4 April 2006 - CRINMAIL 768
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- DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Dangers Faced by Street Children [publication]
- MEXICO: Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child Inadequate [news]
- HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL: Panel Reflects on Next Steps and Role of NGOs [news]
- GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION: Every Child Needs a Teacher [news]
- CHILDREN AND VIOLENCE: Future Directions in Child Welfare [event]
- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Supporting Educational Needs of Children [publication]
- INDIA: Child Rights, Participation, Protagonism, Governance Workshop [scholarships]
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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 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.
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Dangers Faced by Street Children [publication]
[KINSHASA, 4 April 2006] – As presidential elections approach, Congo’s tens of thousands of street children risk political manipulation and physical harm, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. In recent years, leaders of political parties have enlisted street children to create public disorder in mass demonstrations. In many cases, the security forces have responded to these protests with excessive use of force, leading to the death and injury of dozens of children.
The 72-page report, What Future? Street Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, documents how security officials and other adults routinely abuse the country’s street children. In the past 10 years, armed conflict, HIV/AIDS, prohibitive education fees, and even accusations of sorcery have led to a doubling of the number of street children. With no secure access to shelter, food or other basic needs, these children live in insecurity and fear.
Instead of providing street children with protection, police and soldiers routinely use physical violence and threats of arrest to steal from these children. Street children also face physical and sexual abuse at the hands of adults and older youth, who take advantage of their vulnerable status. Rape of both girls and boys is pervasive.
“As a first step, the Congolese government must protect street children during the election period. UN agencies in Congo should redouble their efforts to prevent abuse,” said Tony Tate, Africa children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch and the author of the report. “Congolese authorities should use this opportunity to start addressing the abuses committed against children.”
The Congolese government periodically orders mass roundups of street children, justifying their detention on the basis of a colonial-era law that forbids children from begging. Guilty of nothing more than being without a home, large groups of children are detained and held in overcrowded jails, often mixed with adult prisoners. Held for days in deplorable conditions, these children are usually released without being charged, and then put back on the street.
“Congolese authorities should be assisting homeless children, not throwing them in jail,” said Tate. “The government should end roundups of street children and do away with laws that criminalise children for being homeless.”
In an alarming trend, an increasing number of children are being accused of sorcery, even though such accusations are specifically prohibited by Congo’s new Constitution. Orphans or children living with step-parents are particularly vulnerable to accusations, made by their surviving relatives, that they are sorcerers responsible for the family’s misfortunes. Accused children are often neglected, abused, and thrown out of their homes.
Agencies that work with children in Kinshasa estimate that as many as 70 per cent of the city’s street children had been accused of sorcery before they ended up on the street.
Specialised pastors or prophets from “churches of revival” perform ceremonies to rid children of their sorcery. In many such churches, dozens of children can be held for days at a time, with food and water denied. In the worst cases, children are whipped, beaten or given purgatives until they confess to sorcery. Even after the process is concluded, however, children can be subjected to further abuse at home, and ultimately abandonment.
“Congo’s new Constitution expressly prohibits accusing children of sorcery,” said Tate. “Congolese authorities must take action against adults who mistreat children.”
Children affected by HIV/AIDS are particularly susceptible to accusations of sorcery. In the belief that HIV can be transmitted through sorcery, family members sometimes blame children for causing the death of their parents from AIDS. Already AIDS orphans, these children become double victims of the epidemic. National HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns must educate the Congolese public about the causes of HIV/AIDS and refute the view that it can be transmitted through sorcery.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=7857
For more information, contact:
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299, US
Tel: +1 212 216 1837
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.hrw.org
More information
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MEXICO: Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child Inadequate [news]
[D.F., Mexico, 30 March 2006] – The Mexican Network for Children’s Rights (Red por los Derechos de la Infancia en México) held a press conference last week to highlight the Mexican government’s difficulties in preparing its report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, to which it is due to report in Geneva on 23 May 2006.
The Committee requested extensive additional information from the Mexican government to be submitted by 5 April 2006, according to Andrea Márquez, Coordinator of the Network. The request was made following the Committee’s analysis of Mexico’s report to the Committee in 2004. This report was presented two years later than scheduled, in contravention of the State's obligation to report periodically on the progress made on implementing the Convention on the rights of the child, which the State of Mexico ratified in 1990.
Márquez commented that "the Committee has requested a lot more information from the State of Mexico in terms of hard statistics that were not included in the 2004 report. This highlights the fact that the report was very superficial and gives very little idea of the complex reality of the situation of child rights in the country. It also reveals very little knowledge of the current situation". She added that "whilst the report presented by the Mexican government enumerates 10 state laws for the protection of children’s rights, an Alternative Report prepared by the Network documents 20 such laws."
