22 December 2005 - CRINMAIL 741
___________________________________________________________
- SUDAN: Worsening conditions for children after three years of conflict [publication]
- COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Activities Update [news]
- CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: Progress towards a ban for Europe's children [publication]
- YOUTH PARTICIPATION: World Development Report 2007 [call for participation]
- CHILDREN IN EMERGENCIES: Child Protection Systems for Local NGOs [workshop]
- AUSTRALIA: Australian Children's Rights News [publication]
___________________________________________________________
Your submissions are welcome if you are working in the area of child rights. To contribute, email us at [email protected]. Adobe Acrobat is required for viewing some of the documents, and if required can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html If you do not receive this email in html format, you will not be able to see some hyperlinks in the text. At the end of each item we have therefore provided a full URL linking to a web page where further information is available.
___________________________________________________________
- SUDAN: Worsening conditions for children after three years of conflict [publication]
[NEW YORK, 19 December 2005] - For almost three years the children of Darfur have borne the brunt of a conflict that has forced millions to flee their homes. And in spite of continuing humanitarian aid, many are still facing severe food shortages and disease because of the ongoing insecurity.
Malnutrition rates in the last year have been halved among children living in camps which provide food, shelter and medical care. But an estimated 2.5 million people are not receiving any help because they live in isolated and dangerous areas. Children in these groups are dying from malnutrition and other preventable diseases.
For almost three years, marauding Janjaweed militia groups have driven Darfur villagers from their homes, stolen their cattle, destroyed wells and burnt buildings. The threat of violence continues, and villagers who are afraid to return home have flooded into urban areas and temporary camps. An estimated 3.4 million people, equivalent to almost 51 per cent of the total population in the region, have been affected by the crisis in Darfur.
With food and water becoming scarce throughout the region, camps such as Abu Shouk on the outskirts of Darfur's northern capital El Fashir are almost the only places where children and adults can receive life saving assistance.
At Abu Shouk, UNICEF and partners have provided health clinics and latrines, as well as schools for 13,000 primary aged children. Some 1.3 million children are living in 200 similar camps around Darfur and neighbouring parts of Chad.
"These camps were set up to provide immediate temporary care, but they are becoming permanent fixtures," says UNICEF Emergency Communications Officer Gordon Weiss. "Unless security is improved the people living here will not be able to return to their homes and begin producing their own food. Millions of others are already struggling to survive and the food shortages in Darfur are only going to get worse."
More international aid will be needed for another five years simply to ensure the survival of Darfur's children. Political solutions are needed to secure a future in which they can thrive.
For more information, contact:
UNICEF
H-9, 3 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, US
Tel: + 1 212 824 6127; Fax: + 1 212 326 7731
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unicef.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6825
--------------------------------
- COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Activities Update [news]
* Committee on the Rights of the Child adopts new General Comment on Early Childhood
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted a new General Comment (number 7) on "Implementing Child Rights in Early Childhood", during its session in September 2005. This General Comment arose out of the Committee's experiences of reviewing States parties' reports, where in many cases very little information has been offered about early childhood.
In 2004, the Committee devoted its Day of General Discussion to this theme, which led to the decision to prepare a General Comment on this important topic, with financial support from the Bernard van Leer Foundation.
General Comment 7 includes sections on the features of early childhood that inform the implementation of rights, on the application of the four general principles to young children, on parental responsibilities and assistance from States parties, on comprehensive policies and programmes for early childhood and on young children in need of special protection.
General Comments are seen by the Committee as important interpretive tools in relation to the Convention, for use by States parties, NGOs and all with responsibilities towards young children.
For more information, contact:
Committee on the Rights of the Child
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
8-14 Avenue de la Paix, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: + 41 22 917 9000; Fax: + 41 22 917 9022
Website: http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc
To read General Comment no. 7, visit:
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6813
For information on the 2004 Day of General Discussion, visit:
http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/treaties/crc.37/Discussion.asp
To read previous General Comments, visit:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/comments.htm
* Sub-regional seminar on the implementation of Concluding Observations
A sub-regional seminar on the implementation of the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 28 to 30 November 2005. Over 150 people from ten South American countries, including Government representatives, members of parliaments, national human rights institutions, international and grass-root NGOs, journalists, UN agencies, and UN experts participated in the event.
