[child-rights] CRC 32nd Session: Second periodic report of Iceland

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release
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xxxxxxxxxxCOMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONSIDERS REPORT OF 
ICELANDxxxxxxxxxx

CRC
32nd session
28 January 2003

The Committee on the Rights of the Child examined today a second
periodic report of Iceland, querying a Government delegation on such
topics as accident prevention for children and steps taken to help
immigrant youngsters blend into Icelandic society.

The report was introduced by Stefan Haukur Johannesson, Ambassador
and Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations Office
at Geneva, who described a number of measures taken to improve the
situation of children since the presentation of Iceland's initial
report to the Committee in 1996.

Responding to questions put by Committee members, the Government
delegation said among other things that high rates of out-of-wedlock
births reflected Icelandic society, where many couples lived together
without marrying; that a number of measures had been taken to combat
sexual abuse of children; and that a high rate of accidents involving
children had been reduced following the creation of an Accident
Prevention Council.

The Committee will issue its formal conclusions and recommendations
on the report of Iceland towards the end of its three-week session,
which concludes Friday.

Other members of the delegation of Iceland were Ragna Arnadottir,
Director of Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice and
Ecclesiastical Affairs; Ragnheidur Haraldsdottir, Deputy Secretary
General of the Ministry of Health and Social Security; Bragi
Gudbrandsson, Director, and Hrefina Fridriksdottir, Legal Expert, of
the Government Agency for Child Protection; Guoni Olgeirsson, Head of
Division of the Ministry of Education; and Ingibjorg Davidsdottir,
First Secretary, and Hildur Bjorns Vernudottir, Trainee, of the
Permanent Mission of Iceland to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Iceland, as one of 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights
of the Child, must present periodic reports to the Committee on
efforts to improve the situation of children.

When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 29 January, it
will hold an informal meeting with States parties to the Convention.

Second Periodic Report of Iceland

The report (document CRC/C/83/Add.5) reviews legislative measures on
child rights introduced since the initial report was considered by
the Committee in 1996. Extensive legal amendments have been
introduced and, the report contends, efforts have been made to ensure
that the Convention is fully reflected in Icelandic laws and
administrative regulations. A new Constitutional provision on the
protection of children, an increase in the age at which persons are
judged competent to manage their personal affairs, and a changed
definition of the term "child" in the Child Protection Act are among
the steps taken.

The report notes the adoption of a resolution on the formation of a
family policy and the establishment of a Family Council. General
educational curricula reflect a new and progressive school policy,
and the Convention on the Rights of the Child was taken into account
in preparing curricula for all school levels. Future health planning
will focus on the needs of children.

Presentation of Report

STEFAN HAUKUR JOHANNESSON, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of
Iceland to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said the welfare of
children was a priority of the Government. Although the authorities
did not pretend to have solved all the problems they faced, they were
aware of the need to address them and hoped with the Committee's help
to be able to continue to make progress.

Mr. Johannesson said significant changes had taken place in Iceland
in the public's awareness of children's issues in general and of
children's rights and welfare in particular. The Convention on the
Rights o the Child had played a key role in contributing to that
positive development.

RAGNA ARNADOTTIR, Director of Legal Affairs of the Ministry of
Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs of Iceland, said a series of laws
had been adopted by Parliament to further promote and protect the
rights of the child. The provisions of the Convention were also
reflected in all major pieces of legislation. Also adopted was a law
on prolonged maternity leave for mothers and fathers.

Ms. Arnadottir said the Government had already withdrawn its
declarations on articles 9 and 37 of the Convention. In accordance
with article 9, courts could be entrusted with resolving in a clear
manner certain disputes relating to child protection, such as whether
to deprive parents of their custody, contrary to a previous practice
in which administrative authorities took final decisions. With
respect to article 37, the separation of juvenile prisoners from
adult prisoners was not obligatory under Icelandic law. An agreement
had been reached between the Prison and Probation Administration and
the Child Welfare Office on the accommodation of prisoners under 18
years of age in treatment homes, separate from adult prisoners.

Discussion

Committee Experts raised several questions under the main subjects of
general measures of implementation of the provisions of the
Convention; and the legal definition of the child. Their queries
dealt with such topics as coordination of activities with regard to
child rights; the status of the Convention within domestic law; the
role of municipalities in the promotion and protection of child
rights; the role of the Family Council; the purpose of the country's
database on children; and the rate of poverty and the definition of
the poverty level.

Responding, the Icelandic delegation said among other things that the
substantive articles of the Convention had been incorporated into
various pieces of legislation. The Family Council had neither an
office nor staff support. It provided advisory services through a
survey it conducted with municipalities and other institutions. Among
the objectives of the Government's child policies were the
strengthening of parental authority and their role in bringing up
their children. Poverty was also addressed in the child policy; it
was true that poverty was a reality in society that had to be
addressed.

New school curricula had been written to adapt to new requirements in
education, the delegation said. All schools had to follow the new
guidelines. However, emphasis was placed on self-assessment in
individual schools, and on review of the methods used for that
purpose. The last year of compulsory school -- tenth grade -- was
devoted to social science. A new study subject, life skills, which
was a mandatory subject in primary and secondary schools, ensured
that children were given human rights education.

The country's new immigration policy was aimed at regulating a
changing situation, the delegation said. At present, 3 per cent of
the Icelandic population was composed of people coming from different
parts of the world. School systems needed to be modified to adapt to
this new immigration and to multiculturalism in general. Although the
teaching of the Icelandic language was obligatory, the creation of a
peaceful coexistence with other cultures and languages was also
considered necessary. Every child, whether Icelander or immigrant,
was given educational opportunity. A further debate on child policy
would take place in the capital, Reykjavik, next Friday with a view
to adopting a new text on child policy.