According to Márquez, the Committee has requested more information on 40 issues which it felt were insufficiently explained in the Mexican government’s report. These include: information about budget allocations for children, children with disabilities, child abuse and children without parental care. It stipulated that all of this information should be disaggregated according to gender, age, ethnic group and rural and urban areas.
The Committee has also requested information about structural issues to indicate how far the Convention has been integrated into national legislation and public policy. It asked for up-to-date information about the establishment of National Follow-Up Committees as well as the implementing body for the National Plans of Action 2002-2010, which are both mentioned in Mexico’s report.
Gerardo Sauri, Director of the Network, commented that the current administration should go beyond trying to give the Committee a good impression and welcome the Committee’s recommendations as guidelines for devising public policies and national legislation.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infodetail.asp?id=7867
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HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL: Panel Reflects on Next Steps and Role of NGOs [news]
The Commission on Human Rights concluded its final session on 27 March 2006 referring all reports to the Human Rights Council for consideration during its first session in June 2006. On 22 March 2006 the Department of Public Information and the General Assembly President's Office held a panel discussion on the Human Rights Council. Recognising that the creation of the Human Rights Council was an important first step, the panelists took the opportunity to highlight key strengths of the Council, ways in which the Council’s new structure and mechanisms address shortcomings of the Commission, and crucial areas for further action within the coming months and years.
Elections: 9 May 2006
It was emphasised that the next few months will provide a crucial opportunity to ensure that the elections live up to the improved standards outlined in the Resolution and that during this period it will be important to:
First Session: 19 June 2006
Because the first session of the Human Rights Council will be crucial in shaping the Council's work, the panel highlighted a number of areas in which human rights NGOs could play a strategic role in ensuring a strong Council:
- monitoring the Council's review of mandates, functions, special procedures and NGO participation to ensure that these mechanisms are strengthened and improved rather than weakened
- evaluating the ways in which NGOs previously interacted with the Commission on Human Rights and identifying the most effective ways for NGOs to contribute to the Council's work. For example, would interactive dialogue be helpful, can NGOs make their participation more targeted now that the Council will be holding three sessions per year, and what are mechanisms that can be put in place for NGOs to participate and provide input when they are unable to attend?
- contributing to the drafting of rules and procedures
- pushing within the next five years for the elevation of the Council's status to a principal UN body
- providing recommendations on the Council's architecture and how its work should be distributed among the three sessions.
[Source: Reform the UN]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=7847
For updated information on the Human Rights Council, keep checking: http://www.crin.org/chr/news
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GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION: Every Child Needs a Teacher [news]
Date: 24-30 April 2006
Right now, over 100 million children wake up every day without the hope that education offers. These children know AIDS, know poverty, know hard labour, know hunger... but they will never know a teacher. There are simply not enough teachers to ensure every child can get a quality education.
The UN estimates that at least 15 million more teachers are needed for the universal primary education goal alone. There is a desperate need for more qualified teachers - many low income countries currently save money by hiring teachers with little training, and pay them poorly. Teachers are under pressure, coping with enormous classes, poor living and working conditions and many are affected by HIV/AIDS. Yet good teachers are essential for children to learn, female teachers are particularly important for helping girls stay in school.
During this year's Global Action Week for Education, the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) coalition will be watching politicians, to ensure they keep their promises of enabling every child to go to school and be taught by a qualified teacher.
GCE is demanding rich countries to:
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increase aid and cancel debt
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support countries' long-term education plans including teacher salaries
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end harmful donor conditions that prevent countries employing sufficient numbers of professional teachers
GCE demands poor countries to:
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increase public spending on education
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ensure quality teaching by training teachers to a professional standard
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pay teachers a living wage and give them a say in education policy-making
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reduce class sizes and improve classroom conditions
Information on how to participate in the Global Action Week:
Visit the Global Campaign for Education website to get a comprehensive resource pack or email [email protected].
Visit the NetAid website which provides options to get involved in this year's campaign, facts, figures and an action pack.
Resources
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CHILDREN AND VIOLENCE: Future Directions in Child Welfare [event]
Date: 19-22 November 2006
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development, the International Forum for Child Welfare (IFCW), Alberta Children's Services and the Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC) are organising a World Forum on "Future Directions in Child Welfare " with an emphasis on preventing and addressing child maltreatment.
This international conference will explore and share knowledge, information and data on promising practices and innovative approaches to prevention and response to child abuse and neglect. New trends and developments in child welfare practice, research and networking will be emphasised. The presentations will highlight practical and innovative solutions, cutting-edge research and evidence-based practice.
