While in San Diego, California, to attend my daughter's graduation, I had an opportunity to visit Project Concern International (PCI). The non-profit organisation (http://www.pciglobal.org/pci/mission)was founded by Dr. Jim Turpin in 1961 with the goal of providing health and poverty solutions to children and communities around the world. PCI recently published their "Resource Manual on Trafficking in Persons in Ethiopia," which will soon be available to download on their website.
During my visit I met with Bettina B. Halvorsen, M.A., and Deanne Samuels, Ph.D. Bettina is PCI's senior new business development officer and Seattle, WA Representative. Deanne is a senior technical officer for research, M&E. This initial meeting was to learn more about each other's organisations and explore possibilities for collaboration.
I hope to meet PCI's representative in Ethiopia in June.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Thursday, 5 May 2011
KCS Invites Non-Member Organisations to Help Design Its New Training and Consultancy Service
The Keeping Children Safe Coalition (KCS) is pleased to invite non-member organisations to participate in a one-day real time strategy workshop to help us create a world-class child protection Training and Consultancy Service for organisations engaged in all aspects of international development and/or relief, whether delivering aid, engaged in development or as donors.
By sharing your expertise and knowledge, you will help ensure that KCS’s Training and Consulting Service will make a major contribution toward creating a world in which children globally are safeguarded and protected from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation.
The workshop will be held on June 2 from 9a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Keeping Children Safe Coalition, CAN Mezzanine, 49-51 East Road, Old Street, London N1 6AH. Please reply by May 19 to ensure a place. Contact Alex Dressler, Consultancy Manager, alex.dressler@kcs-coalition.com.
Promoting International Child Protection Standards
KCS was formed in 2001 by some of the leading international development agencies in response to reports of sexual violence against refugee and internally displaced people in West Africa, and sexual exploitation and abuse of vulnerable populations (mainly women and girls) at the hands of humanitarian workers. KCS members developed a set of standards for child protection, as well as a toolkit and resources to help develop and implement child protection policies.
The standards are based on the Coalition members’ own experience and draw upon the principles outlined in international and regional child rights instruments and commitments. They are meant to be implemented by organisations working with or for children, whether from the business, civil society or governmental sectors.
Praise for KCS’s Toolkit
The KCS toolkit, according to Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, The Independent Expert for the UN Study on Violence Against Children: “offers an excellent opportunity not only for the improvement of the quality and professionalism of those working with children, but most importantly, it will help to achieve a greater impact for children.”
The toolkit is available in English, Spanish, French and Arabic, with translations due in Portuguese and Albanian.
KCS Child Protection Standards Adapted by DFID and ECHO
Since it was published in 2003, the KCS toolkit has been adapted by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO).
KCS Launches Its New Training and Consultancy Service
In response to increasing demand for high quality support to organisations in relation to implementing child protection measures, KCS is will launch its Training and Consultancy Service this summer.
The Service will provide:
--Direct support to individual organisations (training, advice, support and guidance on all aspects of implementing KCS standards),
--Stand alone training courses and workshops on a range of topics – introduction to the KCS standards and toolkit, getting started on implementation, developing a child protection policy, child protecton in recruitment and selection, child protection training for managers, management and investigation of child protection incidents, etc. (some courses may be developed as e-learning or distance learning tools, and,
--Audit/evaluation services to organisations (a service that may be of particular interest to donors that may make child protection a condition of grant funding)
An Opportunity to Network
In addition to helping to shape the strategic direction of KCS’s Training and Consultancy Service, this will be a good opportunity for you to network with people who share a commitment to child protection within the international development and relief sectors.
By sharing your expertise and knowledge, you will help ensure that KCS’s Training and Consulting Service will make a major contribution toward creating a world in which children globally are safeguarded and protected from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation.
The workshop will be held on June 2 from 9a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Keeping Children Safe Coalition, CAN Mezzanine, 49-51 East Road, Old Street, London N1 6AH. Please reply by May 19 to ensure a place. Contact Alex Dressler, Consultancy Manager, alex.dressler@kcs-coalition.com.
Promoting International Child Protection Standards
KCS was formed in 2001 by some of the leading international development agencies in response to reports of sexual violence against refugee and internally displaced people in West Africa, and sexual exploitation and abuse of vulnerable populations (mainly women and girls) at the hands of humanitarian workers. KCS members developed a set of standards for child protection, as well as a toolkit and resources to help develop and implement child protection policies.
The standards are based on the Coalition members’ own experience and draw upon the principles outlined in international and regional child rights instruments and commitments. They are meant to be implemented by organisations working with or for children, whether from the business, civil society or governmental sectors.
Praise for KCS’s Toolkit
The KCS toolkit, according to Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, The Independent Expert for the UN Study on Violence Against Children: “offers an excellent opportunity not only for the improvement of the quality and professionalism of those working with children, but most importantly, it will help to achieve a greater impact for children.”
The toolkit is available in English, Spanish, French and Arabic, with translations due in Portuguese and Albanian.
KCS Child Protection Standards Adapted by DFID and ECHO
Since it was published in 2003, the KCS toolkit has been adapted by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO).
KCS Launches Its New Training and Consultancy Service
In response to increasing demand for high quality support to organisations in relation to implementing child protection measures, KCS is will launch its Training and Consultancy Service this summer.
The Service will provide:
--Direct support to individual organisations (training, advice, support and guidance on all aspects of implementing KCS standards),
--Stand alone training courses and workshops on a range of topics – introduction to the KCS standards and toolkit, getting started on implementation, developing a child protection policy, child protecton in recruitment and selection, child protection training for managers, management and investigation of child protection incidents, etc. (some courses may be developed as e-learning or distance learning tools, and,
--Audit/evaluation services to organisations (a service that may be of particular interest to donors that may make child protection a condition of grant funding)
An Opportunity to Network
In addition to helping to shape the strategic direction of KCS’s Training and Consultancy Service, this will be a good opportunity for you to network with people who share a commitment to child protection within the international development and relief sectors.
INVITATION TO REVIEW SLIMLINE TRAINING TOOL FOR USE IN EMERGENCIES
The Keeping Children Safe Coalition invite our members and partners staff to participate in a workshop to review our new slimline training tool for use in emergency and humanitarian responses.
The workshop is being hosted by LEADS in Colombo, Sri Lanka from the 7th to 9th June 2011 included. The workshop will be facilitated by Solveig Routier, the consultant leading on this project for KCS. Exact details of the venue will be provided nearer the time.
Keeping Children Safe: A Toolkit for Child Protection is a comprehensive pack of materials to support people across the world to safeguard those children with whom they work or come into contact. The toolkit aims to support agencies at international, national and local levels put child safeguarding standards into practice.
The slimline edition for emergencies has been designed to support staff and managers to understand their roles and responsibilities on safeguarding children in emergency and humanitarian contexts and is short and flexible so it can be used effectively in constrained circumstances.
This review workshop will pilot the training module before it is finalized and published for wider use. Participation in the workshop will provide an opportunity for learning more on what is needed to safeguard children in emergencies and offers the opportunity to influence the final tool so it is relevant for those working in the field, at regional level as well as head offices.
Attendance at the workshop is subject to capacity. We particularly welcome participants who have been involved in emergencies, those who have child protection responsibilities and those whose role includes mainstreaming child protection within the organization. The workshop will be delivered in a group of 20 to 25 participants in English.
No registration fee. Lunch and coffee breaks are provided. Participants are responsible for organizing and covering costs of their travelling and accommodation.
