Resignation from the CRA - Reply Urgently within 15days by 13th of August 2013

Dear All

 

It was a great fun in working with you. It is true that due to your buzy and tight schedule in life and of course other priority in career,  you people are getting trouble to contribute your time for the CRA. I know it is a very hard decision but for the benefits of CRA and its future and to facilitate and smoothen the works of CRA please resign from your existing posts in the organisation, and let us take a fresh mandate.

It is a humble request. Your non reply for fifteen (15) days, effective from 5th of August 2013, would be considered as an automatic resignation from your respective post.

 

Notice to : Sandeep Jain, Faheem Ali, Md Fahim (HR Activist), Tazeen Faruqi, Radha, Asif Iqbal and Tabrez Ahmed

 

I hope we will come out with fresh ideas and contineu to work for CRA in future too.

 

Thanks and Best wishes

Noor Alam

President
(CRA)
+919873460153
 

Status of Footpath Dwellers in Delhi - Violation of Article 21 of Indian Constitution

Near Batla house kabristan, in Jamia Nagar, New Delhi - 25, some families are living in open air on footpath without any shelter. Yesterday I stopped my bike near them they all assumed that I am any almsgiver who came to give them some money. Children of these families were playing there without showing any dismay of this chilly winter...sign of grief and inability to do any thing for these children were clear on the face of their mother. unme se ek aurat ko teen din pahle road pe hi bachcha hua hai... She was showing me her baby... All of them were asking me to arrange a home for them so that they can pass the cold winter ... but how can I do this... I have no such resource.. what the hell those government agencies are doing... whose have duty to provide shelter to these shelter less....what if some of them lose their lives..... is it not a violation of Article 21 of Indian constitution.... when many such people living under the nose of Indian Government can not get shelter in Indian Capital then where else....

i have called Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan... they said tomorrow.. they will make some arrangement... I hope so....
please note the below contact and use it when you too see such people in that pitty condition....


AAshray Adhikar Abhiyan
S-442, School Block,
Shakarpur, Delhi-110 092
Phone no.:011-22481609
Mobile.: 09312668807 (Paramjeet Kaur),09810711644 (Sanjay Kumar)

call these numbers atleast

Special Report on Missing Girls in East Asia on International Women's Day

Noted journalist Aarti Dhar in her research article in "The Hindu" observed that the problem of “missing girls'' – a scenario where more boys are born than girls, as girl foetuses are presumably aborted, and women die from health and nutrition neglect – is growing in the Asia Pacific. Birth gender disparity is greatest in East Asia, where 119 boys are born for every 100 girls.

She further says that China and India together account for more than 85 million of the nearly 100 million “missing'' women estimated to have died from discriminatory treatment in health care, nutrition access or pure neglect – or because they were never born in the first place, “Power, Voice and Rights – A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific,'' a report brought out by the United Nations Development Programme in Delhi to mark the International Women's Day said.


Some Hard Facts from the Report

> One-tenth of women in the region report being assaulted by their partners,

> Majority of women who do work – up to 85 per cent of South Asia's working women – are engaged in unstable low-end work in the informal economy.

> Few women hold property.

> Although women predominate in agriculture, they head only 7 per cent of farms, compared to 20 per cent in most other regions of the world.

> The region is far behind where it could be on basic issues, such as protecting women from violence, upholding entitlements to property – even allowing people to divorce in an informed and reasonable way.

> Few countries have adopted or implemented laws prohibiting violence against women, despite widespread evidence of discrimination and assault.

> Nearly half of the countries in South Asia, and more than 60 per cent of those in the Pacific, have no laws against domestic violence.

> Nor are there many provisions against sexual harassment in workplaces,

> Though 30 to 40 per cent of working women report experiencing verbal, physical or sexual abuse,

> Too often, customs or religious beliefs have become a rationale for laws and legal systems to ignore or soft peddle or even justify issues such as discriminatory inheritance practices and the multiple forms of violence that specifically target women.

Four children in the 7-11age group drowned in an open pit in NCT of Delhi

On 6th of March 2010,right under the nose of India Capital, Four children in the 7-11age group drowned in an open pit filled with water, which is said to have accumulated from a leakage in a pipeline at Gopalpur in North Delhi. Angry locals and mourning relatives of the children who drowned, have demanded strict action against those responsible for the tragic deaths.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Delhi) Sagar Preet Hooda said: “A case of causing death due to negligence has been registered against unknown persons and investigations are under way to fix responsibility.”

The pit in which the children drowned is located in a gated complex. The police are trying to find out if anyone had been deployed for the supervision or maintenance of the complex.

Then Who is responsible?

The blame game is on its natural prosody. The Delhi Jal Board on Saturday absolved itself of any blame for the negligence that led to the death of the children. It shifted responsibility to the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi Government.

While residents complained that the Jal Board took no action to cover the pit and fix the leakage, the water utility said the land (with the open pit) was owned by the Irrigation and Flood Control and Irrigation Department.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has announced a compensation of Rs.1 lakh each to the families of the victims.


