THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES SEVEN DRAFT RESOLUTIONS

Press Release
GA/SHC/3540

THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES SEVEN DRAFT RESOLUTIONS

Continues Discussion of Issues Related to Rights of Children

States would be called upon to refrain from military intervention and occupation of foreign countries by a draft resolution approved this afternoon by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) as it met to take action on a number of texts and to continue its consideration of issues related to the rights of children. The draft resolution was one of seven approved this afternoon without a vote.

By other terms of that text on the right of people to self-determination, the Assembly would declare its firm opposition to acts of foreign military intervention, aggression and occupation. The Assembly would further deplore the plight of millions of refugees who had been uprooted as a result of such acts, and would reaffirm the right of those people to return to their homes.

The other drafts approved by the Committee this afternoon included texts on: implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning disabled persons; cooperatives in social development; follow-up to the International Year of the Family; international drug control; the United Nations Development Fund for Women; and improving the status of women in the Secretariat.

With regard to the focus of its current consideration, the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, a number of representatives spoke on the impact of conflict on children. The representative of the Russian Federation said wars were started by adults but children suffered from them most. They accounted for more than 65 per cent of refugees. Particularly painful for the international community were the teenagers who took up arms and, instead of playing war, made war.

Conflict, persecution and denial of human rights were the basic causes behind people becoming refugees, a representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said. Children had always been the easiest victims of abuses. Refugee children suffered from double jeopardy because they were denied their human rights by being refugees and, as child refugees, they were also frequently abused.

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3540 26th Meeting (PM) 28 October 1999

Representatives expressed the view that the rights of the child could not be assured without addressing the issue of poverty. The representative of Fiji said the root cause of the decline in the enjoyment of the rights of children was poverty. Without taking steps to eradicate poverty, it was unrealistic to imagine that enjoyment of full rights could be granted to children. Poverty struck children’s health and forced them to leave school early and become victims of child labour.

Also speaking were the representatives of Benin, Bangladesh, Spain, United States, Mongolia, Mexico, Romania, New Zealand, Antigua and Barbuda, Pakistan, Viet Nam, Thailand, Ukraine, Algeria, Indonesia, Nepal, Liechtenstein, Cyprus, Romania, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt, Slovenia, and Sri Lanka. The observer for Switzerland also spoke.

The Committee will meet again tomorrow, 29 October at 10 a.m. to continue its consideration of issues related to the promotion and protection of the rights of the child.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to continue considering questions related to the promotion and protection of the rights of the child.

The Committee also had before it a number of draft resolutions on which it was expected to take action.

A 16-Power draft resolution on implementing the World Programme of Action concerning disabled people (document A/C.3/54/L.9/Rev.1; see press release GA/SHC/3536 of 25 October for summary) would have the Assembly call for a range of actions to reinforce activities on behalf of the disabled and involve them in policy-making. It would urge the sharing of experiences through the United Nations programme on persons with disabilities and would urge governments to cooperate with the United Nations Statistics Division in developing global statistics and indicators on disability. In addition to the sponsors listed in the summary, the following became co-sponsors when the draft was introduced by the Philippines on 25 October: Belgium, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Finland, Germany, India, Greece, Jamaica, Malta, Portugal, Norway and Sweden.

By terms of a 13-Power draft resolution on cooperatives in social development (document A/C.3/54/L.11; see press release GA/SHC/3531 of 19 October for summary), the Assembly would adopt guidelines for creating a supportive environment for the development of cooperatives and would request the Secretary- General to disseminate the guidelines. It would urge governments to create a supporting environment for cooperatives through effective partnership with the cooperative movement. It would invite all actors to observe the International Day of Cooperatives annually on the first Saturday of July. In addition to the original sponsors, the following became co-sponsors when the draft was introduced by Mongolia on 19 October: Bangladesh, Barbados, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Madagascar, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

By terms of a three-Power draft text on the follow-up to the International Year of the Family (document A/C.3/54/L.12; see press release GA/SCH/3528 of 15 October for summary), the Assembly would urge governments to take sustained action and promote the role of families in development. In addition to the sponsors listed in the summary, the following became co-sponsors when Benin introduced the draft on 15 October: Côte d'Ivoire, Philippines, Senegal, Nigeria, Liberia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Thailand, Ecuador, Ghana and Panama.

