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The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held its 131st session from 3 – 14 March 2008 in Washington, D.C. During the session, the IACHR analysed petitions, cases and requests for precautionary measures. The Commission also heard general and thematic public hearings on human rights issues. Read summaries about child rights at the hearings below. Trafficking of children and violence against women in Haiti (border area) The Haitian State admitted that protection and security measures were poor and set out their efforts to improve the situation, including to reinforce police presence and work with the UN Mission for Stabilisation in Haiti. The use of lethal force by police in Jamaica The right to education of members of Afro-descendant and indigenous communities in the Americas The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights and the Law Faculties of Virginia and Cornell Universities presented the statistics and conclusions of a recent report on the right to education of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Colombia, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. The report analyses State obligations to fulfil the right to education without discrimination. According to the study, 33.4 per cent of Colombia’s indigenous population and 31.3 per cent of the Afro-Colombian population are illiterate. Discrimination in the workplace, in education and in access to justice of Afro-descendant communities in the Americas. Presenting the hearing, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights explained that Afro-descendants in the Americas do not have adequate access to education and that curricula in many countries do not reflect the history and culture of Afro-descendant communities, contributing to social exclusion and feelings of shame about their socio-cultural roots. Among recommendations to the Commission, the Institute asked to continue participating in the development of a draft Convention on Racism and all forms of Discrimination and Intolerance and requested that the Commission publish a regional report on affirmative action. Special Rapporteur on Child Rights The Rapporteur’s office has continued its analysis and evaluation of petitions, cases and requests for precautionary measures (what are these?). It completed three reports detailing the admissibility of alleged rights violations in the following areas: illegal adoptions in Guatemala, the right to identity in Costa Rica, and due process in relation to infants’ right to life. The Rapporteurship proposed precautionary measures to protect Guatemalan children against illegal adoptions. The Rapporteur’s office has changed its questionnaire on juvenile justice which will be sent to States with the aim of preparing a thematic report. On 26 February, the Rapporteur on Child Rights, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, visited Jamaica to make a presentation on child rights to the parliament. Read a report here. In other news, the Child Rights Rapporteur’s office will soon be launching its own website; and on 17 December 2007, a cooperation agreement was signed between the IACHR and Save the Children Sweden to strengthen the Rapporteur’s activities in the region. ------------------------------------ [Source: IACHR, Jamaicans for Justice, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights] Further information
Haitian NGO Regroupement des Citoyens pour la Protection des Droits Humains (RECIPRODH) accused the Haitian State of negligence in failing to provide protection for women and children from violence and trafficking in the border area shared with the Dominican Republic. RECIPRODH, which supports victims in the town of Ouanaminthe, said that child abuse and trafficking was particularly prevalent there because of the town's status as an important commercial centre for both countries. The lack of security forces perpetuates trafficking of children who are then used for domestic work, sexual exploitation and other degrading activities. The lack of State presence in the area contributes to a climate of intimidation and fear among the population.
Jamaicans for Justice and the International Human Rights Clinic at George Washington University presented the results of an investigation documenting the use of lethal force by the police in Jamaica between 2004 and 2007. The petitioners informed the Commission that since 2004, more than 700 people had been killed by the police. In 2007, more than 270 people died violently at the hands of the police. Most of the victims were children and young unarmed men from poor backgrounds. Police officers were rarely injured despite saying that their victims were armed. The State officials responsible were not usually brought to trial, and only one police officer had been sentenced since 1999. The petitioners asked the Commission to pay a country visit to Jamaica and make recommendations to the State.
Read the full hearing report.
Read the full hearing report.
The Rapporteur’s office is currently preparing a thematic report on the Phenomenon of Gangs in Central America. To complete the report, it requested information from the government of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and from civil society organisations based in those countries. Only the government of Honduras responded before the deadline along with some civil society organisations.
The Inter-American Commission will hold its next session from 17 – 25 July 2008. This session will cover internal matters of the Commission only. The 133rd session will take place from 16 – 31 October 2008. Hearings for this session can be requested until 27 August 2008.