If you wish to participate in this workshop, please register with info@kcs-coalition by 20 May.
The workshop is being hosted by LEADS in Colombo, Sri Lanka from the 7th to 9th June 2011 included. The workshop will be facilitated by Solveig Routier, the consultant leading on this project for KCS. Exact details of the venue will be provided nearer the time.
Keeping Children Safe: A Toolkit for Child Protection is a comprehensive pack of materials to support people across the world to safeguard those children with whom they work or come into contact. The toolkit aims to support agencies at international, national and local levels put child safeguarding standards into practice.
The slimline edition for emergencies has been designed to support staff and managers to understand their roles and responsibilities on safeguarding children in emergency and humanitarian contexts and is short and flexible so it can be used effectively in constrained circumstances.
This review workshop will pilot the training module before it is finalized and published for wider use. Participation in the workshop will provide an opportunity for learning more on what is needed to safeguard children in emergencies and offers the opportunity to influence the final tool so it is relevant for those working in the field, at regional level as well as head offices.
Attendance at the workshop is subject to capacity. We particularly welcome participants who have been involved in emergencies, those who have child protection responsibilities and those whose role includes mainstreaming child protection within the organization. The workshop will be delivered in a group of 20 to 25 participants in English.
No registration fee. Lunch and coffee breaks are provided. Participants are responsible for organizing and covering costs of their travelling and accommodation.
If you wish to participate in this workshop, please register with info@kcs-coalition by 20 May.
Keeping Children Safe Toolkit in Albanian To Be Launched in Kosovo
The Terre des Hommes International Federation and the Keeping Children Safe Coalition are proud to announce the official launch of the Keeping Children Safe Toolkit in Albanian on Monday, the 13th of June 2011, in Pristina, Kosovo.
This will be followed by a Training of Trainers Workshop in Pristina on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (14-16 June 2011).
Keeping Children Safe: A Toolkitfor Child Protection is a comprehensive pack of materials for people working in child protection across the world. The toolkit aims to support agencies at international, national and local levels put child protection standards into practice.
Attendance to the launch and/or workshop is on invitation and subject to capacity. Workshop is delivered in groups of 20 to 25 participants.Languages are Albanian and English, depending on participants' language skills.
There is no registration fee. Lunch and coffee breaks are provided. Participants are responsible for organizing and cover costs of their travelling and accommodation.
The launch and workshop are funded by the Oak Foundation and the Terre des Hommes.
This will be followed by a Training of Trainers Workshop in Pristina on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (14-16 June 2011).
Keeping Children Safe: A Toolkitfor Child Protection is a comprehensive pack of materials for people working in child protection across the world. The toolkit aims to support agencies at international, national and local levels put child protection standards into practice.
Attendance to the launch and/or workshop is on invitation and subject to capacity. Workshop is delivered in groups of 20 to 25 participants.Languages are Albanian and English, depending on participants' language skills.
There is no registration fee. Lunch and coffee breaks are provided. Participants are responsible for organizing and cover costs of their travelling and accommodation.
The launch and workshop are funded by the Oak Foundation and the Terre des Hommes.
Monday, 2 May 2011
International child rights court needed, says judiciary official
Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=international-children-rights-court-must-be-established-top-judiciary-official-said-2011-04-19
An international court for children’s rights should be established in order to set up international standards on the protection of the rights of the child, according to Turkey’s chief of Supreme Court of Appeals, Hasan Gerçeker.
“The protection of children’s rights is not just a national matter, but rather a concern for all nations. The protection the rights of the children at the international arena is crucial,” Gerçeker said Tuesday at the second International Colloquium on Legislation and Children, organized by Istanbul Kültür University’s criminal Law Center, or CEHAMER, on April 18-21.
No rights can be used effectively unless there are sanctions and states have to protect children against any abuse and ensure that at least certain rights of the child are guarded, according to Gerçeker.
Gerçeker also said all layers of Turkish society had to be concerned on protection of human rights. “Children rights must not remain on paper,” he said, adding that any legal regulations children were subject to had to particularly be protected. “There must be positive discrimination for their protection.”
There has been a wide debate in Turkey regarding punishment through castration for adults who sexually abuse children. Gerçeker said the sanctions implemented had to be compatible with human dignity. “Convicted criminals should be punished, but sanctions insulting the individual should not be on the agenda,” in modern democracies this was unthinkable.
However, not everything can be fixed through rules and legislation, said Gerçeker. “People’s mentality [in this regard] must also change.”
Academics and judges from Turkey, India and Germany will participate in the international colloquium to discuss issues, such as problems children face in divorce cases, legal provisions regarding children pushed to commit terror crimes, as well as the situation of child victims of sexual crimes. The event will be held in the week of April 23, which marks the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.
An international court for children’s rights should be established in order to set up international standards on the protection of the rights of the child, according to Turkey’s chief of Supreme Court of Appeals, Hasan Gerçeker.
“The protection of children’s rights is not just a national matter, but rather a concern for all nations. The protection the rights of the children at the international arena is crucial,” Gerçeker said Tuesday at the second International Colloquium on Legislation and Children, organized by Istanbul Kültür University’s criminal Law Center, or CEHAMER, on April 18-21.
No rights can be used effectively unless there are sanctions and states have to protect children against any abuse and ensure that at least certain rights of the child are guarded, according to Gerçeker.
Gerçeker also said all layers of Turkish society had to be concerned on protection of human rights. “Children rights must not remain on paper,” he said, adding that any legal regulations children were subject to had to particularly be protected. “There must be positive discrimination for their protection.”
There has been a wide debate in Turkey regarding punishment through castration for adults who sexually abuse children. Gerçeker said the sanctions implemented had to be compatible with human dignity. “Convicted criminals should be punished, but sanctions insulting the individual should not be on the agenda,” in modern democracies this was unthinkable.
However, not everything can be fixed through rules and legislation, said Gerçeker. “People’s mentality [in this regard] must also change.”
Academics and judges from Turkey, India and Germany will participate in the international colloquium to discuss issues, such as problems children face in divorce cases, legal provisions regarding children pushed to commit terror crimes, as well as the situation of child victims of sexual crimes. The event will be held in the week of April 23, which marks the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.
Child labor in Colombia rises by 35% .
Source: http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15967-child-labor-in-colombia-rises-by-35.html
Colombia experienced a sharp rise in the volume of child workers between 2007 and 2009, with a growth of around 35%, according to a report by the non-profit communications agency PANDI.
The report cites figures issued by DANE, the national statistics agency, indicating that in 2009 Colombia had at least 1,050,147 children in employment, compared to some 787,000 in 2007.
To this figure is also added the nearly 800,000 children, especially girls, who have to work more than 15 hours a week on household chores, contributing to an overal total of 1,849,987 minors.
The PANDI report noted the apparent discrepancy in a country where the 4.3% rise in domestic GDP has been heralded with pride alongside a simultaneously burgeoning underage workforce, questioning the usefulness of such economic growth in the eradication of poverty.
Camilo Dominguez, the program manager of the social action group Fundacion Telefonica, said that "in a country with a growing economy and an unemployment rate that remains around 12%, you have to ask why children are increasingly being exposed to work."
"Approximately one in 10 children work in Colombia. That amounts to twice the population of Manizales [in the department of Caldas]...It must be a priority in this country to restore the rights of these children immediately and mobilize ourselves to discourage our society from allowing them to continue working," he continued.
