Page 24 - IB Mar 2020

Pacific children Pacific children

(L-R) Samoan children on their way to school, Bragi Gudbrandsson in Apia, Children address the Committee members. Photos: Alvoro
Hoyos

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

PACIFIC CHILDREN TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN SAMOA

By Samantha Magick enjoyment of children’s rights in the region,” said Pedernera.
“This week, the children we met with told us that all
“It’s within our culture and religion to discipline our stakeholders need to work harder to guarantee their rights to
children physically, but sometimes we don’t know the line participation, education, health, climate.
between discipline and abuse, so usually its confusing for us to After hearing from government, civil society organisations
find that line.” and children, the Committee recommended the Tuvalu
“Physical punishment to my family is a daily routine. Even government: expedite the enactment of the Child Welfare
though the UN is strongly against it, it is a daily routine—if we and Protection Bill, increase budget allocations for health
talk back if we do something wrong—physical punishment is care, education and social protections for children, and make
the answer.” greater efforts to ensure birth registration. It is concerned
These were the comments of two Samoan teenagers, Audrey that anaemia affects 61 per cent of all children under five
and Henry, to members of the United Nations Committee years of age (and which can affect growth and mental
on the Convention of the Rights of the Child meeting in Apia function) and calls for action on this problem.
earlier this month. For FSM, the Committee recommends family protection
Audrey and Henry were amongst hundreds of children laws be adopted in Yap and Chuuk, an end to customary
who participated in events which took place in parallel to child marriages and increase in the minimum age of marriage
the historic gathering, the first UN human rights treaty body for girls to 18, strengthened efforts to prevent teenage
meeting ever to be held outside the UN’s New York or Geneva suicides and improve immunisation rates, improved sexual
headquarters. and reproductive health education in a bid to reduce early
14 Pacific island countries have ratified the CRC. In Samoa, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, that declining
the Committee’s independent experts reviewed efforts by the primary and secondary school enrolment rates are addressed,
Federated States of Micronesia, the Cook Islands and Tuvalu and measures strengthened to reduce infant and child deaths
in implementing the Convention. They also prepared Lists of due to preventable causes.
Issues on the Republic of Kiribati, whihc will formally report to The Committee also pointed to the youth suicide as a major
the Committee later in 2020. concern in the Cook Islands, where it heard 16.1 per cent of
The meeting made it to Samoa largely due to the efforts students had reportedly attempted suicide at least once, and
of Acting chief justice Vui Clarence Nelson, who is the vice- recommended the government address the root causes of this
chair of the CRC and the only Pacific Islander to ever sit on high rate. It is concerned about the underreporting of abuse
any of the UN treaty bodies, in collaboration with the Pacific and neglect of children and recommends the government
Community's Regional Rights Resource Team and funding develop a comprehensive plan to prevent and combat child
support from the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. abuse, neglect and domestic violence, as well as alcohol and
“For many years, we spoke and dreamed of holding drug use.
a session outside Geneva,” said Committee Chair Luis The Committee had some similar concluding observations
Pedernera. “This week, that dream became a reality. It’s an for all three countries; that corporal punishment be banned
historic moment.” not only in schools, but also in homes and other community
“By holding a session in the Pacific, we wanted to draw settings, that the criminal age of responsibility be raised from
the world’s attention to the pressing issues affecting the ten year of age to “at least 14 years”, that data collection

24 Islands Business ,March 2020