MALNUTRITION CLAIMS LIVES OF 7 MILLION CHILDREN A YEAR, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD

21 October 1998

Press Release
GA/SHC/3480

MALNUTRITION CLAIMS LIVES OF 7 MILLION CHILDREN A YEAR, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD

19981021 Children could not survive on promises, the representative of Cuba said this morning, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its consideration of issues related to promotion and protection of the rights of the child.

In a world of abundance, malnutrition claimed the lives of nearly 7 million children every year, she continued. Real political will was essential, but even then, in many parts of the world, fundamental limitations required actions that were beyond the reach of national governments alone. Intending a comprehensive development for children without a comprehensive development of the social and material context would make no sense at all.

The elimination of child labour was also bound to the issue of poverty, said the representative of Brazil. Prohibition of child labour must be approached in conjunction with a policy of addressing the underlying poverty that forced children into the labour force.

Franklyn Lisk, representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that while child labour could be traced to social and economic factors, there was a growing consensus for the immediate abolition of the worst forms of child labour everywhere, irrespective of the level of development of a country. Those forms included slavery, the sale and trafficking of children, forced labour, debt bondage and serfdom, and the use, procuring or offering of a child for the production of pornography.

The representative of Iraq said the health of Iraqi children had been undermined by the embargo imposed on his country for over eight years. The sanctions were leading directly to malnutrition and death. The suffering of Iraqi children, in particular, and of the people, in general, undoubtedly reflected the genocidal desire of those who insisted on continuation of the sanctions for the total annihilation of the Iraqi people.

Appealing to parties in armed conflicts to abide by international humanitarian law, the representative of China called for the exercise of caution in implementing economic sanctions so as to avoid victimizing children.

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting (AM) 21 October 1998

Many speakers also addressed the plight of children in armed conflict, and called for measures to eliminate their recruitment as combatants. The representative of Kenya said children had become instruments of war and were deliberately massacred or maimed, instead of being protected and nurtured by society.

Zoran Jovanovic, representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), welcomed the growing importance attached to the plight of children in armed conflict. He supported the adoption of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child that would prohibit all recruitment of children under the age of 18 to participate in conflict.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Uruguay, Ukraine, Pakistan, Fiji, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Canada, Turkmenistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru and Uganda.

The Third Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue consideration of the issues related to promotion and protection of the rights of the child.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to consider issues relating to the promotion and protection of the rights of children. It had before it reports of the Secretary-General on the Convention of the Rights of the Child and on the Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as a note in which he transmits the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. (For background on those documents, see Press Release GA/SHC/3479 of 20 October.)

Also before the Committee was the report of Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (document A/53/482). The Special Representative states that since the 1990 World Summit for Children, the United Nations has increasingly sought to draw international attention to the horrendous plight of children affected by armed conflict. In 1993, following a recommendation by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Graça Machel, former Minister of Education of Mozambique, was appointed the Secretary-General's independent expert to study the impact of armed conflict on children. She submitted her report, entitled "Impact of Armed conflict on Children", to the fifty-first session of the General Assembly. In response to the Machel Report, the Secretary-General appointed Olara Otunnu as his Special Representative in September 1997.

For all the children deliberately massacred, caught in crossfire or maimed by anti-personnel landmines, many more have been deprived of their physical, mental and emotional needs in societies at war, the report states. Millions have lost their homes and their parents, not to mention years of education and their youth. Some have been permanently traumatized by the events they have witnessed and experienced. In today's internecine conflicts, children are specifically targeted in strategies to eliminate the next generation of potential adversaries.

To the same end, children, and especially girls, have been made the targets of sexual abuse and gender-based violence on a large scale, the report states. Most cynically, children have been compelled to become instruments of war, recruited or kidnapped to become child soldiers, thus forced to give violent expression to the hatred of adults. In all, an estimated 2 million children have been killed in situations of armed conflicts since 1987, while three times that number have been seriously injured or permanently disabled. It is estimated that up to 300,000 children under the age of 18 are serving as combatants in government armed forces or armed opposition groups in ongoing conflicts. The development and proliferation of lightweight automatic weapons has made it possible for very young children to bear and use arms.