The seminar was organised by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in collaboration with Plan International, UNICEF, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Government of Argentina. The World Health Organisation, the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Institute of the Child were represented.
This large participation fostered the creation of new synergies at the regional level around the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The high level of the resource persons and panellists, the expertise of the participants and the fact that everybody communicated in Spanish, ensured the quality of the debates and the focus on child rights. The Seminar increased visibility in the region of child rights, the Convention, the Committee and its recommendations and provided a framework for the creation and strengthening of regional networks.
The recommendations adopted at the end of the Seminar reflect the discussions that took place in the five working groups: the working group on child and adolescent health - the working group on education - the working group on economic and sexual exploitation - the working group on juvenile justice - and the working group on violence. The report, containing a narrative part and the recommendations, will be published shortly in Spanish, English and French.
[OHCHR, December 2005]
For more information, contact:
Committee on the Rights of the Child
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
8-14 Avenue de la Paix, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: + 41 22 917 9000; Fax: + 41 22 917 9022
Website: http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc
To read the OHCHR event report, visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6827
--------------------------------
- CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: Progress towards a ban for Europe's children [publication]
The Council of Europe has recently published a report on "Eliminating corporal punishment: a human rights imperative for Europe's children". For the Council of Europe, children are not mini-persons with mini-rights, mini-feelings and mini-human dignity. They are vulnerable human beings with full rights and they need protection, which always takes the best interests of the child into account.
Banning all corporal punishment, including within the family, in all its 46 member states is a major concern and commitment for the Council of Europe. The foundation for this commitment is provided by the human rights standards set by various legal instruments, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified by all member states), the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter and revised Social Charter.
The publication includes the following chapters:
Chapter 1. Human rights obligations to end all corporal punishment of children
Chapter 2. Progress towards ending corporal punishment across the Council of Europe member states
Chapter 3. Making corporal punishment of children visible
Chapter 4. Eliminating corporal punishment of children: the process
To order the book, contact:
Council of Europe Publishing
Palais de l'Europe, 67075 Strasbourg Cedex, France
Tel: + 33 (0)3 88 41 25 81; Fax: + 33 (0)3 88 41 39 10
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://book.coe.int
Visit: http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=6782
--------------------------------
- YOUTH PARTICIPATION: World Development Report 2007 [call for participation]
The World Bank is currently working on its World Development Report (WDR) for 2007. The report this year focuses on Adolescents and Youth. Youth Participation has also recently become one (of many) issue for the World Bank, but paradoxically, there are not many youth involved in working on this report and a first draft of the report is already finished.
The Network of Asia Pacific Youth (NAPY) has recently met with the Dutch Executive Director of the World Bank, Mr. Melkert, in Washington DC. He said that the department working on the WDR were open for comments and recommendations from concerned NGOs and individuals on the draft. This is a big advocacy opportunity, but the deadline 5 January 2006.
Other regional Youth Network like the Youth Coalition (International), Lentswe La Rona (African Youth Network) and You Act (EU Youth Network) were also present at the meeting with Mr. Melkert and want to contribute to this report. Therefore NAPY is suggesting all interested NGOs work together. The more youth involved and the more people and regions are represented, the stronger impact comments and recommendations will make.
The Network of Asia Pacific Youth are currently working on the review process internally. As a network working on young people's sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Asia Pacific region, it identified some points of weakness in the draft report on this issue only:
- Sex is only considered to take place within the framework of the heterosexual marriage
- No emphasis on contraception (in particular missing in the focus on prevention of HIV/AIDS)
- Youth are viewed primarily as a group at risk, rather than a resource
- No emphasis on the right to information
- Weak emphasis on youth friendly health services, and what these are
- Lack of perspective on the promotion of gender equality, young women and the poorest of the poor
If concerned NGOs and professionals know of any research that will back up a recommendation of the above points (or other points that they identify to be lacking), they are invited to send information to NAPY. Their internal deadline is 27 December 2005.