Colombia's rural areas constitute the highest proportion of the child workers, as well as the most significant increase, with 37.3% of the child workforce associated with some form of agricultural work. Nevertheless, even a relatively low percentage of the 0.5% who work in mines still signifies that over 5,000 children risk their lives daily to work in those conditions.
The current law permits children to work up to 14 hours per week, although in the case of child workers this regulation is often flouted. Some 58% of child laborers work more than the allocated daily maximum for adult workers, while 11% work more than 48 hours a week.
The rise in the underage workforce has been primarily attributed to the global economic crisis that was particularly pertinent in between the years in the report, although Dominguez drew attention to the fact that it is not the most impoverished families that typically send their children to work.
"Interestingly, it is not the poorest families who put their children to work. As we noted in a study last year, it is in the middle income deciles where most child labour is concentrated and not the lowest," he stated.
Melba Diaz, the goverment's director of labor protection, meanwhile cautioned that even the high figures cited by DANE do not identify every child laborer has been accounted for, saying that "the capacity to identify where children are working failed."
"There is hidden child labor, including sexual exploitation of children or in the marketplaces that we could not detect," she said.
The official announced a change in protocol, transforming the biennial monitoring of the labor workforce into an annual study which is intended to "allow us to work immediately."
Colombia experienced a sharp rise in the volume of child workers between 2007 and 2009, with a growth of around 35%, according to a report by the non-profit communications agency PANDI.
The report cites figures issued by DANE, the national statistics agency, indicating that in 2009 Colombia had at least 1,050,147 children in employment, compared to some 787,000 in 2007.
To this figure is also added the nearly 800,000 children, especially girls, who have to work more than 15 hours a week on household chores, contributing to an overal total of 1,849,987 minors.
The PANDI report noted the apparent discrepancy in a country where the 4.3% rise in domestic GDP has been heralded with pride alongside a simultaneously burgeoning underage workforce, questioning the usefulness of such economic growth in the eradication of poverty.
Camilo Dominguez, the program manager of the social action group Fundacion Telefonica, said that "in a country with a growing economy and an unemployment rate that remains around 12%, you have to ask why children are increasingly being exposed to work."
"Approximately one in 10 children work in Colombia. That amounts to twice the population of Manizales [in the department of Caldas]...It must be a priority in this country to restore the rights of these children immediately and mobilize ourselves to discourage our society from allowing them to continue working," he continued.
Colombia's rural areas constitute the highest proportion of the child workers, as well as the most significant increase, with 37.3% of the child workforce associated with some form of agricultural work. Nevertheless, even a relatively low percentage of the 0.5% who work in mines still signifies that over 5,000 children risk their lives daily to work in those conditions.
The current law permits children to work up to 14 hours per week, although in the case of child workers this regulation is often flouted. Some 58% of child laborers work more than the allocated daily maximum for adult workers, while 11% work more than 48 hours a week.
The rise in the underage workforce has been primarily attributed to the global economic crisis that was particularly pertinent in between the years in the report, although Dominguez drew attention to the fact that it is not the most impoverished families that typically send their children to work.
"Interestingly, it is not the poorest families who put their children to work. As we noted in a study last year, it is in the middle income deciles where most child labour is concentrated and not the lowest," he stated.
Melba Diaz, the goverment's director of labor protection, meanwhile cautioned that even the high figures cited by DANE do not identify every child laborer has been accounted for, saying that "the capacity to identify where children are working failed."
"There is hidden child labor, including sexual exploitation of children or in the marketplaces that we could not detect," she said.
The official announced a change in protocol, transforming the biennial monitoring of the labor workforce into an annual study which is intended to "allow us to work immediately."
Uganda: Children Ask Government to Protect Their Rights And Safety
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201105020027.html
Angella Yebale, eight years old, (not real name because she is a minor) is not happy every time she hears a child has been neglected and killed.
It is difficult for her to believe that any person can go out of their way to insult and abuse a child.
As she shared her plight, she asked whether a mother who threw her two children in the River Nile has been punished and asked the government to enforce rules that protect children rights.
"Many children are abused. This day reminds me that we have rights and all children should know. I watched television and saw a woman who threw her children in a river," she said rather not amused.
A 26-year-old woman, in Kalagala village Kayunga District, on March 14, allegedly drowned her three children aged six, four and three-month-old in River Nile. The suspect has since been arrested.
A number of children attended the event organised by Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA) at Kitante Primary School and tasked government to be firm on child sacrifice and abuse especially defilement, neglect and corporal punishment.
According to Ms Gertrude Rose Gamwera, ULGA secretary general, the event is to encourage children speak and ask what they feel the government, parents and leaders should do to improve their rights.
Winners for the year's World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child 2011 are: Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, from the Philippines, for her struggle against child labour, trafficking and her support for girls who have been sex slaves; Monira Rahman (Bangladesh) for her fight for girls - who have been attacked with acid or petrol and had their appearances ruined and Murhabazi Namegabe (DR Congo) for his work to free children forced to become child soldiers and bush war slaves.
It takes place every year since 2000 and it is coordinated by focal persons, teachers and organisations in different countries that signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Angella Yebale, eight years old, (not real name because she is a minor) is not happy every time she hears a child has been neglected and killed.
It is difficult for her to believe that any person can go out of their way to insult and abuse a child.
As she shared her plight, she asked whether a mother who threw her two children in the River Nile has been punished and asked the government to enforce rules that protect children rights.
"Many children are abused. This day reminds me that we have rights and all children should know. I watched television and saw a woman who threw her children in a river," she said rather not amused.
A 26-year-old woman, in Kalagala village Kayunga District, on March 14, allegedly drowned her three children aged six, four and three-month-old in River Nile. The suspect has since been arrested.
A number of children attended the event organised by Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA) at Kitante Primary School and tasked government to be firm on child sacrifice and abuse especially defilement, neglect and corporal punishment.
According to Ms Gertrude Rose Gamwera, ULGA secretary general, the event is to encourage children speak and ask what they feel the government, parents and leaders should do to improve their rights.
Winners for the year's World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child 2011 are: Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, from the Philippines, for her struggle against child labour, trafficking and her support for girls who have been sex slaves; Monira Rahman (Bangladesh) for her fight for girls - who have been attacked with acid or petrol and had their appearances ruined and Murhabazi Namegabe (DR Congo) for his work to free children forced to become child soldiers and bush war slaves.
It takes place every year since 2000 and it is coordinated by focal persons, teachers and organisations in different countries that signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Pakistan: Violations of child rights remain widespread
Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/158719/report-launch-violations-of-child-rights-remain-widespread/
ISLAMABAD:
One of the government’s primary responsibilities is to protect the welfare of its most vulnerable citizens, namely, children. Unfortunately, 2010 witnessed the deaths of 92 and serious injuries of 118 more at the hands of militancy. By September 2010, over 2.5 million children under the age of five were at serious risk of starvation. Violence against children remained widespread at homes, streets and, regrettably, at the institutes of the criminal justice system.
About 187 children committed suicide while another 80 attempted suicide in the same year.
These facts were revealed at the launch of the annual report of the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC). Titled ‘The State of Pakistan’s Children 2010’, the report was launched on Thursday at a local hotel.
According to the report, the plight of our children continues to remain dire as the rights of children are continually violated, against only a few positive developments. Poverty-induced desperation led some parents to offer their children for sale and others to commit suicide after killing their children.