The report states that the brutal reality has been exacerbated by a qualitative change in the nature and scope of conflict in recent times. Today's

Third Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

conflicts are primarily internal, often fought by multiple, semi-autonomous armed groups within existing State boundaries. The international rules of warfare, governing inter-State wars fought by regular armies, are routinely ignored in these situations of "total war". In the First World War, civilians accounted for some 5 per cent of casualties. In the Second World War, that figure rose to 48 per cent. Today, up to 90 per cent of conflict casualties are civilians, and a large and increasing number of those are women and children.

At the heart of the growing phenomenon of mass violence and social disintegration is a crisis of values, according to the report. That has given rise to an ethical vacuum, a setting in which international standards are ignored with impunity and where local value systems have lost their sway. The development and codification of global and local norms is meaningless unless they are respected and applied. The immense effort involved in the creation of international instruments and standards comes to nothing if adoption is not followed by application. The rich well of history and traditions from which local values spring mean little if those norms are discarded when they are most needed.

To permit children to be used as pawns in warfare is to cast a shadow on the future, the report states. From generation to generation, violence begets violence, as the abused grow up to become abusers. A serious and systematic effort by all concerned parties -- from governments to the United Nations system to civil society to private citizens -- is needed to address the abominations being committed against children in the context of armed conflict.

The report states that the Special Representative was actively engaged in the deliberations for the establishment of an International Criminal Court, where his main concern was to ensure the best interest and maximum protection for children. He is encouraged that the Statute of the International Criminal Court gives expression to most of the issues of concern, includes that the definition of war crimes now included the recruitment into the armed forces of children or military groups of children below the legal minimum age of 15; the targeting of buildings or sites that usually have a significant presence of children, such as schools or hospitals; and rape and other forms of sexual violence in the context of armed conflict.

The Special Representative has made efforts to seek improvements in the situation of children in countries affected by conflict. The list of such countries is large, numbering approximately 50, which comprises those in the midst of conflict, as well as in post-conflict recovery. Since his appointment, the Special Representative has personally visited the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Kosovo), Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and the Sudan. His office has also conducted two assessment missions to Afghanistan. In his discussions with governments and all parties to conflict, he stresses the humanitarian character of his missions. In several cases, he is able to secure a number of important commitments concerning, for example, assurances

Third Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

of access to humanitarian aid for affected populations, cessation of the recruitment and participation of children in hostilities, use of landmines, and targeting of civilian population.

The primary responsibility for applying international norms and domestic standards lies with governments, the report states. While international human rights and humanitarian instruments are genuine landmarks and provide a basis for action to protect children victimized by conflict, the gap between such norms and their observance on the ground is unacceptably wide and growing. The primary task of bridging the gap lies with governments and international organizations. The Special Representative, therefore, calls on all governments to exercise their responsibilities more fully and consistently, to observe local norms and international instruments within their domestic jurisdictions and, at the international level, to apply concerted political and diplomatic pressure on those who systematically violate the rights and welfare of children.

At the request of the Special Representative, the Security Council held a public debate in June 1998 on the item "Children and Armed Conflict". Following the debate, the Council issued a presidential statement (document S/PRST/1998/18) expressing its grave and continuing concern at the harmful impact of armed conflict on children and strongly condemning the targeting of children in armed conflicts. The Special Representative urged the Council to remain actively engaged on the issue.

On the basis of his experience over the past year, the Special Representative is also making the following observations and recommendations:

The most important and pressing challenge is to translate the existing standards and commitments into action that can make a tangible difference to the fate of children exposed to danger on the ground. Above all, concerned governments and other key international actors should be prepared to use their collective weight to deny political legitimacy, diplomatic recognition, the supply of weapons or the flow of funds to those responsible for committing atrocities and abuses against children.

He calls on non-governmental organizations to develop activities in three particular areas: building a movement of advocacy at both the national and international levels; developing operational programmes on the ground to better respond to the needs of victimized children; and to serve as an important source of independent and objective information in particular situations and issues. He also urges concrete initiatives on the ground to prevent or mitigate the suffering of children caught up in ongoing conflicts.

He called on the political support of concerned governments to enhance the impact of his initiatives on behalf of children in conflict. He also called on key actors responsible for designing post-conflict peace-building programmes, in particular the World Bank, the European Union, the United

Third Committee - 5 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and bilateral development agencies, to make the needs of children a central concern from the outset of their planning, and to work to rebuild lasting peace.

