6 February 2007 - CRINMAIL 853
Special Edition on the 44th Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
Committee on the Rights of the Child: 44th session closes
State reports and Alternative reports
Committee on the Rights of the Child issues its Concluding Observations
General Comment No. 10: Children's Rights in Juvenile Justice
Elections to the Committee on the Rights of the Child to be held this month
Montenegro becomes the 193rd State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Your submissions are welcome if you are working in the area of child rights. To contribute, email us at info@crin.org. Adobe Acrobat is required for viewing some of the documents, and if required can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html If you do not receive this email in html format, you will not be able to see some hyperlinks in the text. At the end of each item we have therefore provided a full URL linking to a web page where further information is available.
Committee on the Rights of the Child: 44th session closes
The 44th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child closed last Friday, after a three-week meeting which started on Monday, 15th January.
During this session, the Committee examined reports on the status of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child from Chile, Honduras, Kenya, Malaysia, Mali, the Marshall Islands and Suriname. The Committee also considered reports from Costa Rica and Kyrgyzstan on the implementation of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPSC) and the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC).
The NGO Group for the Convention of the Rights of the Child has produced summaries of the Committee sessions for each country. These are available on the CRIN website, on a news page devoted to the activities of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Reports are available for: Chile (third periodic report), Costa Rica (OPSC and OPAC), Honduras (third periodic report), Kenya (second periodic report), Kyrgyzstan (OPAC), Malaysia (First Periodic Report), Mali (Second Periodic Report), Suriname (second periodic report). The remaining report from Kyrgyzstan on the OPSC will be posted when it becomes available.
There is no summary report available for the Marshall Islands as the government delegation did not attend the meeting and the Committee decided to examine the report of the Marshall Islands in a private technical review. This is the second time that the government has been absent from a Committee meeting.
During the third week, the Committee held closed meetings in order to take time to draft its Recommendations, or "Concluding Observations", to States reporting at this session (see third item).
The Committee's next session will be held from 21 May to 8 June 2007 at the Palais Wilson in Geneva. Scheduled for consideration are the reports of Kazakhstan, Maldives, Slovak Republic and Uruguay. Under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the reports of Bangladesh, Guatemala, Sudan and Ukraine are scheduled. Under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the reports of Guatemala, Monaco, Norway and Sweden are scheduled for consideration.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=12469
Further information
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State reports and Alternative reports
States Parties reports submitted by governments to the Committee on the Rights of the Child are available in English, French and Spanish on the website of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Word and PDF formats.
Alternative 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. The reports can be searched by country, Committee session or by organisation.
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GENERAL REPORTING
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CHILE
Third Periodic Report
On Friday, 26th January, the Committee examined Chile's Third Periodic Report. The report (CRC/C/CHL/3) is accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
Alternative reports
- Briefing from Global Initiative to end all corporal punishment of children - Chile
By: Global Intitiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
Report in: English - Recommendations to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - Chile
By: Child Helpline International
Report in: English - Alternative Report Chile
By: Red de ONGs Infancia-Chile
Report in: English / Español
More information
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HONDURAS
Third periodic report
On Friday 19th January, the Committee examined Honduras' Third Periodic report. The report (CRC/C/HND/3) is accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
Alternative reports
- Briefing from Global Initiative to end all corporal punishment of children - Honduras
By: Global Intitiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
Report in: English - Recommendations to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - Honduras
By: Child Helpline International
Report in: English - Current Report of the Honduras Childhood Situation
By: Cordinadora de Instituciones por los Derechos de Niñez - COIPRODEN
Report in: English / Español
More information
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KENYA
Second Periodic Report
On Tuesday, 16th January, the Committee examined Kenya's Second Periodic Report. The report (CRC/C/KEN/2) is accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
Alternative reports
- Briefing from Global Initiative to end all corporal punishment of children - Kenya
By: Global Intitiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
Report in: English - Recommendations to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - Kenya
By: Child Helpline International
Report in: English - NGO Complementary Report on: Implementation of the UN CRC in Kenya
By: Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children
Report in: English - Rights of Child in Kenya: An alternative report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the CRC in Kenya
By: Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture
Report in: English
More information
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MALAYSIA
Initial Report
On Thursday, 25th January, the Committee examined Malaysia's Initial Report. The report (CRC/C/MYS/1) is accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
Alternative reports
- Briefing from Global Initiative to end all corporal punishment of children - Malaysia
By: Global Intitiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
