CRINMAIL 751: Special Edition on the 41st Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

2 February 2006 CRINMAIL 751

Special Edition on the 41st Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

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- COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: 41st Session Closed [news]

- COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Concluding Observations [reports]

- COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Country Summaries [news]

- PERU: Children defend their right to work at the 41st session [interview]

- SAUDI ARABIA: Follow UN call to end juvenile death penalty [news]

- KENYA: Still a Long Way to Go in the Implementation of the CRC [report]

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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

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COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: 41st Session Closed [news]

[GENEVA, 27 January 2006] - The Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded its forty-first session and issued its conclusions and recommendations on the situation of children in Peru, Ghana, Liechtenstein, Trinidad and Tobago, Hungary, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, all of whose reports on efforts to comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child were considered during the session.

The reports of Kazakhstan, Andorra, and Morocco on efforts to comply with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography were also examined. The Committee further took up the reports of Andorra, Bangladesh and Switzerland on efforts to comply with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

The conclusions and recommendations were contained in the final report for the three-week session, which was adopted on Friday 27th by the 18-member Committee. The Committee also adopted its report on the session (CRC/C/41/3), and the report to the General Assembly (A/61/41).

At the final meeting, the Chairperson, Jacob Egbert Doek, commented on the two-chamber approach, which the Committee tried for the first time at this session. It had been an interesting experience, with a considerable burden of work placed both on the Committee members and on the Secretariat, and although the experience as a whole appeared to be positive, it required further assessment, he said. The Secretariat was also in need of support, and it was hoped that it would receive this in the next budget.

The Committee's next session will be held from 15 May to 2 June 2006 at the Palais Wilson in Geneva. Scheduled for consideration are the reports of Latvia, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Tanzania, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Lebanon and Turkmenistan. Under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the reports of Turkey, Qatar, Iceland and Italy are scheduled. Under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the reports of Belgium, El Salvador, Canada, the Czech Republic, Iceland and Italy are scheduled for consideration.

Read the press release

Read the previous CRINMAIL on CRC session 41

General news on the work of the Committee

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COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Concluding Observations [reports]

The following Concluding Observations to the States parties reports considered at the 41st Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child are available (in English) on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. French and Spanish versions are forthcoming.

CRC

OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS

Andorra

- Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography

- Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict

Kazakhstan

Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography

Morocco

Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography

Bangladesh

Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict

Switzerland

Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict

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

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COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Country Summaries [news]

A special news page on the activities of the Committee on the Rights of the Child has been set up on the CRIN website in partnership with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The page provides summaries of the Committee sessions by country (these are produced by the NGO Group and are posted on the page as they become available), UN press releases, NGO press releases, information on Days of General Discussion, Decisions, and other activities of the Committee.

The following country summaries are already available:

The remaining summaries (Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Switzerland) will be posted on the news page as soon as they become available.

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PERU: Children defend their right to work at the 41st session [interview]

A group of Peruvian children and young people attended the 41st session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child for the examination of Peru's third periodic report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Save the Children Sweden and the NGO Group for the CRC facilitated their visit in order to enable them to advocate for the rights children in Peru, and specifically child workers.

The NGO Group and CRIN interviewed Juan Aladino Valdiviezo Alegría (16) from Ucayali, and Leonel Machare Marcelo (16) from Piura. Both have jobs, and were eager to share their views on the situation of the rights of the child in Peru.

Read the interview

Read Peru's third periodic report

Read the session summary for Peru

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SAUDI ARABIA: Follow UN call to end juvenile death penalty [news]

[CAIRO, 29 January 2006] - Saudi Arabia must publicly commit to ending the execution of juvenile offenders, as the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended on Friday 27 January, Human Rights Watch said.

At least 126 individuals are on death row in Saudi Arabia for crimes they were found to have committed before age 18, the Saudi online news station alarabiya.net reported in November 2005, citing government sources. Human Rights Watch has received reliable reports of children sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were as young as 13.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and reviewed Saudi Arabia's treatment of children on 24-25 January 2005. Using exceptionally strong language, the Committee faulted the Saudi government for its practice of imposing the juvenile death penalty, calling it "a serious violation of the fundamental rights" under the convention. The committee said it was "deeply alarmed" over the discretionary power judges hold to treat children as adults in cases involving capital punishment.

In its Concluding Observations the committee called on Saudi Arabia "to immediately suspend the execution of all death penalties imposed on persons for having committed a crime before the age of 18, to take the appropriate legal measures to convert them to penalties in conformity with the provisions of the Convention, and to abolish as a matter of the highest priority the death penalty as a sentence imposed on persons for having committed crimes before the age of 18."

Saudi Arabia had stated in its 2004 report to the committee that, under the sharia (Islamic law) in force in the kingdom, it "never imposes capital punishment on persons who have not attained their majority" and that Saudi Arabian law defines a juvenile "as every human being below the age of 18." However, during questioning by the committee, the government delegation acknowledged that a judge could impose the death penalty whenever he decided that the convicted person had reached his or her majority, regardless of the person's actual age at the time of the crime or at the time of the scheduled execution.

"It appears that the Saudi government is not serious about honouring the commitments it has made under international human rights treaties," said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch. "This shows the large gap between Saudi Arabia's human rights obligations and its daily practice."

The Committee on the Rights of the Child also expressed deep concern that judges had discretion to impose corporal punishment against children. It called on the government to "take all necessary steps for the immediate abolition of extrajudicial and summary floggings of teenagers, and also other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments imposed on persons having committed a crime when under the age of 18 years, including acts of police brutality." In addition, the committee recommended that Saudi Arabia "strengthen its efforts to ensure that persons under 18 years of age in conflict with the law have access to legal aid and independent and effective complaints mechanisms."

Saudi Arabia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1996 and considers it to be a valid source of domestic law. The treaty prohibits capital punishment and sentences of life imprisonment without possibility of release for persons under the age of 18 at the time of the crime. It also guarantees children accused of a crime the right to legal or other assistance in the preparation and presentation of their defence, and the right not to be compelled to give testimony or to confess guilt.

Read the press release in full

Read Saudi Arabia's second periodic report

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KENYA: Still a Long Way to Go in the Implementation of the CRC [report]

[NAIROBI, 30 January, 2006] - Save the Children Sweden - Eastern and Central Africa Region - recently published a study entitled "Children's Rights in Kenya - an Analysis Based on the CRC Reports", in order to draw a picture of achievements and challenges in implementing children's rights in Kenya.

The research looks at reports submitted by Kenya to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and gives a historic insight in the major achievements and remaining challenges since the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by Kenya (as one of the first countries).

The study finds that the Children Act 2001, is as a great step forward, but that there is still a long way to go when it comes to implementation - one of the most crucial gap to be addressed is the one between the written law and the realisation of its words. Another major obstacle, according to the Kenya Government itself, is the issue of cultural and traditional practices.

The obtain a copy of the report, email: [email protected]

More information here

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