CRINmail 1392

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27 August 2014 subscribe | subscribe | submit information
  • CRINmail 1392

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    LATEST NEWS AND REPORTS

    ‘Horrific’ rights abuses in conflict areas

    The UN has recorded “horrific” human rights violations in Iraq by fighters of the self-proclaimed Islamic State group and associated forces, including abductions, sexual slavery, trafficking, and forced conversions, including of children. “They are systematically targeting men, women and children based on their ethnic, religious or sectarian affiliation and are ruthlessly carrying out widespread ethnic and religious cleansing in the areas under their control. Such persecution would amount to crimes against humanity,” said Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Civilians directly targeted include Christians, Yezidi, Shabaks, Turkomen, Kaka’e and Sabaeans. There are reports of both girls and boys being raped by IS militants, while boys aged 15 and above are allegedly being placed at the front-line in battle situations as human shields. UNICEF has also received reports of IS fighters using girls and women as sexual slaves, with one 16-year old Yazidi girl saying how she was rounded up with other women and girls to provide sexual services under a forced temporary marriage.

    Up until the end of April 2014, the ongoing conflict in Syria had claimed the lives of more than 191,300 people, including more than 8,800 children, according to the UN. The complete number of conflict-related killings in the country is feared to be much higher. Navi Pillay, however, regrets that with the onset of other armed conflicts around the world, the situation in Syria  has “dropped off the international radar”.

    Israel and Hamas have agreed to a long-term ceasefire in the Gaza war following seven weeks of fighting that saw more than 2,200 people killed, the vast majority Palestinian civilians, including more than 470 children. Some 100,000 others were left homeless. On the Israeli side, 69 people died, among them five civilians, including one child.

    In Mali, children suspected of working as soldiers for rebel groups are being left to languish in adult prisons, Amnesty International said last week in a new briefing. Following the start of the current conflict in January 2012, children were recruited by both pro- and anti-government groups. Some of those who fought with the latter were arrested and detained without any adequate protection measures in custody. Authorities had not even checked children’s ages, automatically placing them among adult detainees. The organisation reports various human rights abuses of these children, including being constantly confined to their cells and a lack of access to legal counsel.

     

    Call to prevent further juvenile detention deaths

    Philippines is once again trying to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR), only a year after deciding to keep it at the current age of 15. A new draft Criminal Code now seeks to lower the MACR to 13.

    In Paraguay, two teenagers held in a young offenders detention centre died and at least seven others were injured in an outbreak of violence in July, only two months after the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights warned of the structural conditions that allow such incidents to occur. After a riot broke out at the Itauguá Education Center, a group of youths attempted to escape from the facility, but two were fatally electrocuted when they came into contact with the electric fence that surrounds the centre. Seven other teenagers were seriously injured as a result of the actions of the centre’s staff. The Inter-American Commission had previously lamented the detention conditions at the facility which houses 185 juveniles, including that the majority of the children there have not been convicted of any offence, that there are only six guards working each shift, and that there is an inadequate provision of food and leisure activities. In 2004, the Inter-American Court ruled against Paraguay in a case in which it established standards for the young people’s detention conditions, including by taking special measures to ensure the best interests of the child. 

     

    Incarcerating children ‘for their own safety’

    Almost half of the children held in juvenile detention facilities in the United Kingdom have not been convicted of any crime. Instead, an increasing number of vulnerable children have been placed there by local authorities “for their own safety,” say experts. This is because there is a lack of alternative accommodation and the fact that some children keep running away from other homes, which leaves them vulnerable to homelessness, exploitation and abuse. When faced with this dilemma, local authorities reportedly see secure accommodation as the “least bad” option. But critics have questioned the effect that incarceration has on vulnerable children, with only immediate risks being removed, while no attention is paid to their social, psychological and material needs. Advocates suggest that special refuges for trafficked children and safe houses should be created, as well as an expansion in the number of specialist foster carers. 

    The UN has criticised Tanzania’s practice of rounding up children with albinism into government care centres. In a country where many are abused, killed or mutilated and their body parts sold as lucky charms, the placement of children with albinism into the existing 13 state-run homes was initially seen as a protective measure in response to a spike in killings in 2009. But the children have suffered as a result, said Alicia Londono, of the UN Human Rights Office, citing the forced removal of the children from their families and losing contact with them, the overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the centres themselves, and cases of corporal punishment and sexual abuse. Ms Londono says the centres have been used as a “dumping group”, segregating albino children from the wider community. While acknowledging that shutting the centres would leave the children vulnerable to abuse, Londono says it is crucial to improve conditions in the centres.

