MERCOSUR will meet in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 25 March to discuss its 2008-09 action plan for its regional child rights initiative ‘Niñ@sur’. MERCOSUR is an economic and political bloc of South American States similar to the European Union. It stands for el Mercado Común del Sur (the Common Market of the South). Niñ@sur aims to promote national efforts in MERCOSUR Member States to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Issues on the agenda include the launch of an online legal database and a presentation on progress in combating child sexual exploitation and trafficking. In their 2006-07 work plan, MERCOSUR countries expressed support for exploring a possible Optional Protocol on a complaints procedure under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Niñ@sur has been unable to carry out an analysis in this period because of an excessive workload. However, 2008-09 could be an appropriate time to reintroduce the issue, particularly as an international campaign for such a procedure is underway. Indeed, during a recent event at the UN Human Rights Council held by a group of NGOs leading the campaign, Uruguay reiterated its support for the procedure. Read a report here. Full members of MERCOSUR are: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, Venezuela’s full membership is pending; associate members are: Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. For more information, contact: Further information
Secretaría de Derechos Humanos
Contact: Victoria Martínez, National Director of assistance to vulnerable people and groups
Tel: (+11) 5167 6676
Email: prensadh@derhuman.jus.gov.ar
Website: http://www.derhuman.jus.gov.ar/mercosur/ninosur.html
SOUTH AMERICA: MERCOSUR to decide child rights action plan
Niñ@sur Work Plan 2006-07 [Spanish]
Recommendations on the rights of and assistance for children and young people who have been victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation [Spanish]
CRIN’s information page on child rights and MERCOSUR
Organisation:
Link :
http://www.crin.org/docs/Agenda_GTP_marzo_2008[1].doc
Please note that these reports are hosted by CRIN as a resource for Child Rights campaigners, researchers and other interested parties. Unless otherwise stated, they are not the work of CRIN and their inclusion in our database does not necessarily signify endorsement or agreement with their content by CRIN.