He encourages independent local capacities for advocacy on behalf of children affected by armed conflict in at least two ways: by the formulation of an independent group of eminent persons to serve as local advocates within a country; and the establishment of local radio stations or programmes devoted to the needs and interests of children.

He strongly supports the movement to raise the legal age limit for the recruitment and participation of children in hostilities from 15 to 18 years. It was also necessary to campaign more effectively for the observance of existing legal standards in theatres of conflict.

He endorses suggestions set forth by both the Security Council and the Committee on the Rights of the Child to relieve the suffering of children living under sanctions regimes, and encourages a review of sanctions regimes.

He believes it is essential to strengthen the various institutions and networks that traditionally inculcate values and that protect children and promote their welfare. He urges the community-based process to be integrated with and reinforced by contemporary norms that have been developed at the international level.

He urges the international community to exert greater and concerted political efforts to address directly the real issues in conflict situations; although a humanitarian response is important to help save lives, it must not become a substitute for political action.

The Special Representative further calls on international and national actors to take political, economic and social measures to prevent conflicts, and he points out the critical need to build genuine democratic practice and the rule of law, because, in the long run, this mechanism provides a non- violent and routine means to mediate competing claims within a society.

Statements

IMELDA SMOLCIC (Uruguay) said her country had participated in the implementation of the various instruments of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It was concerned about finding a quick and sustained solution for the plight of children in armed conflict. She welcomed the achievements of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and welcomed the June debate by the Security Council on the issue of children. Urgent and decisive action for the protection and rehabilitation of children in armed conflict must be taken, and agencies within the United Nations system must work with the Special Representative. She commended the

Third Committee - 6 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Production, Stockpiling and Transfer of Anti-personnel Landmines, due to enter into force in March, which was a step towards protecting children from harm by landmines.

She said she also supported the report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Her country had begun to update its legislation on the rights of the child, in particular to protect the labour rights of children, especially children under 14 years of age. Uruguay was cooperating with international agencies on the rights of children. It was also promoting education programmes for children of four years of age and up, paying particular attention to children with learning disabilities. She was concerned about the growing number of children with HIV/AIDS in the world, and with the plight of the "AIDS orphans".

MYKOLA MELENEVS'KY (Ukraine) said, unfortunately, the world still witnessed endless violations committed against children, who were denied their basic human rights in many ways. Though varying by country, the most burning problems that required immediate solution were the fate of children affected by armed conflicts; sexual exploitation of children; the situation of disabled and street children; and the problem of child labour. He noted the report "Impact of Armed Conflicts on Children" prepared by Graça Machel, which explicitly testified that millions of children had been killed or had become disabled in armed conflicts, while countless numbers had been exposed to hunger or disease, or forced to witness or even take part in horrifying acts of violence.

The gravity of the problem had once again been underscored in the statement by the President of the Security Council last June during the Council's consideration of the scale and consequences of the involvement of children in armed conflicts, he said. What was needed was the creation of a universal mechanism that would effectively and unconditionally penalize the perpetrators of crimes against children, especially in armed conflicts. Regarding the sexual exploitation of children, he noted that the prevention and eradication of the sale of children, child prostitution and pornography required careful study and effective measures by governments, international organizations and civil society. The justice system, media and the educational institutions protecting children should be action-oriented. Ukraine had implemented its commitments undertaken at the World Summit for Children in a national programme entitled "The Children of Ukraine". The current economic situation, however, had a negative impact on both adults and children.

DU ZHENQUAN (China)said long-term efforts still needed to be made for the principles of the Convention to be incorporated into laws and to be reflected in daily lives. In today's world, certain issues caused anxiety and concern, such as the abduction and trafficking of children, illegal adoption, child labour, the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, the protection of children in armed conflict, and the resettlement of refugee children.

Third Committee - 7 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

Protecting children was an important component for the future progress and development of society. Although the international community had repeatedly condemned the treatment of children as commodities and the sexual exploitation of children, the situation had not taken a turn for the better, he said. Child pornography continued to make advances on the Internet. As party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, his Government supported the work done by the drafting groups of the relevant optional protocols. In waging a struggle against the evil phenomenon of trafficking of children and their sexual exploitation, efforts at reducing both demand and supply were equally important. Necessary measures should also be taken to facilitate the physical and psychological rehabilitation of children who had been victimized and to promote those children's reintegration into society. While appealing to parties in armed conflicts to abide by international humanitarian law, China noted that it was important to exercise caution in implementing economic sanctions so as to avoid victimizing children.