     

    Children with autism ‘removed’ from sex ed

    People with autism are much more likely to have suffered sexual abuse than those without autism, according to new study. The research by York University in Toronto, Canada looked at knowledge about sex and sexuality, sources of information on sex, and sexual victimisation. Results showed that 78 per cent of respondents with autism who took part in the study report having been raped, coerced into sex or otherwise sexually abused, compared to 47 per cent of neurotypical participants, that is, those without autism. The study also found that people with autism do not receive adequate sexuality education, which the authors say leaves them open to misinformation and possible abuse. They suspect students with autism "are being removed [from] sexual health classes for various reasons," and the lessons are not being "adapted to their level of understanding." To encourage comprehensive sexuality education for children with autism from a young age, the organisation Autism Speaks has created the Autism Safety Project. Also read more about CRIN's campaign on children's right to information

    Poverty is a major cause of sexual abuse of boys in Afghanistan, according to a national inquiry on the issue by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. The ancient practice of “Bacha Bazi”, as it is called in Farsi - literally meaning boy play - involves using young boys for entertainment (dancing) and sexual activities. Two thirds of boys say they receive money from perpetrators. The commission's chairwoman Seema Samar said that “most of the families don’t know that their children are raped, the perpetrators of Bacha Bazi take advantage of their poverty and entice the children with money.” She added that Bacha Bazi is, moreover, not properly prevented by law. 

    Ahead of its“19 Days of Activism” campaign for the prevention of violence against children, the Women's World Summit Foundation is inviting readers to consult and use its 2014 Prevention Kit

     

    Getting to the root of gender-based killings

    Canada's federal government has rejected calls by aboriginal leaders and the heads of provincial governments for a national inquiry into the disappearance and murder of hundreds of aboriginal women and girls. Pressure on the government intensified recently after the body of a 15-year-old indigenous girl was found in a river in Winnipeg. A 2013 police inquiry found that aboriginal women and girls are overrepresented in national homicide statistics. Despite representing only 4.3 per cent of Canada’s total female population, they constitute 16 per cent of all female homicide victims. The federal government, however, says it does not view these rates as a “sociological phenomenon,” which has prompted critics to accuse it of ignoring the systemic problems behind the violence faced by aboriginal women and girls. 

    More than half of the 25 countries with the highest rates of female homicide in the world are in the Americas. Impunity abounds in cases from Latin America, where structural discrimination against women even exists within law enforcement and judicial institutions, owing to negligent investigations and a lack of punitive action against perpetrators. Consequently many of these crimes in the region remain in impunity. In response to the situation, the UN Human Rights Office and UN Women have developed a Model Protocol to guide investigations and prosecutions of gender-based killings of women and girls specifically in Latin America. The protocol addresses many of the individual, institutional and structural factors relevant to understanding and responding to gender-related killings in the region, and covers the roles of prosecutors, police, coroners, and judges. Several Latin American countries are already working to integrate the protocol into their legal systems, while others have shown interest in doing the same.

     

    UN news

    Registration is still open for organisations wishing to attend the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s 2014 Day of General Discussion on digital media and children’s rights, which will take place on 12th September in Geneva. The deadline for registering is 29th August. Children are also invited to join the discussion by sharing their views on the issue either in writing, drawing or video. Their submission deadline is 5th September.

    The Committee will also take part in a live broadcast talk with children from around the world to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Convention. More information will be made available on the Committee’s website.

    Meanwhile the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is welcoming submissions for its report on the theme, "Towards a better investment in the rights of the child". Submissions should address the main challenges related to the mobilisation, allocation and spending of resources for children, namely child-focused sectors, such as health, education, social protection, child protection and child rights in national policies. The deadline for submissions is 3 October 2014.

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    ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN IN KAZAKHSTAN

    By virtue of being a ratified international treaty, the CRC is considered part of national law and takes precedence over conflicting provisions of national legislation, except for those of the Constitution. The Convention can be directly relied on in the courts in Kazakhstan but there is no established practice of its systematic application by judges. Children are not allowed to bring cases in their own name, except on a very limited number of issues. They may only act through a parent or other legal representative. However, if the child concerned is between 14 to 18 years old, the courts have a legal obligation to involve them in the proceedings. In addition to the regular court system, there is a system of specialised juvenile courts which has jurisdiction to hear cases related to a number of children’s rights issues.

