CRINmail 1493

In this issue:

LATEST NEWS AND REPORTS

Violence

An airstrike on a school in Yemen has killed 10 children and wounded almost 30, residents and aid agencies have said. The school in Sa'ada province was bombed by aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition as children on their summer holidays were gathering for religious lessons. Médecins Sans Frontières said that as well as the ten children who were killed, a further 28 were injured by the blast. All of the victims were between six and 14 years old, the group said. A coalition of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia, armed by both the US and the UK, began bombing Yemen in 2015 to support the country's government in the fight against a rebel group aligned with Iran. The coalition has been accused of bombing indiscriminately and the UN says it has killed around 2,000 civilians with its air strikes. Despite this Saudi Arabia was taken off the UN Secretary General’s ‘list of shame’ for killing children, prompting an outcry from many human rights organisations. Though a ceasefire was announced in April and led to a reduction in violence in Yemen, the UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait recently collapsed, and coalition aircraft have resumed bombing.

Fifty girls believed to be among the Nigerian schoolchildren kidnapped at gunpoint two years ago have appeared in a video released by Boko Haram. In the video, a masked man tells the government that the militant group would only release the group of children, known as the ‘Chibok girls’, in return for the release of imprisoned Boko Haram fighters. Of the 276 girls kidnapped in April 2014, 217 are still missing. Thousands of boys have also been kidnapped by Boko Haram with most forced to become child soldiers for the group. Despite Nigeria’s new president, Muhammadu Buhari, vowing to defeat Boko Haram within a year, the group has remained active, killing hundreds of people in suicide bombings across north-eastern Nigeria.

Freedom of assembly and association

A 14-year-old was shot dead in Angola this week after military police opened fire on protesters with live ammunition. Demonstrators gathered to oppose the demolition of 625 houses, which were to be replaced by a “commercial, industrial, and agriculture development project”, before they were met by a force made up of construction inspectors, soldiers, and police officers. Protesters claimed they had been peacefully gathering since 31 July, and 14-year-old Rufino Antonio’s uncle explained that his nephew joined the demonstration after it started that day. Rufino was hit in the neck by a bullet and his family have claimed that his body was taken away by army personnel without explanation. Residents of the area where demolitions are taking place have also claimed that a one-year-old was killed when his home was destroyed. This incident is not the first time Angola has used potentially deadly force against people exercising their right to freedom of assembly, with three students also wounded by police gunfire in April this year.  

Police in Brazil have used tear gas and rubber bullets against students demanding the right to a good education. Hundreds of students reportedly took part in demonstrations in Sao Paulo, rallying against changes to the public education system that would see almost 100 schools closed and 300,000 students relocated. The closures are billed as a cost saving measure, but have come at the same time as the government has found cash for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. Austerity measures in Brazil have hit education particularly hard, and students across the country have begun occupying their schools to highlight the problems they face, and to try to come up with solutions. Some protests have been met with violence, including from armed police, but the peaceful occupations continue in several regions, including hundreds of schools.

Read more about the students protests and the background to the crisis in Brazilian education in CRIN’s special report on the situation.

Children in India’s Kashmir Valley remain under curfew, with many having not attended school since the beginning of July. Violent clashes between security forces and protesters, provoked by the killing of a local militant group’s young leader, led to most schools in the region being closed last month. Most schools have not reopened after the summer break and young people, including a number of under-18s, have been injured while taking part in or observing protests. Young people are frequently reported for throwing stones at soldiers, and the military often responds by using tear gas and pellet guns to disperse crowds. The death toll in the latest flareup of violence has been reported to be as high as 52, but it represents only a small part of the conflict, rooted in a desire from some groups for independence, that has plagued the region for decades.
 