By terms of a 93-Power draft text on international cooperation on the world drug problem (document A/C.3/54/L.20; see press release GA/SHC/3538 of 27 October for summary), the Assembly would urge international action based on the Action Plan for implementing the Declaration on guiding principles for drug demand reduction. In addition to the sponsors listed in the summary, the following were added as co-sponsors when Mexico introduced the draft on 27 October: Croatia, Iceland, Latvia, Niger, Turkey, Malaysia, Guinea and Gabon.

By terms of a 43-Power draft text on improving the status of women in the Secretariat (document A/C.3/54/L.19; see press release GA/SCH/3538 of 27 October for summary), the Assembly would call upon the Secretary-General to implement fully and to monitor the Strategic Plan of Action for improving the status of women in the Secretariat. In addition to the sponsors listed in the summary, the following were added when New Zealand introduced the draft on 27 October: Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Eritrea, Finland, Fiji, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Italy, Jordan, Luxembourg, Mongolia, Morocco, Mexico, Portugal, Rwanda, Samoa, Solomon Isands, Sudan, Sweden, Swaziland, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

By terms of a 17-Power draft resolution on improving the situation of women in rural areas (document A/C.3/54/15; see press release GA/SCH/3531 of 19 October for summary), the Assembly would invite Member States in cooperation with the United Nations system to implement the outcome and ensure integrated follow-up to United Nation conferences and summits, attaching great importance to the improvement of rural women in national and global development strategies. In addition to the sponsors listed in the summary, the following were added when Mongolia introduced the draft on 20 October: Benin, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia.

By terms of a 34-Power draft resolution on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (document A/C.3/54/L.16/Rev.1; see press release GA/SCH/3531 of 19 October for summary), the Assembly would emphasize the important work done by the Fund within the framework of the 1994 Beijing Platform for Action and would encourage other partners of the United Nations system, governments and non- governmental organizations to participate in activities feeding into the five-year review of the Platform. In addition to the sponsors listed in the summary, the following were added when Romania introduced the draft on 19 October: Croatia, Nicaragua and Suriname.

On 22 October, a text revised by the sponsors was circulated. It would add an operative paragraph to note the recommendation of the Fund’s Consultative Committee to further clarify the autonomous nature of the Fund and deepen the synergy between the Fund and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Several drafting changes were also made.

By terms of a draft text on the right of peoples to self-determination (document A/C.3/54/L.25; see press release GA/SCH/3538 of 27 October for summary), the Assembly would declare its firm opposition to acts of foreign military intervention and would call upon States to cease military intervention of foreign countries and acts of repression against people. In addition to the sponsors listed in the summary, the following were added when New Zealand introduced the draft on 27 October: Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Djibouti, Thailand, El Salvador, United Arab Emirates and Viet Nam.

Action on Draft Resolutions

The Committee took up the draft resolution on “Implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons: towards a society for all in the twenty-first century”. The following countries were added as co-sponsors: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, France, Ghana, Guinea, Iceland, Ireland, Liberia, Jordan, Libya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Romania, San Marino, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Spain, Viet Nam, Croatia, Cyprus, Austria, Turkey, Sudan, Madagascar, Suriname, Côte d’Ivoire, Republic of Moldova, Hungary, Chile, Congo and Sierra Leone.

The Committee approved the orally revised draft resolution without a vote.

The Committee then took up the draft resolution on “Cooperatives in social development”. The following countries were added as co-sponsors: Spain, Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Pakistan, Italy, Ethiopia, Finland, Guatemala, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Italy.

The representative of Mongolia made additional revisions to that draft. Operative paragraph 2 now reads: “Welcomes the elimination of the draft Guidelines……”. Operative paragraph 3 was deleted and replaced by the following: “Requests the Secretary-General to seek views from governments on the draft Guidelines and provide, if necessary, its revised version for adoption.” The following words were deleted from operative paragraph 6: “disseminate and utilize the guidelines aimed at creating” and they are replaced by the word “create”.

That draft resolution was approved, as orally revised, without a vote.