MUNAWAR SAEED BHATTI (Pakistan) said that, despite the World Summit for Children and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the issue of child abuse and exploitation remained a matter of serious concern. International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates suggested that, worldwide, around 250 million children between the ages of five and 14 were working. Many of them were involved in dangerous and hazardous occupations, which exposed them to devastating health hazards and irreversible damage to physical and psychological development. Prevalence of poverty, underdevelopment and illiteracy were the main causes of child labour. Globally, 1.3 billion people lived below the poverty line. Moreover, the latest financial and economic crisis in South-East Asia threatened to push 50 million more back into poverty only in one country.

Children were also abused as objects of sale, prostitution and pornography, he said. Both developed and developing countries were affected, and the girl child was particularly vulnerable. The 1990s would be remembered for the promotion of the cause of children, but the decade had also seen the largest number of emergencies affecting children. The number of children affected by armed conflict had risen sevenfold during the 1990s. In Kosovo, Palestine and Kashmir, for example, the governments had deliberately brutalized the entire population as part of efforts to bludgeon them into submission. Pakistan had withdrawn its reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child last year. It was reviewing and reforming various laws to bring them into consonance with the provisions of the Convention. It had joined the ILO's International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour, under which 26 action programmes had been launched. Further, the Employment of Children Act had been implemented, and the Debt Bond and Bonded Labour System was being eliminated. Pakistan was also coordinating with other countries of South Asia to eliminate child labour and trafficking in women and girls. The South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Convention on Combating the Crime of Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution had been finalized.

Third Committee - 8 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

POSECI BUNE (Fiji) said his country was not immune to the paedophilic activities of persons from outside the country. Among other things, Fiji penalized any person, whether in public or private, who recorded, reproduced, viewed or accessed pornographic activity, directly or indirectly, involving juveniles or persons who appeared to be juveniles. In addition, a new law clarified the definitions of media, pornographic activity and enforcement or prosecution authority. For the first time, the Commissioner of Police was required to maintain a register of names and addresses and other details of persons convicted under the new law for a period of 10 years.

His Government had also enacted the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matter Act of 1997 to provide a legal framework for reciprocal assistance with other States in criminal matters, he said. Fiji could request assistance from or grant assistance to others in the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes. His Government recognized the importance of education in the development of Fiji's human resources, so as to ensure sustainable growth and effective use of physical capital. The Constitution provided free education for children under the age of 13; enrolment for primary classes from ages one to eight was about 98 per cent. The success was due to the participation of civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the educational system of the country. As a multi-racial country, Fiji was sensitive to its ethnic groups on issues, such as corporal punishment or minimum age for marriage. His Government believed it was culturally unacceptable and socially destructive to completely ban the use of corporal punishment at home and in school. However, it allowed only principals and head teachers to administer such punishment in schools.

ZAHER AL-KHURAINEJ (Kuwait) said Kuwaiti law provided that the family was the nucleus of life and safeguarded children from all forms of abuse. The programmes of the Government were developing the principles of childcare, particularly those with disabilities and behavioural problems. Children's laws were based on the principles of religion. Laws also protected the role of women in bringing up their families. Other provisions included establishing nurseries and other cultural and activity centres for children. Many child-care centres had been established for the good of mothers and children.

Programmes for child and maternity care were of particular interest to the State, he said. Specialized centres provided vaccinations for children under the age of 16, which had reflected on the health of the nation. Polio, measles and tuberculosis vaccinations had been very successful, and newborn mortality rates were greatly reduced. Means and quality of education were also an important part of the government programme. It was also important to remember that children in Kuwait had suffered inhumane practices during the senseless occupation by Iraq. Many children had been tortured and killed, and many more had died as a result of premeditated neglect during the occupation. Kuwait was doing everything possible to rehabilitate the children who had suffered under the occupation.

Third Committee - 9 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

HATEM ELATWY (Egypt) said his country had been among the first to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It had set up a council for mothers and children which gave attention to sick, handicapped and orphaned children. It was the State's duty to protect children and to provide them the basic conditions of life. Egypt had passed various legislations to that end.