Call for papers
The conference programme is being developed around the overarching theme of preventing and addressing child maltreatment. The World Health Organisation's World report on violence and health documents the sad reality that abuse, exploitation and neglect of children are global phenomena. Worldforum 2006 will provide a valuable opportunity to focus prevention efforts, enhance interventions, highlight promising and best practices, report on innovative approaches, exchange knowledge, and generate initiatives to combat child maltreatment in all its forms.
Child abuse and neglect are closely tied to a range of issues and concerns that will be addressed within the conference programme, including, but not limited to: social isolation; family functioning; children's rights; cultural competence; poverty; and other forms of violence against children. Presentations addressing aboriginal approaches to the above are encouraged.
Key themes to be explored within the range of programme, policy and research responses to child abuse and neglect include:
- Evidence-based approaches Exploring approaches to child welfare practice, programme and policy development that are evidence-based.
- Service innovation Providing differential approaches to improve planning for child safety and responding to the complex needs of families; promoting family group conferencing; family mediation and healing circles.
- Strength-based approaches Enhancing existing strengths and resilience of those children and youth receiving services in order to effectively promote their optimal development (eg, psycho-social, health, education) and transition to adulthood.
- Community engagement Working with decision-makers and organisations to develop and deliver services within a consolidated, coherent, community-based system that promotes child, youth, family and community capacities.
- Cultural competence Highlighting promising practices and innovative approaches that value and express the importance of culture and diversity at all levels of the service continuum, ie, policy, governance, administration, service provision, and consumer/client, with particular reference to Aboriginal approaches.
- Quality assurance and accountability frameworks Ensuring the development of standards, quality assurance and accreditation models to promote optimal outcomes for children, youth and families and effective use of public resources.
A new wave of dynamic innovation within child welfare brings the influence of evidence-based approaches to the development of policy, programmes and practices. To measure and scientifically evaluate holds considerable promise in improving life opportunities for vulnerable children, youth and families.
Submission deadline: 15 April 2006
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=7860
For more information, contact:
Central Union for Child Welfare
Tel: +1 866 660 9704
Email: [email protected]
More information
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Supporting Educational Needs of Children [publication]
A new guide was launched yesterday to help schools, refuges and local authorities support children and young people affected by domestic violence. Safe Learning: How to support the educational needs of children and young people affected by domestic violence was written by Save the Children UK in cooperation with Women's Aid.
The publication looks at how domestic violence affects children and young people and gives an overview of the relevant legislation and schools’ statutory responsibilities. Detailed guidance is included for schools on developing strategies to support these vulnerable children by:
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raising awareness and understanding of domestic violence amongst teachers and pupils
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identifying children and young people affected by domestic violence
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ensuring children’s safety
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integrating children who arrive at short notice to escape abuse.
Examples of best practice are included, along with a list of useful organisations and resources.
The guide will be of interest to education professionals, particularly headteachers and child protection co-ordinators in schools and local authorities, and staff in domestic violence organisations. It is a priced publication.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=7861
For more information, contact:
Sophie Elmhirst, Save the Children UK
1 St. John's Lane, London, EC1M 4AR, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 207 012 6841
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk
More information
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INDIA: Child Rights, Participation, Protagonism and Governance Workshop [scholarships]
DHRUVA, the training and consultancy wing of The Concerned for Working Children (CWC), is conducting a 10-day Workshop for Frontline Workers and Children on "Children's Rights, Participation, Protagonism and Governance" from 1-12 October 2006, in Bangalore, India, to cover the attitudes and perceptions of adults and children towards children's rights, their participation and development.
The course will also deal with an understanding of socio-political and economic structures and institutions in order to design and use these to further children's participation. It will include skills, tools and methodology for furthering children's empowerment and participation. It will deal with issues related to the partnership between adults and children and children's participation in governance.
DHRUVA has recently announced the availability of scholarships for 5 participant teams for the workshop. These scholarships will underwrite the entire course fee of Rs: 20,000. It includes resource fees, learning materials, field trips, local transportation, medical attention and cultural activities. It will not cover travel costs, boarding and lodging and the cost of translations, if required, by the child. Each team (one adult and one child) will be required to pay a total of Rs: 10,000 (RS: 5,000 per head) to cover these costs.
Application deadline: 2 May 2006
Registration deadline: 1 September 2006
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=7101
For more information, contact:
Nandana Reddy, Director Development
DHRUVA c/o The Concerned for Working Children
303/2, L.B. Shastri Nagar, Vimanapura Post
Bangalore 560 017, India
Tel: +91 80 25234270; Fax: +91 80 25235034
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.workingchild.org
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