GROUP TALK

CRC COMMITTEE
25th Anniversary of the CRC
Day of General Discussion
CRC Sessions
General Comments
Committee Elections
OP3 CRC UPDATE
New ratification: Belgium
Online event on access to justice
International Coalition
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
27th HRC Session
HRC Res. Protection of the Family
2015 Annual Day
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT-Terre des Hommes
WORKING GROUPS
MEMBER NEWS

Dear Child Rights Connect Members,
 
This issue of GroupTalk brings you the latest news from the secretariat, including information on opportunities for particiation in the upcoming Day of General Discussion on Digital Media and Children’s Rights, a week-long peer-to-peer online forum on improving access to justice for children and continuing advocacy and collaboration around children’s rights and the family at the HRC.
We’d especially like to call your attention to a new web initiative that was just launched to showcase events and activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the CRC around the world.  Members are encouraged to make a post on the calendar/map about any past, present or future efforts that you’re involved in for the anniversary.  Use invite code childrightsconnect1 to sign in and write to Laura Collier with any questions.
Don’t miss the member news! Thank you very much to all of our members who shared updates and events.
 
 

COMMITEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

CRC 25th anniversary

Within the Child Rights Connect network, we are taking initiatives to showcase how our members are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the CRC and to foster collaboration.

• CRC@25 Around the World: We have just launched a new section on the website to feature events and activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the CRC! Members can share their events and activities to highlight how our network is celebrating around the world.  To submit an event, create a member account with invite code: childrightsconnect1
• Pushing for ratification without reservations: In July, we sent letters to all UN member States calling for the ratification and removal of all reservations to the CRC and all of its three  optional protocols. The letters encourage States to take Click to read more.Close
   advantage of the UN Treaty event “Towards universal ratification and implementation” at the end of September and the CRC@25 event on 20 November to announce that their ratifications or removal of reservations and stand up as leaders for child rights. We encourage others to join this call.  Sample letter templates in English, French, Spanish. 
• Upcoming — High-level meeting on the 25th anniversary of the CRC in New York: Child Rights Connect will participate in the high-level meeting for the CRC 25th anniversary in New York on 20 November.  We have been working with UNICEF and Click to read more.Close
   colleagues from ChildFund, Plan International, Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages and World Vision in the process of selecting panelists for the event. Thank you to all who responded to our call for nominees. 

For more information, contact Laura Collier.

Child on the Rights of the Child CRC@25 virtual event

On 24 September 2014 the Committee on the Rights of the Child will dedicate a day to speak with children from 16 different countries: Albania, Australia, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Gambia, Japan, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay and Yemen. Read more about how children can be involved before and during the virtual event.Close

Day of General Discussion on “Digital media and children’s rights”

Registration is now open for the Day of General Discussion on “Digital media and children’s rights”, which will take place on 12 September 2014 in Geneva. During the meeting, there will be a plenary session and two working groups: Children’s equal and safe access to digital media and ICT and Children’s empowerment and engagement through digital media and ICT. An outline of the event can be found on the Committee’s website.

The deadline for registration is 29 August 2014 Click for more infoClose

Send written submissions with information and recommendations by 10 August Click for more infoClose

Children up to 18 years-old are invited to participate before and during the DGD Click for more infoClose

The Committee relies on civil society as a source of information for their Days of General Discussion. Find out more about DGDs and how civil society can participate on our website and factsheet.
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Upcoming Sessions and Pre-Sessions:

The upcoming 67th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child  takes place from 1-19 September  in Geneva. The Committee will review State reports from: Croatia (CRC integr. OPAC), Fiji (CRC), Hungary (CRC,OPSC,OPAC), Morocco (CRC integr.OPSC,OPAC), Singapore (OPAC),  Venezuela (CRC,OPSC,OPAC),
All sessions are webcast live by Child Rights Connect and archived.
Submissions by non-governmental actors for the 69th pre-session, were due on 1 July 2014. From 22-26 September, the Committee will review the reports with non-State actors for: Cuba (OPAC, OPSC), Ethiopia (CRC), Ghana (CRC),  Honduras (OPAC, OPSC), Nepal (CRC, OPAC), Netherlands (CRC, OPAC).
NGOs and coalitions working in States being reviewed are encouraged to submit alternative reports for the Committee to consider along with the State reports. If you would like to know more about the alternative reporting process, visit our website or contact Ilaria Paolazzi. Deadlines for alternative reports are: 1 November (for the February pre-sessional working group) / 1 March (for the June pre-sessional working group) / 1 July (for the September/October pre-sessional working group).
For questions about the Committee’s reporting process, please email Ilaria Paolazzi.
IMPORTANT:The Committee has adopted a tentative schedule for the review of all State reports received to date. Refer to the Committee’s website to see when your State will be reviewed both in the pre-session and session and the deadline for submitting NGO reports.