Moreover, the year remained especially tough for children as the floods added complex challenges of conflict, terrorism, the abysmal state of health and education sectors, and lack of legislative initiatives combined with poor implementation of existing law. Out of the six million children affected by the floods, around 3.5 million remain at risk, with imminent repercussion on their nutritional status.
Quoting media reports, the report reveals that around 210 children were affected mainly by suicide attacks, bomb blasts, landmines and hand grenade attacks. Furthermore, militants deprived thousands of children from their basic rights to education by completely destroying around 126 public schools.
Whatever progress was made towards introducing new laws for the protection of children, it was rolled back with the 18th constitutional amendments that resulted in stalling major legislative initiatives of the past years.
Speaking on the occasion, SPARC Executive Director Arshad Mahmood said no concrete steps have been taken for the implementation of the Concluding Observations and Recommendations (CO&Rs) made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in consideration of the last periodic report submitted to the Committee by Pakistan.
He lamented the fact that the Frontier Crimes Regulation is still a reality in FATA despite the acknowledgment of its draconian nature in the inaugural speeches of the president and prime minister in 2008. Numerous people, including women and children, continue to be imprisoned under the regulation’s collective responsibility clause.
“Political will is the key to improve the plight of children on a sustainable basis,” he added.
SPARC Research Officer Amina Sarwar lauded the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) for propagating the K-P Child Protection and Welfare Act 2010 in September. “In the education and health sectors, Pakistan remains far from achieving the Education For All and Millenium Development Goals objectives,” she added.
Ethnomedia Executive Director Samar Minallah said the police have begun to play a responsible role in arresting culprits especially in K-P. She added that a 2004 amendment in the Pakistan Penal Code, which is now Section 310A, covers the exchange of girls as compensation and lays down a 3 to 10 year imprisonment for violators of the section.
Parliamentarian Bushra Gohar called the 18th Amendment a “ray of hope” for Balochistan. Deputy Head of Mission from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Terje Barstad, said Pakistan had a long way to go in the implementation of the recommendations made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Health care also remains to be prioritised.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2011.
.
ISLAMABAD:
One of the government’s primary responsibilities is to protect the welfare of its most vulnerable citizens, namely, children. Unfortunately, 2010 witnessed the deaths of 92 and serious injuries of 118 more at the hands of militancy. By September 2010, over 2.5 million children under the age of five were at serious risk of starvation. Violence against children remained widespread at homes, streets and, regrettably, at the institutes of the criminal justice system.
About 187 children committed suicide while another 80 attempted suicide in the same year.
These facts were revealed at the launch of the annual report of the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC). Titled ‘The State of Pakistan’s Children 2010’, the report was launched on Thursday at a local hotel.
According to the report, the plight of our children continues to remain dire as the rights of children are continually violated, against only a few positive developments. Poverty-induced desperation led some parents to offer their children for sale and others to commit suicide after killing their children.
Moreover, the year remained especially tough for children as the floods added complex challenges of conflict, terrorism, the abysmal state of health and education sectors, and lack of legislative initiatives combined with poor implementation of existing law. Out of the six million children affected by the floods, around 3.5 million remain at risk, with imminent repercussion on their nutritional status.
Quoting media reports, the report reveals that around 210 children were affected mainly by suicide attacks, bomb blasts, landmines and hand grenade attacks. Furthermore, militants deprived thousands of children from their basic rights to education by completely destroying around 126 public schools.
Whatever progress was made towards introducing new laws for the protection of children, it was rolled back with the 18th constitutional amendments that resulted in stalling major legislative initiatives of the past years.
Speaking on the occasion, SPARC Executive Director Arshad Mahmood said no concrete steps have been taken for the implementation of the Concluding Observations and Recommendations (CO&Rs) made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in consideration of the last periodic report submitted to the Committee by Pakistan.
He lamented the fact that the Frontier Crimes Regulation is still a reality in FATA despite the acknowledgment of its draconian nature in the inaugural speeches of the president and prime minister in 2008. Numerous people, including women and children, continue to be imprisoned under the regulation’s collective responsibility clause.
“Political will is the key to improve the plight of children on a sustainable basis,” he added.
SPARC Research Officer Amina Sarwar lauded the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) for propagating the K-P Child Protection and Welfare Act 2010 in September. “In the education and health sectors, Pakistan remains far from achieving the Education For All and Millenium Development Goals objectives,” she added.
Ethnomedia Executive Director Samar Minallah said the police have begun to play a responsible role in arresting culprits especially in K-P. She added that a 2004 amendment in the Pakistan Penal Code, which is now Section 310A, covers the exchange of girls as compensation and lays down a 3 to 10 year imprisonment for violators of the section.
Parliamentarian Bushra Gohar called the 18th Amendment a “ray of hope” for Balochistan. Deputy Head of Mission from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Terje Barstad, said Pakistan had a long way to go in the implementation of the recommendations made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Health care also remains to be prioritised.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2011.
.
Libya disabled children school hit in NATO strike
Source: http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE74001R20110501
By Lin Noueihed
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Shattered glass litters the carpet at the Libyan Down's Syndrome Society, and dust covers pictures of grinning children that adorn the hallway, thrown into darkness by a NATO strike early on Saturday.
It was unclear what the target of the strike was, though Libyan officials said it was Muammar Gaddafi himself, who was giving a live television address at the time.
"They maybe wanted to hit the television. This is a non-military, non-governmental building," said Mohammed al-Mehdi, head of the civil societies council, which licenses and oversees civil groups in Libya.
The missile completely destroyed an adjoining office in the compound that houses the government's commission for children.
The force of the blast blew in windows and doors in the parent-funded school for children with Down's Syndrome and officials said it damaged an orphanage on the floor above.
"I felt sad really. I kept thinking, what are we going to do with these children?" said Ismail Seddigh, who set up the school 17 years ago after his own daughter was born with Down's.
"This is not the place we left on Thursday afternoon."
There were no children at the school when the missiles hit early on Saturday morning, since Friday begins the weekend in Libya. Children had been due to come in on Saturday morning.
A mound of rubble was all that remained of one wing of the main building that adjoined the school, though an antenna of some kind protruded from the ruins.
Both Mehdi and Seddigh said they had assumed that the antenna on the building was there to strengthen mobile phone signals and were not aware of any other use.
In the rubble of the main building, a shredding machine packed with sliced up documents lay on its side. A fax and phone were nearby and shelves of files could be seen.
The Libyan government has repeatedly said that NATO airstrikes have hurt and killed civilians but has not responded to requests by journalists to visit the hospitals, making it tough to verify casualty figures.
NATO has hit inside or near Gaddafi's compound before, or struck military or logisitical sites. Saturday's government-organised visit was the first to bring journalists -- whom government minders watch closely -- to a civilian site.
Inside the school, the power had been knocked out by the strikes, the floor was wet because of a leaking pipe and desks were covered in glass and debris.
Seddigh's school prepared children with Down's Syndrome up to the age of 6 to go to normal schools, giving them speech therapy, handicrafts and sports sessions and teaching them to read and write. It handles 50 to 60 children a day.
By Lin Noueihed
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Shattered glass litters the carpet at the Libyan Down's Syndrome Society, and dust covers pictures of grinning children that adorn the hallway, thrown into darkness by a NATO strike early on Saturday.
It was unclear what the target of the strike was, though Libyan officials said it was Muammar Gaddafi himself, who was giving a live television address at the time.
"They maybe wanted to hit the television. This is a non-military, non-governmental building," said Mohammed al-Mehdi, head of the civil societies council, which licenses and oversees civil groups in Libya.
