CRINMAIL 1332
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LATEST NEWS AND REPORTS
Parliament set to extend the right to die
The Belgian Federal Parliament is reportedly set to extend the right to die to children who are terminally ill. Belgium became the second country in the world to legalise euthanasia in 2002 after the Netherlands, but only people who are 18 or older who suffer from a serious and incurable condition can request to die. Children aged 15 and over who are “legally emancipated” from their parents can also request to undergo euthanasia under the current law.
Many MPs debating the new bill "appear to agree on the fact that age should not be regarded as a decisive criteria in the event of a request for euthanasia," the Belgian daily newspaper De Morgen wrote last week. The new bill would allow doctors to “decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not a child is mature enough to make the decision to end his or her own life, as well as whether a child's health is grave and hopeless enough to warrant euthanasia,” reports the International Business Times.
On the question of a patient’s maturity, Socialist Party senator, Philippe Mahoux, a surgeon by training, who helped draft the 2002 euthanasia law, notes that “children and adolescents who are living in difficult circumstances with regards to death and illness, display greater lucidity [on this issue] than most adults.” Additionally, while emphasising that doctors see euthanasia as a last resort, Professor Dominique Biarent, who heads the intensive care unit at the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital, said that “[s]ome children need to have an answer to their demands because they are suffering so much. They are asking for this. [...] We have been raised so we will cure people first. Our aim is always to try and cure a patient. But of course, the second aim is to care for them. Caring is also giving them conditions to die in dignity.”
Protests over abortion law reversal
Spain’s ruling centre-right Popular Party says it intends to reform the country’s law on abortion, sparking protests by women’s rights groups. The current law, adopted in 2010, allows women and girls aged 16 and over to abort up to 14 weeks into pregnancy without having to provide a reason, up to 22 weeks if the pregnancy poses a risk to the mother’s health, or when two doctors say the foetus has severe malformations.
The new bill, on the other hand, which has yet to be presented to congress, will likely only allow abortion in cases of rape or where there is a risk to the health of the mother, according to Spanish media. Foetal malformations will not be a valid reason to terminate a pregnancy. And girls aged 16 and over will have to seek parental approval to have an abortion. Experts warn the changes could take Spain back more than 25 years, placing it alongside Ireland and Malta as the European Union countries with the most restrictive abortion laws. According to a 2012 poll, 65 per cent of people in Spain who voted for the Popular Party in the last elections say they are against the proposed reforms. Full story.
State guilty of care home deaths
The European Court of Human Rights has found Bulgaria in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights after 15 children and young adults with special needs died in a state care home in 1996/1997 from a shortage of food, the effects of cold and a lack of medicines and basic necessities. The judgment outlined how funding of the care home had been reduced significantly in the winter of 1996 after inflation rose in Bulgaria to over 1,000 per cent, which left the home in dire circumstances: it was inaccessible by car due to weather conditions, the heating only came on for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening, and the “food was highly inadequate” with staff and nearby villagers bringing in some provisions. The Court ruled that authorities could have prevented the deaths, as information about the serious risk to the lives of the patients had been available as early as September 1996. Full story.
Clerical abuse victims to pursure Vatican case
The International Criminal Court has rejected a request by victims of clergy sex abuse to investigate former Pope Benedict XVI and Vatican officials for possible crimes against humanity. In a letter to the Center for Constitutional Rights, the nonprofit legal group that represents the victims, the Court explained that "[t]he matters described in your communication do not appear to fall within the jurisdiction of the court,” adding that it can only investigate “the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes."
Petitioners, however, have argued that the Catholic Church maintained a "long-standing and pervasive system of sexual violence", affirming that rape, sexual violence and torture are considered crimes against humanity as described in the Rome Statute which spells out the Court's mandate. The complaint also accuses Benedict and Vatican cardinals of creating policies that perpetuated the damage, constituting an attack against a civilian population. The Center for Constitutional Rights says it is confident it can collect enough evidence as new abuse victims come forward to press the tribunal to reconsider its decision. More on the story.
Child recruits detained and tortured
In Mali, children as young as 13 who were recruited as soldiers by armed groups or suspected of having links with them are now being detained by Malian forces alongside adults, with some detainees saying they have been tortured, Amnesty International reports. The organisation conducted a month-long visit to the country where they interviewed some of the children and found basic violations of international law, including French forces failing to ask the ages of detained children or interviewing them in their mother tongue before handing them over to the Malian gendarmerie in Bamako. One child claimed that during the plane transfer, he was blindfolded and had his hands and feet tied. More on the story.
The recently released UN Secretary-General’s 2012 Report on Children and Armed Conflict has, for the first time, explicitly named parties to the conflict in Mali as being responsible for the recruitment and use of children as soldiers and for sexual violence against children. For more details on the report, read our latest CRINmail on Children and Armed Conflict here.
