 children have been killed, 80 others injured, and over 800 exposed to tear gas, according to UNICEF. Full story. Children are also being used as soldiers by the armed forces, namely by the defected unit that is now supporting anti-government protesters. Yemeni child soldiers, some as young as 14, are known to have already been serving in the army for one to two years. Interviews with officers from the First Armoured Division, whose commander, Gen. Ali Muhsin, defected to the opposition in March, have revealed that the unit recruits 15-year-olds and sometimes makes exceptions by recruiting even younger children.
The situation in Bahrain also continues to deteriorate as a fourth person has died after being tortured while in police custody. A 20-year-old woman who had written anti-government poems has also died after enduring repeated rape and torture at the hands of Bahraini security forces. On March 15, the country was declared in a state of emergency, officially labelled as a “State of National Safety”, which effectively gives authorities unrestrained powers of arrest, censorship, and prohibitions on civil liberties.
On the other hand in Syria, the government lifted its 48-year state of emergency on Tuesday. It occurred just hours after security forces fired on protesters in the city of Homs, killing at least six people. The country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, has yet to sign the legislation, but his signature is just a formality, a senior lawyer has said. The government has also abolished the state security court, which handled the trials of political prisoners, and passed a new law allowing the right to peaceful protests. Yet this concession is limited by another law approved by the interior ministry which says that citizens must obtain permission to demonstrate. More than 200 people have been killed in Syria since the popular uprising began a month ago. Full story.
For a more detailed update on the situation in MENA, click here.
Accountability for atrocities
At least 846 Egyptian civilians were killed during the country’s almost three-week-long anti-government protests that brought down former president Hosni Mubarak, an Egyptian government fact-finding mission has said. The revised toll is more than twice the previous official figure of 365, while the number of people injured is more than 6,400.
The mission – consisting of a panel of judges – said heavily armed legions of security forces fired live ammunition, put snipers on rooftops and used vehicles to run over demonstrators. It has also documented in a report how police shot protesters in the head and chest with live ammunition, resulting in fatalities and serious injuries, with many losing their sight after being fired in the eye. The mission has held Mubarak ultimately responsible for the killing of protesters, and is currently in detention. Full story.
Meanwhile in Côte d’Ivoire, after the arrest of former president Laurent Gbagbo following four months of political unrest and armed violence, the priority for democratically elected President Alassane Ouattara is to attain accountability for the atrocities committed. Since the turmoil began, there have been abundant reports of rampant killings, which left at least 1,300 dead, including many elderly persons, as well as sexual violence against women and children, at the hands of both Gbagbo and Ouattara loyalists. As a result of the violence, over 150,000 people fled to neighbouring countries, including 53,00 children, while more than 800,000 have been displaced internally.
Gbagbo is currently detained in the north of the country, awaiting trial for alleged atrocities. And President Ouattara has announced the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate the crimes and murders committed in Côte d’Ivoire in the past four months.
For a detailed summary of the documented human rights abuses, as well as recommendations to President Ouattara, the UN Security Council, the Commission of Enquiry established by the Human Rights Council, and several other bodies, click here.
Banning child labour in circuses
In India, the Supreme Court has banned circuses from employing children following a petition lodged by the Indian children's rights group, Save the Childhood Movement, campaigning against children being made to perform dangerous stunts such as high-wire acrobatics, often without protective measures. Full story.
Many child performers are victims of trafficking, in some cases having being sold by their parents out of poverty or tricked by strangers into sending their children off to supposedly better circumstances. Yet the reality is that these children are often held as captives and treated as slaves, and beaten and starved if they perform unsatisfactorily. Many girls are even forced to marry older circus men to bind them to the business for ever. More on the story.
A price-tag on petitions
On 19 April, a coalition of human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, INTERRIGHTS and the International Commission of Jurists, closed a petition against a proposal to impose fees on applicants to the European Court of Human Rights, which they say is a barrier for victims of human rights abuses to access justice.
