CHILDREN'S RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO HOLD THIRTEENTH SESSION IN GENEVA
Press Release
HR/CT/474
CHILDREN'S RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO HOLD THIRTEENTH SESSION IN GENEVA
19960918 Background ReleaseGENEVA, 17 September (UN Information Service) -- The promotion and protection of children's rights in Morocco, Nigeria, Uruguay, United Kingdom (Hong Kong), Mauritius and Slovenia will be the focus of discussion as the Committee on the Rights of the Child meets for its thirteenth session at Geneva from 23 September to 11 October.
During the session, representatives of these Governments are expected to introduce reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in their respective countries and respond to oral and written questions from the Committee. The six are among the 187 States that have ratified the Convention, the most complete statement of children's rights ever made and the first to give these rights the force of international law.
The Committee, a 10-member panel of independent experts, began its work of monitoring the implementation of the Convention in October 1991, a year after the document entered into force.
In addition to examining reports from the six countries, the Committee will hold a general discussion on 7 October on "the child and the media". Representatives of relevant United Nations specialized agencies and journalists have been invited to take part in the discussion, dealing with such issues as the participation of children in the media, protecting children against harmful influences through the media, and how to respect the integrity of the child in media reporting.
According to a paper prepared for the discussion by Committee member Thomas Hammarberg (Sweden), the Convention "recognises the vulnerability of children in certain circumstances but also their capacity and strength for development". He says the media should be careful not to violate the integrity of individual children in their reporting on, for instance, crime and sexual abuse, since the Convention specifically protects the individual child from violations of his or her privacy, honour and reputation.
The Convention has been accepted by a greater number of States than any other international instrument on human rights. (Only the United Arab Emirates, Somalia, Oman, the Cook Islands, Switzerland and the United States
have yet to ratify it, although the last two have announced their intention of doing so.)
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. Ratifying the Convention entails reviewing national legislation to make sure it is in line with the provisions of the treaty. The Convention stipulates, among other things, 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, the Convention requires that States 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.
Committee Membership
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 Goncalves (Brazil).
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