Submitted by Robin on
Name:
Skelton, Ann Marie
Country of birth:
South Africa
Languages:
English, French (basic)
Current position/function:
Professor of Law at the University of Pretoria, UNESCO Chair in Education Law in Africa, Director of the Centre for Child Law and practicing children's rights lawyer.
Main professional activities
Expert in child law working on law reform in South Africa.
2008: Chaired the committee for the Child Justice Act
2005: Member of the committee that drafted the Children’s Act.
Recently appointed by the South African government as a member of a Ministerial Advisory Committee to review the social welfare white paper.
Member of the South African Human Rights Commission advisory committee on child rights and basic education.
Why do you want to serve on the CRC?
Having spent most of my career promoting and protecting the rights of children in South Africa, I feel the time has come for me to apply my knowledge for the benefit of children internationally. South Africa has an emerging economy, and the experience I have had of trying to make rights real in that environment is valuable to helping governments and NGOs achieve rights provision in other similar countries, and even those worse off.
What do you see as important emerging child rights issues that you believe the Committee should be addressing?
Education is a major issue in developing countries. The achievement of this gateway right is essential if we are to ensure that every child can grow up to develop his or her full potential, and this in turn has major impacts on societies and economies. With technology developing faster all the time, there is a risk that wealthier, developed countries will provide access to knowledge at a rate that will be impossible for developing countries to keep up with. The gap between those with the type of knowledge required to live in a modern world and those who lack it, is likely to grow. Education as a public good is under threat, as parents choose private options and leave the state system depleted.
Migrancy is a field in which law and policies can barely keep up with developments. The CRC mentions only refugee and asylum seeker children (although the general comment is broader), but in reality many migrant children, whether accompanied or unaccompanied, are economic migrants – seeking educational or work opportunities in countries better off than their own. Ensuring fair, non-discriminatory practices that protect such children is challenging because it is linked to wider political and economic dynamics.
The gap between the promise of the law and what the law actually delivers is a major challenge in implementation. The answer to this lies, firstly, in writing innovative child friendly laws that build realistically and effectively on what is available in that country. Secondly, proper costing, budgeting and planning is essential. There need to be accountability mechanisms and regular reviews of progress, in order to decide what problems are arising, and determine how to fix them.