The draft resolution on the “Follow-up to the International Year of the Family” was taken up.

The representative of Benin made oral revisions to that draft resolution. Operative paragraph 3 now reads: “Urges governments to continue to take sustained action at all levels concerning family issues including studies and applied research to promote the role of families in development, and to develop concrete measures and approaches to address national priorities to deal with family issues.”

Operative paragraph 4 now reads: “Recommends that all governments develop strategies and programmes aimed at strengthening the economic and sustainable livelihood of families and, in this regard, envisages the contribution of all civil actors of civil society including research and academic institutions.”

Operative paragraph 5 of that draft now reads: after the words “information among governments”, “on effective policies and strategies, to facilitate technical assistance, with a focus on least-developed and developing countries, and to encourage the organization of subregional and interregional meetings and relevant research.”

In addition, paragraph 6 now reads: “Invites the Commission for Social Development, when adopting its next multi-year programme of work, to consider undertaking a review of the global situation of families in 2004 bearing in mind that in different cultural, political and social systems, various forms of the family exist.”

Additional sponsors to that draft were: Spain, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Ireland, Portugal, San Marino, Mongolia, France, Italy, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cameroon, Congo, Greece, Malta, Russian Federation, South Africa, Croatia, Eritrea, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Gambia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Also, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Bangladesh withdrew their sponsorship of that draft text.

Statements Before Action on Draft

The representative of Bangladesh said his country had never been a co-sponsor. It had been a misunderstanding.

The representative of Spain requested to have the oral revisions made in the draft in writing.

The representative of the United States said he regretted not to have been able to co-sponsor the draft. By referring to the word “family” in operative paragraph 6 in the singular, the draft had failed to address the diversity of families throughout the world.

The Committee approved that draft resolution, as orally revised, without a vote.

The Committee took up consideration of the draft resolution on international drug control (document A/C.3/54/L.20). The representative of Mexico, as the original sponsor, said the following had become co-sponsors: Cameroon, Eritrea, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Georgia and Cambodia. The following also became co-sponsors: Philippines, Swaziland, Namibia, Haiti, Solomon Islands, Côte d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Togo and Belize.

The Committee approved the draft resolution without a vote.

The Committee took up the draft on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (document A/C.3/54/L.16/Rev.1). The representative of Romania made an oral revision to operative paragraph 7, to read: “ … to assist governments in implementing the Convention…to advance gender equality at all levels, including by reinforcing cooperation….” She said the following had been added as co-sponsors: Bhutan, Cambodia, Peru, Solomon Islands, Venezuela, Spain, Dominican Republic, Liberia, Argentina, Swaziland, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Senegal, Congo, Haiti and Togo.

The Committee approved the draft resolution as orally revised without a vote.

The Committee then took up the draft on improving the status of women in the Secretariat (document A/C.3/54/L.19), as revised by the representative of New Zealand on introduction. The following had become co-sponsors: New Zealand, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Spain, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South Africa, Liberia, Belize, Gambia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Togo and the Philippines.

The representative of Antigua and Barbuda said her country could not co-sponsor the resolution this year but hoped to return as a co-sponsor next year. The representative of Mexico said he had no problem with the draft text but Mexico was not a co-sponsor.

The Committee approved the draft resolution without a vote.

The Committee took up the draft on the right of peoples to self- determination (document A/C.3/54/L.25). The original sponsor, Pakistan, said Mauritania would become a co-sponsor. Additional co-sponsors were Bangladesh and Lebanon.

The Committee approved the draft resolution without a vote.

Statements

NGUYEN THI THANH HA (Viet Nam) said she welcomed Security Council resolution 1261 (1999) of 25 August regarding children in armed conflict. Other issues to be addressed were the situation of children living in poverty, those living under sanctions and those living under conditions of exploitation or abuse. The highest priority needed to be given to the promotion and protection of children’s rights to health and education. Those were the most essential conditions for children’s development. A programme of vaccination against six child infectious diseases had covered 100 per cent of the nation’s communes. A malnutrition programme had reduced the malnutrition rate among children by 30 per cent in the last two decades.