Child labour was an important issue for Egypt, he said. Child labour could not be used as a mask or excuse on the basis of restriction of exports. Children often worked in developing countries to help their families by earning money. Without work, they could resort to criminal and other activities. Egypt encouraged the ILO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to give that matter greater attention. His country supported the drafting of the optional protocol. It had set a minimum age for military service, making it a crime to mobilize children in times of armed conflict. It supported all children affected by war and, in that regard, supported the efforts of the Special Representative and UNICEF. The international community should strengthen its resources and political will to enable children to participate in various aspects of life.

HASSAN KASSEM NAJEM (Lebanon) said his country had developed a working plan for the survival and protection of children, which provided for the right to education and equality of opportunity for all children. In terms of environment and health, as a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Lebanon recognized that children were entitled to the highest degree of health, and made every effort to guarantee that all children had access to good health care. In terms of rehabilitation, children had access to counselling, and there were national programmes against violence, on protection from drugs, and on protection from sexual exploitation. Principles which contravened the Convention on the Rights of the Child were eliminated by law in his country.

He drew the attention of the Committee of the danger of the practices of the Israeli occupation forces in southern Lebanon and West Bekaa. The lives of the children there had been severely affected. They were subject to daily shelling, forced out of their homes and kept from attending school. He called on the international community to bring pressure to bear on Israel to end its occupation of Lebanon, and for Israel to implement Security Council resolution 425 (1978).

MARIA ANTONIETA MONROY (Mexico) welcomed international efforts to expand the legal framework for dealing with the issue of children in armed conflict and the sale of children, child pornography and prostitution. Her Government was working to make those objectives a daily reality. It was carrying out measures such as expanding and improving educational services, and was trying to harmonize State and provincial initiatives to implement legislation on the rights of the child. Recently, it had set up an agency to deal with the problems of children and related forms of exploitation, on the basis of the work of the Special Rapporteur and the advice of UNICEF.

Third Committee - 10 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

National bodies and NGOs were participating in all those measures, she said. Training was being provided to agents for the efficient and timely care of minors victimized by sexual exploitation. Legal security was being provided to minors to prevent trafficking and the use of girls and boys for those purposes. The global financial crisis had restricted the possibility of expanding programmes for children, particularly in developing countries. To achieve those goals, all obstacles should be addressed and removed to ensure the rights of the child. Her Government was looking forward to the special session of the General Assembly in 2001 to continue to set new parameters for children to guide the international community in the next century.

MARCELA MARIA NICODEMOS (Brazil) said the main objective of the world in regard to children must be the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant instruments. Both the international community and national governments shared the responsibility of promoting implementation of such instruments. She commended UNICEF for it efforts on behalf of children living in difficult circumstances, as well as other United Nations agencies and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Special attention must be given to general policies in the areas of health, education, nutrition and improvement of family incomes. In Brazil, public policies for education and health were being decentralized. As a result of health policies, child mortality rates and malnutrition had fallen significantly. Programmes were also being introduced to improve education.

She supported the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Children and Armed Conflict, and endorsed work on an optional protocol to increase the protection of children in armed conflict, as well as a protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. In Brazil, a national network for combating the sexual exploitation of children had been created in 1996. A national campaign had also been launched by the President against the child sex tourism industry. That campaign had been supported by NGOs and by the tourism industry as a whole. Another concern in Brazil was child labour. Prohibition of child labour must be approached in conjunction with a policy of addressing the underlying poverty that forced children into the labour force.

MERCEDES DE ARMAS (Cuba) said the promises of the 1990 Summit For Children were eloquent, and the goals ambitious. But children could not survive and develop based on promises. It would take real political will for the world to be able to save 585,000 women a year from dying because of pregnancy and delivery-related complications, to provide education for 140 million children of school age who did not attend classes, and to help 250 million children who worked, many of them trapped in dangerous and exploitative labour. In a world of abundance, malnutrition claimed the lives of nearly 7 million children every year.

Third Committee - 11 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

Cuba had a national programme for action that operated as the special policy instrument in support of programmes it was carrying out for the comprehensive development of its children, she said. The goals of the World Summit for Children coincided with the country's priorities in terms of social policies that had been followed for more than three decades. The healthy statistics, including a 100 per cent rate of schooling for basic education, showed what could be achieved with political will. However, in many parts of the world, fundamental limitations required actions that were beyond the reach of one specific government. Intending a comprehensive development for children without a comprehensive development of the social and material context would make no sense at all.