Research had shown that children of 14 and 15 had already been
experimenting with sexual intercourse, and the Government found it
necessary to maintain the minimum age for sexual consent at 15, the
delegation said. Raising the legal age of sexual consent might
criminalize those who were already sexually active.

Committee Experts went on to raise questions under the main issues of
general principles of the Convention; civil rights and freedoms; and
family environment and alternative care. They asked, among other
things, about the compatibility of national laws with the provisions
of the Convention; the role of Iceland in international cooperation;
single-parent households headed by females; poverty; drug-abuse among
adolescents; measures to protect children from harmful Internet
information; corporal punishment; integration of migrants; the
definition of the right to development of a child; the justiciability
of child rights; a high rate of accidents for children under age 10;
increased acts of sexual aggression by young people; sexual abuse and
neglect; and the right of a child to know his biological parents.

Responding, the delegation of Iceland said among other things that
significant changes had been made to the country's legislation over
the last few years. Children were now accorded the right to be
parties to child protection cases. There were only two courts dealing
with cases of child rights -- the District Court and the High Court
of Appeal.

Children roaming late at night could be apprehended by police
officers who contacted parents to hand over the children, the
delegation said. That measure empowered parents.

The rate of child sexual abuse had gone up in Iceland in recent
years, prompting debate on the issue, the delegation said. At least
150 cases of such abuse were registered every year. The Government
had taken measures to combat abuse. Further preventive steps had been
adopted in children's houses, where some of the incidents were
believed to occur. Sexual offenders were mainly young men below the
age of 25. Some adults were also involved in cases of sexual abuse,
including acts of paedophilia.

Iceland was devoting part of its Gross Domestic Product to
international cooperation, the delegation said. It had been
contributing to international agencies, particularly those working in
emerging countries in the Balkans and other regions of the world.

Icelanders had easy access to health care services for all, the
delegation said. The Government was, however, aware of the high rate
of accidents suffered by children. Measures undertaken by an Accident
Prevention Council had reduced the rate of child mortality and injury
in recent years.

Municipalities were free to decide on the amount of funds they
allocated to activities for child rights, the delegation said. The
Ministry of Health and Social Security was responsible for monitoring
the activities of municipalities.

The high ratio of children born out of wedlock reflected the family
structure and life style of Icelandic society, the delegation said.
Many children were born within a system of cohabitation of unmarried
couples. The traditional structure of a families composed of
officially married men and women was not as dominant in the country.

Icelandic society had always welcomed foreigners and immigrants as
contributors to its development, the delegation said. There was no
officially formed political party propagating against the presence of
foreigners in the country. A tiny nationalist group aspiring to
evolve into a political party was operating without any hope of being
embraced by the people. Children of migrants were guided to integrate
themselves into society through education and knowledge of the
Icelandic language. An inter-cultural centre had been set up in the
capital city to provide cultural information.

Committee Experts went on to raise questions under the main subjects
of basic health and welfare; education, leisure and cultural
activities; and special protection measures, focusing, among other
things, on disabled children; access to education for all; high
dropout rates among children of immigrants; curfews for children;
breastfeeding; protection against HIV/AIDS; child labour; adoption;
commercial sexual exploitation of children; prevention of teenage
pregnancy; suicide among teenagers; and provision of protection to
victims of abuse or neglect.

Responding, the delegation said among other things that teenage
pregnancy rates had been decreasing, thanks to the preventive
measures taken by the Government.

The high rate of suicide among youth was a great concern to the
Government of Iceland, the delegation said. Full-time personnel with
psychological and medical experience had been recruited to counsel
teenagers as part of broad efforts to prevent suicide.

There had been only six to eight deaths caused by HIV/AIDS, the
delegation said. The Government was worried that irresponsible sexual
behaviour was making the population more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
infections. Authorities had continued a campaign of awareness-raising
about the disease.

At the age of six, an adopted child should know the identities of his
or her biological parents, the delegation said. However, in the case
of artificial insemination, the names of donors were not disclosed to
the children.

Financial and other material support were provided by the Government
to families caring for disabled children, the delegation said. More
emphasis was being placed on the social integration of disabled
children. There were only few disabled children in specialized
centres; most attended normal schools.

A number of steps had been taken by the Government to prevent
commercial sexual exploitation of young women coming from countries
of the former Soviet Union, such as Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia,
the delegation said. Strict monitoring of residence permits of women
had been carried out against performers of "striptease show" of
foreign origin. Measures also included the banning of "private
striptease shows", which involved young women from those countries.

The rate of school dropouts among immigrants and children with
learning disabilities was high, the delegation said. The phenomenon
affected students up to the secondary level. The Government was
trying to deal with the situation.

A committee had been created to study bullying in schools, and an
anti-bullying campaign had been carried out, the delegation said. The
Government had tried to learn from Norway in dealing with bullying in
schools, and the situation recently had improved.

Preliminary Concluding Remarks

IBRAHIM ABDUL AZIZ AL-SHEDDI, the Committee Expert who served as
country rapporteur for the report of Iceland, said the discussion had
enabled members of the Committee to better understand the situation
of children in Iceland. The children of Iceland were in good hands.
The creation of a central authority was needed to coordinate
activities and efforts concerning children. Although much had been
done in the area of legislation, much remained to be achieved in
practice. Iceland had so far had made great efforts in international
cooperation and it should continue to share its wealth and knowledge
with others who were in need.

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