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General Comments

In June the Committee announced that they will begin two General Comment on “Children in street situations” and “Adolescents”. They continue work on General Comments on “Public spending to realize children’s rights” and “harmful practices”.
Please contact Ilaria Paolazzi for more information or if you have particular expertise in these areas, which you would like to bring to the attention of the Committee.

To know more about what a General Comment is and how you can contribute, please see our webpage.

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Committee Elections

The 2014 elections of the Committee on the Rights of the Child were held during the Fifteenth Meeting of States Parties to the CRC in New York on 25 June 2014. In a single round of voting by secret ballot, 191 of the 194 States parties elected the nine members in accordance with article 43(2) of the Convention.  More information.

Election Results

Having obtained the highest number of votes, as well as the required majority the following candidates were elected:

Ms.Suzanne Aho Assouma (Togo) – elected with 152 votes

Ms. Hynd Ayoubi Idrissi (Morocco) — elected with 123 votes

Mr. Jorge Cardona (Spain) – reelected with 143 votes

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3RD OPTIONAL PROTOCOLThe third optional protocol enters into force on 14 April!

Belgium ratified OP3 CRC

Belgium ratified Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure on 30 May.  Children and their representatives will be able to bring complaints against Belgium from the 30 August 2014.
Belgium joins the ranks of Albania, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Gabon, Germany, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Thailand who have already ratified the treaty. A further 36 states have signed but not ratified OP3CRC.
Belgium has also become the fifth state to accept the “inter-state” communication procedure which will allow one state to bring a complaint against another. To date, Albania, Germany, Portugal and Slovakia have made declarations agreeing to this mechanism.

Mark your calendars: “Improving Access to Justice for Children and Teens”

13-17 October

Child Rights Connect joins New Tactics, a global community of human rights defenders, to host a week-long online conversation on expanding access to justice for children up to 18 years old. From 13-17 October, Advocacy Officer Anita Goh, along with a group of expert conversation leaders, will facilitate a peer-to-peer dialogue looking at the challenges that children and teens face to accessing justice and innovative new ways to ensure that children and teens are empowered to use justice systems.
Anyone working on access to justice for children and teens is invited to participate in the conversations to share experiences and challenges with a group of peers. More information will be available soon.

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International Coalition Update

New Coalition Co-chair
The International Coalition welcomes Antje Weber from Kindernothilfe as coalition co-chair since 1 July.  Antje replaces Ulrika Cilliers from Save the Children.  We thank Ulrika for her efforts.
Share your news on the Ratify OP3 CRC International Coalition website
Don’t forget that on the new Ratify OP3 CRC website, members can log in and share news about your work related to OP3. For information on obtaining a member log-in, please contact the co-chairs of the coalition: Flore-Anne Bourgeois Flore-Anne.BourgeoisPrieur@plan-international.org or Antje Weber Antje.Weber@knh.de.
Stay up to date on the Ratify OP3 CRC Coalition’s new website: www.ratifyop3crc.org.

Join us today. Together with the International Coalition, Child Rights Connect is advocating for ratification in Geneva, New York and at regional and national levels. Read MoreClose

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

Preparing for the 27th session of the Council – 08-09-2014 To : 26-09-2014

The Child Rights Connect secretariat coordinates members to prepare for the HRC sessions.  We invite all members use and contribute to our shared documents on the key child rights initiatives in the upcoming session: Click for links to documentsClose

New resolution on the “Protection of the Family”

A new resolution on Protection of the Family was adopted by the Human Rights Council during the session in June, after much heated debate amongst States. The major points of contention included that the draft resolution did not recall that States were the primary duty-bearers of human rights and should protect the human rights of every individual regardless of whether the person lives in a family environment. Furthermore the resolution did not explicitly recognise the existence of all forms of families. More detailed information can be found in this alert from ISHR. 
The draft resolution was presented by Bangladesh, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, El Salvador, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Qatar, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, Tunisia and Uganda.Read MoreClose

Preparing the 2015 Annual Day on the Rights of the Child

Our new informal group on Investment in Children, set up to coordinate activities towards next year’s Annual Day on the Rights of the Child during the March session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), has been approved by Child Rights Connect’s ExCo and while it still needs formal approval from the General Assembly, work has already started.
Any member interested in joining these efforts should contact the convenors of the Working Group : Jorge Freyre jorge.freyre@gurisesunidos.org.uy and Ulrika Cilliers usc@redbarnet.dk
OHCHR will also soon launch a call for submissions for the report it is preparing in advance of the Annual Day. Any organisation is welcome to submit written inputs. Child Rights Connect will share further information about format and deadline as soon as it is available.

