COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD TO HOLD ELEVENTH SESSION AT GENEVA, 8 TO 26 JANUARY
Press Release
HR/4264
COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD TO HOLD ELEVENTH SESSION AT GENEVA, 8 TO 26 JANUARY
19960103 Background Release GENEVA, 2 January (UN Information Service) -- The promotion and protection of children's rights in Yemen, Mongolia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, (Serbia and Montenegro), Iceland, Republic of Korea, Croatia and Finland will be the focus of discussion as the Committee on the Rights of the Child meets for its eleventh session at Geneva from 8 to 26 January. Representatives of those seven Governments are expected to introduce reports on the promotion and protection of children's rights in their respective countries. They will also respond to oral and written questions from the Committee members.The 10-member Committee of independent experts is charged with monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most complete statement of children's rights ever made and the first to give those rights the force of international law. To date, 182 States have ratified the Convention.
(On 12 December 1995, the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child had decided to enlarge the membership of the Committee on the Rights of the Child from 10 to 18 experts. To enter into force, the amendment must be adopted by the General Assembly and approved by two thirds of the States parties.)
During its three-week session, the Committee will examine the measures adopted by the States parties to advance the cause of the rights of the child, particularly through administrative, legislative and judicial means. It is also expected to consider factors and difficulties which might impede the implementation of the rights of the child.
The following is a tentative timetable for consideration of reports from States parties to the Convention during this session: Yemen, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9-10 January; Mongolia, Wednesday and Thursday, 10-11 January; Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, (Serbia and Montenegro), Monday and Tuesday, 15-16 January; Iceland, Tuesday and Wednesday, 16-17 January; Republic of Korea, Thursday and Friday, 18-19 January; Croatia, Monday and Tuesday, 22-23 January; and Finland, Tuesday and Wednesday, 23-24 January.
- 2 - Press Release HR/4264 3 January 1996
Convention on Rights of Child
The General Assembly adopted the Convention unanimously on 20 November 1989, 30 years after the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of the Child. Unlike that document, the Convention makes States which accept it legally accountable for their actions towards children. Work on its drafting began in 1979 -- the International Year of the Child -- at the Commission on Human Rights.
It was opened for signature on 26 January 1990. That day, 61 countries signed it, a record first-day response. Only seven months later, on 2 September 1990, the Convention entered into force after the twentieth State had ratified it.
Ratifying the Convention entails reviewing national legislation to make sure it is in line with the provisions of the treaty. The Convention stipulates, among others, that every child has the right to life, and States shall ensure to the maximum child survival and development; every child has the right to a name and nationality from birth; and, when courts, welfare institutions or administrative authorities deal with children, the child's best interests shall be a primary consideration. The Convention recognizes the right of children to be heard.
Furthermore, States shall ensure that each child enjoys full rights without discrimination or distinctions of any kind; that children should not be separated from their parents, unless by competent authorities for their well-being; States should facilitate reunification of families by permitting travel into, or out of, their territories; and States shall protect children from physical or mental harm and neglect, including sexual abuse or exploitation.
Also according to the Convention, disabled children shall have the right to special treatment, education and care; primary education shall be free and compulsory, and discipline in school should respect the child's dignity; capital punishment or life imprisonment shall not be imposed for crimes committed before the age of 18; no child under 15 should take any part in hostilities, and children exposed to armed conflict shall receive special protection; and children of minority and indigenous populations shall freely enjoy their own culture, religion and language.
The Convention also recognizes the crucial contribution that international cooperation can make to bringing about conditions in which children can fully enjoy their rights. Technical assistance or advice can be sought by States parties and transmitted by the Committee to the specialized agencies, the United Nations Children's (UNICEF) Fund and other competent bodies.
- 3 - Press Release HR/4264 3 January 1996
States Parties to Convention
The following 182 States are party to the Convention: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia and Lebanon.
Also, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Committee Membership, Officers
According to article 43 of the Convention, the qualities required of the 10 members of the Committee are high moral standing and recognized competence in the field of children's rights. The following experts, nominated by the States parties to serve in their personal capacity, have been elected to the Committee: Hoda Badran (Egypt), Akila Belembaogo (Burkina Faso), Flora Eufemio (Philippines), Thomas Hammarberg (Sweden), Judith Karp (Israel), Youri Kolosov (Russian Federation), Sandra P. Mason (Barbados), Swithun Mombeshora (Zimbabwe), Marta Santos Pais (Portugal) and Marilia Sardenberg Zelner Gonçalves (Brazil).
The Committee Chairman is Akila Belembaogo. Thomas Hammarberg, Flora Eufemio and Marilia Sardenberg Zelner Gonçalves are Vice-Chairmen and Marta Santos País, is the Rapporteur. * *** *