 |
CISMAI
Coordinamento Italiano dei Servizi contro il Maltrattamento e l'Abuso all'Infanzia Partner nazionale ISPCAN |
|
|
CHI SIAMO |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| ARGOMENTI | |
| Vita
del Coordinamento |
| News |
| Newsletter
"Il Raccordo" |
| Documenti
on-line |
| Pubblicazioni
|
| Convegni-corsi-seminari |
| Leggi
e Decreti |
| Links
e webgrafia |
| CRIN
- Child Rights Information Network |
| ISPCAN |
|
|
- CHILD RIGHTS: Ask questions to the UN Human Rights Commissioner [news] - SOMALIA/KENYA: Floods emergency affects 1.8 million people [news] - THAILAND: Insurgent attacks shut down schools in South [news] - COLOMBIA: Violence against women in the armed conflict [publication] - INDIGENOUS RIGHTS: UN Declaration blocked at the General Assembly [news] - CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Karen version launched [news] - DIVERSITY: Respect for diversity in the education of young children [publication] ___________________________________________________________ CHILD RIGHTS: Ask questions to the UN Human Rights Commissioner [news] Are we failing to protect the rights of the younger generation? There are more under-18s than ever before but many governments around the world are still failing to protect children against exploitation, armed conflict, AIDS, illiteracy and poverty. Does our attitude to the next generation need to change? What can or should be done to improve the lives and prospects for young people and children around the world? If you are under 18, what do you think should change? The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour will be answering your questions in a special edition of the BBC phone-in programme 'Have Your Say' on Sunday, 10th December. Send your questions to her now. Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=11732 Further information See the BBC's Special
Report on how young people view the
world today --------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOMALIA/KENYA: Floods emergency affects 1.8 million people [news] On 10 November flash floods swept through the town of Belet Weyne in Somalia's Hiran Valley. Since then an estimated 330,000 people have been displaced, according to Save the Children UK. There are serious concerns for displaced people who are now exposed to the elements and the high risk of water contamination as the flooding swamps latrines and shallow wells. The most urgent needs are for plastic sheeting, blankets, soap, mosquito nets, food, jerry cans and water treatment tablets for drinking water. The flooding has also affected northern Kenya. Somali refugee camps in the area have been particularly badly hit; some 160,000 people have been directly affected in the camps situated in Dadaab, and an estimated 700,000 people have been affected across Kenya. Shelters have been washed away and destroyed, and many people have fled to higher ground. Large areas of the country are still completely inaccessible; food supplies are starting to run low, along with basic medical supplies. Given poor health practices, including open defecation, and no boiling or sterilisation of water, there is the possibility of a major health crisis. Rains are expected to continue into next year, even as late as July 2007. In the past year the Horn of Africa region has experienced conflict, drought and flooding. Somalia has been in a state of conflict and lawlessness for over 15 years. The floods are exacerbating an already precarious humanitarian situation, where the political instability and possibilities of widespread conflict continue to threaten communities. Children are already in a very vulnerable position and levels of infant and maternal mortality are amongst the highest in the world. The volatile environment increases the difficulty in providing a timely and substantive response. Save the Children is calling on the permanent members of the UN Security Council to put pressure on warring factions and neighbouring countries not to fuel a war that could affect up to one million children. Venetia Bellers, Save the Children’s Emergency Programme Manager in Kenya, said: “The risk of full scale conflict inside Somalia is very real and the international community must be ready for a movement of refugees. Donors must act now and prepare for a full-scale response to a worst case scenario. If they fail to heed these loud alarm bells that have been ringing for months, it will spell disaster for thousands of children and their families.” Many of the refugee camps in the region of Kenya are currently overcrowded, flooded and cut off from the rest of the country. Massive amounts of stagnant water are creating a public health hazard and food is scarce after flooding destroyed crops and livestock forcing market prices to increase threefold in some areas. Children are facing the risk of malnutrition and disease as well as the risk of being separated from their families. Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=11782 Further information --------------------------------------------------------------------------- THAILAND: Insurgent attacks shut down schools in South [news] [LONDON, 29th November 2006] - Attacks on teachers and schools by separatist insurgents in Thailand’s restive southern provinces are terrorising the population and preventing children from enjoying their right to education, Human Rights Watch said. On Monday 27th, teachers in the three southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat decided to close all 944 government schools for fear of safety. The Teachers’ Federation has agreed with a regional army chief to re-open the schools on December 4, provided that there is no new attack. Since the beginning of a new school term on 1st November, separatist insurgents have killed five and injured at least two teachers and set 10 schools on fire while Thai security forces have struggled unsuccessfully to protect schools, teachers and students. On 24th November, armed insurgents shot and burned Non Chaisuwan, a 48-year-old teacher, to death in front of terrified staff and students in Pattani’s Sai Buri district. Militants from the youth wing (pemuda) and guerilla units (Runda Kumpulan Kecil, or RKK) of the separatist National Revolution Front-Coordinate (Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Koordinasi, or