January 22nd 2002: CRINMAIL Digest 351 Contents: - SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN: Update on Preparations and NGO Participation [news] - SIERRE LEONE: Unique Court to Try Killers of Sierra Leone [news] - ART THERAPY: Latest issue of ChildArt [journal] - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution on Digital Divide [press release] - ASYLUM: Detaining the Displaced [call for papers] Your submissions are welcome if you are working in the area of child rights. To contribute, email us at info@crin.org. Please note that we are unable to respond to emails addressed to crinmail_english@domeus.co.uk --------------------------------------------------- - SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN: Update on preparations and NGO participation: [news] The Special Session on Children has been rescheduled for May 8-10, 2002 and there is likely to be heightened security at the event. Not only will this have repercussions for NGO access, but it will also affect visa and immigration processes. All NGOs should be advised to start the visa/immigration process as early as possible. UNICEF will send (via fax) reconfirmation notices to all organisations in February that were registered for the Special Session in September. Once these are out, the NGO Committee on UNICEF suggests that NGOs begin the paperwork for visas to bring adolescent and adult delegates to the Special Session. The NGO Committee on UNICEF will be the source for NGO accreditation information. HOWEVER, due the lack of funding for the Committee, as of now there is no staff to answer questions. Hopefully, this will be remedied shortly, and the e-mail to contact is: ngocommittee@unicef.org. Their website can be visited at: www.ngosatunicef.org. UNICEF and the NGO Committee on UNICEF are asking NGOs, as well as UN agencies and governments, to consolidate side events. Over 190 were planned for the September dates and not all of these can be accommodated in the reduced three-day session. The events most likely to be re-approved are those with multiple sponsors (as before but even more so now) with a broad topic, so as to incorporate a few side events into one or structure the event around the main categories in the Outcome Document. In particular, NGOs, governments and UN agencies are encouraged to collaborate together. The Outcome Document, A World Fit for Children, is still unfinished, although 85% of it has been agreed upon. There will be no new negotiation on the document until the end of April/beginning of May 2002. For the full text of 'A World Fit for Children - Third Revised Draft Outcome Document,' in word format go to: http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/documentation/documents/a-ac-256-crp-6- rev3part1.doc (part 1) and http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/documentation/documents/a-ac-256-crp-6- rev3part2.doc (part 2). For the full text of 'A World Fit for Children - Third Revised Draft Outcome Document,' in pdf format go to: http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/documentation/documents/a-ac-256-crp-6- rev3part1.pdf (part 1) and http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/documentation/documents/a-ac-256-crp-6- rev3part2.pdf (part 2). For further information on the development of the Outcome Document, including NGO comments, please refer to: http://www.crin.org/docs/themes/SpecialSession/world-fit-for-children.htm The Children's Forum will take place the Monday and Tuesday before the Special Session (the 6th and 7th), and possibly also Sunday the 5th. Regarding the accreditation of child delegates, if they were under 18 as of September 18th, 2001, but over 18 now, they will still be able to be registered as child delegates for the May Special Session. For more information on the Special Session, please go www.ngosatunicef.org and www.unicef.org/specialsession. Two other sources for information about the special session are as follows. - On the Record for Children', which will produce monthly coverage of the Special Session. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to: childrights-subscribe@topica.com. - Comprehensive coverage of the Special Session can be found on the CRIN website at http://www.crin.org/themes/specialSession/index.asp . In addition, issue 14 of the CRIN Newsletter focuses on the Special Session, which can be downloaded from: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/CRINvol14SpecialSessione.pdf [English]. This document is also available in French and Spanish on the RIN website. [SOURCE: Allison Pillsbury, the Women's Council for Refugee Women and Children, 18 January 2002] Contact: Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 122 East 42nd Street, 12th Floor, New York NY 10168 ? 1289, USA. Tel: 00 1 212 551 3111; Fax: 00 1 212 551 3180; Email: allison@womenscommission.org Website: www.womenscommission.org --------------------------------------------------- - SIERRE LEONE: Unique Court to Try Killers of Sierra Leone [news] [17 January 2002] The United Nations and Sierra Leone's government yesterday agreed to establish a unique war crimes tribunal to try those most responsible for atrocities in a civil war noted for its horrific treatment of civilians, particularly children. The announcement in Freetown came days after the UN officially declared the 10-year conflict over, as the last of 47,000 combatants handed in their weapons. But the new court will be caught between the popular demand for justice and the realities of peace. Some of those most likely to face charges are now important political players. The first target of the court is likely to be the detained leader of the rebel Revolutionary United Front, Foday Sankoh, who was captured shortly after British troops intervened in Sierra Leone, nearly two years ago. He is being held at a secret location. There is a compelling case against Mr Sankoh as the head of a force which systematically raped, enslaved and mutilated thousands of people by cutting off their arms. Children were a favoured target: boys were taken as bearers or to fight, while thousands of girls were kidnapped for sex. [...] There has also been debate about whether to charge the many children who fought for the rebels and committed atrocities. The public would generally like to see them prosecuted, but human rights groups argue that the fighters, who were in their teens or even younger, are also victims. Many children were drugged and forced to fight and many now have profound psychological problems. Some have been rejected by their families. [ Source: The Guardian, 17 January 2002. To view full report, go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4336907,00.html ] --------------------------------------------------- - ART THERAPY: Latest issue of ChildArt [journal] Published since April 1998, ChildArt inspires learners of all ages to be creative, imaginative, artistic and co-operative. Written for children ages 8 to 12, ChildArt is used