Source: The Hindu

CHILD RIGHTS ADVOCATES demand a high level inquiry in Ruchika case

Suddenly this girl's name has raised the pulse of Nation. Who is this girl? What is happened to her? How she became the victim of Child abuse? how a power police officer diluted the scene and made the mockery of law? now what would be the next strategies of the government officials and Judiciary toward the Rathore, the culprit? what punishment he really deserve? and many similar queries surfaced in front of whole nation. Thanks to media, which gave the issue the required edge! A very genuine concern germinates in a layman's mind that how to react in this issue. Was this incidence was unique to Indian psyche or this kind of child molestation case is very common in this country. No body knows how many more Ruchikas are being victimised daily by the powerful Rathores in our prosperous Indian Nation. Only God knows the real answer.

Child molestation is a danger kind of Child abuse, is not a new concept. But we don't know when the duty bearers of this country will understand the seriousness of this issue and would do some thing more concrete. Our lawmakers should understand that use of government machinery must be for the welfare of victims but not in the support of culprits and especially when the culprit is a Public Servant like Rathore.

CHILD RIGHTS ADVOCATES demand a high level inquiry in this case. Let the truth come, not only to ensure justice to the family of Ruchika, which they deserve at its earliest, but to probe the mis-use of government machinery, the favoritism given to the culprit Rathore by any specific Party or an Ex-chief minister. Let the naked truth come in front of nation. Let the powerful feel the heat of Judicial Machinery and Rule of Law, if it is still existing in this country.

Children's Rights Still Violated 20 Years After UN Convention on Child Rights

Nations are staging special events to mark the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which came into force on November 20, 1989.
Lisa Schlein | Geneva 20 November 2009

"One of these problems is children's physical abuse. In schools, they hit children, in their houses. And, the other is the sexual abuse."
Nations are staging special events to mark the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which came into force on November 20, 1989. It is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty. Every country in the world, with the exception of the United States and Somalia, has ratified it. In pre-Convention days, most of the world thought children should be seen and not heard. Now, 20 years later, some children are making their voices heard. But most remain silent and their human rights continue to be violated.

"I want to have my rights and I want to defend those who don't have a voice to say no," says 12 year old Tracy from Lebanon. She is one of 23 children chosen from 16 countries to come to Geneva to participate in workshops, debates and other events to mark the 20th anniversary of the Convention. Tracy is an active member of the Children's Council of World Vision in Lebanon and understands the problems children face in her country.

"One of these problems is children's physical abuse. In schools," she says, "they hit children, in their houses. And, the other is the sexual abuse."

Sixteen-year old Fredrica says children's rights in her country, Sierra Leone, are being violated. Their situation is going from bad to worse every day.

"So many things are happening to us that is against the rights and when the Convention on the Rights of the Child puts laws, most of these laws have been violated every day," she says. "So, many violence, cases of child trafficking… Every day things are going bad, bad, bad and bad. But, we just hope that things get better for all the children living in Sierra Leone and also in Africa."

Cara is 17 and part of Planned Canada's Youth Action Council. It's an organization that works with children, families and communities to improve conditions in the developing world. Cara says she feels a special responsibility to speak out on behalf of disadvantaged children because she comes from a country that has a stable government, and a good educational and health system.

"I feel that it is my responsibility because I have the resources to help other children around the world who don't have a voice and who don't have their rights respected to really speak up for them and try to help them in any way I can."

Cara notes many adults don't know children have rights. She feels duty bound to inform them, as well as the children, of their rights.

"Because the children need to know how to protect themselves, how to stick up for themselves and fight for what is right. And, the adults need to know," she says. "It's just as important for them to know so that we gain their support. Because us alone, we are limited to do so much, but us together, if we work together to fight for child rights, then we can really have success."

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, super-model, Claudia Schiffer, actor, Ewen McGregor and Hollywood actress, Mia Farrow have been advocating for the rights of children for years. They are trying to make life better for them. So is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.

"With the adoption of the Convention by the General Assembly two-decades ago," she says, "the international community unanimously recognized for the first time in history that children, both girls and boys alike, are not simply the property of their parents or of their care givers, but individual rights-holders."

Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Saad Houry, calls the Convention a milestone, but notes the reality does not always live up to the document's vision of a world made safe for all children. He says millions of children remain excluded from that dream.

"Despite remarkable economic growth in scores of countries over the past 20 years, shocking disparities are also growing, with the poorest children left further behind."

Much remains to be done to ensure children's rights are being respected. Nevertheless, young people all over the world clutch onto their dreams and believe they can turn them into reality.

Despite the success of the Convention in raising awareness of children's rights worldwide, one of the largest and most influential countries in the world has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United States has not approved the Convention because it fears government interference in family life and the possible loss of its sovereign rights.

Also, many of the countries that have ratified the Convention have not taken any measures to implement the laws.

Supression of children's rights and the abuse of children remain major worldwide problems.