Report in: English - Recommendations to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - Malaysia
By: Child Helpline International
Report in: English
More information
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MALI
Second Periodic Report
On Thursday, 18th January, the Committee will examined Mali's Second Periodic Report. The report (CRC/C/MLI/2) is accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
Alternative reports
- Briefing from Global Initiative to end all corporal punishment of children - Mali
By: Global Intitiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
Report in: English - Recommendations to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - Mali
By: Child Helpline International
Report in: English - Rapport Complémentaire sur la Mise en Oeuvre de la CDE
By: Coalition malienne des droits de l’enfant - COMADE
Report in: Français
More information
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MARSHALL ISLANDS
Second Periodic Report
On Monday, 22nd January, the Committee was due to examine the Marshall Islands' Second Periodic Report. However, no government delegation from the Marshall Islands was present. The Committee therefore decided to go ahead and examine the report of the Marshall Islands in a private technical review in the absence of a government delegation. This is the second time that the government has been absent from a Committee meeting. The report (CRC/C/93/Add.8) is accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
Alternative report
- Briefing from Global Initiative to end all corporal punishment of children - Marshall Islands
By: Global Intitiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
Report in: English
More information
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SURINAME
Second Periodic Report
On Wednesday, 24th January, the Committee examined the Suriname's Second Periodic Report. The report (CRC/C/SUR/2) is accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
Alternative reports
- Briefing from Global Initiative to end all corporal punishment of children - Suriname
By: Global Intitiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
Report in: English - Recommendations to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - Suriname
By: Child Helpline International
Report in: English
More information
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OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS
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COSTA RICA
Initial OPSC and OPAC reports
On Monday, 15th January, the Committee examined the reports submitted by Costa Rica under article 12 (1) of the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (CRC/C/OPSC/CRI/1), and article 8 (1) of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (CRC/C/OPAC/CRI/1). The reports are accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
Alternative report
- Recommendations to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - Costa Rica
By: Child Helpline International
Report in: English
More information
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KYRGYZSTAN
Initial OPSC and OPAC reports
On Monday, 29th January, the Committee examined the reports submitted by Kyrgyzstan under article 12 (1) of the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (CRC/C/OPSC/KGZ/1), and article 8 (1) of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (CRC/C/OPAC/KGZ/1). The reports are accessible in English, French and Spanish on the OHCHR website.
There are no alternative reports available for Kyrgyzstan.
More information
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Committee on the Rights of the Child issues its Concluding Observations
The following Concluding Observations to the States parties reports considered at the 44th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child are now available (in English). French and Spanish versions are forthcoming.
CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
- Chile - Third Periodic Report
- Honduras - Third Periodic Report
- Kenya - Second Periodic Report
- Malaysia - First Periodic Report
- Mali - Second Periodic Report
- Marshall Islands - Second Periodic Report
- Suriname - Second Periodic Report
OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=12465
For more information, contact:
Committee on the Rights of the Child
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
8-14 Avenue de la Paix, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: + 41 22 917 9000; Fax: + 41 22 917 9022
Website: http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc
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General Comment No. 10: Children's Rights in Juvenile Justice
The Committee on the Rights of the Child has published its General Comment number 10 on "Children's Rights in Juvenile Justice." The Committee regularly adopts "general comments" based on specific articles, provisions and themes of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to assist the States parties in fulfilling their obligations under the Convention and to stimulate international organisations and specialised agencies in achieving the full realisation of the rights recognised in the Convention.
In the reports they submit to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, States parties often pay quite detailed attention to the rights of children alleged as, accused of, or recognised as having infringed the penal law, also referred to as ‘children in conflict with the law’. In line with the Committee’s guidelines for periodic reporting, the implementation of articles 37 and 40 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the main focus of the information provided by the States parties. The Committee notes with appreciation the many efforts to establish an administration of juvenile justice in compliance with the CRC. However, it is also clear that many States parties still have a long way to go in achieving full compliance with the CRC, e.g. in the areas of procedural rights, the development and implementation of measures for dealing with children in conflict with the law without resorting to judicial proceedings, and the use of deprivation of liberty only as a measure of last resort.
The Committee is equally concerned about the lack of information on the measures that States parties have taken to prevent children from coming into conflict with the law. This may be the result of a lack of a comprehensive policy for the field of juvenile justice. This may also explain why many States parties are providing only (very) limited statistical data on the treatment of children in conflict with the law.
