On Wednesday and Thursday, September 26-27, 2013, in Geneva, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will review the People’s Republic of China’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which the PRC ratified in 1992. China has also ratified the Convention's two Optional Protocols on children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Human Rights in China will be in Geneva to observe the review, and will be live tweeting the two sessions. Please follow us: @hrichina, #China @UN #CRC
In a report submitted to the Committee in advance of the review, HRIC highlights two overarching issues that affect the accurate reporting and effective monitoring of the PRC’s implementation of the CRC.
One is the unavailability of certain data in China's periodic report to the Committee and its subsequent responses to the Committee's questions, including those on the killing or injuring of children, which are critical to assessing the progress in implementation. The other issue is the obstacles non-governmental and civil society organizations continue to face in their attempt to participate in the preparation of the PRC report to the Committee. Such participation, as recognized by the Committee in the 2005 China review, is critical to advancing effective implementation of the CRC.
HRIC has also expressed in its submissions specific concerns on discrimination, public awareness of the Convention and China's implementation measures, economic exploitation of children, and North Korean refugee children.
In addition, HRIC submitted to the Committee this week a Briefing Note on China’s Response to the Committee’s List of Issues. The briefing note highlighted three issues that are particularly relevant to assessing and protecting the rights of girl children, especially those who belong to multiple vulnerable groups: human trafficking; infanticide, forced abortion and forced sterilization; and sexual abuse and exploitation of minors.
Ratified by 193 countries, the Convention on the Rights of the Child lays out universally agreed standards and legal obligations for protecting a full range of human rights: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse, and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural, and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival, and development; and respect for the views of the child.
Following the review, which examines the PRC’s third reporting under the Convention, the Committee will issue its official observations and recommendations.