APIRATH VIENRAVI (Thailand) said despite his Government’s efforts to promote and protect the rights of children, its neighbouring countries were still faced with the problem of trafficking in children and the smuggling of children migrants. “Children of young age from neighbouring countries are often found on the streets of Bangkok, as beggars, earning money to send back home”, he said. In order to solve that problem, poverty and the lack of development needed to be addressed.

His country remained firmly committed to the promotion and the protection of the rights of children. His Government had established the National Committee on Trafficking in Women and Children, which was in the process of drafting a memorandum of understanding to foster cooperation between his Government and that of Cambodia. The memorandum sought to address and suppress the trafficking of women and children across the borders. “We will create for our children the environment that will enable them not only to grow but also to flourish”, he added. Children were the best hope for a better future.

DINA NESKOROZHANA (Ukraine) said her Government welcomed the fact that the Security Council had started to pay increasing attention to children affected by armed conflict. “We hope the issue of saving children, especially those who are directly involved in armed conflict, will remain an ongoing preoccupation on the agenda of this United Nations body”, she added. The involvement of children in armed conflict was not simply a violation of children’s rights, but affected the likelihood of a successful transition to peace.

Children without education, economic security and family life, often the “poorest of the poor whose only security has been the gun” did not find it easy to build the institutions of peace when they became adults, she said. The protection of children’s rights and the promotion of their well-being was a relevant issue at all levels and it could not be underestimated. Effective implementation of existing international instruments should be pursued by national governments. For that reason, her Government considered its first priority full compliance with its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the implementation of the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children as well as the relevant Plan of Action.

ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria) asked: What was left to children deprived of education in this day and age? What happened to them when they were left out while others pursued their dreams? The preparation of the two protocols to the Convention would be a welcome step in alerting the international community to the errors of adults. The situation of children in Africa deserved all attention. Children had been placed at the heart of many national policies, including that of his own country, which had enacted legislation to protect children and provide them with free education.

He said his country had also instituted legislation to protect children from inappropriate work. The legal minimum working age was 16. Numerous arrangements had been made for the protection of children, who were fragile and the citizens of tomorrow. They deserved special attention and deserved to be surrounded by conditions for their security and well-being. They needed to be bequeathed a world full of peace and free from hunger.

BALI MONIAGA (Indonesia) expressed deep concern over the problems of exploitation of child labour. The current estimates indicated that 80 million children under the age of 15 worked as labourers, and about 2 million children under the age of 18 were involved in prostitution. It was a major challenge for the international community, which professed concern for the rights of children, yet allowed countries to drift in poverty, unable to meet the needs of vulnerable groups.

Indonesia fully supported efforts to address child labour and exploitation, he said, not only through the building of legislative architecture, but also through action and implementation. Poverty could not be accepted as a justification for child labour and as the root cause could not be ignored. It had to be addressed through progress in social and economic development. Indonesia had initiated comprehensive inter-sectoral programmes to reduce and eliminate child labour. The International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention was a solid foundation for specific action. Despite the economic climate in Indonesia, which was improving, progress had been made in promoting and protecting the rights of the child.

BHARAT K. REGMI (Nepal) said children in his country were still suffering from malnutrition, illiteracy, and other economic and social hazards. The root cause of that situation was poverty. The majority of the rural population remained poor and children were somehow “associated with the bread-earning process of poor families”. Also, a sizeable number of children were still dying of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and measles. Studies had demonstrated that 31 in every 100 children were still deprived of the opportunity for primary education. Furthermore, the death rate of infants was still 74.7 per 1,000 live births.

His Government had emphasized the involvement of non-governmental organizations in issues dealing with children. Also, child labour laws had been enforced. In addition, promotion of the rights of the disabled and of street children had been recognized as an integral part of the country’s national development.

CHRISTIAN WENAWESER (Liechtenstein) said there was a great gap between legal norms and their implementation, especially when it had to do with children’s rights. The full application of all existing standards of international human rights and humanitarian law would bring about a dramatic improvement in the situation of children.

“We have to fulfil the almost universal commitment to existing standards and to find ways and means on how to better involve and hold accountable non-state actors whose actions can have a very strong impact on the situation of children”, he said. It was imperative that a decade of advocacy and standard-setting be followed by one of implementation and application. While a wide range of actors could contribute to launching such an era, the primary responsibility lay with Member States.