The experiences in reviewing the States parties’ performances in the field of juvenile justice are the reason for this General Comment, by which the Committee wants to provide the States parties with more elaborated guidance and recommendations for their efforts to establish an administration of juvenile justice in compliance with the CRC. This juvenile justice, which should promote inter alia the use of alternative measures such as diversion and restorative justice, will provide States parties with possibilities to respond to children in conflict with the law in an effective manner serving not only the best interests of these children but also the short and long term interest of the whole society.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infodetail.asp?id=12462
Further information
- Thomas Hammarberg: It is wrong to punish child victims - Viewpoint on juvenile crime English - French (January 2007)
- Thomas Hammarberg: The Human Rights Dimension of Juvenile Justice (6 July 2006)
- ENOC position statement on juvenile justice (October 2003)
- Other General Comments
- CRIN's thematic page on children in conflict with the law
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Elections to the Committee on the Rights of the Child to be held this month
The Committee on the Rights of the Child is composed of 18 independent experts with recognised competence in the field of human rights.
Members are elected for a term of four years by States parties in accordance with article 43 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Members serve in their personal capacity and may be re-elected if nominated.
The next meeting of States parties will be held at the United Nations in New York in February 2007 to elect members to replace the nine current members whose terms expire on 28 February 2007. These nine members are: Ms. Mary Alison Anderson (Jamaica), Mr. Jacob Egbert Doek (Chairperson from the Netherlands), Mr. Kamel Filali (Algeria), Ms. Moushira Khattab (Egypt), Mr. Hatem Kotrane (Tunisia), Mr. Lothar Krappmann (Germany), Mr. Norberto Liwski (Argentina), Ms. Rosa Maria Ortiz (Paraguay), and Ms. Awa N’Deye Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso).
Nominations of candidates for members of the Committee have been submitted by State Parties to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (see updated list below). The CVs of the nominees are available on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
List of nominees (by chronological order of submission):
Ms. Rosalia Gil Fernandez - Costa Rica - nominated on 19 January 2006 (withdrawn November 2006)
Mr. Norberto Liwski - Argentina - nominated on 24 February 2006 (withdrawn on 14 November 2006)
Ms. Rosa Maria Ortiz - Paraguay - nominated on 29 March 2006
Ms. Ojobo Atuluku - Nigeria - nominated on 18 May 2006
Mr. Hatem Kotrane - Tunisia - nominated on 10 July 2006
Mr. Luigi Citarella - Italy - nominated on 14 July 2006
Ms. Lidija Topic - Bosnia and Herzegovina - nominated on 11 September 2006
Ms. Moushira Khattab - Egypt - nominated on 9 October 2006
Ms. Esmeralda Elizabeth Arosemena de Troitiño - Panama - nominated on 10 October 2006
Ms. Marie-Gisèle Zinkpe - Benin - nominated on 16 October 2006
Ms. Mariama Aribot - Guinea - nominated 17 October 2006
Ms. Agnes Akosua Aidoo - Ghana - nominated on 18 October 2006
Ms. Sylvie Kayitesi Zaïnebo - Rwanda - nominated on 19 October 2006
Mr. Lothar Friedrich Krappmann - Germany - nominated on 19 October 2006
Ms. Nakpa Polo - Togo - nominated on 20 October 2006
Ms. Marta Maurás Pérez - Chile - nominated on 20 October 2006
Ms. Maria Herczog - Hungary - nominated on 20 October 2006
Mr. Kamel Filali - Algeria - nominated on 20 October 2006
Ms. Itumelen Kimane - Lesotho - nominated on 23 October 2006
Mr. Dainius Puras - Lithuania - nominated on 25 October 2006
Ms. Lourdes G. Balanon - Philippines - nominated on 25 October 2006
Ms. Ruth Farrugia - Malta - nominated on 26 October 2006
Mr. Ghassan Salim Rabah - Lebanon - nominated on 30 October 2006
Mr. Robert Vincent Makaramba - United Republic of Tanzania - nominated 14 November 2006 (withdrawn on 30 January 2007)
Ms. Harimisa Razafindrakoto - Madagascar - nominated on 20 November 2006
Ms. Mirna Yolanda Lorenzana Arriaga de Gonzalez - Guatemala - nominated on 22 November 2006
Ms Mary Clarke - Jamaica - nominated on 11 January 2007
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=10947&flag=news
Further information
- OHCHR: List of nominees
- NGO Group Factsheet: Information for NGOs Regarding Elections to the Committee on the Rights of the Child - Français / Español
- 11th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 21 February 2007, UN Headquarters, New York
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Montenegro becomes the 193rd State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Montenegro has become the 193rd State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Formerly part of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the Republic of Montenegro held a referendum on full independence from the union on 21 May 2006. It was granted admission to the UN as the 192nd Member State by a vote of the General Assembly on 28 June 2006. The seat formerly occupied by Serbia and Montenegro passed to the Republic of Serbia.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=12424&flag=news
Further information
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Status of ratifications
- NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child
- News page on the CRC
- Montenegro: Amnesty International urges newest UN member state to improve human rights (4 July 2006)
- CRIN's information page on Montenegro
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