    Read the full report on access to justice for children in Kazakhstan.

    This report is part of CRIN's access to justice for children project, looking at the status of the CRC in national law, the status of children involved in legal proceedings, the legal means to challenge violations of children’s rights and the practical considerations involved in challenging violations.

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    UPCOMING EVENTS

    Africa: Keeping Children Safe in Africa - Identifying and addressing the challenges
    Organisation: Keeping Children Safe et al.
    Date: 3-5 September 2014
    Location: Cape Town, South Africa

    Mental health: Third European Conference on mental health
    Organisation: Various
    Date: 10-12 September 2014
    Location: Tallinn, Estonia

    Justice: Access to justice for children - Legal clinics & other instruments for the promotion of children's rights 
    Organisation: Save the Children - Italy
    Date: 11-13 September 2014
    Location: Pisa, Italy 

    Child rights: European responses to global children’s rights issues - Key findings and future directions
    Organisation: UK Economic and Social Research Council
    Date: 14 September 2014
    Location: Brussels, Belgium

    Juvenile justice: ‘Making deprivation of children’s liberty a last resort - Towards evidence-based policies & alternatives’
    Organisation: International Juvenile Justice Observatory
    Call for papers deadline: 15 September 2014
    Event date: 3-4 December 2014
    Location: Brussels, Belgium

    Consumerism: 'Protecting and Valuing Children as Consumers – European Perspective'
    Organisation: Eurochild et al.
    Location: Brussels, Belgium
    Date: 15 September 2014

    Statelessness: Global Forum on Statelessness
    Organisation: Tilburg University
    Date: 15-17 September 2014
    Location: The Hague, Netherlands 

    Child-friendly cities: 7th Child in the City conference
    Organisation: Child in the City Foundation
    Location: Odense, Denmark
    Date: 29 September - 1 October 2014

    Best interests: Developing Child-Centred Practice in Law, Social Work and Policy for Cross-Border Families
    Organisation:  International Social Service – USA Branch
    Date: 2 October 2014
    Location: Baltimore, United States

    Violence: 7th African Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect
    Organisation: African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect
    Date: 13-15 October 2014
    Location: Nairobi, Kenya

    Digital media: Institutionalisation of child rights in the digital future
    Organisation: UNICEF Turkey et al.
    Date: 16-17 October 2014
    Location: Istanbul, Turkey

    LGBT: Rights on the move - Rainbow families in Europe
    Organisation: University of Trento et al.
    Date: 16-17 October 2014
    Location: Trento, Italy

    Social protection: Sixth International Policy Conference on the African Child
    Organisation: African Child Policy Forum
    Date: 27-28 October 2014
    Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Child protection: The role of child helplines in protecting children and young people online
    Organisation: Child Helpline International 
    Date: 30-31 October 2014
    Location: London, United Kingdom

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    EMPLOYMENT

    Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC): Corporate Accountability & Communications Officer
    Location: London, United Kingdom
    Application deadline: 28 August 2014

    BHRRC: MENA Researcher & Rep.
    Location: Country in the MENA region
    Application deadline: 31 August 2014

    European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC): Human Rights Monitor in Moldova
    Location: N/A
    Application deadline: 31 August 2014

    ILGA-Europe: Senior Policy Officer
    Location: Brussels, Belgium
    Application deadline: 1 September 2014

    Save the Children Sweden: Thematic Advisor for Child Protection for MENA
    Location: Amman, Jordan
    Application deadline: 7 September 2014

    Consortium for Street Children: Advocacy & Research Intern
    Location: London, United Kingdom
    Application deadline: 7 September 2014 

    ERRC: Legal Officer for Italy
    Location: Budapest, Hungary
    Application deadline: 16 September 2014

    GHR Foundation - Senior Programme Officer (Children in Families Initiative)
    Location: Minneapolis, United States
    Application deadline: 22 September 2014

    Save the Children Sweden: Deputy Response Team Leader (SHARP programme)
    Location: West Africa
    Application deadline: 28 September 2014

     

    The Last Word


    It is scandalous that the predicament of the injured, displaced, the detained, and the relatives of all those who have been killed or are missing is no longer attracting much attention, despite the enormity of their suffering.”

    -- Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, commenting on how the Syrian conflict has “fallen off the international radar” with the onset of other conflicts around the world. 

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