Human Rights of Street and Working Children

The Human Rights of Street and Working Children
A practical manual/or advocates
by lain Byrne and the Consortium for Street Children UK with a
foreword by President Nelson Mandela

In spite of the fact that almost all countries have signed and
ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children who
live and work on the streets or in commercial situations at young
ages are subjected to gross injustice and are frequently
neglected by national law.
The Human Rights of Street and Working Children is a one-stop
guide both for experienced advocates and for non-specialists in
the field which explains how to use regional and international
treaties and mechanisms for the protection and defence of street
and working children when national law fails. The last fifty years
have seen the emergence of a range of human rights treaties
together with permanent monitoring systems established by the
UN. While these are imperfect tools, they can be very useful in
supporting national campaigns, and creating pressure for
legislative reform or an end to particular violations.
The manual, which presents information in an accessible question-
and-answer format, is divided into three sections for ease of
reference. The first section defines substantive rights - survival,
fair treatment, and empowerment. The second section provides
practical guidelines on how to use regional and international
human rights systems such as the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights, or the UN Convention on Torture. The third and
last section contains a comprehensive list of human rights
documents with tables by country detailing the status and the
stage in the implementation process of each Convention.
£25.00. ISBN 1 85339 449 1. November 1998. Paperback. 320pp.

'An excellent manual for all human rights defenders who have
been full of good intentions but until now lacked concrete tools to
make them more effective in their work.'
Bruce Harris, Director, Casa Alianza, Guatemala City and award-
winning human rights campaigner
'Very useful to those working within the field of children's rights.'
Geraldine van Bueren, Director of the International Programme on
the Rights of the Child
'I don't know of anything else like it. The format and presentation
are straightforward and friendly.'
Francisco Pilotti, Inter-American Institute of the Child, Montevideo

Contents

Foreword

Introduction
Why you should use this manual
Some basic points
Fundamental principles

Section A: Substantive Rights

1. Survival
1.1 Rightto Life
1.2 Right to an Adequate Standard of Living
1.3 Right to Decent Health Care
1.4 Right to Adequate Shelter

2. Fair Treatment
2.1 Torture
2.2 Treatment while in Detention
2.3 Treatment under the Law
2.4 Commercial/Economic Exploitation
2.5 Sexual Exploitation
2.6 Social Exploitation
2.7 Rehabilitation and Reintegration

3. Empowerment
3.1 Freedom of Expression
3.2 Freedom of Association
3.3 Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion
3.4 Education

Section B: Human Rights Systems

1. International Human Rights Treaty Systems
1.1 Convention on the Rights of the Child
1.2 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
1.3 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights
1.4 The Convention against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
1.5 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial
Discrimination
1.6 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women

2. United Nations Non-Treaty Mechanisms
2.1 Why are they important?
2.2 The Commission on Human Rights
2.3 The Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination Against
and Protection of Minorities
2.4 The '1235 Procedure
2.5 The 1503 Procedure
2.6 Thematic Mechanisms
3. The African System
3.1 Promotion
3.2 Protection

4. The Inter-American System
4.1 Petitioning the Commission
4.2 Proceedings before the Court
4.3 Submitting Reports to the Commission

5. The European System
5.1 Making an Individual Complaint

6. Taking Further Action

Section C: Information Appendices
1. Glossary of Terms

2. Human Rights Documents
2.1 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
(including a summary guide)
2.2 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
2.3 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights
2.4 The Convention against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
2.5 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial
Discrimination
2.6 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women
2.7 African Charter on Human and People's Rights
2.8 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
2.9 American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man
2.10 American Convention on Human Rights
2.11 San Salvador Protocol
2.12 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms
2.13 European Convention on the Exercise of Children's Rights
2.14 Slavery Convention
2.15 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and
of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others

3. Table of Treaty Ratifications

4. Table of Minimum Age Legislative Standards for Hazardous
Occupations

5. Contact Names and AddressesOwner: Iain Byrne and the Consortium for Street Children