DEMETRIS HADJIARGYROU (Cyprus) said one of the areas in which his Government had been particularly successful was decentralizing the country’s administrative structure, with the aim of providing a comprehensive educational, cultural and health model to benefit children. Child exploitation was not a problem in his country; sexual exploitation of children did not exist. Also, education was free, and compulsory until the age of 15. Furthermore, there were 112 active community centres for children.

His Government had recently prepared a plan of action for children for the years 1999-2004. The plan was multi-dimensional and, among other goals, it sought to integrate the values and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into the national educational system and to enhance children’s awareness of their rights. He regretted that his Government had been prevented from applying the provisions of the plan to the area occupied by the Turkish military. Upon finishing elementary school, children living in that area were forced either to be deprived of secondary education, as no school was available for Greek Cypriots in the occupied territories, or to be separated from their parents in order to pursue secondary education. That was a very hard choice that children were forced to make.

ION GORITA (Romania) said the tenth anniversary of the Convention was a good opportunity to review the situation of children. The ILO Convention forbidding the worst forms of child labour was a most significant development, he added.

He said that many changes had taken place on behalf of children in his country. Emergency ordinances had been adopted in 1997 and 1998. The emphasis had been on measures to assist families in staying together, and on preventing child abuse. The State had instituted a system of mother’s helpers and day care.

ZAINAB AL-HADDAD (Kuwait) said children were the future. Provisions had to be made for their protection. Despite special efforts, they faced such abuses as being recruited as soldiers and being sexually exploited. Those situations required international intervention. The Convention’s tenth anniversary was a good opportunity to reaffirm the international community’s commitment to children.

The child was the nucleus of the family, she said. The State must protect children both physically and morally. Children with handicaps needed special protection. Kuwait had proclaimed 1 October as Children’s Day. The Health Ministry had undertaken programmes for children’s health, including education and sanitation measures for families, and a broad range of maternity services. The world community needed to ensure that those kinds of protections were ensured to all children.

She drew attention also to the setting up of centres for mothers and day care centres. Financial support had come from the international community. The results of the policies were not always quick but they did appear. A special law was being elaborated to protect children, with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

AICHA AFIFI (Morocco) said the Islamic religion respected the rights of all individuals and imposed moral and religious obligations with regard to children’s rights. It further prohibited slavery and exploitation. Islam was not only a religion but a way of life. It guaranteed the rights of children even before birth and condemned any violations against them.

Her Government had made several reforms to its legislation and had established a mechanism to ensure proper conditions for the appropriate physical and mental development of children. To strengthen existing mechanisms, a number of measures had been taken such as the creation of a State Secretary for the social promotion of the family and children, who coordinated activities related to improving the situation of children in the country. Another programme in place, undertaken in cooperation with UNICEF, ran from 1997 to 2001. Morocco sought to realize the main objectives of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to inform the entire population on the application of the Convention.

AHMED ABOUL GHEIT (Egypt) said the promotion and protection of children’s rights was a social and economic imperative. It was an investment in the future. For that reason, his country had been one of the first to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Also, a national maternity programme had been established, as well as special programmes to help orphan and handicapped children.

Child labour needed to be eradicated, he said. The international community needed to deal with that problem in a global manner, since it was closely linked with poverty. Rehabilitation programmes for children who had worked needed to be established. Economic crisis and the spread of disease had greatly affected children. The General Assembly needed to create general policies and guidelines, with a view to the protection of children in armed conflict.

EVA TOMIC (Slovenia) said the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was a major achievement, as was the definition of a child as every human being below the age of 18. The immense and often unimaginable suffering of children as the principal victims of the many armed conflicts of the last decade compelled the human community to strive for a higher standard of legal protection for those children. That protection should extend to the post-conflict period.

There had been some positive developments, she said, for example the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court which would have important and manifold implications for children caught in armed conflicts. Slovenia was in the process of preparing its second report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The recommendations offered in response to its initial report had been very useful. Many had been acted on and put into practice.