BRN-C) target schools because they are considered to be a symbol of government authority and Buddhist-Thai culture. “Insurgents are terrorising the civilian population by attacking teachers and schools, which they consider are symbols of the Thai state,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “These attacks on civilians are not just grave crimes. They also threaten children’s basic right to education.” Attacks on educators in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have become a regular part of the past two years of separatist insurgency among the predominantly ethnic Malay-Muslim population. Many ethnic Thai teachers have been shot in their classrooms and their lodgings. Insurgents have ambushed both teachers and security patrols trying to convoy students safely to their schools. Teachers have been held hostage in exchange for the release of insurgent suspects from government custody. This new generation of village-based militants in the National Revolution Front-Coordinate - who are often referred to as fighters or pejuang - is attempting to divide society on ethnic and religious fault lines by playing on mistrust between the Buddhist and Muslim population. The militants’ leaflets, recently distributed in Yala, claim that the southern border provinces are not the land of Buddhist Thais, but a religious “conflict zone” - similar to Palestine or Afghanistan - which must be divided between Muslims and infidels. According to the leaflets, Fatoni Darulsalam (or “Islamic Land of Patani,” in Arabic) will be liberated from what they call the Buddhist-Thai occupation only by force. The government of Thailand’s new prime minister, General Surayud Chulanont, has promised to give special attention to measures that would make schools safe and teachers secure to continue their work in the community. But Human Rights Watch warned against the possible rise of vigilantism as the local population is encouraged by the authorities to defend itself against militants. “Insurgents are using the growing insecurity among teachers and educators to strengthen their power and weaken the credibility of Thai authorities,” said Adams. “The Thai government must work closely with local communities to protect them and ensure that their children have access to education.” Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=11778 Further information --------------------------------------------------------------------------- COLOMBIA: Violence against women in the armed conflict [publication] [WASHINGTON, DC, 5th December 2006] - The actors in the Colombian armed conflict, in particular the paramilitary groups and the guerrilla, employ physical, sexual and psychological violence against women as a strategy of war. This is one of the most alarming conclusions of a report prepared by the Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that became public this week. Violence and Discrimination Against Women in the Armed Conflict in Colombia also reveals that discrimination against women aggravates the impact of the violence on them, their families and communities. The report also reviews the particularly critical situation of indigenous and Afro-descendent women, who confront not only the consequences of gender-based discrimination, but also those derived from their ethnic or racial background. The report addresses the recruitment of girls and young women by armed groups such as the AUC (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) and the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). Girls are raped and forced to place intrauterine devices and even to practice abortions. The report states that "paramilitary leaders [….] order the search of girls between the ages of 12 and 14 to live with them, provide sexual services and perform domestic duties". In the course of the investigations, the IACHR received information about a young pregnant woman that was murdered as a reprisal for having escaped. Her baby was removed from her womb and displayed as a symbol to discourage other girls in the same situation from escaping. The IACHR also considers alarming that all armed actors in the conflict commit aggressions against organisations working to defend the rights of women. The report indicates that armed actors find that "the leadership exercised by women’s rights organisations challenges the extent of their social and territorial control". This has led “to the systematic intimidation, persecution, kidnapping, torture and sexual abuse” of representatives from these organisations. Forms of violence resulting from the armed conflict have fueled the forced displacement of more than two million persons, with a high percentage of families headed by women (four out of ten). The report discusses how displaced women suffer discrimination from the armed groups that generate the displacement and the receiving communities. The investigation confirmed that when women seek justice, they receive an inadequate treatment and response from the judicial branch. This increases their fear to report the crimes and their mistrust in the capacity of the judicial instances to remedy the violations of their rights. This also promotes an environment of impunity which perpetuates the treatment of women as spoils of war by the armed actors. Colombia stands out for the adoption of key norms and public policies that recognise and protect the rights of women, as well as the jurisprudential advances of its Constitutional Court. Despite these measures, the absence of an integral State policy is evident that addresses the specific impact of the armed conflict on women with a coordinated and multidisciplinary approach that includes the specific needs of women throughout the national territory. The report discusses how "the State seems to lack an integral vision and an effective preparation to address the consequences of violence and discrimination that the conflict imposes on women. The existing policy framework does not provide an adequate base for the implementation of integral programmes and services for victims that include the justice, education and health sectors." The report formulates recommendations to the State to redress this situation. Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=11727&flag=report For more information,