The missile completely destroyed an adjoining office in the compound that houses the government's commission for children.
The force of the blast blew in windows and doors in the parent-funded school for children with Down's Syndrome and officials said it damaged an orphanage on the floor above.
"I felt sad really. I kept thinking, what are we going to do with these children?" said Ismail Seddigh, who set up the school 17 years ago after his own daughter was born with Down's.
"This is not the place we left on Thursday afternoon."
There were no children at the school when the missiles hit early on Saturday morning, since Friday begins the weekend in Libya. Children had been due to come in on Saturday morning.
A mound of rubble was all that remained of one wing of the main building that adjoined the school, though an antenna of some kind protruded from the ruins.
Both Mehdi and Seddigh said they had assumed that the antenna on the building was there to strengthen mobile phone signals and were not aware of any other use.
In the rubble of the main building, a shredding machine packed with sliced up documents lay on its side. A fax and phone were nearby and shelves of files could be seen.
The Libyan government has repeatedly said that NATO airstrikes have hurt and killed civilians but has not responded to requests by journalists to visit the hospitals, making it tough to verify casualty figures.
NATO has hit inside or near Gaddafi's compound before, or struck military or logisitical sites. Saturday's government-organised visit was the first to bring journalists -- whom government minders watch closely -- to a civilian site.
Inside the school, the power had been knocked out by the strikes, the floor was wet because of a leaking pipe and desks were covered in glass and debris.
Seddigh's school prepared children with Down's Syndrome up to the age of 6 to go to normal schools, giving them speech therapy, handicrafts and sports sessions and teaching them to read and write. It handles 50 to 60 children a day.
Report: Mexican children vulnerable at border
Source: http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20110428/NEWS02/104280311
WASHINGTON — Mexican children illegally crossing the border alone remain vulnerable to drug cartels, gangs and other dangers because a two-year-old law designed to protect them is not being executed well, advocates from the U.S. and Mexico said in a report released Wednesday.
The law, the Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act of 2008, allows Mexican children who crossed the border alone to be returned to Mexico only after officers determine the children are not human trafficking victims, can't claim asylum or if the children volunteer to go home rather than remain detained in a shelter.
The law was aimed at addressing concerns about a "revolving door" at the border for Mexican children, describing how the children were being immediately turned back without any investigation of their circumstances. Children from Central America and other countries generally go to shelters because their countries do not border the U.S.
"These children are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. They have traveled long distances for purposes of trafficking, many of them will be trafficked en route ...," said David Nachman, an attorney with DLA Piper, a law firm that helped with the report.
"The revolving door that had so long existed at the border for these vulnerable children is still spinning today," Nachman said.
Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Most of the youths in shelters set up in the U.S. for unaccompanied children are from Central America and elsewhere, even though most of the children crossing the border without an adult are Mexican, according to the report released by Appleseed and Mexican Appleseed, a network of 16 groups in the U.S. and Mexico.
About 15,000 to 16,000 Mexican children were apprehended crossing the border in each of the past two years, the groups said.
Part of the problem is the Homeland Security Department assigned the job of interviewing and screening unaccompanied children to Customs and Border Patrol officers, who lack child welfare expertise and are not getting needed training, the advocates said
WASHINGTON — Mexican children illegally crossing the border alone remain vulnerable to drug cartels, gangs and other dangers because a two-year-old law designed to protect them is not being executed well, advocates from the U.S. and Mexico said in a report released Wednesday.
The law, the Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act of 2008, allows Mexican children who crossed the border alone to be returned to Mexico only after officers determine the children are not human trafficking victims, can't claim asylum or if the children volunteer to go home rather than remain detained in a shelter.
The law was aimed at addressing concerns about a "revolving door" at the border for Mexican children, describing how the children were being immediately turned back without any investigation of their circumstances. Children from Central America and other countries generally go to shelters because their countries do not border the U.S.
"These children are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. They have traveled long distances for purposes of trafficking, many of them will be trafficked en route ...," said David Nachman, an attorney with DLA Piper, a law firm that helped with the report.
"The revolving door that had so long existed at the border for these vulnerable children is still spinning today," Nachman said.
Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Most of the youths in shelters set up in the U.S. for unaccompanied children are from Central America and elsewhere, even though most of the children crossing the border without an adult are Mexican, according to the report released by Appleseed and Mexican Appleseed, a network of 16 groups in the U.S. and Mexico.
About 15,000 to 16,000 Mexican children were apprehended crossing the border in each of the past two years, the groups said.
Part of the problem is the Homeland Security Department assigned the job of interviewing and screening unaccompanied children to Customs and Border Patrol officers, who lack child welfare expertise and are not getting needed training, the advocates said
Spotlighting the Plight of Immigrant Minors Detained in Texas
Source: http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/spotlighting-the-plight-of-immigrant-minors/7306/
Even as strict immigration bills await committee hearings in the Texas Legislature, a steady stream of unaccompanied immigrant minors continues to attempt to cross the border into the United States. Figures show more than half come from as far away as Honduras and Guatemala. What happens to these children, some only toddlers, if they’re apprehended?
Over 85,000 unaccompanied immigrant minors try to cross the border every year, according to the United States Office of Refugee Resettlement’s most recent report to Congress. The children attempt to cross the Mexico-U.S. border, but many are apprehended.
Rosalinda Huey, a Border Patrol agent in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, says the number of unaccompanied children who attempt the treacherous trek across the border continues to rise. “I can only speak for the Rio Grande Valley Sector [but…] we had close to 1,000 unaccompanied children that attempted to cross into the United States for 2010,” Huey said.
According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, most of the children are coming from Central America. But now Texas is seeing an increase in Mexican minors trying to cross the border, in part because of increased violence in the country, according to Huey.
There are two main reasons that children attempt the journey alone. “Some of these children are coming here to be reunited with a family member, usually a parent,” Huey said. “And then there are some children who come here for the American dream. To prosper, study and live in the United States.”
But not many of them get to live out that dream. Instead, they are apprehended by the Border Patrol. “They’re going to be put into a removal proceeding where their information is taken and they’re turned over to whatever agency or facility is going to care for them,” Huey said.
This is where Southwest Key Programs tries to help. An Austin-based nonprofit, the organization currently has a contract with the US Office of Refugee Resettlement to operate shelters for unaccompanied immigrant minors, and houses approximately 2,500 children a year. “When they get to us, the very first thing we do is to make sure that they are healthy and they are seen by a doctor, they get to see a dentist as well,” said Alexia Rodriguez, vice-president of immigrant children services and legal counsel for Southwest Key. “They’re also assigned a case manager who begins to work on their case while they’re at Southwest Key.”
The organization houses the minors for approximately 45 days. The main goal is to reunify them with their parents either in the US or back home, but that isn’t always easy.
“For a child to be reunified, that sponsor of the child has to go through a process which entails FBI fingerprint checks and quite a few family members of our children are undocumented themselves,” Rodriguez said. “So they’re fearful to go through the process because … they may be picked up and detained and sent back home as well.”
Rodriguez says about half of the children rejoin their parents. The others ares deported to their home countries. Much of the rhetoric surrounding immigration legislation focuses on adults and families. Little of that talk focuses on the children who make the journey of thousands of miles for a chance to live in the US.
Even as strict immigration bills await committee hearings in the Texas Legislature, a steady stream of unaccompanied immigrant minors continues to attempt to cross the border into the United States. Figures show more than half come from as far away as Honduras and Guatemala. What happens to these children, some only toddlers, if they’re apprehended?