More action urged on female genital mutilation
In the United Kingdom, police and social workers are reportedly not tackling female genital mutilation properly because they are afraid of being seen as politically incorrect, MPs have said. The practice has been illegal in the UK since 1985, and later laws were extended to cover British citizens and permanent residents involved in the practice overseas. But despite an estimated 20,000 girls found to be at risk of FGM in the UK, it is "unforgivable" that there have been no prosecutions to date, according to a new report by the International Development Committee. The Committee also said it was "appalled" that no at-risk girls had been placed on the child protection register by police or social services, despite 148 referrals of FGM cases in the past four years. Full story.
Courts address corporal punishment in schools
In Namibia last week, Windhoek Magistrate's Court convicted four teachers of a private school in Windhoek of assault for subjecting a 14-year-old pupil to corporal punishment. Despite the child’s parents not approving the teachers to use corporal punishment on the boy, there were five incidents where it was used against him - in one case because he had forgotten his physical education clothes.
The ruling remains faithful to Namibia’s Supreme Court decision in April 1991 that the use of corporal punishment would be in conflict with the Constitution's prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The then Chief Justice, Hans Berker, stated in a separate judgement that “even if very moderately applied and subject to very strict controls, the fact remains that any type of corporal punishment results in some impairment of dignity and degrading treatment”. Full story.
Meanwhile in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, a Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the state High Court challenging the inaction of the state government in preventing the use of corporal punishment against children in schools. The petitioner, Mohammed Shahbaz Ahmed Khan, a city resident, contends that as per the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the state is required to protect children from all forms of physical and mental violence, torture and other cruel and degrading punishment or treatment. The petition requests that the state government ensure that school discipline is administered in a manner consistent with children’s human dignity and in conformity with the UN Convention. Full story.
Uruguay presents first-ever gender violence study
In Uruguay, women and girls aged between 15 to 18 years represent the age group with the highest number of victims of gender violence, according to the country’s first-ever census on the issue. Overall, the study found that one in four women and girls suffer domestic violence, with 60 per cent of victims having been abused by former or current partners, and the violence usually occurring at least once a week or every day. In view of the findings, the Health Minister, Susana Muñiz, has publicly recognised gender violence as a public health and security concern, and intends to develop an action plan to curb the problem and raise awareness among both men and women. Full story (in Spanish).
Call for contributions
The Better Care Network, the global network dedicated to promoting family care for children, is inviting stakeholders to participate in the development of a major new strategic plan for the next three years. This is your opportunity to tell the organisation what you see as the critical issues affecting children without parental care, what the needs are in this field, and also what would be most useful to you in your work as individuals and as organisations. For those who work or are interested in the issue of children without appropriate parental care can answer a short survey that takes no longer than 10 minutes to complete. The deadline for participation is 30 June. To take part, click here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Europe: Building an inclusive Europe - the contribution of children's participation
Organisation: Eurochild et al.
Submission deadline: 30 June 2013
Event date: 13-15 November 2013
Location: Milan, Italy
More details here.
Missing children: Young runaways and missing children - Prevention, Protection, Provision
Organisation: Public Policy Exchange
Date: 10 July 2013
Location: London, United Kingdom
More details here.
Business: 2013 Regional Forum on Business & Human Rights for Latin American and the Caribbean
Organisation: UN Working Group on Business & Human Rights et al.
Date: 28-30 August 2013
Location: Medellín, Colombia
More details here.
Abuse & neglect: 13th ISPCAN conference on child abuse & neglect
Organisation: International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
Date: 15-19 September 2013
Location: Dublin, Ireland
More details here.
Sexual violence: Evidence into action
Organisation: Sexual Violence Research Initiative
Date: 14-17 October 2013
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
More details here.
Genital autonomy: Whole bodies, whole selves - Activating social change
Organisation: Genital Autonomy et al.
Abstract submission deadline: 15 December 2012
Event date: 24-27 July 2014
Location: Colorado, United States
More details here.
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EMPLOYMENT
European Roma Rights Centre: Human rights expert (consultancy)
Location: N/A
Application deadline: 20 June 2013
More details here.
European Roma Rights Centre: Internships
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Application deadline: 30 June 2013
More details here.
UNICEF: Consultancy on providing technical advice on child-friendly justice to the Gov't of Kazakhstan
Location: N/A
Application deadline: 2 July 2013
More details here.
Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust: Internships
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Application deadline: 10 August 2013
More details here.
Raising Voices: Programme Manager (Violence Against Children Prevention)
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Application deadline: Until filled
More details here.
Save the Children: Senior Child Protection Specialist (Latin America & Middle East)
Location: Washington DC, United States
Application deadline: Until filled
More details here.
ChildFund International: Director of Infants and Young Children Technical Unit
Location: Washington DC, United States
Application deadline: Until filled
More details here.
The Last Word
"In recent years, United Nations child protection actors have noted with concern that the evolving character and tactics of armed conflict are creating unprecedented threats to children. The absence of clear front lines and identifiable
opponents, the increasing use of terror tactics by some armed groups and certain methods used by security forces have made children more vulnerable."
-- UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, in his report on Children and Armed Conflict 2013
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