UNICEF chief calls for end of "unspeakable violations" against children

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The "unspeakable violations" that happen almost everyday to children all across the globe need to be a thing of the past, chief of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Ann Veneman said here on Friday.
In her remarks on the occasion to mark the Universal Children's Day and the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the UN headquarters in New York, Veneman said: "Let us remember the unspeakable violations of rights that occur almost daily to the most innocent of innocents, children."
Saying that much has been achieved in the past 20 years, Veneman underscored that the annual rate of under age five deaths fell to 28 percent, 1.6 billion people worldwide gained access to improved water sources between 1990 and 2006, and that the gender gap has narrowed where more children attend primary school than previously.
"Children are no longer the missing face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic," she said, adding that advances have also been made in child protection in the face of child soldiers, prostitution and early marriage.
"Yet, much more remains to be done," Veneman warned. "That an estimated 8.8 million children continue to die before they celebrate their fifth birthday is simply unacceptable."
She named preventable diseases, like pneumonia and malaria, as well as malnutrition, unsanitary conditions, lack of healthcare resources and protection against violence and exploitation, as some of the many culprits to children.
Speaking about her personal experiences, Veneman said, "I have spoken to girls in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where sexual violence, pillaging, burning of homes and killing define their daily lives."
"I have met boys who were abducted from their families and forced to wage war in their own countries, sometimes even in their own communities," she said.
"The world must build on the progress achieved to ensure that stories such as theirs become part of the past," Veneman said.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the UN General Assembly's 1959 Declaration on the Rights of the Child, which initiated actions aimed at benefiting and promoting the welfare of children worldwide.
Twenty years have passed, too, since the same assembly got a Convention on the Rights of the Child signed to clearly establish the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children.
Now, 193 countries have ratified that convention, making it one of the most endorsed conventions in the world.


www.chinaview.cn 2009-11-21 07:17:30

Special report: Global News Day for Children

Physical or emotional abuse during childhood could speed up the body's ageing process, US research suggests

A team from Brown University focused on telomeres, the protective caps on the chromosomes that keep a cell's DNA stable but shorten with age.
They found the telomeres of 31 people who had reported abuse as children tended to shorten more rapidly, speeding up cells' ageing process.
Experts cautioned that the study needed to be replicated on a larger scale.
The study is featured in Biological Psychiatry.
Lead researcher Dr Audrey Tyrka said: "It gives us a hint that early developmental experiences may have profound effects on biology that can influence cellular mechanisms at a very basic level."
Telomeres are relatively short sections of specialised DNA that sit at the ends of all our chromosomes.
They have been compared to the plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces that prevent the laces from unravelling.

Shorter telomere lengths are linked to ageing and certain diseases, so it is possible that this is a mechanism of risk for illness following childhood abuse
Dr Audrey Tyrka
Brown University

Each time a cell divides, its telomeres shorten and the cell becomes more susceptible to dying.
Previous research has found that telomeres shorten at an accelerated rate when exposed to toxins such as radiation and cigarette smoke.
There has also been work suggesting that psychiatric problems and stress could have a similar effect.
The latest study suggests psychological trauma early in life could store up similar problems for the future.
The researchers concentrated on people who although reporting abuse in childhood were otherwise healthy and had no signs of current or past psychiatric disorders.
Dr Tyrka said more work was needed to pin down the exact impact of childhood stress on cellular ageing.

The study and resulting theory is plausible as researchers have found previous telomere links with chronic stress

Professor Tim Spector
King's College London
She said: "We don't know what the full implications of this are yet.
"Shorter telomere lengths are linked to ageing and certain diseases, so it is possible that this is a mechanism of risk for illness following childhood abuse.
"But the precise role of telomeres in this process remains to be determined."
Shorter telomere lengths have been linked to a variety of ageing-related medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.
For this study, the scientists looked at 22 women and nine men.
Some subjects reported happy childhoods, while others reported emotional, physical or sexual abuse or neglect.
Professor Tim Spector, an expert on telomeres and ageing based at King's College London, said: "The study and resulting theory is plausible as researchers have found previous telomere links with chronic stress.
"However, many different adverse environments are known to reduce telomeres - such as cigarette smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and social class as well as genes.
"In such a small sample such as this - any of these could actually be responsible rather than the abuse - so it needs replication on a much bigger scale."

By courtesy and special thanks to BBC news

Long Live Independence Day

Our Independence came after a heavy price we paid for it. The 200 years of illegal occupation by the Imperialist Britishers and their divisive policies of Divide and Rule in the name of religion, language, caste and ethnicity was mainly responsible for the Partition of India. Millions of people including women and children were butchered in the name of partition riot. And the children were the worst victim. So on this remembrance day we should pledge that we will try to ensure the peace and safety to children of India and the world from the conflict and disputes situation. We must work for communal harmony in the India and world. Then only our children can enjoy full fervor of Independence day.
१५ अगस्त अमर रहे
भारत की आज़ादी अमर रहे
CRA का नारा है
हर एक बच्चा प्यारा है

History of Child Rights in Twentieth century

In the early twentieth century, moves began to promote the idea of children’s rights as distinct form those of adults and as requiring explicit recognition. The Polish educationalist Janusz Korczk wrote of the rights of children in his book ‘How to love child (Warsaw, 1919); a later book was entitled the Child Right to respect (Warsaw, 1929). In 1917, following the Russian Revolution, the Moscow branch of the organization Proletkult produced a Declaration of Children’s Rights. However, the first effective attempt to promote children’s rights was the Declaration of the rights of the Child, drafted by Eglantyne Jebb in 1923 and adopted by the League of Nations in 1924. This was accepted by the United Nation son its formation and updated in 1959, and replaced with a more extensive UN convention on the rights of the Child in 1989.

