CRINMAIL 1303
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Universal Children's Day 2012
While many countries hold their own Children's Day on different dates throughout the year, it is on 20th November that governments and organisations around the world come together to observe the Universal Children's Day, which marks the day on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989.
A key objective of the Day is to promote the rights of children through increased awareness of the CRC, and this year was no exception, as the Day brought with it a flurry of action to this end. And situated at the top of our list of exemplary moves on this year's Day is Germany, which became the third State to ratify the CRC's Optional Protocol for a complaints mechanism! In doing so, it joins Gabon and Thailand in sending a strong signal to other States to also ratify the Protocol, which will enter into force once seven more States ratify it.
'There is no room for complacency'
On the occasion of the Universal Children's Day, five top UN child rights experts urged governments around the world to adopt stronger measures to guarantee children's rights. The chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Jean Zermatten, underscored the importance of international law to this end, saying that “the ratification of the Convention and its three Optional Protocols [are] integral safeguards for children, [and that] accessing to the third protocol on a complaint[s] procedure is essential to strengthen child rights protection and to combat impunity for child rights violations.”
Adding to this point was UNICEF's Chief of Child Protection, Susan Bissell, who said that “[i]ncorporating these standards into national legal frameworks, and raising awareness about them are all part of a process of social change that is so critically important”.
Meanwhile when it comes to efforts to eliminate violence against children, “[t]here can be no room for complacency,” stressed Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence against Children. The Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Ms. Najat Maalla M’jid, was equally emphatic in saying that “States and the whole international community should spare no efforts to prevent children from being treated as commodities”. And in the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, highlighted that there are still 44 States that have not ratified the protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, urging the remaining States to ratify the treaty as a matter of urgency.
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LATEST NEWS AND REPORTS
Conflict takes heavy toll on children
More than 140 people, including at least 36 children, have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel's bombardment, which it says is intended to end rocket attacks from the Palestinian territory. More than 1,100 people have been injured in Gaza while five have been killed in Israel and over 60 injured. Airstrikes against Gaza have targeted houses and civilian buildings that the Israeli Defence Forces maintain are housing Hamas militants, despite also ending up killing innocent civilians and even entire families. Media buildings occupied by both international and Hamas-affiliated stations have also been bombed, with at least three Palestinian journalists killed.
Schools in Gaza and all of those in southern Israel within a 40 km radius have been closed due to the increasing number of attacks. Meanwhile hospital staff in Gaza have reported a shortage of medicines as the number of casualties increases by the dozen every day, with the World Health Organisation saying many of these are life-saving drugs.
A number of governments around the world, including the United States and members of the European Parliament, agreed that Israel should defend itself against missile fire, but emphasised that it should do so proportionately and ensure the protection of civilians at all times. While ceasefire talks have been ongoing, the news agency Reuters has announced that an Egypt-brokered agreement between Hamas and Israel has been reached.
Meanwhile in the DR Congo, the humanitarian and security situation has deteriorated dramatically since fighting between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese army resumed on 15 November, causing tens of thousands of civilians to flee the violence including many who were already displaced. Several organisations have warned that displaced children face an increased threat of rape, abuse and recruitment. The organisation World Vision put the number of at-risk children at 200,000 in the city of Goma alone. More on the story.
New laws, same restrictions
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has passed its Human Rights Declaration despite civil society identifying fundamental flaws in its provisions. While a last-minute amendment was made to the Declaration, affirming the commitment of ASEAN Member States to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, its “General Principles” still allow for governments to justifiably limit human rights based upon reasons of national security, public order or public morality, which organisations say strip human rights of their universal application and provides for the oppression of vulnerable groups. Full story.
Meanwhile in Russia, a new law has come into force which requires all non-governmental, non-commercial organisations that receive foreign funding and are deemed to engage in “political activities”, to register as a “foreign agent”. Opposition groups fear this law could lead to greater restrictions on legitimate human rights organisations simply for criticising Russian authorities. Failure to abide by the new rules could result in fines of up to 300,000 rubles (7,500 euros), while organisations can be suspended for up to six months, and organisation directors could face up to two years imprisonment. Full story.