Over 85,000 unaccompanied immigrant minors try to cross the border every year, according to the United States Office of Refugee Resettlement’s most recent report to Congress. The children attempt to cross the Mexico-U.S. border, but many are apprehended.
Rosalinda Huey, a Border Patrol agent in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, says the number of unaccompanied children who attempt the treacherous trek across the border continues to rise. “I can only speak for the Rio Grande Valley Sector [but…] we had close to 1,000 unaccompanied children that attempted to cross into the United States for 2010,” Huey said.
According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, most of the children are coming from Central America. But now Texas is seeing an increase in Mexican minors trying to cross the border, in part because of increased violence in the country, according to Huey.
There are two main reasons that children attempt the journey alone. “Some of these children are coming here to be reunited with a family member, usually a parent,” Huey said. “And then there are some children who come here for the American dream. To prosper, study and live in the United States.”
But not many of them get to live out that dream. Instead, they are apprehended by the Border Patrol. “They’re going to be put into a removal proceeding where their information is taken and they’re turned over to whatever agency or facility is going to care for them,” Huey said.
This is where Southwest Key Programs tries to help. An Austin-based nonprofit, the organization currently has a contract with the US Office of Refugee Resettlement to operate shelters for unaccompanied immigrant minors, and houses approximately 2,500 children a year. “When they get to us, the very first thing we do is to make sure that they are healthy and they are seen by a doctor, they get to see a dentist as well,” said Alexia Rodriguez, vice-president of immigrant children services and legal counsel for Southwest Key. “They’re also assigned a case manager who begins to work on their case while they’re at Southwest Key.”
The organization houses the minors for approximately 45 days. The main goal is to reunify them with their parents either in the US or back home, but that isn’t always easy.
“For a child to be reunified, that sponsor of the child has to go through a process which entails FBI fingerprint checks and quite a few family members of our children are undocumented themselves,” Rodriguez said. “So they’re fearful to go through the process because … they may be picked up and detained and sent back home as well.”
Rodriguez says about half of the children rejoin their parents. The others ares deported to their home countries. Much of the rhetoric surrounding immigration legislation focuses on adults and families. Little of that talk focuses on the children who make the journey of thousands of miles for a chance to live in the US.
50% of Romani Children in Sweden Don’t Finish Their Primary and Secondary School
Source: http://www.thelocal.se/33090/20110408/
A new report shows Sweden to be wanting, not in the least due to the lack of home language training (hemspråksundervisning) in schools.
"Almost no country in Europe has met our demands and Sweden hasn’t succeeded either. The criticism from the last review still stands, and it is mostly regarding education," said Jarmo Lainio, a representative in the Council’s expert committee, to daily Svenska Dagbladet (SvD).
As one of Sweden’s five minorities, the children of the Roma people in Sweden are entitled to receive education in school conducted in their mother tongue.
But in many municipalities, authorities fail to inform parents of the option and children therefore miss out on the opportunity, according to news agency TT.
Swedish law stipulates that schools are obliged to offer home language education even if there is only one child enrolled in the school with a different mother tounge than Swedish.
But one of the problems is that there are very few teachers in Sweden who are qualified to teach the Romani language.
The National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket) is currently conducting an inquiry into how Sweden can attract more speakers of minority languages to be trained as teachers.
According to the agency, the main issue is alack of Romani speakers that graduate from higher education programmes in Sweden and qualify for university studies.
“It is really not a positive situation. No Romani speakers apply to our teacher training programmes and that makes it impossible for us to reach our goals. The qualification requirements need to be reviewed if we are to attract students to these programmes,” Ingrid Häggstöm of the agency told SvD.
Today 50 percent of Romani children in Sweden don’t finish their primary and secondary school (grundskola) and even fewer graduate from high school (gymnasium), according to SvD.
“It is a dreadful situation. The Roma people have officially had the right to attend Swedish school for 50 years and yet no one reacts when these children are absent. The teachers don’t know how to approach the parents,” Maria Leissner of the Delegation for Roma issues (Delegationen för romska frågor) told SvD.
The minister for integration, Erik Ullenhag, has promised to spend a lot of time on the Roma issues in the future. He told SvD that Sweden had reason to be ashamed of how the Roma people had been treated in the past.
“These children are at risk of growing up with no chance of getting a job - we can’t let them down,” he said.
It is estimated that there are between 40,000 and 120,000 Roma in Sweden today.
A new report shows Sweden to be wanting, not in the least due to the lack of home language training (hemspråksundervisning) in schools.
"Almost no country in Europe has met our demands and Sweden hasn’t succeeded either. The criticism from the last review still stands, and it is mostly regarding education," said Jarmo Lainio, a representative in the Council’s expert committee, to daily Svenska Dagbladet (SvD).
As one of Sweden’s five minorities, the children of the Roma people in Sweden are entitled to receive education in school conducted in their mother tongue.
But in many municipalities, authorities fail to inform parents of the option and children therefore miss out on the opportunity, according to news agency TT.
Swedish law stipulates that schools are obliged to offer home language education even if there is only one child enrolled in the school with a different mother tounge than Swedish.
But one of the problems is that there are very few teachers in Sweden who are qualified to teach the Romani language.
The National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket) is currently conducting an inquiry into how Sweden can attract more speakers of minority languages to be trained as teachers.
According to the agency, the main issue is alack of Romani speakers that graduate from higher education programmes in Sweden and qualify for university studies.
“It is really not a positive situation. No Romani speakers apply to our teacher training programmes and that makes it impossible for us to reach our goals. The qualification requirements need to be reviewed if we are to attract students to these programmes,” Ingrid Häggstöm of the agency told SvD.
Today 50 percent of Romani children in Sweden don’t finish their primary and secondary school (grundskola) and even fewer graduate from high school (gymnasium), according to SvD.
“It is a dreadful situation. The Roma people have officially had the right to attend Swedish school for 50 years and yet no one reacts when these children are absent. The teachers don’t know how to approach the parents,” Maria Leissner of the Delegation for Roma issues (Delegationen för romska frågor) told SvD.
The minister for integration, Erik Ullenhag, has promised to spend a lot of time on the Roma issues in the future. He told SvD that Sweden had reason to be ashamed of how the Roma people had been treated in the past.
“These children are at risk of growing up with no chance of getting a job - we can’t let them down,” he said.
It is estimated that there are between 40,000 and 120,000 Roma in Sweden today.
Three Quarters of Children in Jail Are Aboriginal
Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/threequarters-of-children-in-jail-are-aboriginal-advocates-20110414-1dfgt.html
Nearly 75 per cent of children in Western Australian prisons are Aboriginal, according to shocking new figures released by Aboriginal rights advocates.
WA currently has the highest incarceration rate of Aboriginal people in the nation, with nearly 39 per cent of the 4683 adults in prison and 73.8 per cent of 202 juveniles at Banksia Hill and Rangeview detention centres coming from an indigenous background.
This is despite the Aboriginal population only making up 4 per cent of the state's total population.
The Aboriginal Legal Service of WA and Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA plan to raise awareness of high incarceration rates and the disproportionate number of deaths in custody at a rally at State Parliament today.
Nearly 270 Aboriginal people have died under the care of prison staff and police since the release of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report two decades ago.
One of those was Aboriginal elder Mr Ward, whose first name is not used for cultural reasons, who died of heatstroke after being transported in the back of a prison van from Laverton to Kalgoorlie.