From the formation of the United Nation in the 1940s and extending to present day, the Children’s Rights Movement has become global in focus. Children around the world have increasingly become engaged in illegal, forced child labor, genital mutilation, military service, and sex trafficking. Several international organizations have rallied to the assistance of the children. They include Save the Children, Free the Children, and the Children’s Defense Fund.

The Child Rights Information network, or CRIN, formed in 1983, is the group of 2000 non-governmental organization from around the world, which advocate for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Organization’s report on the countries’ progress towards implementation, as do governments that have ratified the Convention. Every 5 years reporting to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child is required for Government.

Twelve years old girl's body found hanging from tree in West Bengal

A 12-year-old girl was on Sunday found hanging by the neck in a bamboo grove near her residence in Nadia district of West Bengal, police said.

Police said the body of the girl, a class 6 student of a Muragacha Subodhoni High School, was found to be without clothes and suspended about six inches above the ground.

"This is an incident of murder. We can't say if the girl was sexually assaulted. That can only be said after the post-mortem examination report and other necessary forensic tests," Superintendent of Police (Nadia) H. Kusumakar said.

He said: "The family members of the victim have not mentioned any name of the suspects. We are investigating the case now."

According to sources, the girl had left her Bahirgachi home Saturday evening to attend a wedding ceremony in the neighbourhood. When she did not return home, her father began a search but could find no clue about the whereabouts of the girl.

Late in the night, he lodged a complaint with the local Nagasipara police station that his daughter was missing, police said.

Later the locals spotted the girl's body in the bamboo grove on Sunday morning.


By courtesy The Times of India
IANS 26 July 2009, 09:05pm IST

A union minister see no harm if child artists work in TV serials

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS)

Despite a ban by the Maharashtra government, Information and Boradcasting Minister Ambika Soni says she has no problems with child artists featuring in TV serials as long as their studies are not affected.

'There is no problem with child stars featuring in serials, because after all, parents are the best judge of their children,' Soni told CNN-IBN in an interview.

'If parents are okay with it and the children are continuing their studies alongside, what is the problem with them performing in serials?' she asked.
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'I think parents are the best judge. So long as their studies don't suffer and parents have no problem I don't know why any notice has been served. Parents are the best decision makers,' she said.

Last month, the Maharastra government had issued notices to several production houses, warning them against violating the Child Labour Act by using children in their TV shows.

The state labour department had pulled up these production houses for violating provisions of the Act under which child artistes should get one hour rest after every three hours of shooting. Also, their studies should not be affected. If found guilty, the production houses may have to cough up Rs.10,000 in fine or face imprisonment of up to six months.

Soni has said that she would review the notices already issued.


Source: by courtesy from yahoo.

Save the Children demands new legislation to end the child labour

New Delhi, June 12 (IANS) The new United Progressive Alliance government must introduce a bill to prohibit all forms of child labour in the country within the first 100 days, a child rights organisation said Friday.
“In its plan of action for the first 100 days in power, the Ministry of Labour and Employment must bring in a new bill to prohibit all forms of child labour upto 14 years,” said Vakil Miller, of NGO Save the Children.

The appeal came on the occasion of International Labour Organisation Day Friday. India has over 12 million children involved in labour, according to government figures.

According to Miller, the government needs to revamp the national child labour project which has not been effective in the past years in removing children from the labour force and rehabilitating them.

“The new government must make investments required to end the scourge of child labour.

“Much before the government sets out to restructure the education system, it is critical for it to tackle the question of child labour as India is one of the countries with highest figures in child labour,” added Miller.

There are 13 million children below 14 years engaged in child labour across the world.

90 civil society organisations across Karnataka have joined hands to end rampant child labour in the state.

Bangalore, Feb 23 (IANS) In a first of its kind attempt in the country, 90 civil society organisations across Karnataka have joined hands to end rampant child labour in the state.
The Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), a nation-wide network to eliminate child labour, took the lead in launching the initiative.

The Civil Society Initiatives for Elimination of Child Labour was launched in August 2008.

“The aim of the exercise is to educate and involve society through various civilian groups about the scourge of child labour. In a way we want to involve the entire society in eradicating the inhuman practice of engaging child labour in various sectors,” V. Susheela, convener of the Karnataka chapter of CACL, told IANS.

“Our latest initiative has borne positive results as 90 civil society groups have become members of our campaign in the past seven months. These groups are working in tandem in stopping children from being employed in various sectors across the state. The civil society groups are also involved in advocacy and opinion building against child labour,” Susheela added.

Some of the civil society groups which have joined hands with CACL are Bangalore Hotel Owners’ Association, Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners’ Association, Karnataka Truck Owners’ Association, and various trade unions including the Karnataka Beedi Workers’ Union.

The CACL initiative has the support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Karnataka Child Labour Project.

On the impact of the initiative so far, Susheela said, “It is sure to enlighten civil society that the practice of child labour is unlawful and it will help in the rescue and rehabilitation of poor children working as domestic helps in homes, garages and hotels.

“Most people are not aware that employing children as labourers is unlawful. The issue of child labour is very complex, as in most cases parents themselves deny their child is working. Thus it takes a lot of time to rescue children from the clutches of their employers. But we’re working and hope to achieve good results soon,” said Susheela.

