COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD CONSIDERS REPORT OF ICELAND

17 January 1996

Press Release
HR/4278

COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD CONSIDERS REPORT OF ICELAND

19960117 GENEVA, 17 January (UN Information Service) -- No specific rules were applicable to children between the ages of sixteen and eighteen in Iceland, the delegation of Iceland informed the Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning, as it continued its consideration of that country's initial report. Young persons were competent at the age of sixteen and they could decide on their place of residence.

The delegation provided further information and responded to questions raised by members concerning Iceland's implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The issues related to juvenile justice administration, freedom of expression, consent for medical care, education, nationality, family environment and alternative care for children.

With regard to medical care, the delegation said parental consent was necessary for children under sixteen. However, if parents refused to give consent to a treatment, the doctor was obliged to notify the local children's welfare authorities which, in turn, would decide whether the situation required that parents should be deprived of the custody of the child. In exceptional cases, a girl under the age of sixteen could undergo abortion without the consent of her parents.

The age of sexual consent in Iceland was fixed at fourteen; sexual intercourse or other sexual acts with a child under that age limit was punishable by up to 12 years' imprisonment, without regard to the consent of the child. Nevertheless, the law protected all children under eighteen from any sort of sexual exploitation.

According to the delegation, deprivation of parental custody or the placing of children into foster care did not apply to persons aged sixteen to eighteen years, since they had the right to decide fully on their personal matters, without prior approval from their parents. In many cases, those age groups were generally treated as adults.

Concerning a child's acquisition of nationality, it was said that a child could not acquire Icelandic nationality at birth if its mother was a foreign national and was not married to the child's Icelandic father. However, if a child was found abandoned in Iceland, it would be deemed to be of Icelandic nationality.

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Asked if cases involving children were examined in camera by courts, the delegation said that only cases of sexual abuse were considered in closed procedures. The names and identities of either the child or the parents were not disclosed. The mass media had no access to the decisions of the courts. Numerous non-governmental organizations had addressed the problem of child abuse and conducted campaigns on specific issues. The "Government Agency for Child Protection" provided preventive measures to combat neglect, ill-treatment and abuse of children.

One expert observed that the new educational system introduced in 1995 had curbed the participation of children in the administration of the educational system. The delegation said that pupils were not formally involved in the administration of schools or the planning of teaching programmes. However, their voices could be heard through their student councils. The provisions of the 1991 Act had already provided for the establishment of a school council in every primary school. Pupils were able to express their opinions on the administration or the work of the school at the joint meetings of teachers', parents' and pupils' councils and through the pupils' council.

As regards child labour, the delegation stressed that due to the long period of school holidays, children tended to work and earn pocket money. The Government considered the work of children not detrimental to their condition. Since many people declined to work during summer, children were provided with light work either as part of leisure or as summer jobs. Many local authorities operated work programmes for teenagers during the three-month summer holidays.

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