FRANÇOIS VOEFFRAY, Observer for Switzerland, said strong measures needed to take place in regard to the application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Attention must be paid to the social, economic and humanitarian aspects. The development of children was essential. The situation of children in armed conflict was a matter of great concern, especially the recruitment of children as soldiers.

Certain existing legal gaps needed to be filled, he said. The Human Rights Commission was preparing two protocols relevant to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The first was on children in armed conflict and the second was on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The first protocol described children as being younger than 18 years of age. However, it did not prohibit the direct participation of children in hostilities when they were between 15 and 18 years of age. That anomaly needed to be changed. Also, once the protocol was adopted, it would be necessary to understand that it was a judicial and lasting part of the Convention. In addition, once the protocol was accepted, it was necessary to keep in mind that it would be applicable only to those States which were parties to the Convention.

NIKI FOROV (Russian Federation) said wars were started by adults but children suffered from them most. Children accounted for more than 65 per cent of refugees. Particularly painful for the international community were the teenagers who took up arms and instead of playing war, made war. The best way to protect children was to avert conflict.

The next century should be one of peace for children, he said. The culture of peace should be established through education. Tolerance was the key for the protection of rights. The world today was often cruel to children. The work on the draft protocols should be accelerated.

New legislature had been adopted for protecting children, he said. A great problem in his country had been the issue of homeless children. Measures had been taken to help them, including the opening of facilities to house them and rehabilitate those with problems such as addictions. His country’s second report had been well received by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The recommendations would be implemented.

SAKIUSA RABUKA (Fiji) said the root cause of the decline in the enjoyment of the rights of children was poverty. Unless steps were taken to eradicate poverty, especially in small island countries like Fiji, it was unrealistic that enjoyment of full rights could be granted to children. Poverty impacted children’s nutrition and health. It prevented them from enjoying their right to education, forcing them to leave school early and become victims of child labour.

Fiji had been willing to deal with those issues within its available financial and human resources, he continued. External support from the international community was lacking. The international community should provide the conducive economic environment for better efforts to protect children by improving market access for products, and by enhancing special treatment and institutional capacity-building to enable the enjoyment of opportunities and challenges of globalization. States had the primary responsibility for implementing the Convention. It was incumbent on the international community to assist those States not endowed with economic and human resources to fulfil obligations set out in the relevant instruments.

The Special Rapporteur had visited his country in connection with regard to certain allegations, he said. Legislation was being revised in his country regarding the Juvenile Act and the Government was aware of its responsibilities. There were constraints to protecting children from being abused and no country was immune to cases of child abuse. Under existing laws, defendants charged with any offence were entitled to the presumption of innocence. The rights of victims needed to be protected as did those of the accused. Hearsay evidence against anyone could not be accepted.

PIRKKO KOURULA, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said approximately half of the world’s 21 million refugees were children. Furthermore, over 50 per cent of the 240,00 Somali refugees in Ethiopia were below the age of 18, with a similar percentage among the 57,000 Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia. Also, out of the estimated 1.2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan nearly half a million were children. In Rwanda, there were more than 300,000 unaccompanied or separated children, who had been displaced.

The root causes of refugee displacement were linked to conflict, persecution and the denial of human rights, she said. Children had always been the easiest victims of human rights abuses. The 1996 Graca Machel study for the United Nations on the effects of armed conflict on children had confirmed that children were no longer just innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of armed conflict. They were subject to “calculated genocide, forced military recruitment, gender- related violence, torture, and exploitation on a systematic and massive scale”, she said. Refugee children suffered a form of double jeopardy. They suffered “a denial of their human rights” by being refugees and, as child refugees, they were also frequently abused.

BERNARD GOONETILLEKE (Sri Lanka) said when the root causes of the exploitation of children were examined, poverty came to the top of the list. “Poverty cannot be eradicated by legislation and it is the primary cause of child labour”, he said. It was also the cause of child prostitution and other practices affecting children. Most of those children trapped in poverty were girls who “will reach motherhood in a few years and raise their children in poverty”, he said.

It could not be denied that child prostitution existed in his country. However, the figure provided in the Special Rapporteur’s report seemed to be “a gross exaggeration”. That was especially true when one took into consideration the total number of tourist arrivals and the small percentage of sex tourists.

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