According to the 2001 census, there were 12.59 million child workers in India. Karnataka had 823,000 child labourers. Uttar Pradesh topped the chart with 1,927,997 of child labourers, followed by Andhra Pradesh where 1,363,339 children were found working.

“Our very first target of involving civil society groups is to reduce the number of child labourers in Karnataka. This can happen only when new recruitment stops. Awareness on not recruiting children as workers could be easily spread through civil society groups,” said Mahindra Rajaram, consultant of the advocacy wing of CACL.

“Whenever we have approached any groups, we have got positive feedback from them. If we could sustain our work, we are sure to bring some positive results in the coming years,” he added.

However, Rajaram said that since child labour was a complex issue and directly linked to poverty, it would take some time to bring tangible results.

“Figures regarding child labour are also conflicting. Figures from NGOs differ hugely from government data,” he noted.

“Exact figures of child labour of any place is hard to provide,” said Rajaram.

According to a recent CACL survey, Karnataka has 400,000 child labourers, whereas the state government’s labour department puts the figure at just 85,000.

Child rights activists estimate that currently there are 50 million child labourers in India, though it was banned more than two years ago.

The notification on prohibition of employment of children as domestic help and in restaurants or roadside ‘dhabas’ (eateries) came into effect on Oct 10, 2006. Violators face jail for up to two years and a fine of Rs.20,000 (about $420).

According to the 7th All India Education Survey, done last in 2002, 50 percent of Indian children aged 6-18 do not go to school and most of them are engaged in one or other profession, making them child labourers.

As per the child rights charter, a universal definition of “child” includes all persons under the age of 18.

Snake in Mid day meal- 55 kids fell ill

http://sta tic.ibnlive.com/pix/common/ibnlive_small.gif

Fifty five school children were hospitalized in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Friday after they found a dead snake in their mid day meal.
Authorities said that the snake must have fallen into the food accidentally when the meal was being prepared.
“The snake came into notice when served in a plate along with a portion of rice and gruel,” said Rampurhat SDO A Sengupta.
Doctors who examined the children felt nausea only out of revulsion. Cook Maya konai who prepared the food has been blaming Integrated Child Development Scheme officials. She said they did not improve condition of the kitchen where the food was being prepared, despite repeated requests. However, officials claimed that the cook never complained about the poor sanitation in the kitchen and said explanation would be sought from her. But Maya maintained that there were many snakes, insects and worms near the kitchen. According to her, she did not found anything suspicious while cooking. She left the center after preparing of the meal and was not present while it was served.

Committee on Rights of Child to hold fifty-first session in Geneva from 25 May to 12 June 2009

Source: United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Date: 22 May 2009


Committee on the Rights of the Child

Situation of Children's Rights in France, Sweden, Mauritania, Slovenia, Bangladesh, Niger, Romania and Oman to be Reviewed

The Committee on the Rights of the Child will meet at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from 25 May to 12 June to review the promotion and protection of children's rights under the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in France, Sweden, Mauritania, Bangladesh, Niger and Romania. The Committee will also review efforts made by Slovenia and Oman with regard to their implementation of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention, on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

The Committee was formed in 1991 to monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which gives a comprehensive collection of children's rights the force of international law. The countries scheduled to come before the Committee at this session are among the 193 to have ratified or acceded to the Convention. The treaty is the most widely accepted international human rights instrument. Only Somalia and the United States have not ratified it. States parties to the Convention are expected to send representatives to the Committee to present periodic reports on national efforts to give effect to children's rights.

At the Committee's fifty-first session, Mauritania and Niger will present their second reports, France, Bangladesh and Romania will present their combined third and fourth periodic reports and Sweden will present its fourth periodic report on measures taken to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child nationally. Delegations from the Slovenia and Oman will also be presenting their initial reports under the Convention's two Optional Protocols.

At its opening meeting, the Committee will swear in the following six newly elected Committee members, who will serve until 28 February 2013: Hadeel Al-Asmar (Syria); Peter Guran (Slovakia); Sanphasit Koompraphant (Thailand); Marta Mauras Perez (Chile); Kamla Devi Varmah (Mauritius) and Susana Villarán de la Puente (Peru). Three Committee members were also re-elected by States parties at the last elections, held on 18 December 2008: Yanghee Lee (Republic of Korea); Awich Pollar (Uganda) and Jean Zermatten (Switzerland). Also at the first meeting, the Committee will elect a new Bureau, including a Chairperson, four Vice Chairpersons and a Rapporteur, from among its Members, following which it will adopt its agenda and review its organization of work.

During the session, in addition to consideration of country reports, the Committee will continue its discussion of ways and areas in which existing cooperation with various relevant bodies could be further strengthened to enhance the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. It will also pursue its discussion concerning the organization of its future work, as well as discuss its treaty-specific reporting guidelines. The Committee will also pursue the elaboration of a general comment further clarifying the concept of child participation as contained in the Convention. Other matters relating to the work of the Committee will be discussed as may be necessary.