 

Refugees

Children in Greek refugee camps live in constant fear of sexual assault, with evidence from volunteers at the camps claiming that many will not leave their tents at night out of fear for their safety. Allegations reported in The Observer this week suggest that a seven-year-old was sexually abused by a male gang member, while as many as 170 other children remain at risk in one camp. As well as testimony from anonymous volunteers, a spokesperson for Médecins Sans Frontières explained that most women and children are too afraid to speak out, meaning that rapes and assaults in the camps often go unreported and unpunished. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees claimed that it had raised similar concerns with Greek authorities, stating: “UNHCR has been raising concerns about this, specifically about this issue [sexual violence], saying that we don’t think it will be safe for women and for children. We’ve raised the issue of security again and again”.

Allegations of violence and sexual abuse in the offshore detention facilities on Nauru were routinely downgraded by security staff, according to damning new evidence from leaked incident reports. Analysis by The Guardian showed that at least 100 reports, out of 2,000 leaked from the island, were downgraded in seriousness despite some involving violence against children, self harm and allegations of rape and sexual assault. The claims of the security staff’s complicity in abuse have come amid a wide-ranging scandal, including revelations that some of the reports were not disclosed to the Australian Parliament as part of an inquiry into offshore detention in 2015. Australia’s shadow immigration minister has since called the response from the State “disgraceful” and called for an investigation by the senate to independently investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

 

Juvenile justice

The Constitutional Court of South Africa, stressing the importance of the principle of the best interests of the child, has confirmed that the arrest and detention of a child may only be used as a measure of absolute last resort. As a result, any member of the police who has arrested and detained a child, ignoring any available alternatives, may be liable to face legal action for damages instituted on the child’s behalf. The judgment comes as the final pronouncement by the highest court in the land on one woman’s eight-year quest for justice after her arrest and detention when she was 15. The police had alternatives available to them at the time but opted to ignore them. In handing down the unanimous judgment, Judge Ronnie Bosielo reminded the police force of their duties and responsibilities when dealing with children, emphasising the paramount constitutional importance of their rights, adding that the detention of children should only be used in exceptional circumstances and for the shortest possible time.

A new law in Israel allows for the imprisonment of children as young as 12 if they are convicted of serious violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder and manslaughter. Custodial sentences for children under the age of 14 had previously been prohibited by Israel’s civilian criminal justice system. However, due to the application of Israeli military law, Palestinian children living in the occupied West Bank, were already at risk of being imprisoned from the age of 12. This new law brings the minimum age of criminal responsibility for children living under Israeli civilian law in line with its military counterpart. It has been reported that the Israeli legal system operates in a discriminatory manner against Palestinian children and this new law is the latest step aimed at cracking down on the heightened levels of unrest against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory since late 2015.

The National Security Minister of St Lucia, Hermangild Francis, has called for harmonisation of the age of criminal responsibility among members of the Caribbean inter-governmental organisation CARICOM . His comments come in the wake of reports that the government of Antigua & Barbuda has initiated discussions with UNICEF regarding plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility from eight to 12, the same as St Lucia. The ages across CARICOM vary, and Francis said he wants to see a more “holistic” approach taken across the region, adding that the age of 12 is “good enough for now”. UNICEF expressed its desire to see the age of criminal responsibility in the region raised to at least 16. CRIN believes in the separation of responsibility and criminalisation and would like to see an end to the criminalisation of anyone under 18 years old. Juvenile justice systems should promote alternatives to retribution in the best interests of the child, focusing exclusively on rehabilitation and reintegration, while remaining mindful of public safety and security.

Education

Enrolment in Jordanian schools remains out of reach for many Syrian refugee children, according to the latest report from Human Rights Watch. The new research shows that as many as 80,000 Syrian children in Jordan were not in education during the last school year, despite the kingdom’s efforts to get as many refugee children into its schools as possible. While the report highlights Jordan’s generosity it also shows that stringent registration requirements, punishments for parents working without a permit, and a bar on enrolment for children who have been out of school for three or more years, have kept some children out of school. As well as the practical barrier to education the research also notes that some children have described feeling “a sense of the pointlessness of education” when speaking to UN agencies, as many feel they have limited future prospects.

