February 20 2002: CRINMAIL 360 Contents: - SOUTH ASIA VOWS TO STOP ABUSE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN [news] - REGIONAL NGO CONSULTATIONS ON SAARC CONVENTIONS ON CHILDREN [report] - UNICEF WELCOMES SIGNING OF TWO CONVENTIONS ON CHILDREN BY SOUTH ASIAN LEADERS [news] - SAARC CONVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN [background information] - ACTING DIRECTOR AND ADMINISTRATOR [job posting] 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 --------------------------------------------------- - SOUTH ASIA VOWS TO STOP ABUSE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN [news] [Kathmandu, 11 January 2002] -- Although the seven South Asian nations attending the recently-concluded 11th SAARC summit at Kathmandu were preoccupied with threats of war and terrorism, the participating countries also addressed the problem of trafficking in women and children and committed themselves to the promotion of welfare of the region's children. The SAARC countries signed two important conventions on combating trafficking in women and children and child welfare while the SAARC Declaration expressed their collective resolve to treat trafficking in women and children as a "criminal offence of a serious nature." The convention is being viewed as a first step in controlling the trans-border trafficking in women and children in the region, an issue which has been exercising the region's women's groups. Besides putting women centrestage, SAARC nations also directed their ministers to take concrete steps to give priority to investing in children and recalled that the years 2001 to 2010 had been declared as the SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child. ... The signing of the two conventions and the inclusion of women and children's concerns in the Declarations come after hectic lobbying by the region's women's groups and UN agencies like Unicef. The developments have been welcomed by women's groups who described it as a positive and welcome step but also said that much more work needs to be done. Ranjana Kumari of Centre for Social Research said SAARC countries also need to address the source of the problem, saying the SAARC countries need to set up a specific mechanism for information sharing on trafficking and monitoring the programme. Jyotsana Chatterjee of Joint Women's Programme (JWP) also believes that much more work is required to prevent the entry of children into prostitution. Razia Ismail of the India Alliance for Child Rights said the setting up of a fund for rehabilitation of trafficked women was a long-standing demand from women's groups but wondered how and who will administer it. "Let's hope it is not crippled by bureaucracy," she commented. Source: The Times of India on the ECPAT website (http://www.ecpat.net/eng/Ecpat_inter/IRC/newsdesk_articles.asp?SCID=543) --------------------------------------------------- - REGIONAL NGO CONSULTATIONS ON SAARC CONVENTIONS ON CHILDREN [report] Coinciding with the 11th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu, South Asian NGO representatives met to critique the SAARC Conventions from a child rights perspective. The meeting included regional representatives and was organised by Save the Children and UNICEF. Participants analysed the Conventions article by article and came up with amendments and recommendations for implementation. For the full report, go to http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=2447&flag=report For more information, contact: Anil Raghuvanshi Save the Children UK - Nepal Office PO Box 992, Kathmandu, Nepal Phone: 00 977 1 535 161 or 00 977 1 535 159; Fax: 00 977 1 527 256 Email: a.raghuvanshi@sc-uk.org.np --------------------------------------------------- - UNICEF WELCOMES SIGNING OF TWO CONVENTIONS ON CHILDREN BY SOUTH ASIAN LEADERS [news] [Kathmandu / New York, 5 January 2002] -- UNICEF welcomed the signing of two important conventions on the trafficking of women and children and child welfare by seven South Asian nations. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka signed the conventions at a summit of South Asian leaders in Kathmandu, Nepal. UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy congratulated the South Asian leaders for addressing children's and women's issues at a time when their nations are grappling with the dual threats of war and terrorism in the region. She welcomed their commitment and said that lasting peace and stability could not be achieved without respect for human rights, including the full rights of children and women. The trafficking of children and women for sexual exploitation is on the increase in South Asia - a result of poverty, deeply-rooted social and gender discrimination, weak legislation and spotty enforcement. The conventions signed by South Asian Heads of State and Government deplore the "evil of trafficking in women and children" as a "violation of basic human rights." For the full story, go to: http://www.unicef.org/newsline/02pr01.htm For further information, please contact: Robert Tyabji UNICEF ROSA PO Box 5815, Lekhnath Marg, Kathmandu, Nepal Phone: 00 97-1-417082; Fax: 00 977 1 417479; Email: rtyabji@unicef.org --------------------------------------------------- - SAARC CONVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN [background information] The SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia reaffirm adherence by Member States to the Declaration of the World Summit for Children and their commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It recognises the efforts of SAARC towards building a regional consensus on priorities, strategies and approaches to meet the changing needs of children, as embodied in Rawalpindi Resolution on Children of South Asia 1996, and notes the significant progress already made by the Member States in the field of child survival and welfare. It also takes into account, the declaration of the years 2001-2010 as the "SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child". The purposes and objectives of the Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia are to: * Unite the States Parties in their determination of redeeming the promises made by them to the South Asian Child at the World Summit for Children and various other national, regional and international conferences and successive SAARC Summits; * Work together with commitment and diligence, to facilitate and help in the development and protection of the full potential of the South Asian child, with understanding of the rights, duties and responsibilities as well as that of others; * Set up appropriate regional arrangements to assist the Member States in facilitating, fulfilling and protecting the rights of the Child, taking into account the changing needs of the child. The Convention outlines relations with Non-Governmental Bodies (article VIII) stating that 'State Parties, while implementing the provisions of the Convention, may encourage and support the participation of non-Governmental bodies including community-based organisations.' It also regional priorities and arrangements; bilateral and multilateral cooperation; relations with national law and international instruments; and cooperation with UN agencies and other international agencies. For the full text of the SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia, go to http://www.saarc-sec.org/publication/conv-children.pdf The Convention on the Preventing and Combating the Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution is to promote cooperation amongst Member States to effectively deal with various aspects of prevention, interdiction and suppression of trafficking in women and children; repatriation and rehabilitation of victims of trafficking and preventing the use of women and children in international prostitution networks, particularly where the SAARC Member Countries are the countries of origin, transit and destination. For the full text of the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating the Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution, go to http://www.saarc-sec.org/publication/conv-traffiking.pdf To read the full Declaration adopted by the Heads of State or Government, go to http://www.saarc-sec.org/11summit-dec.htm [html format] or http://www.saarc-sec.org/publication/11summitdec.pdf [pdf format] [Source: Save the Children UK - Nepal Office, SAARC and CRIN] --------------------------------------------------- - ACTING DIRECTOR AND ADMINISTRATOR [job posting] CSC is looking for an Acting Director (consultant) to work for 3 days a week from 1st May 2002 for approximately 18 weeks (at £100 per day) to cover the maternity leave of the present Director. Additionally, following the recent move to a new office in Brixton, CSC is also looking for a highly skilled administrator for 2/3 days a week to provide administrative support for the CSC office and undertake some personal assistant duties for the Director and the Advocacy Officer. The Consortium for Street Children (CSC) is a network of over thirty-five development agencies which provide technical support, operational partnership, training and advocacy support to projects for children who live on the street, who work on the street, or who are at high risk of taking to street life in the developing world. For more information, contact: Consortium for Street Children Unit 306, Bon Marche Centre, 241-251 Ferndale Road, London SW9 9TL, UK Phone: 00 44 207 274 0087; Fax: 00 44 20 7274 0372; Email: cscuk@gn.apc.org --------------------------------------------------- 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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