The States parties presenting reports during this session have previously come before the Committee. The Committee considered the second periodic report of France on 2 June 2004, and concluding observations on it can be found in document CRC/C/15/Add.240; the Committee examined the third report of Sweden on 11 January 2005, and concluding observations on it are contained in document CRC/C/15/Add.248; on 25 September 2001, the Committee reviewed Mauritania's initial report, and the concluding observations on it can be found in document CRC/C/15/Add.159; the Committee took up the second periodic report of Slovenia on 26 January 2004, and made public concluding observations on it in document CRC/C/15/Add.230; the initial report of Bangladesh underwent a Committee review on 26 and 27 May 1997, and concluding observations on it are contained in document CRC/C/15/Add.74; the initial report of Niger was examined by the Committee on 24 May 2002, and concluding observations on it can be found in document CRC/C/15/Add.179; the Committee considered Romania's second periodic report on 20 January 2003, and made public its concluding observations on it in document CRC/C/15/Add.199; and the Committee reviewed the second periodic report of Oman on 13 September 2006, and concluding observations on are contained in document CRC/C/OMN/CO/2.


Convention on the Rights of the Child

The General Assembly adopted the Convention unanimously on 20 November 1989, 30 years after the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of the Child. The Convention renders States parties legally accountable for their actions towards children. Work on drafting the Convention began in 1979 – the International Year of the Child – at the Commission on Human Rights.

The Convention was opened for signature on 26 January 1990. That day, 61 countries signed it, a record first-day response. It entered into force just seven months later, on 2 September 1990.

Ratifying the Convention entails reviewing national legislation to make sure it is in line with the provisions of the treaty. The Convention stipulates, among other things, that every child has the right to life, and that States shall ensure the maximum child survival and development; that every child has the right to a name and nationality from birth; and that when courts, welfare institutions or administrative authorities deal with children, the child's best interests shall be a primary consideration. The Convention also recognizes the right of children to be heard.

Furthermore, States shall ensure that each child enjoys full rights without discrimination or distinction of any kind, and shall ensure that children not be separated from their parents, unless by competent authorities for their well-being. In addition, States shall facilitate reunification of families by permitting travel into, or out of, their territories; and States shall protect children from physical or mental harm and neglect, including sexual abuse or exploitation.

Also according to the Convention, children with disabilities shall have the right to education, special treatment and care; primary education shall be free and compulsory and discipline in school should respect the child's dignity; capital punishment or life imprisonment shall not be imposed for crimes committed before the age of 18; no child under 15 should take any part in hostilities and children exposed to armed conflict shall receive special protection; and children of minority and indigenous populations shall freely enjoy their own cultures, religions and languages.

In May 2000, the General Assembly adopted the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The Optional Protocols entered into force in 2002. Currently, 126 countries have ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict; and 130 States have ratified the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography

Although the Convention requires States parties to prohibit the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography extends the measures that States Parties must undertake to protect children from these violations of their human rights. The Optional Protocol not only defines the sale of children, child pornography and child prostitution, but also provides a non-exhaustive list of acts and activities which shall be criminalized by States parties. This criminalization also includes attempts, complicity, or participation in such acts or activities. The Optional Protocol sets forth the bases for States Parties to assert jurisdiction over actionable practices relating to the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography (including extra-territorial legislation) and to make provisions about extradition of alleged offenders. Based on the principle of the best interests of the child, the Optional Protocol also sets forth provisions for protecting and assisting child victims during all stages of the criminal justice process. In addition, preventive measures against the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, as well as redress, rehabilitation and recovery of child victims are foreseen in the Optional Protocol. For the implementation of all these provisions, the Optional Protocol asks for a close collaboration among States parties.

Currently, there are 131 parties to the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Andorra; Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Canada; Cape Verde; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Comoros; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cuba; Cyprus; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Denmark; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Estonia; France; Gabon; Georgia; Greece; Guatemala; Holy See; Honduras; Iceland; India; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Latvia; Lebanon; Lesotho; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Lithuania; Madagascar; Maldives; Mali; Mauritania; Mexico; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Nepal; Netherlands; Nicaragua; Niger; Norway; Oman; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Republic of Korea; Republic of Moldova; Romania; Rwanda; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syria; Tajikistan; Thailand; The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Kingdom; Tanzania; United States; Uruguay; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Viet Nam; and Yemen.

Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict complements article 38 of the Convention, as well as international humanitarian law, establishes that no person under the age of 18 shall be subject to compulsory recruitment into regular armed forces, and imposes an obligation on States to raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment to at least 16 years. Upon ratification of or accession to the Optional Protocol, States parties must deposit a binding declaration stating their minimum age for voluntary recruiting and the safeguards in place to ensure that that recruitment is voluntary. States Parties to the Protocol shall also ensure that members of their armed forces under 18 years of age do not take a direct part in hostilities. In addition, armed groups distinct from the armed forces of a State should not, under any circumstances, recruit or use in hostilities persons under 18. States parties are required to take all feasible measures to prevent the recruitment and use of children by such groups, including the criminalization of such practices.

To date, 128 States have ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Andorra; Angola; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Canada; Cape Verde; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cuba; Czech Republic; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Denmark; Dominica; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Eritrea; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Guatemala; Holy See; Honduras; Iceland; India; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Latvia; Lesotho; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Madagascar; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Nepal; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Norway; Oman; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Republic of Korea; Republic of Moldova; Romania; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syria; Tajikistan; Thailand; The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Kingdom; Tanzania; United States; Uruguay; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Viet Nam; and Yemen.