in classrooms and homes as supplementary educational material. The January/March 2002 issue of ChildArt features a thoughtful collection of art created by children across America and around the world in response to September 11, 2001. The issue is dedicated to the children of the victims of the terrorist attacks. Former First Lady Betty Ford, the wife of The Army Chief of Staff, Mrs. Patricia Shinseki, the First Lady of Oregon Sharon Kitzhaber and Army Chief of Chaplains Major General Gaylord Gunhus have written special messages for the children. Throughout the issue, articles include "how to" information on healing through the arts. For further information on how to subscribe to the series, please contact: International Child Art Foundation, 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036, USA. Tel:00 1 202 530 1000; Fax: 00 1 202 530 1080; Email: childart@icaf.org; Website: www.icaf.org See: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=1881&flag=report ----------------------------------------------- - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: UN General Assembly adopts resolution on digital divide [press release] [Geneva, 9 January 2002] The United Nations has taken a major step toward bridging the 'Digital Divide' with the adoption, by the General Assembly, of a resolution which welcomes the organisation of the World Summit on the Information Society. The Summit, which is expected to promote access by all countries to information, knowledge and communications technologies for development, is to be held in two phases, the first in Geneva in 2003 and the second in Tunisia in 2005, and is being convened under the high patronage of the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will be taking the lead role in the Summit preparations, in Cupertino with other interested organisations and partners. "A technological revolution is transforming society in a profound way. If harnessed and directed properly, information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to improve all aspects of our social, economic and cultural life. ICTs can serve as an engine for development in the 21st century, yet the majority of the world's population has yet to benefit from the new technology," says Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "This global gathering will be a unique opportunity for all key players to develop a shared vision of ways to bridge the digital divide and create a truly global information society." The resolution [A/RES/56/183] calls on governments to actively participate in Summit preparations and to be represented at the highest possible level. It has also asked for the active participation and effective contribution in the Summit and its preparations by all relevant United Nations and intergovernmental organisations, including international and regional institutions, as well as non-governmental organisations, the civil society and the private sector. ITU will work to create synergies and develop co-operation among the various ICT initiatives at the regional and global level. A series of preparatory meetings will be held in 2002, beginning with the first PrepCom from 1-5 July 2002 in Geneva. To view the press release in full, see: http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2002/01.html Additional information about the World Summit on the Information Society can be found at http://www.itu.int/wsis/index.htm The full text of the Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly can be found at www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2002/UNGA_res_56_183.html Contact: International Telecommunication Union, Tel: 00 41 22 730 6039; Fax: 00 41 22 730 5939; E-mail: pressinfo@itu.int [Source: HURIDOCs-Tech list serv, originally posted on Global Knowledge for Development List] --------------------------------------------------- - ASYLUM: Detaining the Displaced [call for papers] [Guest Editor: Eleanor Acer] The UNHCR Detention Guidelines and Conclusion No. 44 stress that the detention of asylum-seekers in inherently undesirable, and should only be resorted to in cases of ?necessity?. Yet such detention is increasingly common practice, with some states detaining asylum-seekers, including children, in prison-like conditions or indeed in jails. States have cited the importance of combating the trafficking of persons, and more recently in the wake of September 11th, of ensuring that terrorists are denied entry, as they seek administratively simpler methods to detain, among others, the displaced. In Canada, the Minister of Immigration has announced new measures to simplify the detention of asylum-seekers, while in the US, proposed laws aimed at suspected terrorists may also result in the increased detention of refugees. European states are also contemplating additional provisions allowing the detention of non-citizens. As states and refugee-advocates consider the many complex issues surrounding the detention of asylum-seekers, there is a pressing need for critical reflection and constructive discussion. Refuge thus invites contributions to an upcoming issue dedicated to examining the detention of the displaced. Refuge particularly invites submissions on topics including but not limited to: detention under international law; comparative or historical case studies of detention policy among refugee-receiving countries; the detention of particularly vulnerable populations including single women, children, and the elderly; detention as an element of securing state sovereignty; and moral /ethical reflections on detention. Contributions must be received by February 15, 2001. Papers, not exceeding 30 pages or 7500 words, should be typed, double-spaced and referenced according to the Chicago Manual of Style, or, if the paper is legal in nature, the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (see style sheet at <http://www.yorku.ca/crs> for details.) Shorter papers on issues related to forced migration, book reviews and case comments are also welcome. A brief abstract (100-150 words) and a two-sentence institutional identification of the author must be provided. All submissions must be word processed and sent on disk or by email attachment. On accepte aussi des articles en français. Le style doit conformer aux normes exigés pour les articles rédigés en anglais. Deadline for Submissions: February 15, 2002 For more information, please contact: Lene Madsen, Managing Editor, Refuge, Centre for Refugee Studies, York Lanes, Suite 322, York University, 4700 Keele Street, North York, Ontario , Canada M3J 1P3. Email: refuge@yorku.ca --------------------------------------------------- The CRINMAIL is an electronic mailing list of the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN). CRIN does not accredit, validate or substantiate any information posted by members to the CRINMAIL. The validity and accuracy of any information is the responsibility of the originator.
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