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Aseil Al-Shehail, 31, from Saudi Arabia, works for Saudi Arabia's UN mission in New York where she represents her country on a range of issues including children's rights. Prior to this, Aseil held a variety of positions in government, including as a legal researcher on children's issues such as custody, adoption and early marriage. She has also lectured widely on children's rights in the United States. Click here to read Aseil's full CV. Can you tell us a bit about your experience of working in children's rights? I come from a family of reformers. It hasn't been easy for me as a woman to make my way in such a male dominated environment, but I believe anything is possible. I am a greater believer in UN standards. The UN Charter on Human Rights applies to everyone, including children, but I believe that children continue to suffer discrimination based on their age as well as other factors. I would like to play a role in challenging this, and I think cooperation with NGOs is particularly important moving things forwards. Why do you want to serve on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child? In Saudi Arabia we may not have Western human rights standards but we are a new country of development and are often misunderstood. I hope to help bridge this gap. What do you think you can contribute to the Committee's work? Which issue in children's rights do you feel needs more attention? Where issues are concerned, I would like to bring more attention to combating corporal punishment of children and the application of the death penalty to under-18s. In my region, early marriage is also a big concern. In Saudi Arabia we have recently set up a committee to stop early marriages. This is really a big step as it goes beyond tradition and many other countries in the region are not ready to accept this yet. The Gulf States cooperate closely through the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) so I hope this will help promote similar action across the sub-region. What is your vision for the UN Committee? What do you think is the biggest challenge the Committee faces? How do you think the Committee could work more effectively with NGOs? What is the best achievement of your career? I am also proud to be my country's first female diplomat. This came about when slots were opened for women to apply for positions in government departments. The selection process took one and a half years! I come from a family of reformers so I think that is where a lot of my drive and optimism come from. My mother, for example, was the first woman to hold an administrative position in the Ministry of Education and that was 25 years ago which was quite something back then. My sister wanted to practise law but was unable to do so in Saudi Arabia so she passed her bar exam in the US. She then returned to Saudi Arabia where she set an example by demonstrating that women are capable of becoming lawyers. She now works with the Ministry of Justice in Saudi Arabia and is part of the committee reviewing legislation on early marriage. If you were not working children's rights, what would you be doing? Sum up children's rights in one word
I currently work for Saudi Arabia's UN mission in New York where I have lived for four years. I'm also an active member and the founder of the first NGO working on children's issues in rural areas in Saudi Arabia.
I truly believe in the rights of the most vulnerable sectors of society, particularly of children. I am an advocate at heart and I believe that where the application of the law is not observed, governments should be held to account.
On a personal level, I have an awareness and sensitivity of other cultures. I am also very knowledgeable about Islamic law and interpreting Islamic law which is something not everybody can do.
In terms of measures we need to be taking, there is a real lack of statistical data on children's rights issues within countries and across regions at present. I think efforts need to be better coordinated in this regard. Enhanced technical assistance from specialised agencies is also a priority.
I am very excited about the Optional Protocol which will establish a complaints mechanism for the CRC as it is currently the only treaty which doesn't have one. I think this will be a really interesting development in the Committee's work.
It's hard for me to evaluate the challenges facing the Committee without having had first hand experience, but I am sure that as with all big organisations there is a lot of bureaucracy. However, I believe that with persistence, hard work and lobbying, it is possible to melt those obstacles.
The work of NGOs is very important and necessary both in monitoring government's fulfilment of children's rights and in assisting with implementation of the CRC along with relevant agencies.
For my country to nominate me for the Committee!
I honestly can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing than working in children's rights or human rights more generally. Perhaps I'd be a practising lawyer...
Future