Committee Membership

The Committee is made up of 18 Experts of high moral standing and recognized competence in the field of children's rights. The following members, nominated by the States parties to serve in their personal capacity, have been elected or re-elected to the Committee: Agnes Akosua Aidoo (Ghana); Hadeel Al-Asmar (Syrian Arab Republic); Luigi Citarella (Italy); Kamel Filali (Algeria); Peter Guran (Slovakia); Maria Herczog (Hungary); Moushira Khattab (Egypt); Sanphasit Koompraphant (Thailand); Hatem Kotrane (Tunisia); Lothar Friedrich Krappmann (Germany); Yanghee Lee (Republic of Korea); Marta Mauras Perez (Chile); Rosa María Ortiz (Paraguay); Awich Pollar (Uganda); Dainius Puras (Lithuania); Kamla Devi Varmah (Mauritius); Susana Villarán de la Puente (Peru); and Jean Zermatten (Switzerland). Currently, Ms. Lee is the Chairperson of the Committee; Ms. Aidoo, Mr. Filali, Ms. Ortiz, and Mr. Zermatten are Vice-Chairpersons; and Mr. Krappmann is the Rapporteur.

Tentative Timetable for Consideration of Reports

Following is a tentative timetable for the consideration of reports from States parties to the Convention during this session:

Tuesday, 26 May

10 a.m. France: combined third and fourth periodic reports (CRC/C/FRA/4)

3 p.m. France (continued)

Wednesday, 27 May

10 a.m. Sweden: fourth periodic report (CRC/C/SWE/4)

3 p.m. Sweden (continued)

Thursday, 28 May

10 a.m. Mauritania: second periodic report (CRC/C/MRT/2)

3 p.m. Mauritania (continued)

Friday, 29 May

10 a.m. Slovenia: OPAC Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
and OPSC Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
initial reports (CRC/C/OPAC/SVN/1 and CRC/C/OPSC/SVN/1)

3 p.m. Slovenia (continued)

Wednesday, 3 June

10 a.m. Bangladesh: combined third and fourth periodic reports (CRC/C/BGD/4)

3 p.m. Bangladesh (continued)

Thursday, 4 June

10 a.m. Niger: second periodic report (CRC/C/NER/2)

3 p.m. Niger (continued)

Friday, 5 June

10 a.m. Romania: combined third and fourth periodic reports (CRC/C/ROM/4)

3 p.m. Romania (continued)

Tuesday, 9 June

10 a.m. Oman: OPAC1 and OPSC2 initial reports (CRC/C/OPAC/OMN/1 and CRC/OPSC/OMN/1)

3 p.m. Oman (continued)

More information, including links to documentation for the forty-ninth session of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is available at the OHCHR website at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/crcs50.htm.

Mother Day special

On this Mother's Day, filled with its many celebrations, it is appropriate to pause for a moment of reflection on the challenges of women around the world.

No doubt Anna Jarvis and Julia Ward Howe, with whom the day's history is intertwined, would have wanted that.

Jarvis, the Appalachian homemaker who fought for improved sanitation and wanted a day to highlight that effort, and Ward, the suffragette and reformer who wanted mothers to devote a day to peace after the Franco-Prussian war, were activists to their core.

Jarvis' daughter, whose name was also Anna, lobbied for a national day to honor mothers like hers. In 1914, the second Sunday of May was established as Mother's Day around the nation.

In the United States, many women -- most of them mothers -- grapple with daunting issues like poverty, violence, inadequate child care and lack of access to adequate health care. It is encouraging that President Barack Obama recently created the White House Council on Women and Girls, which involves every federal agency and is charged with closely monitoring female-related issues.

Amnesty International, meanwhile, is drawing attention to the plight of Native American women. It says Native women are more than twice as likely to be sexually assaulted as other women in the United States.

Outside the United States, rape is a tool of war in places like Congo and Darfur. Women are the majority of refugees fleeing their homelands, and they are frequently targets of abuse by "security forces, border guards, locals, smugglers and other refugees," according to Amnesty.

Where are they safe?

Last month, Afghan women protesting Shiite marital laws that allow rape by husbands, among other things, were pelted with stones by fellow Afghans. The outcry was heard around the world -- perhaps loud enough to force some change.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has consistently reported on the trafficking of women and children in Asia and other countries. He recently added the United States to his list as he chronicles the plight of teenage girls who are exploited by pimps who use drugs and beatings to control them.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-Manhattan, and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., have introduced the International Women's Freedom Act of 2009. The legislation would create a U.S. Commission on International Women's Rights that would report on women's rights issues around the globe. Such a commission should be welcomed.

And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said as first lady nearly 15 years ago that "women's rights are human rights," is committed to a global women's agenda.

Concerned citizens must get involved, too -- in part by contacting their congressional representatives and making sure they are engaged in efforts to protect women here and around the world.

Ward and the Jarvises would have wanted that.

Child Rights and You (CRY) has started its election campaign — not for votes but to keep child rights on the agenda of political parties.