Blasphemy charges dropped against girl
In Pakistan, charges against a girl accused of blasphemy for allegedly burning pages of the Koran have been dropped. A police officer involved in the case said there was no evidence against the girl, while a Muslim cleric accused of planting false evidence in the case has been released on bail. The country's blasphemy laws have been subject to widespread abuse and led to many false accusations, but commentators say this latest judgement could set a precedent so that future cases are properly investigated. Full story.
NGO challenges police treatment of 17-year-olds
An NGO in the United Kingdom has challenged in court the treatment by police when questioning 17-year-olds suspected of wrongdoing. The charity Just for Kids Law, is challenging a 1984 law that allows for 17-year-olds to be treated as adults inside police stations. While any child aged 16 and under is entitled to the support of a parent or someone termed "an appropriate adult" when arrested, a 17-year-old in a recent case was handcuffed and detained for 12 hours on suspicion of robbery, was unable to tell his parents why he had disappeared and was informed that his mother could not be in his company. The organisation says that – in line with the CRC – every person under the age of 18 should be treated as a juvenile. Full story.
Children speak out against relatives' "property grabbing"
Children from Swaziland taking part in a regional conference on children's rights spoke out against the practice of “property grabbing” by relatives. The age-old custom of having adults hold property in trust after the deaths of children's parents often deprives the children of the right to the property when they come of age, as the adults overseeing it end up keeping it as their own. Full story.
New reports
The Child Safe Tourism campaign has produced a report on the experiences of tourists' interaction with children on visits to Southeast Asia. Over half of participants said they had witnessed situations they perceived to involve the exploitation or abuse of children during their travels. Meanwhile an overwhelming 84 per cent said they want and need more information about appropriate child safe behaviours during tourist trips and a more in-depth understanding of what child safe tourism is. Many said the information would impact choices they made as consumers when travelling. The full report and an executive summary can be downloaded here.
The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack has published a report entitled “Lessons in War: military use of schools and other educational institutions during conflict”. The report examines the use of schools by armed forces and non-state armed groups as barracks, logistics bases, operational headquarters, weapons and ammunition caches, detention and interrogation centres, firing and observation positions, and recruitment grounds. The study highlights examples of good practice, in which governments have adopted policies that explicitly ban or restrict armed groups from using education facilities. Full story.
A report by Human Rights Watch exposes the reality of child domestic workers in Morocco, the overwhelming majority of whom are girls. The report finds that while the rate of child labour in the country has decreased and school enrolment risen over the past decade, many children still toil for 12 hours a day, seven days a week for as little as $11 a month, with some girls reporting that their employers often beat and verbally abuse them, deny them education, and sometimes refuse them adequate food. Download the report.
Funding opportunity
The San Marino-Alexander Bodini Foundation is accepting applications to its grant scheme that will provide funding to UNICEF country offices to support child-led initiatives/organisations in the amount of US$30,000 each. Application deadline: 14 December 2012. More details here.
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CHILDREN'S RIGHTS WIKI: Spotlight on Hungary
In this week's Children's Rights Wiki, we look at the persistent violations of children's rights in Hungary: http://wiki.crin.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Hungary
- Trafficking of children, including for sexual exploitation;
- Discrimination against children from Roma backgrounds, particularly with regards to education;
- Early marriage;
- Use of, and conditions in detention for children;
- Inadequate measures to address child poverty, particularly affecting Roma children;
- Violence and abuse affecting children, particularly in the home;
- Corporal punishment, particularly in schools;
- Inadequate provision for children with disabilities;
- Inadequate human rights education;
- Inappropriate treatment of refugees and asylum-seeking children;
- Ineffective measures to address the exposure of children to violence, racism and pornography;
- Inadequate response to drug use among children.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Call for applications: Master of Advanced Studies in Children’s Rights
Organisation: Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch et al.
Application deadline: 6 January 2013
Location: Switzerland
More details here.
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EMPLOYMENT
Right to Education Project: Consultancy (analysis of privatisation of education from a human rights perspective)
Location: N/A
Application deadline: 28 November 2012 (5pm GMT)
More details here.
Children in Scotland: Policy Officer
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Application deadline: 7 December 2012
More details here.
Plan International: Global Adviser - Child Protection in Development
Location: Woking, Surrey
Application deadline: 17 December 2012
More details here.
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