SRI LANKA: Children's Rights in the UN Special Procedures' Reports

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Summary: This report extracts mentions of children's rights issues in the reports of the UN Special Procedures. This does not include reports of child specific Special Procedures, such as the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, which are available as separate reports.

Please note that the language may have been edited in places for the purpose of clarity.

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Agreed and requested visits

(R in 2009) SR on freedom of expression
(R in 2008) SR on human rights defenders
(R in 2006, 2007 and 2008, reminder in 2009) WG on enforced or involuntary disappearances
(R in 2007 and 2009) IE on minority issues
(R) SR on independence of judges and lawyers
(A) SR on the right to freedom of opinion and expression (20 February- 4 March 2006 - postponed)

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Representative of the Secretary General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Walter Kälin 

(A/HRC/8/6/Add.4 )

Country visit: 14 to 21 December 2007
Report published: 21 May 2008

Safety: The first and overwhelming concern of both returnees and those still in displacement is physical security. The Representative was struck by the pervasive, often disabling, sense of fear among those he met. Whether they have returned to their communities, are in camps or transit sites, or are travelling, IDPs feel at risk. This is not limited to the newly cleared areas of the East; rather, he received reports of extrajudicial killings, physical assault, abduction, disappearances, forced recruitment and harassment in all areas he visited. He was particularly affected by the many women among the IDPs and returnees who told him about husbands or sons who had been murdered, abducted or arrested with no information on their whereabouts. (paragraph 38)

The Representative acknowledges that the State faces legitimate and serious security concerns, which it furthermore bears the responsibility to address. A military official has indicated that it is for their own safety that returnees are screened, fingerprinted and issued special identity cards. However, the impact of such a pervasive military presence, and the heavy procedures used, has been to severely restrict and control movement of IDPs and returnees and undermine their own sense of security. In some instances, men are made to report to the nearby army camp on a daily basis and told to report their whereabouts if they do not intend to return at night. Movement may be prohibited after 7 p.m. The resulting fear and vulnerability have broad-ranging consequences for IDPs’ and returnees’ ability to regain normal and self-sustaining lives. Families fear sending men to work, or boys and girls to school, noting that men and boys had been abducted or detained, and girls harassed, when passing military camps or checkpoints. (paragraph 42)

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UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Mr Manfred Nowak

(A/HRC/7/3/Add.6)

Country visit: 1-8 October 2007
Report published: 26 February 2008

  • Detention of child soldiers: In the country's capital, Colombo, Mr. Nowak met eight children (four girls and four boys) who were being held on account of being child soldiers for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He strongly condemnes the recruitment of children in the conflict, be it for fighting or other forms of servicing the armed groups. He also deems prolonged detention of minors in counter- terrorism detention facilities deeply worrying. Mr Nowak recommends ensuring the "separation of juvenile and adult detainees, and ensuring limiting the deprivation of liberty of children to an absolute minimum as required by article 37 (b) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child" (Paragraph 94)

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UN Special Rapporteur on summary extrajudicial executions

(E/CN.4/2006/53/Add.5)

Country visit: 29 November - 9 December 2005
Report published: 27 March 2006

No mention of children's rights in this report.

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UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief

(E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.3)

Country visit: 2-12 May 2005
Report published: 12 December 2005

No mention of children's rights in this report.

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Working Group on Enforce or Involuntary Disappearances

(E/CN.4/2000/64/Add.1)

Country visit: 25-29 October 199
Report published: 21 December 1999

The Working Group is pleased to see that the directive below from July1997 had been carried out:

Any child under 12 years old arrested or detained should be placed in the custody of a Women's Unit of the armed forces or the police or in the custody of a police officer. A person of their choice should be allowed to accompany such child to the place of questioning. (Paragraph 43)

No further mention of children's rights in this report.

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UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

(E/CN.4/1998/68/Add.2)

Country visit: 24 August to 5 September 1997
Report published: 12 March 1998

No mention of children's rights in this report.

Organisation: 
Child Rights International Network

Countries

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