Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: Click on the link below to visit CRIN's new page on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is currently holding its 124th session in Washington DC, United States. During this session, the Commission will discuss concerns about detention centres for young offenders in Brazil, the situation of indigenous people and child work in Central America, the situation of migrants in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, and violence against women in Latin America. The IACHR is one of two bodies in the inter-American system for the promotion and protection of human rights. The other human rights body is the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which is located in San José, Costa Rica. The IACHR is an autonomous organ of the Organisation of American States (OAS). Its mandate is found in the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The IACHR represents all of the member States of the OAS. It is composed of seven experts who act independently, without representing any particular country. The members of the IACHR are elected by the General Assembly of the OAS. The Commission's main function is to monitor compliance and defense of human rights in the Americas. The Commission's powers are derived from the Charter, but other Inter-American human rights Conventions and Protocols have authorised the Commission to supervise the compliance of Member states with their obligations regarding these Conventions. The IACHR meets in ordinary and special sessions several times a year. The ordinary sessions usually last for about three weeks and take place twice a year. During these sessions, the Commission dedicates one week to the hearings and working meetings on various cases and also analyses specific topics or the situation of human rights in a country. These sessions are important for human rights organisations and advocates because they can provide the Commission with information about a topic and request its intervention in resolving an issue, or appeal for the investigation of a particular situation. CRIN has created a new web page on child rights at the Inter-American Commission. This provides up-to-date information about the work of the Commission, news updates about child rights at the current session, country reports, and useful links and contacts