The temperatures soared above 50 degrees during the four-hour, non-stop journey and Mr Ward suffered third-degree burns to his body from the hot metal in the van.
Death in Custody Watch Committee chairperson Marianne Mackay says it was unacceptable that many recommendations in the report had still not been implemented.
"It's extremely disturbing that this state is still not doing more to address the over-policing and over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the criminal justice system," she said.
"Of the 99 deaths investigated by the Royal Commission, 32 occurred in WA with five being at the Kalgoorlie police lock-up."
Ben Taylor, a lifelong member of DICWC, said that "all fair minded Western Australians should be appalled at the reputation that this state has gained through its mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples".
ALSWA acting CEO John Bedford said it appeared that indigenous constituents weren't a priority to Premier Colin Barnett, since he had not spent any money to address the issue despite recently claiming that his state was driving the national economy.
Mr Bedford said there were also no appropriate policies to deal with the appalling over-representation of indigenous people in custody.
"It really saddens me that so much money is being poured into building new prisons, rather than focusing on implementing the report's recommendations and diversionary programs to assist in keeping people out of prison," he said.
"If you are an Aboriginal person you are 14-times more likely to be incarcerated and it is unacceptable that governments are not doing more to address this issue."
Mr Bedford said that Mr Barnett should "show some real leadership" and reflect upon the state's "disgraceful human rights record" ahead of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
"Not only are people still dying in custody, but there are also inadequate investigations into many of these deaths," he said.
"I'm sure that the Commonwealth leaders would be shocked to discover that Aboriginal people represent 26 per cent of Australia's prisoners despite representing only 3 per cent of the total population."
Both groups are demanding the full implementation of the report's recommendations, a reduction in Aboriginal incarceration and contact with the justice system, increased rehabilitative measures and independent investigation and monitoring of deaths in custody and police misconduct.
There will also be further calls for the government to implement an international inspection system for all places of detention, in accordance with the United Nations Convention Against Torture, and the UN General Assembly's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Nearly 75 per cent of children in Western Australian prisons are Aboriginal, according to shocking new figures released by Aboriginal rights advocates.
WA currently has the highest incarceration rate of Aboriginal people in the nation, with nearly 39 per cent of the 4683 adults in prison and 73.8 per cent of 202 juveniles at Banksia Hill and Rangeview detention centres coming from an indigenous background.
This is despite the Aboriginal population only making up 4 per cent of the state's total population.
The Aboriginal Legal Service of WA and Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA plan to raise awareness of high incarceration rates and the disproportionate number of deaths in custody at a rally at State Parliament today.
Nearly 270 Aboriginal people have died under the care of prison staff and police since the release of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report two decades ago.
One of those was Aboriginal elder Mr Ward, whose first name is not used for cultural reasons, who died of heatstroke after being transported in the back of a prison van from Laverton to Kalgoorlie.
The temperatures soared above 50 degrees during the four-hour, non-stop journey and Mr Ward suffered third-degree burns to his body from the hot metal in the van.
Death in Custody Watch Committee chairperson Marianne Mackay says it was unacceptable that many recommendations in the report had still not been implemented.
"It's extremely disturbing that this state is still not doing more to address the over-policing and over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the criminal justice system," she said.
"Of the 99 deaths investigated by the Royal Commission, 32 occurred in WA with five being at the Kalgoorlie police lock-up."
Ben Taylor, a lifelong member of DICWC, said that "all fair minded Western Australians should be appalled at the reputation that this state has gained through its mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples".
ALSWA acting CEO John Bedford said it appeared that indigenous constituents weren't a priority to Premier Colin Barnett, since he had not spent any money to address the issue despite recently claiming that his state was driving the national economy.
Mr Bedford said there were also no appropriate policies to deal with the appalling over-representation of indigenous people in custody.
"It really saddens me that so much money is being poured into building new prisons, rather than focusing on implementing the report's recommendations and diversionary programs to assist in keeping people out of prison," he said.
"If you are an Aboriginal person you are 14-times more likely to be incarcerated and it is unacceptable that governments are not doing more to address this issue."
Mr Bedford said that Mr Barnett should "show some real leadership" and reflect upon the state's "disgraceful human rights record" ahead of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
"Not only are people still dying in custody, but there are also inadequate investigations into many of these deaths," he said.
"I'm sure that the Commonwealth leaders would be shocked to discover that Aboriginal people represent 26 per cent of Australia's prisoners despite representing only 3 per cent of the total population."
Both groups are demanding the full implementation of the report's recommendations, a reduction in Aboriginal incarceration and contact with the justice system, increased rehabilitative measures and independent investigation and monitoring of deaths in custody and police misconduct.
There will also be further calls for the government to implement an international inspection system for all places of detention, in accordance with the United Nations Convention Against Torture, and the UN General Assembly's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous Children’s Rights Denied by indifference and Legal Technicalities:
Source: http://www.firstperspective.ca/releases/1987-childrens-rights-denied-by-indifference-and-legal-technicalities-indigenous-peoples-and-human-rights-organizations-call-for-an-immediate-end-to-discrimination-against-first-nations-families.html
Indigenous peoples and human rights organizations urge all political leaders in Canada to make a clear public commitment to ending the discriminatory underfunding that is tearing apart First Nations families.
For the last decade, government studies have shown that the federal government is failing in its responsibilities to Indigenous children and their families. The government spends significantly less money per child for children’s services in First Nations reserves than its provincial and territorial counterparts provide in predominantly non-Aboriginal communities. This is despite the higher costs of delivering services in remote communities and the greater need created by the residential school legacy and other pressures on First Nations communities.
One consequence is that most First Nations families do not have access to the same level and quality of early intervention and preventative programming available to other families in Canada. As a result, the intended last resort of removing children from their homes and communities has become the primary government approach for child protection in many First Nations communities.
More First Nations children are being placed in government care today than were taken away from their families and communities at the height of the residential school era. In most cases, the stated reason is “neglect.” In other words, whether because of poverty or another reason, the parents are unable to meet their children’s basic needs.
“We’re hearing a lot talk in this election about the importance of supporting families,” says Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse. “We have to ask why successive governments have ignored the plight of First Nations families whose children are being taken away for entirely avoidable reasons.”
Jennifer Preston of the Canadian Friends Service Committee says, “The federal government has apologized, on behalf of all Canadians, for the grave harm done by the residential school systems. Our organizations find it hypocritical that the Canadian government would apologize for the harms of the past while contributing to the ongoing harm being done to First Nations families and communities. This is not reconciliation.”
In February 2007, the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (FNCFCS) and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). The Commission agreed that First Nations children were being discriminated against and referred the case to the Human Rights Tribunal for a ruling.
The federal government has strongly opposed the hearing. The federal government has told United Nations human rights bodies that it provides First Nations communities with “services comparable to those provided by the provinces and territories.” However, the government has taken the position that these services cannot be compared for the purpose of determining discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
The government failed twice to get the Federal Court to stop the hearings. But in March 2011, the Human Rights Tribunal Chair agreed with the government’s argument and dismissed the case.
The federal government has said that First Nations people living on reserves have “full access to, and protection under, the Canadian Human Rights Act”. Yet if this Tribunal ruling stands, it will deny First Nations children equal protection under the Act. The FNCFCS and the AFN, as well as the CHRC, have appealed the decision to the Federal Court.
“The decisions made by the government about what and how much they will fund have enormous impact on the lives of Aboriginal people,” says Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. “The notion that these decisions should be exempt from human rights oversight is fundamentally unacceptable. Canadians should be outraged that their government even pursued this argument in the first place.”
