COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF FINLAND
Press Release
HR/4288
COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF FINLAND
19960125 GENEVA, 24 January (UN Information Service) -- The Committee on the Rights of the Child this afternoon concluded its examination of the initial report of Finland on how it implemented the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee expressed concern about the reduction in budgetary allocation for welfare services to children, which had been prompted by the economic recession.Answering questions from the Committee's experts, the Finnish delegation clarified the situation of the society concerning domestic violence involving children. A child or a parent could be removed from a household in cases of violence in the family. They believed that battering of the spouse or any other domestic violence between adults could indirectly affect the child.
From September 1995, a new law had been introduced imposing coercive measures against any perpetrator of domestic violence, the delegation continued. A system of collaboration between the justice and social services was developed to bring to justice any person involved in domestic violence. A child might be taken into care and placed in substitute care if he/she had been neglected or mistreated by the parents. The number of acts of violence had actually decreased because a number of perpetrators had given up their destructive parental behaviour.
Moreover, battering of a child or any sort of corporal punishment, either in the family or in schools, was prohibited by the Child Custody and Right of Access Act of 1984, making Finland the second State in the world to do so. A study carried out in 1988 had indicated that before the adoption of the law, 72 per cent of children under twelve years had been the object of less serious violence, while 8 per cent had been the object of more serious violence.
With regard to suicide by young persons, the Finnish delegation affirmed that the rate was high compared to other countries. Since 1993, a wide programme of action had been launched in schools, churches and in the army to promote awareness regarding suicide. To reduce the rate, the recognition of early problems of mental disturbances in children was emphasized by social psychiatrists.
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Drug-addiction was another topic that retained the attention of Committee experts who asked the delegation if that phenomenon had already been a problem to Finnish authorities. The delegates admitted that more and more young persons were swayed by drug addiction. The Government had proposed the setting up of a system of involuntary treatment of drug addicts in day-care units. Similarly, involuntary institutionalization of children for treatment of mental illness had been carried out by the Government.
Preliminary Concluding Observations
The Committee commended the Finnish delegation for its openness and the way it conducted its exposé of the report. It had acknowledged the existence of problems arising from economic recession, decentralization and unemployment which had affected the child. The Committee expressed its appreciation for the positive measures undertaken by the Government in the implementation of the provisions of the Convention. The Committee considered the policy of compulsory education, free medical services and day-care programmes as serious achievements.
However, the Committee expressed concern about the fact that article 12 of the Convention, dealing with the child's right to freedom of expression, was not fully implemented. In addition, it was worried by the economic recession which had resulted in budgetary cuts, thus reducing resources which might have been allocated to the benefit of the child.
The Committee expressed concern at the treatment of children at psychiatric centres together with adults. It stressed that the Government had not adequately dealt with the subject of child pornography and that sufficient protection had not been provided for children who were victims of sexual abuse.
The Committee recommended that the Government intensify the dissemination of the Convention in all spheres of Finnish society. It was also of the view that decentralization and privatization required monitoring through the adoption of legislative guidance.
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