JOHN DE SARAM (Sri Lanka) said the use of children in armed conflict was a horrendous evil, an abomination, of which the world should be totally cleansed. While his Government concurred with much of the report of the Special Representative with regard to modalities, the report had pointed out that in some of today's internecine conflicts children were specifically targeted as part of a strategy to eliminate the next generation of potential adversaries. Even if that were true in some cases, Sri Lanka noted that the very nature of today's armed conflicts and their adverse effects on civilian populations would eventually take a heavy toll on future generations.

Sri Lanka, while deploring the forced conscription and use of under-aged children in armed combat, had itself complied with the provisions of Sri Lanka's Army Act, he said. The minimum age of recruitment to the armed forces of Sri Lanka was 18 years, and such was done entirely on a voluntary basis. He noted that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fighting his Government had assured the Special Representative that they would not recruit children under the age of 17 and would not use children under the age of 18 for armed combat.

His Government had difficulty with references made to Sri Lanka in section 4 of chapter V of the report, he said. Those references did not convey an accurate picture. In his report, the Special Representative had, perhaps unwittingly, characterized the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as an entity on par with the Government of Sri Lanka. Such a perception was wholly unacceptable. The cause of the problem lay in the endeavour, in brief and summary form, to write on a subject of considerable complexity, through a co-mingling of references to the Government of Sri Lanka with references to the group known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Whereas, the references to the Government should properly have been kept separate and distinct from the references made to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. That unfortunate juxtaposition of references created an erroneous impression in the mind of a reader.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had been universally condemned by governments, respected institutions and individuals, including experts on human rights, and the media around the world, he said. It was an organization

Third Committee - 12 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

that had systematically unleashed terror against innocent civilians, indiscriminately bombed crowded urban centres, inflicted incalculable damage to public property and assassinated democratically elected politicians, including a President of Sri Lanka, a Prime Minister of India and a number of other high officials. It had attacked hallowed places of religious worship, destroyed commercial shipping and civilian aircraft, including, recently, an aircraft carrying civilian passengers. Despite the so-called commitment given to the Special Representative by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, that organization had pressed children as young as 13 years of age into combat and continued to do so.

RICARDO BOCALANDRO (Argentina) urged the States that were not yet a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to ratify the Convention as quickly as possible. He applauded the work of the Special Representative and the taking up of the issue by the Security Council -- the topic deserved great attention. Recent developments related to the implementation of the Convention in Argentina included the instruction of all public prosecutors to ensure that the standards of the Convention were operational and applicable in all cases. It had, therefore, not been necessary to change many other laws.

The National Congress was considering the adoption of a bill that would establish a public institution, called Defender of the Rights of the Child, to ensure full respect of the rights of minors, he said. The international trafficking of minors was a terrible crime that had broad implications and long-lasting effects on the lives of children. States must take into account the effects of such trafficking on the victims themselves when enforcing laws dealing with trafficking. Argentina also guaranteed education for all children, at national and provincial levels.

DREW McVEY (Canada) said she was concerned about the use of the Internet to disseminate child pornography and child prostitution. That abuse must be stopped. The aim was not to control the Internet per se, but rather to target those who misused it for criminal and other illegal activities. Canada was working with other governments, through the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations and others, to prevent the Internet from becoming a safe haven for those who sought to hurt or to harm children.

The plight of war-affected children, in particular the emerging trend of targeting children both as fighters and victims, was one of the most disturbing human security issues facing the world today, she said. Canada placed a premium on partnerships between governments and NGOs, which were crucial for identifying concrete ways of assisting war-affected children. Assistance to such children should also constitute a key component of future peace support operations mission.

Third Committee - 13 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

ENVER RAHMANOV (Turkmenistan) said the environmental catastrophe of the Aral Sea remained a major threat to his country's people. Children were often born with a predisposition to disabilities and mothers died during childbirth because of anaemia. His Government urged donor countries to continue helping UNICEF in assisting the children of the Aral Sea to ensure their basic right to life. It agreed with the statement of the representative of Bangladesh that poverty was the worst violator of human rights, and denied children their childhood. Poverty caused malnutrition, lack of health care and education, and created child exploitation, violence and child-soldiers.

The recent efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on the impact of armed conflict on children were an important breakthrough in approaching the problem of military exploitation of children, he said. Turkmenistan stressed the importance of concluding an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to protect children under the age of 18 from military recruitment and participation in civil and international hostilities. Turkmenistan had been among the first to sign and ratify the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, he added.