“It’s shocking that another generation of Aboriginal children is being torn from their homes simply because the government won’t address the discrimination in funding,” says Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. “The last four years should have been spent fixing the problem rather than fighting this human rights complaint.”
Federal government lawyers also argued that the Tribunal should not make any use of international human rights standards such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Canada is legally bound, in ruling on the underfunding of First Nations children’s services.
“International human rights standards, including the UN Declaration, underline the fact that government obligations toward Indigenous children and families cannot simply be ignored,” says Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. “Any opposition to applying the UN Declaration, or to the Tribunal even hearing this case, reflects a profound failure to respect the fact that the well-being of First Nations children and families is a matter of basic human rights.”
Amnesty International Canada
Anishinabek Nation (Union of Ontario Indians)
Assembly of First Nations British Columbia
Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)
Chiefs of Ontario
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
First Nations Summit
Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee)
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
National Association of Friendship Centres
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Berton-Hunter
Media and External Communications Officer,
Amnesty International
Tel: 416-363-9933 ext 332
Cell: 416-904-7158
Cindy Blackstock
Executive Director
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
Tel: 613-853-8440
Maurice Switzer
Director of Communications
Anishinabek Nation (Union of Ontario Indians)
swimau@anishinabek.caThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Jennifer Preston
Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)
jennifer@quakerservice.caThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
Cell: 250-490-5314
Claudette Dumont-Smith
Executive Director
Native Women's Association of Canada
Tel: 613-722-3033 ext. 223
Indigenous peoples and human rights organizations urge all political leaders in Canada to make a clear public commitment to ending the discriminatory underfunding that is tearing apart First Nations families.
For the last decade, government studies have shown that the federal government is failing in its responsibilities to Indigenous children and their families. The government spends significantly less money per child for children’s services in First Nations reserves than its provincial and territorial counterparts provide in predominantly non-Aboriginal communities. This is despite the higher costs of delivering services in remote communities and the greater need created by the residential school legacy and other pressures on First Nations communities.
One consequence is that most First Nations families do not have access to the same level and quality of early intervention and preventative programming available to other families in Canada. As a result, the intended last resort of removing children from their homes and communities has become the primary government approach for child protection in many First Nations communities.
More First Nations children are being placed in government care today than were taken away from their families and communities at the height of the residential school era. In most cases, the stated reason is “neglect.” In other words, whether because of poverty or another reason, the parents are unable to meet their children’s basic needs.
“We’re hearing a lot talk in this election about the importance of supporting families,” says Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse. “We have to ask why successive governments have ignored the plight of First Nations families whose children are being taken away for entirely avoidable reasons.”
Jennifer Preston of the Canadian Friends Service Committee says, “The federal government has apologized, on behalf of all Canadians, for the grave harm done by the residential school systems. Our organizations find it hypocritical that the Canadian government would apologize for the harms of the past while contributing to the ongoing harm being done to First Nations families and communities. This is not reconciliation.”
In February 2007, the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (FNCFCS) and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). The Commission agreed that First Nations children were being discriminated against and referred the case to the Human Rights Tribunal for a ruling.
The federal government has strongly opposed the hearing. The federal government has told United Nations human rights bodies that it provides First Nations communities with “services comparable to those provided by the provinces and territories.” However, the government has taken the position that these services cannot be compared for the purpose of determining discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
The government failed twice to get the Federal Court to stop the hearings. But in March 2011, the Human Rights Tribunal Chair agreed with the government’s argument and dismissed the case.
The federal government has said that First Nations people living on reserves have “full access to, and protection under, the Canadian Human Rights Act”. Yet if this Tribunal ruling stands, it will deny First Nations children equal protection under the Act. The FNCFCS and the AFN, as well as the CHRC, have appealed the decision to the Federal Court.
“The decisions made by the government about what and how much they will fund have enormous impact on the lives of Aboriginal people,” says Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. “The notion that these decisions should be exempt from human rights oversight is fundamentally unacceptable. Canadians should be outraged that their government even pursued this argument in the first place.”
“It’s shocking that another generation of Aboriginal children is being torn from their homes simply because the government won’t address the discrimination in funding,” says Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. “The last four years should have been spent fixing the problem rather than fighting this human rights complaint.”
Federal government lawyers also argued that the Tribunal should not make any use of international human rights standards such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Canada is legally bound, in ruling on the underfunding of First Nations children’s services.
“International human rights standards, including the UN Declaration, underline the fact that government obligations toward Indigenous children and families cannot simply be ignored,” says Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. “Any opposition to applying the UN Declaration, or to the Tribunal even hearing this case, reflects a profound failure to respect the fact that the well-being of First Nations children and families is a matter of basic human rights.”
Amnesty International Canada
Anishinabek Nation (Union of Ontario Indians)
Assembly of First Nations British Columbia
Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)
Chiefs of Ontario
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
First Nations Summit
Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee)
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
National Association of Friendship Centres
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Berton-Hunter
Media and External Communications Officer,
Amnesty International
Tel: 416-363-9933 ext 332
Cell: 416-904-7158
Cindy Blackstock
Executive Director
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
Tel: 613-853-8440
Maurice Switzer
Director of Communications
Anishinabek Nation (Union of Ontario Indians)
swimau@anishinabek.caThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Jennifer Preston
Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)
jennifer@quakerservice.caThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
Cell: 250-490-5314
Claudette Dumont-Smith
Executive Director
Native Women's Association of Canada
Tel: 613-722-3033 ext. 223
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Yemen: UNICEF sounds warning over impact of unrest on children
Source: http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2011_04_20_40354
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today urged the parties to the political unrest gripping Yemen to protect children at all costs as the number of minors killed or injured during the recent violence continues to rise.
At least 26 children have been killed, mainly because of live bullets or ammunition, since 18 February, UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado told journalists in Geneva.
Another 15 children died as a result of the large explosion at the Abyan ammunition factory last month, when civilians reportedly looted the facility, which had been previously taken over by militants.
Ms. Mercado said more than 80 other children had been injured, either from being beaten with sticks, hit by rocks or shot at with live ammunition, while nearly 800 more had been exposed to tear gas.
The spokesperson noted that the unrest, part of a wider wave of pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East, was taking a particularly heavy toll on Yemeni children.
UNICEF is attempting to support critical services for children in Yemen, which is already the poorest country in the region.
Senior UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have repeatedly expressed concern in recent weeks over the situation in Yemen, and especially over the use of force by government security forces against peaceful demonstrators.
Source: UN News Center
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today urged the parties to the political unrest gripping Yemen to protect children at all costs as the number of minors killed or injured during the recent violence continues to rise.
At least 26 children have been killed, mainly because of live bullets or ammunition, since 18 February, UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado told journalists in Geneva.
Another 15 children died as a result of the large explosion at the Abyan ammunition factory last month, when civilians reportedly looted the facility, which had been previously taken over by militants.
Ms. Mercado said more than 80 other children had been injured, either from being beaten with sticks, hit by rocks or shot at with live ammunition, while nearly 800 more had been exposed to tear gas.
The spokesperson noted that the unrest, part of a wider wave of pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East, was taking a particularly heavy toll on Yemeni children.
UNICEF is attempting to support critical services for children in Yemen, which is already the poorest country in the region.
Senior UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have repeatedly expressed concern in recent weeks over the situation in Yemen, and especially over the use of force by government security forces against peaceful demonstrators.
Source: UN News Center
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