Summary: Workshop on the Rights of the Child

This informal discussion and question-answer session focused on the Rights of the Child, looking at questions such as: What is the situation of the indigenous children in rich countries? How to better communicate with children and help them to achieve their goals?

Sexual exploitation of children: NGOs as the counterbalance to governments
Ms. Hélène Sackstein, Focal Point on Sexual Exploitation, talked about sexual abuses. She explained that her organisation has conducted different workshops with ILO, experts and professional associations to address the problem of such abuses. It is important to bear in mind that each country has its own specificities and set of problems. However, UN documents tend to be very general, which is why their guidelines need to be adapted by each country. 

Ms. Stackstin further pointed out that, at the Stockholm conference, the Yemen Government had given a report which did not contain all facts about child exploitation in Yemen. After the strong campaign conducted by NGOs, it had to recognise that sexual abuses of children occurred in some areas of the country. With the co-operation and the help of experts and scientist it is possible to establish realistic reports. Yemen is only one of many examples. As a member of an association on the rights of the child in Togo, a delegate agreed that official reports needed to be looked at with scepticism. He pointed out that Togo was ruled by a dictatorship and the truth was often not reflected in official reports, because there was no political incentive to do so. Mr. Mermet: added that it was important to mention that the least developed countries were not always the ones providing the least complete reports. In fact, in some cases developing countries, such as Malawi, presented strong and relevant reports on the rights of the child. On the contrary, some industrialized countries presented some of the worst reports. The political will is required to make a good report.

Ms. Asha de Souza of International Programme on the Elimination of Child, commented on the role of NGOs to provide a counterbalance to the states. Governments submit a report on children to the International Labour Organization only every two years. In addition, official reports do not always reflect the reality. NGOs can offer additional information on the matter. From exploitation to education, Governments can mobilise children to participate in events or topics, which involve the rights of the child. At the Durban conference in 2001, HE Mary Robinson, Head of the UNHCHR, had requested the participation of the children. Ms. Asha de Souza further pointed out that poverty was a key issue when dealing with the rights of children. In Africa, for example, the familial solidarity has been diverted. Sent to the city, some children become “slaves”.

Ms. Denise Allen of the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, added that when UNHCHR was analyzing the issue of child soldiers, NGOs such as “Save the Children” and “Bahaï” played an important role. She further stressed that it is essential to involve children in different development domains and recognise their rights at the same time. She regretted that some NGOs, which say they work with children, do not directly involve the children.

Ms. Elly Pradervand of the Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF) pointed out that her organisation worked on sexual abuses, child pornography, child beating, etc. She stressed that states are independent, which is why it is important to build NGO-lead national and international coalitions to protect children's rights and interests. According to her, the slogan “Walk your Talk” needs to be taken by everyone who is involve in the rights of the child.

Mechanisms of control
Question from Ms. Martha Llanos, a participant from Peru: Do you have any mechanisms to verify what happens in countries concerning the Rights of the Child?
Mr. Joël Mermet of United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: We are very critical and we verify all documents that are sent to us by Governments and NGOs. We also take into consideration all information we receive from the UN agencies.

Question from Ms. Martha Llanos: Are there any international instruments to protect children against child traffic in conflict zones?
Mr. Joël Mermet: Some international instruments do exist, such as the Vienna convention. It is important that Governments and NGOs use them. It is not necessary to create other instruments. 

Question from Ms. Martha Llanos: How to ensure that minorities and indigenous children in developing countries are duly represented, especially in countries dominated by dictatorship regimes?
Ms. Allen: NGOs have to be strong and set up programs for education and health care of those children.
Mr. Mermet: UNHCHR has not information about indigenous children in different countries. That is why it is difficult to say something on that. The question of the minority representative is essential even in developed countries. For example in Switzerland, minorities do not have representatives in some cantons. The rights of children concern and involve everyone: parents, teachers, social workers, journalists, judges, etc.

Interesting points
A delegate from Chechnya explained the problem of children deportation in his country and the difficulty for NGOs to work in those situations. Ms. Pradervand commented that it could be a good idea for all NGOs in Chechnya to from a coalition in response to this problem.

The participant from Togo pointed out that there was an ambiguity between children abused in their work place and their need to work in order to support their families.

Ms. Sackstein pointed out that children should not just be seen as the problem: in the 1996 declaration on the rights of the child, children said: “we are the solution, not the problem”.

Conclusions
The early childhood is important to ensure a good development of the child. Adults can divert the children's goals abuse them sexually. It is therefore important to well protect children. In conclusion of the workshop, Ms. Cecchetti formulated several  recommendations:

• Coaltions: Coalition building is essential and have to be among all people with expertise and at every level (local, national and international);
• Role of the Media: Media should provide a more constructive and positive image of the issue, not only scandalous images which can be counterproductive;
• Governments: Governments and states: they have to keep their promises and put in actions their promises;
• NGOs: They have to increase the child participation, the power of children, the implication of children, and should act jointly with children, rather than on behalf of them. NGOs need to share more information, spreading expertise with respect to a rang of issues, from early childhood and child education to the child abuse prevention by education, and care about indigenous children.

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20.06_pradervand_elly.doc (35 K)

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