Upcoming panel on Violence against Children on 23 September at the HRC

At the upcoming September session of the HRC, there will be a panel discussion on ways and means of accelerating global efforts to end violence against children, with a particular focus on how to better prevent violence and protect children as a global priority and cross-cutting concern, and to share best practices and lessons learned in this regard.
The panel, led by the permanent mission of Algeria, will take place on 23 September 2014 at 9am in Palais des Nations Room XX. Panellists will include Marta Santos Pais, SRSG on VAC, and representatives from UNICEF and Save the Children.

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CHILD RIGHTS CONNECT WORKING GROUPS

Universal Birth Registration
On 1 July 2014, the film Register Me! was premiered at the Standing Committee of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This film was produced by the Child Rights Connect Working Group on Universal Birth Registration who worked tirelessly for three years advocating for the UNHCR Executive Committee (the governing body of the UN Refugee Agency) to pass a Conclusion on civil registration in emergencies.Read MoreClose

• Children of Incarcerated Parents — Convenors Oliver Robertson and Yao Agbetse;
• Children without Parental Care – Convenors Mia Dambach, Alan Kikuchi-White and Becky Smith;
• Mainstreaming Child Rights – Convenor Vanessa Stevens-Downie;
• Universal Birth Registration – Convenors Anne-Sophie Lois and Stuart Kean;
• Violence against Children – Convenor Maria Lucia Uribe;
• Focus Group on Children in Armed Conflict: Convenor Eamonn Hanson;
• Informal Working Group on Investment in Children – Convenors Jorge Freyre  and Ulrika Cilliers. 

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

The Child Rights Connect secretariat would like to highlight work of members that encourage cooperation within the network and best practices. If you would like to share information on your organisation’s work for the spotlight, please contact Laura Collier.
Terre des Hommes — World Congress on Juvenile Justice

Our member Terre des Hommes is preparing to host the World Congress on Juvenile Justice, along with the government of Switzerland from 26-28 January 2015 in Geneva. They would like to encourage participation from all our members working on juvenile justice-related issues. Terre des Hommes has prepared a message about the benefits of participation for NGOs:
The World Congress on Juvenile Justice aims to allow States and civil society actors to come together to gain better on the issue. During the World Congress participants will work to formulate and plan further steps for the implementation of international norms on juvenile justice–  especially in respect to the rights of children in conflict with the law, child victims and witnesses — in both the best interest of the children and the interest of the whole community.
The aim of the Congress is not only to ask “What ?”, but more importantly to ask “How is it possible? What is effective ? What is efficient ? What are the conditions of success ?”. Experts and States presentation, round-tables and workshops will be focus on lessons learnt, good practices, innovations, pilot-projects, etc.
For NGOs  the World Congress is an opportunity :
– to contribute to the promotion of juvenile justice issues at international advocacy level;
–  to be part of the follow-up modalities, proposals and decisions issued by the Congress workshops;
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SECRETARIAT STAFF UPDATE

Child Rights Connect says goodbye to Karolina Saviova, who interned with us from January until June 2014.  We thank Karolina for her hard work and wish her all the best in the future.

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MEMBER NEWS

As always, we encourage you to share your news with our network. To have your organisation´s latest projects, publications, best practices or events included on our website, please send your article or update to Laura Collier.

Child Soldiers International

Chad: Un enfant ne doit pas être un soldat!
In cooperation with UNICEF Chad, Child Soldiers International has created a booklet illustrated by a Chadian artist, which outlines key concepts relating to children’s rights and child recruitment. It focuses on international laws applicable in Chad as well as Chadian national and military policies prohibiting the military recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. This booklet serves as a resource for promoting awareness of existing laws and policies among the armed and security forces, administrative and judicial authorities and other national actors with a view to preventing child recruitment in Chad. The booklet was disseminated through a workshop organised by Child Soldiers International and UNICEF in Chad in May 2014. An interactive version of the booklet (in French) can be explored through this link and hard copies are also available in French and Chadian Arabic.
India: Urgently implement CRC recommendations
India must take urgent steps to implement the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to prevent and end child recruitment, says Child Soldiers International. The CRC’s recent assessment of India’s implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC) identifies serious gaps in legislative and policy measures to address child recruitment and use in India.Read MoreClose