The proposal seeks to reduce the number of inadmissible cases filed with the Court. But the coalition highlights that the Court is a last resort for individuals seeking redress for alleged violations of their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights; so if the fee is imposed, it risks deterring, or even preventing individuals with well founded claims from reaching the Court, simply because they cannot pay. On this point, it emphasises that lack of funds should never be an obstacle to an individual’s access to a remedy for an alleged human rights violation.
The petition with the final list of signatories will now be presented to Council of Europe Member States and distributed at the High Level Conference on the Future of the European Court of Human Rights, to be held in Izmir, Turkey, between 26-27 April 2011.
Tackling school violence through helplines
Plan International and Child Helpline International have jointly published a report on how child helplines are a vital tool in tackling violence against children in schools, as they are often the first contact victims have with any kind of child protection services. The report draws on data from helplines in Paraguay, Egypt, Zimbabwe and Sweden, where cases have included sexual violence, corporal punishment and verbal bullying in schools. “Access to mobile technology, coupled with these confidential helplines give a voice to children to expose what can often be taboo subjects. We know that these results are only the tip of the iceberg in exposing the level of abuse children are facing daily in schools”, says Plan International CEO Nigel Chapman. Download the report.
Call for nominations
For the forthcoming International Children’s Peace Prize 2011, organisations and governments are kindly requested to nominate a child between the age of 12-18-years-old who they think is performing extraordinary efforts to improve or implement children’s rights for themselves and children in their environment. For further information, click here.
Last year’s winner was 16-year-old Francia Simon from the Dominican Republic, who campaigns for the right of children to registration, name and nationality – both for children born in the Dominican Republic as for refugee children from Haiti –, as it is only after official registration that children can gain access to essential rights such as health care and education.
Upcoming courses & events
Child Rights: ‘Interdisciplinary Masters in Children’s Rights’
Date: Autumn, 2011
Organisation: Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch
Location: Sion, Switzerland
Application deadline: 16th May 2011
More details here.
Violence: ‘Summit on Ending Corporal Punishment and Promoting Positive Discipline’
Date: 2nd-4th June 2011
Organisation: Southern Methodist University
Location: Dallas, Texas, United States
More details here.
Short Course: ‘Understanding Children’s Human Rights’
Date: 6th June–11th July 2011
Organisation: London School of Economics and Political Science
Location: London, United Kingdom
More details here.
Child Rights: ‘Protecting Children Through Family Support’
Date: 16th-17th June 2011
Organisation: National University of Ireland Galway
Location: Galway, Republic of Ireland
More details here.
Employment
Save the Children International (SCI): Consultant
SCI members are seeking a consultant to support the development of a five-year country strategic plan for Kenya.
For the full terms of reference for the position, click here.
Expressions of interest should be sent to Ann Wanjiru Maria at: [email protected] and to Joyce Mwangi at: [email protected]
Application deadline: 29 April 2011
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SOS Children’s Villages: Continental Family Strengthening Advisor
SOS Children’s Villages is accepting applications for the role of Continental Family Strengthening Advisor to support SOS work in the area of prevention of child separation from the family. The post will be based in one of the countries from CEE/CIS/Baltics with national contract. This is a one-year position with a possibility of further extension of contract.
For further information on the role and application process, click here.
Application deadline: 30 April 2011
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Plan International: Advocacy Coordinator
Plan International is inviting applications for the role of Advocacy Coordinator to lead the advocacy component of the Because I am a Girl Campaign Initiative. The post is for a three-year term and is based at Plan’s International Headquarters in Woking, United Kingdom.
Applications should consist of a covering letter, a comprehensive CV, details of two referees (one of whom should be your current supervisor), and your most recent performance appraisal. Please forward all applications to [email protected]
For more information on the role, click here.
Application deadline: 13 May 2011
Quiz round-up!
Test your knowledge on children's rights with this week's quiz here.
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