GEORGE WINSTON McKENZIE (Trinidad and Tobago) said several initiatives had been undertaken to promote the welfare of children and to achieve national awareness. A national plan of action for the 1990s had set out to achieve the goals of the World Declaration. In November 1997, the first "Child Rights" week had been celebrated. This year, a project entitled "Promotion of Child Rights in Communities" had been launched in the form of workshops conducted in five target communities. Trinidad and Tobago had achieved an under-five mortality rate of 17 per 1,000 live births in 1996. Immunization coverage had reached 90.5 per cent in 1997. Since 1990, there had been no confirmed cases of measles and a zero incidence rate for tetanus and poliomyelitis. Education was free and mandatory for children from five to 12 years of age. The enrolment level was 96 per cent at primary schools.

With the assistance of UNICEF, the Government had concluded studies on children in especially difficult circumstances and the situation of children and families, he said. The Government had provided assistance to NGOs and shelters for street children in the form of financial aid and training for care-givers. A drop-in centre in Port of Spain for street children had also been established. A central registry would monitor the status of children in need of special protection. That would facilitate policy formulation and implementation to protect children from all forms of abuse. There had been a recent compilation and codification of the child and family laws of Trinidad and Tobago. Other relevant legislation was receiving attention, such as amendments to the Children Act, while the facility of inter-country adoption and the establishment of a family court was under review.

Third Committee - 14 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

MOHAMMED AL-HUMAIMIDI (Iraq) said children were entitled to special protection and should have the chance to grow in freedom and dignity. The supreme interests of the child must be the motivation of all child-related legislation. The Convention on the Rights of the Child confirmed the importance of such rights. The special care accorded to children was in response to their physical vulnerability and emotional immaturity. However, around the world, they were subject to sexual abuse and economic exploitation, and caught in armed conflicts or in sanctions regimes. It was incumbent on the international community to shoulder larger responsibilities in regard to the rights of the child. Humanity was duty-bound to take effective and urgent measures to realize the goals that had been set at the Summit on the Child.

In Iraq, numerous laws on child welfare, development and education had been implemented, he said. However, all achievements had come to a halt as a result of the continued embargo that had been imposed on the country for over eight years. The health of Iraqi children had been undermined, and they suffered the effects of malnutrition. Such effects had been documented in the report of the Secretary-General. Recent data showed that 27 per cent of children in Iraq suffered chronic malnutrition, and 9 per cent suffered acute malnutrition. The sanctions were leading directly to malnutrition and death. The so-called "oil-for-food" formula could not put an end to the deterioration of the health of children. A report by UNICEF said the programme had not resulted in adequate protection of Iraqi children from malnutrition and disease. The suffering of Iraqi children, in particular, and of the people, in general, undoubtedly reflected the genocidal desire of those who insisted on continuation of the sanctions for the total annihilation of the Iraqi people.

DAUL MATUTE (Peru) said that, since ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, his Government had continued to implement programmes to achieve those rights for children. Currently, Peru was facing terrorism, poverty, financial crisis and drug-related problems. Despite those problems, as a reflection of the commitment to the Children's Summit, it was focusing on extreme poverty and giving priority to the most vulnerable group -- women and children. Peru had prepared a national plan of action for 1992 to 1995, development and protection of children. A ministry for women and human development had been created to take comprehensive care of children and women.

The main objective of the series of ministerial meetings held was to evaluate and renew commitments to the rights of children, he said. The forthcoming meeting in Lima would consider the progress and difficulties of girls. A document had also been signed by consensus, which sought the reorientation of social policies and national policies for children. It had, once again, emphasized the rights of girls and boys. His Government was convinced that such efforts would contribute to the national plans. The

Third Committee - 15 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

concerns over maternal mortality, low rate of birth, vitamin deficiencies and the quality of drinking water and of sewage would receive greater attention. No child should be deprived of the right to those services.

ROSELYN RUTH ASUMWA ODERA (Kenya) said children were not only the victims of war, but also its principal targets. Children had become instruments of war and were deliberately massacred or maimed, instead of being protected and nurtured by society. Apart from the real risks of injury, permanent disability or even death to which they were exposed, child-soldiers who survived armed conflicts had the additional handicap of developing psychological problems for which long-term assistance would be required. She supported the initiatives of the Special Representative to prioritize child rights within the terms of peace accords and in the mandates of peacekeeping operations.