The government of Uganda has decided to close a chain of commercial private schools until they improve conditions for students and the quality of education they provide. The Ugandan Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, said that reports on the schools “showed poor hygiene and sanitation which put the life and safety of the school children in danger” adding that the teaching material used by Bridge International Academies (BIA) in Uganda, “could not promote teacher pupil interaction”. The decision follows recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which suggested that the continued development of similar private schools could lead to human rights violations. The closures may also impact neighbouring Kenya, where BIA has even more schools, some of which were also closed over allegations of low teaching standards.

A row has erupted over the use of corporal punishment in Indonesia’s schools after the country’s Child Protection Agency and the newly appointed Culture and Education Minister suggested that hitting children as a form of punishment would not always constitute violence against them. Indonesia’s National Commission on Child Protection, a national children’s rights watchdog, quickly rebuked the agency, stating that "There is no room for violence in schools". The debate was sparked after a student was arrested alongside his father for beating up a teacher who had slapped him for “vulgar language” and reportedly failing to bring art supplies to school. The incident is not a one off, with one teacher reported to the police for pinching a student for refusing to take part in prayers, and subsequently receiving a three month jail sentence in February this year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Foster care: International Foster Care 2016 European Conference
Organisation: International Foster Care Organisation
Dates: 1-4 September 2016
Location: Sheffield, UK

Advertising: Child rights based tools for protecting kids from alcohol marketing
Organisation: IOGT International
Dates: 2 September 2016
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia

Participation: Young Citizens & Society: Fostering Civic Participation
Organisation: University of Strathclyde
Dates: 2-3 September 2016
Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Changing Global Perceptions: Child Protection & Bodily Integrity
Organisation: Genital Autonomy
Dates: 14-16 September 2016
Location: Keele, UK

Education: Achieving education for all and eliminating child labour
Organisation: The International Training Centre of the ILO
Dates: 25-30 September 2016
Location: Turin, Italy

Alternative care: International alternative care conference
Organisation: University of Geneva and Institut de droits l’enfant
Event dates: 3-5 October 2016
Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Family separation: Exploring the Causes and Consequences of Children Separated From Their Families Across International Borders
Organisation: International Social Service
Event date: 13 October 2016
Location: Maryland, US

Access to justice: National Conference on Child Wellbeing
Organisation: The President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society
Dates: 21-22 October 2016
Location: Valletta, Malta

Education: Master of Advanced Studies in Children's Rights
Application deadline: 1 November 2016
Dates: February 2017 – November 2018
Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Education in Emergencies
Organisation: HREA
Dates: 2 November-13 December 2016
Location: online (e-learning course)

Children in War and Armed Conflicts
Organisation: HREA
Dates: 2 November-13 December 2016
Location: online (e-learning course)

Right to work: Eliminating child labour and promoting decent work in agriculture
Organisation:The International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO)
Dates: 14-18 November 2016
Location: Turin, Italy

Child labour: Developing skills and livelihood training programmes for older children
Organisation: ITCILO
Dates: 21-25 November 2016
Location: Turin, Italy
 

EMPLOYMENT

Orchid Project: Chief Operating Officer
Application deadline: Rolling
Location: London, United Kingdom Center for Reproductive Rights: Global Advocacy Adviser
Application deadline: Rolling
Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Just for Kids Law: Immigration Lawyer
Application deadline: 19 August 2016
Location: London, United Kingdom

Eurochild: Child Participation & Network Development Officer
Application deadline: 25 August 2016
Location: Brussels, Belgium

Consortium for Street Children: CEO
Application deadline: 4 September 2016
Location: London, United Kingdom

European Roma Rights Centre: Communications Intern or Trainee
Application deadline: 7 September 2016
Location: Budapest, Hungary

Back to top

THE LAST WORD

Back to top