CRIN

Launch of new campaign on children’s right to information: “Protect children, end censorship”
A disturbing trend among states to limit children’s access to information is gaining force, with sex education, sexuality and drug use the main targets. In a recently published paper, “Access Denied: Protect children’s rights unblock access to information”, CRIN explains that much of the information being denied to children in fact equips them with the knowledge to protect themselves against risk, learn to think critically and make informed choices. Read MoreClose

Defence for Children International

Defense for Children International-Palestine mourns the death of a staff member, Hashem Khader Abu Maria, 45, killed today by Israeli forces while peacefully participating in a solidarity march with Gaza.
Israeli forces shot Hashem in the chest with live ammunition as he stood still at the demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza after Friday prayers in the West Bank town of Beit Ummar.  See the press release here.
 

Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional – Costa Rica 

DNI Costa Rica would like to share its calendar with events happening until the end of the year including celebrations of the 20th anniversary of DNI in central america, the 25th anniversary of the CRC and the 35th anniversary of DCI International.
Open the calendar of events.

ECPAT

ECPAT celebrates 24 years fighting against modern slavery 
ECPAT was born on 1 May 1990, when a few good people came together with a common concern for children caught in modern slavery. It was clear that there was a growing trend in the use of children for sex tourism – not a topic that many wanted to acknowledge, much less address, at that time. Over the next few years a committed few worked strenuously to break through the culture of silence and, as their voices were increasingly heard, groups from around the world joined, transforming ECPAT into a global network dedicated to ending all manifestations of commercial child sexual exploitation.Read MoreClose

Today the ECPAT network includes 80 organisations in 74 countries – reflecting both the unfortunate breadth of the problem and the robust international response. Since 1990, many countries have passed legislation to increase child protection and a wide array of international, regional and local entities – both public and private – have emerged to join or partner with the ECPAT network. ECPAT has led global campaigns, co-organised three World Congresses against the sexual exploitation of children and been recognised on an international scale. Most importantly, ECPAT has actively promoted participation of children and youth, particularly child survivors and those most at risk, through their involvement in research, advocacy and innovative child participation programmes.
More than two decades after its humble beginnings, despite facing increasingly widespread and complex challenges, ECPAT is still committed to combating modern slavery.

INGO Ponimanie   

International NGO Ponimanie (Belarus) is a co-recipient of the 2014 ISPCAN Multidisciplinary Team Award

The INGO Ponimanie Team

INGO Ponimanie has been selected as a co-recipient of the 2014 ISPCAN Multidisciplinary Team Award by the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN). The Multidisciplinary Team Award recognizes a multidisciplinary team that has made substantial progress in the treatment or prevention of child abuse and neglect in its local community.
The award will be presented at the XX ISPCAN International Congress in Nagoya, Japan, that will be held 14-17 September 2014. Read MoreClose

Jenny A. Gray President of the ISPCAN and Irene Intebi, ISPCAN Awards Committee Chair, addressed the INGO “Ponimanie” with a letter of congratulations where they admitted that the award is truly deserved by the organization.
The keystone of Child Protection System that Ponimanie is striving to build in Belarus is the United Child Protection Model. The Model unites all the elements of child protection system into the one logical chain – from Prevention to Rehabilitation, with emphasis on Treatment/Clinical Component of Intervention. Based on CAC++ (Children’s Advocacy Center plus several important components) approach, United Child Protection Model fits for countries of low and middle income per capita as it has high cost efficiency due to reduced indirect costs with keeping excellent quality of support.
There remains a lot to be done in the field of child protection in order that children feel absolutely secured and have each and every possibility for full and harmonious development.

Plan International

Over 90% of children adopted in Korea come from unmarried mothers. In 2011, Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea (TRACK) launched the annual Single Moms’ Day Conference as a response to the discrimination against unwed mothers and their children and to challenge the Korean Government’s Adoption Day, which violated children’s rights by prioritising adoption over support for single parent families. Read MoreClose

Women’s World Summit Foundation

The WWSF Children-Youth Section is pleased to launch the 2014 Call to Action & Prevention Kit (4th edition) for the “19 Days of
Activism for prevention of violence against children and youth 1-19 November”, a campaign ending on World Day – 19
November. The Kit includes a list of 19 abuse themes, which need urgent prevention measures, as well as information and ideas for
action. The 2014 main theme is about “Addiction and Substance Abuse”.
For those who are new to 19 Days of Activism, it is an international empowerment campaign that began in 2011 as an extension of
the World Day for prevention of child abuse – 19 November, a Day, which many organizations have continued to celebrate annually
for the past 13 years. Read MoreClose