Her delegation was equally disturbed by the scourge of the sale and trafficking of children, child prostitution and child pornography, she said. Increasingly, children were being exploited for commercial purposes, often by well-organized national and transnational syndicates. She was disturbed by the expansion of the phenomenon of child sex tourism by paedophiles, whose appetite for sex did not respect the sanctity of childhood or the boundaries of nations. As a major tourist destination, Kenya's children were vulnerable to that problem, and she underscored the importance of closer international cooperation in addressing the issue in the interests of children.

FRED BEYENDEZA (Uganda) said his Government had established a National Council of Children in 1992, subsequently a National Plan of Action for Children and a Children's Statute. It was committed to decentralizing the National Plan of Action and improving coordination among various government and non-governmental agencies responsible for the welfare of children. But Uganda needed additional resources. During the last 10 years, when much of Uganda had moved steadily towards economic progress, the northern region of the country, particularly the districts of Gulu and Kitgum, had been engulfed in a vicious conflict imposed on the region by the Lord's Resistance Army. Abduction was a strategy which the Lord's Resistance Army used to instil fear and to sustain the rebel army.

The evidence was frightening and overwhelming, he said. The number of children abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army was between 8,000 and 10,000. Most of those children were between 12 and 16 years. Now, they were child- soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army. In the Kitgum district, more than 3,400 children had been abducted in the last few years. Almost half that number had managed to escape, but more than half were still missing. Of the children who had managed to escape or had been rescued by Ugandan security forces, 57 per cent were between 11 and 16 years of age. Little children below the age of 10 or girls rarely managed to escape. The evil deeds of the Lord's Resistance Army were alien to African culture and had to be condemned in the strongest terms by the international community.

Third Committee - 16 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

ZORAN JOVANOVIC, of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said he was glad to see the growing realization of the world community of the importance of the plight of children in armed conflict. The appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict had been a signal of that realization. The ICRC was committed to working with the Special Representative in ensuring the implementation of international humanitarian law. It was also committed to preventing the involvement of children in armed conflict. However, it called for the further reinforcement of such commitment on the part of the entire international community.

He said an important part of the operational work of the ICRC in contributing to the protection of children in armed conflict included the identification and registration of unaccompanied child refugees, visits to child detainees, and efforts to ensure they were held separately from adults who were not their parents.

The norms of international humanitarian law must be supplemented to provide protection for children under the age of 15 from participating in armed conflicts, he said. Children were often forced to partake in the worst kind of actions in conflict. He welcomed the inclusion, as a war crime, of the recruitment of children under the age of 15 for the conduct of armed conflict by the International Criminal Court. He also supported the adoption of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child that would prohibit all recruitment of children to participate in all forms of conflict under the age of 18.

FRANKLYN LISK, Director and Representative to the United Nations of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said the incidence of child labour was widespread and growing throughout the world. An estimated 120 million children, between ages five and 14, worked full-time in developing countries alone. Including children who worked part-time, the estimated total was more than double that. Of that, 61 per cent was found in Asia, 32 per cent in Africa, and 7 per cent in Latin America. Child labour also existed in industrialized countries and was an emerging problem in many of the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe.

The ILO pursued a two-pronged strategy to deal with child labour, he said. The first was to set up and adopt international legal norms to help States bring about the progressive abolition of child labour. The second was to provide technical assistance to States in developing practical action through ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, which was operational in more than 50 countries. To date, the most comprehensive ILO instrument on child labour was the Minimum Age Convention, adopted in 1973. The ILO recognized that child labour could be traced to social and economic factors, and that elimination would take time. But certain forms of child labour were unacceptable. Hence, there had been in

Third Committee - 17 - Press Release GA/SHC/3480 19th Meeting 21 October 1998

recent years a growing consensus by the ILO's tripartite constituents in Member States to immediately proceed with the abolition of the worst forms of child labour everywhere, irrespective of the level of development of a country. Those included: all forms of slavery and similar practices, such as the sale and trafficking of children, forced or compulsory labour, debt bondage and serfdom; the use, procuring or offering of a child for the production of pornography, as well as for illegal activities; and lastly, those activities likely to jeopardize the health, safety or morals of children.

* *** *