Between the pandemic crisis, conflicts and climate change, the situation of children’s rights in the world has seen a gradual deterioration that is difficult to ignore, announced the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Respect for the rights of the child is in sharp decline in the world“, lamented this Monday in Geneva, Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief at the opening of the 92nd session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. “Children have borne the brunt of efforts to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in relation to their right to education“, he said, adding that “the reality of climate change threatens their present lives and their future“.
According to Türk, child human rights defenders, especially girls, face “increased repression in many countries“. He clarifies that the data reflects “a frightening realitygiven that many children, all over the world, still live in war zones or areas with alarming humanitarian situations.
It should be noted that children represent 41% of the more than 100 million people who have been forcibly mobilized around the world. Data indicates that 40 million children in 15 crisis-affected countries are severely malnourished and do not receive “the bare minimum they need to grow and develop in their early childhood“, which shows that the world is moving backwards in terms of efforts to be made in this direction.
The High Commissioner believes that children’s voices can “guiding debates on the fate of children” in the world. “Guide us to continue to make children’s rights a priority. Pushing us to ensure their voices are not just heard, but listened toTürk insisted.
For Volker Türk, the voices of other child activists can guide today’s discussion, and ” encourage us to react and act. So that all children everywhere can enjoy their rights and fundamental freedoms », urging the international community to ensure that the rights of the child remain « a collective priority, especially in this year of celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “.
As a result, the Human Rights Council has planned to hold the annual meeting on the rights of the child on March 10, where children from different regions will attend to be part of the discussion. Thus, the next report on the rights of the child will focus on inclusive social protection and will be accompanied by a child-friendly version, informed by the opinions and experiences of children.
Recall that the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child is holding its 92nd session from January 16 to February 3, during which it will examine the reports of Sweden, Mauritius, Oman, Bolivia, Azerbaijan, from Ireland and New Zealand.