2 September 2003: CRINMAIL 513 Contents: Special Edition on the 34th Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child **************************************************************************** ******* - COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Documents for the 34th Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child [website] - COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: The Rights of Indigenous Children [event] - BANGLADESH: The World Organisation Against Torture Expresses its Concern Regarding Violence Against Girls and the Juvenile Justice System [press release] - NGO ALTERNATIVE REPORTS [publications] **************************************************************************** ******* 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 Adobe Acrobat is required for viewing some of the documents, and if required can be downloaded from www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html **************************************************************************** ******** - COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Documents for the 34th Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child [website] Reports from the following countries are being examined: San Marino, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, Madagascar, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Bangladesh and Georgia. Information about the 34th Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is available at http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc/doc/session34.htm. This link includes all the country documentation for the Committee's 34th session, including: States Parties Reports, lists of issues, States' written replies to the lists of issues, delegation lists and statements. Concluding observations will also be available shortly. For daily press releases of the session, go to: http://www.unog.ch/search/startpress.asp?category=CRC&Action=Go&lang=&Search String=Press For more information, contact: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Committee on the Rights of the Child 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Tel: 00 41 22 917 9000; Fax: 00 41 22 917 9022; Email: khemmerich@ohchr.org or jmermet@ohchr.org Website: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc/ --------------------------------------------------- - COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: The Rights of Indigenous Children [event] On 19 September 2003, the Committee on the Rights of the Child held its discussion day on the rights of indigenous children. It was attended by over 140 participants from indigenous organisations, NGOs, national human rights institutions and government organisations. The Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues also attended. The day was opened by the Acting High Commissioner, who recounted the history of the UN's involvement with indigenous issues. The plenary was then addressed by two youth representatives from Tanzania (Mr. Adam Mwarabu) and Ecuador (Mr. Rafael Chela), as well as a member of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (Mr. Willie Littlechild). Participants then split into two working groups. The first working group discussed issues of non-discrimination, in particular racism and xenophobia and access to services including health, education, and social services. The second working group discussed issues surrounding the cultural specificity of indigenous children, in particular the right to identity and the right to education. A key theme that arose from both working groups was the need for greater participation of indigenous communities and children in the design, implementation and evaluation of programmes affecting them. In her closing statement, Ms. Ida Nicolaisen of the Permanent Forum highlighted the existing strengths of indigenous communities, and stressed the need for continued engagement at all levels for the implementation of the rights of indigenous children. The Committee on the Rights of the Child will adopt a set of recommendations on the rights of indigenous children on 3 October 2003. Documents submitted for the general discussion are available on the CRIN website at: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/treaties/crc.34/Discussion.htm For more information, contact: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Committee on the Rights of the Child 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Tel: 00 41 22 917 9000; Fax: 00 41 22 917 9022; Email: khemmerich@ohchr.org or jmermet@ohchr.org Website: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc/ ------------------------------------- - BANGLADESH: The World Organisation Against Torture Expresses its Concern Regarding Violence Against Girls and the Juvenile Justice System [press release] [Geneva, 30 September 2003] - The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will today begin its examination of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Bangladesh. In its alternative country report entitled "Violence against Girls in Bangladesh," which has been submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) expresses its grave concern at reports of violence against girls at the hands of both private individuals and state officials. OMCT also submitted an alternative report on juvenile justice to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Early marriage is common in Bangladesh, with half of women being married before they are 18 although legally a girl cannot be married before this age. This practice makes girls particularly vulnerable to domestic violence, which is reportedly widespread. Girls are also especially vulnerable to dowry related violence in Bangladesh. Despite a law prohibiting the payment of dowry, this practice continues and the consequences are severe. ... Girls in Bangladesh are also reportedly victims of rape in large numbers, including by supporters of the BNP, the government in power. There are exceedingly difficult obstacles to overcome in reporting a case of rape, including the requirement of an eyewitness to the crime. Politically motivated rapes of ethnic minority girls and women often go unpunished and there is a lack of access to redress and reparation. In relation with the juvenile justice system, OMCT vividly disapproves of the setting of a child's criminal responsibility at 7 years. In addition, Bangladeshi legislation provides police with extensive powers of arrest, which have led to regular abuses. Grounds of arrest include "vagrancy", "uncontrollable behaviour" and being "victim of crime." The latter particularly affects girls who suffer secondary victimisation by the justice system. For more information, contact: World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) 8 rue du Vieux-Billard, Case postale 21, CH-1211 Geneve 8, Switzerland Tel: 0041 22 809 49 39; Fax: 0041 22 809 49 29 E-mail: omct@omct.org; Website: http://www.omct.org Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=3709 ----------------------------------------- - NGO ALTERNATIVE REPORTS [publications] Reports submitted by NGOs to the Committee on the Rights of the Child are made available on the CRIN website, in partnership with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These reports are known as NGO Alternative Reports. The reports are submitted in accordance with article 45(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that "The Committee may invite the specialised agencies, the United Nations Children's Fund and other competent bodies as it may consider appropriate to provide expert advice on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their respective mandates." The reports can be searched by country, CRC session or by NGO on the CRIN website. Go to: http://www.crin.org/resources/treaties/CRC.asp?catName=International+Treatie s&flag=legal&ID=6 For more information, please contact: Laura Theytaz-Bergman CRC/NGO Liaison Officer NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child P.O. Box 88, CH-1211 Geneva 20 - Switzerland E-mail: NGO-CRC@tiscalinet.ch Website: http://www.crin.org/NGOGroupforCRC **************************************************************************** ********* 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. **************************************************************************** ********* -- The "child-rights" mailing list provides information on issues related to children's human rights. Archives of "child-rights" messages, as well as instructions on how to (un)subscribe to the list, can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/lists/child-rights/markup/maillist.php
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