NAPY would like to encourage as many people and organisations as possible to get involved. Interested parties can submit information independently by sending email directly to the World Bank ([email protected]); they can endorse NAPY's input review document by signing it (the first revised draft will be ready by 28 December); or they can just simply send their comments to NAPY.
For more information, contact:
Agniva Lahiri, Co-Coordinator
Network of Asia Pacific Youth
Email: [email protected]
To know more about the report and read the draft, visit: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTWDRS/EXTW...
--------------------------------
- CHILDREN IN EMERGENCIES: Child Protection Systems for Local NGOs [workshop]
Date: 18-19 January 2006
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Save the Children UK's Ensuring a Child-Safe Organisation (ECSO) Project aims to help local agencies working in the Tsunami-affected areas to develop their own child protection policy and guidelines. Save the Children UK team will assist organisations in trainings, assessment and consultations, which are necessary steps to set this up. The idea is not to tell them what they should do, but to support them in developing their own policy and guidelines so that they have a sense of ownership.
A 'training toolkit' has been developed for this purpose. It contains 3 modules for trainings that SC-UK will provide to local agencies. However, if agencies wish to conduct their own trainings, they can choose to receive the toolkit and do it on their own. Alternatively, SC-UK can provide training of trainers along with the distribution of toolkit. The toolkit is written in user-friendly format, and includes materials that encourage active discussion among participants.
SC-UK can also assist organisations in preliminary assessment and evaluation of implementation. Certification is available at the completion of the awareness raising module and organisational assessment. An ECSO Award, validated by Save the Children, UNICEF, and ECPAT, is granted to organisations that successfully implement their child protection system. Two sessions of awareness raising workshop are scheduled for the 18-19 January 2006.
For more information, contact:
Sinart King, Thailand Child Protection Policy Project Officer
Save the Children UK (SEAPRO)
14 Floor, Maneeya Centre Bldg, 518/5 Ploenchit Road
Lumpini, Pratumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: + 662 684 1286 88; Fax: + 662 684 1289
Email: [email protected]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6826&flag=event
--------------------------------
- AUSTRALIA: Australian Children's Rights News [publication]
Defence for Children International Australia (DCI-A) has just published its 48 page December 2005 issue of Australian Children's Rights News, No. 40 with the following feature articles:
- DCI-A President Dr Judy Cashmore reports on the Concluding Observations on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child concerning Australia's compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child
- DCI-A Advisory Panel Member Moira Rayner examines the developmental features of children's acquisition of a moral self and sense of fairness
- New service designed to assist children captured in international parental child abduction disputes
- Dr Simon Evans, Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies at the University of Melbourne, identifies why critics here of bills of rights overseas should think again
- Submission on a Charter of Rights for Children in Care in Victoria
- Victorian National Committee Representative Danny Sandor accuses the Commonwealth Government of hide and seek on human rights with the anti-terrorism bill
- Pia Di Mattina, an Executive Member of Reprieve Australia reflects on local leadership and liability in the wake of the execution of Ngyuen Tuong Van in Singapore.
- Ann Skelton, from the University of Pretoria Centre for Child Law, provides an update on litigating for juvenile justice in the South African courts
To subscribe to the Newsletter, contact:
Danny Sandor, DCI-A
32 Botany Street, Randwick NSW Australia 2031
Tel: + 61 (0)2 9398 7488; Fax: + 61 (0)2 9398 7416
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.dci-au.org
To take advantage of the current holiday season subscription e-gift offer which can be delivered electronically on any day, anywhere in the world, and view/download editions from 2004 and earlier, visit http://www.dci-au.org/html/acrn.html
___________________________________________________________
The CRINMAIL is an electronic mailing list of the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN). CRIN does not accredit, validate or substantiate any information posted by members to the CRINMAIL. The validity and accuracy of any information is the responsibility of the originator.
To subscribe, unsubscribe or view list archives, visit http://www.crin.org/email.
___________________________________________________________