contact: Further information --------------------------------------------------------------------------- INDIGENOUS RIGHTS: UN Declaration blocked at the General Assembly [news] [30 November 2006] - Final approval at the UN General Assembly of the Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples has been blocked by a group of African countries led by Namibia, and supported by Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. The Declaration is the result of 24 years of discussion at the UN. The newly formed UN Human Rights Council, in its first session, recommended in June that the General Assembly approve the Declaration. This week, 87 countries voted for a ‘non-active motion Resolution’ tabled by Namibia, with 67 countries voting against and 25 abstentions. The vote will further delay the adoption of the Declaration, and may lead to it being weakened. Botswana was among the States blocking the Declaration. The Gana and Gwi Bushmen have taken the Botswana government to court over their eviction from their ancestral land. The court will rule on 13 December. Survival’s director Stephen Corry said today, ‘It’s extremely disappointing that the Declaration is being delayed yet again. Indigenous peoples have already waited far too long for their rights to be recognised. The prime movers in this week’s result all have indigenous peoples living within their borders and facing ongoing struggles for their rights to their land and to self-determination. These countries should be ashamed of themselves.’ If approved, the Declaration would set a benchmark against which countries' treatment of tribal peoples can be judged; it is not legally binding. The Declaration recognises the rights of indigenous peoples to their land and to live as they wish. It also affirms that, for example, they should not be moved from their lands without their free and informed consent. Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=11724 For more information,
contact: Further information --------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Karen version launched [news] On 25th November 2006, staff of the new Thai NGO Knowing Children traveled from Bangkok to the Mae Hlar refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border to present the first copies of a Karen language translation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to children in a small orphanage. The United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child provides
all children, to provision of life,
freedom, homes, identity, health and
schooling, It is vital that children should be able to read about their rights in their own language. But millions of children worldwide are not able to do this, because the Convention has not been translated into their mother tongue. Today Karen children are able to read it for the first time, thanks to a boy from this orphanage, who in 2004 asked Margaret Purvis, a visitor from the United States of America, if she could find a copy of the Convention in Karen. She promised to do this and Knowing Children helped her to keep her promise, with the help of five Karen translators and one Karen artist, as well as financial contributions from Save the Children Sweden and Margaret herself, and an advance order for 2,000 copies from UNICEF office for Thailand. Margaret was able to keep her promise to a parentless, stateless boy because this project falls within Knowing Children’s vision that all policies and programmes for children should be founded on rights-based, scientific information. The pocket-sized translation includes an illustrated, children-friendly explanation, as well as texts in both Karen and English, a foreword by Jaap Doek, the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, who writes “Particular thanks go to the boy who first requested to be able to read about his own human rights. I hope that many such translations will soon make this information available in the mother tongues of children and adults from minority and ethnic groups.” Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=11784 For more information,
contact: Further information --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DIVERSITY: Respect for diversity in the education of young children [publication] The Bernard van Leer Foundation has released a new issue of its Working Papers series on Early Childhood Development. In Respect for diversity: An international overview, Professor Glenda M MacNaughton, of the University of Melbourne, presents an overview on ways of thinking about young children’s respect for diversity. The paper maps sources of knowledge about four different sorts of diversity in young children’s lives: cultural and racial diversity, developmental diversity (including ‘special needs’), gender diversity and socio-economic diversity. It sketches this knowledge base in terms of the extensively researched terrain (what we know with relative certainty), the inadequately explored terrain (promising directions), the theoretical terrain (conceptualising and informing practice), the methodological terrain (developing and validating the knowledge), researchers and research centres in the terrain, and regional nuances in the terrain. The literature review conducted for this paper has identified five broad schools of thought on issues of respect for diversity in the education of young children: the laissez-faire school, the special provisions school, the cultural understandings school, the equal opportunities school and the anti-discrimination school. The paper maps each school of thought in terms of its characteristic perspectives on the best methods for understanding and engaging with diversity in young children’s lives. Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=11775 For more information,
contact: Further information --------------------------------------------------------------------------- SRI LANKA: says rebels
shell school, wound students (7 December) INDIA: Child traffickers
should be given ten year jail terms
(7 December) FRANCE: National Assembly
approves youth crime bill (6 December) DISABILITY CONVENTION:
To be adopted by General Assembly on
13th December (6 December) ARMS TRADE: UN Assembly
takes steps towards new treaty (6 December) HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL:
News on child rights issues at the current
session
|
|
 |
 |
 |