The CRY (NGO) has been communicating with politicians across the country to ensure that issues related to children do not slip off their and their parties’ radar.

“We find that despite the efforts of child rights organisations, political parties continue to ignore children and the issues affecting them. So we are now knocking on the doors of the candidates to remind them that children should not be neglected,” said education activist and CRY director Ila Hukku.

The NGO recently handed over its Child Rights Manifesto, which lists issues affecting children’s lives in India, to CPM state secretary Biman Bose, CPM candidate Mohammad Salim and CPI state secretary and central secretariat member Manju Kumar Majumder.

CRY also plans to hand over the manifesto to external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury.

According to representatives of the NGO, while many candidates pointed out that their parties’ manifestos contained points from the CRY document, in the past the issues have seldom been taken up after polls.

Mohammad Salim promised the representatives that the issues would feature in the CPM’s internal debates after the elections and in the common minimum programme if the party comes to power.

The Child Rights Manifesto seeks an increase in government expenditure on children — specifically a hike in expenditure on education to 10 per cent and on health to seven per cent of the GDP.

It calls for redrafting of the Right to Education Bill (Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008) and the revision of the National Policy for Children (1974).

“We are reminding people that one-fourth of the country — as many as 400 million citizens — will not vote this election because they are below 18. We, the adults, should ensure that their interests do not slip off the political radar,” said Dipankar Mazumdar, the director (youth and development support) of CRY.


[source- [[The Telegraph]], Thursday , May 7 , 2009]

Violation of child rights’ for any poll-related work “is in no way acceptable.” said Election Commission

The Election Commission has warned the District Election Officers and the Returning Officers that they would be personally held responsible if there was any report of employment of child labourers for poll-related works.
Taking cognizance of a photograph published by The Hindu on Thursday wherein children were seen carrying the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), prior to the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Bhagalpur constituency in Bihar, the Commission said the use of child workers was “highly objectionable.”
The Commission – Chief Election Commissioner Navin B. Chawla and Election Commissioners S.Y. Quraishi and V.S. Sampath – which went through the report about employment of child labourers, in a letter to the Chief Secretaries and Chief Electoral Officers of the States/Union Territories on Friday, said those violating the child labour laws would face the consequences of law and severe disciplinary action.
Violation of child rights’ for any poll-related work “is in no way acceptable.” The Commission, taking “strong exception” to the practice, also sent a copy of the photograph published in The Hindu along with the letter to the officials.
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, prohibits employment of children below 14 years in occupations such as transport of goods etc. considered unsafe and harmful to them and regulates the conditions of work of children.
The violators could face imprisonment from three months to one year and fine between Rs.10,000 and Rs.20,000 or both. Besides the violators had to deposit Rs.20,000 in the name of the rescued child to the Child Labour Rehabilitation cum Welfare Fund.


[Source: The Hindu, Saturday, May 02, 2009]

Police says Shanno's teacher punished her

The Outer District police on Tuesday said it now has enough statements from witnesses to suggest that MCD school teacher Manju Rathee (27) did indeed punish Shanno Khatun and three of her classmates by asking them to squat before the class. However, police denied allegations that the girl was made to stand in the the sun.

Police sources revealed that of the 35 students of class II who have given their statements so far, 26 have told the police that Shanno was asked to squat. A total of 74 students were present that day in the class and statements will be taken from all of them. Some of the students who have already testified, have alleged that they are being harassed by teachers and MCD has decided to probe the allegations.

"We have not found any concrete evidence which can directly indict the teacher of handing out corporal punishment to the girl but an overwhelming majority of the students that we have spoken to so far have corroborated the sister's version that Shanno was punished. It was probably for only a short duration,'' said a senior police official of the district.

Meanwhile, 11-year-old Shanno's father Ayub Khan said he saw some hope in the police investigations. "The fact that Shanno was punished has at least been established. A fair investigation will reveal more truths,'' he told Times City.

On Tuesday, Ayub went to the MAMC and LNJP Hospitals to file his RTI application seeking answers to 102 questions on exactly how Shanno's treatment was done and the findings of her autopsy. "We will now file the RTI at the Maharshi Balmiki Hospital in Bawana,'' said Ayub.

Ashok Randhawa, president of the Sarojini Nagar Traders Association, said the RTI would be filed under the "life and liberty'' clause Section 7 (1) of RTI that makes it mandatory for an authority to furnish a response within 48 hours. "We have also kept our options open for seeking compensation
from the CIC,'' he said. He added that the process of receiving cheques from Sarojini Nagar traders to sponsor the education of Shanno's two sisters Sainaz and Saina had been completed.

Meanwhile, Ayub told Times City that he would shift his two daughters to the Batla House orphanage on Friday. "It is going to be particularly difficult for my wife. We will be allowed to visit the NGO only once a month and we will be allowed a telephone conversation every fortnight. However, I believe that both my daughters will live a better life after this,'' he said.

In another development, leading lawyer Rohit Kocchar indicated that he may file a writ petition on Shanno's behalf on Wednesday. Sources in Shanno's family said they would demand a relook at the postmortem report by an independent body of experts.

[ source Times of India- 28 Apr 2009, 2303 hrs IST, Dwaipayan Ghosh, TNN]