CHILDREN'S RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF REPORT BY DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

HR/CRC/98/22
22 May 1998

The Committee on the Rights of the Child continued this morning consideration of a report by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), discussing issues like the supply of clean drinking water to children, education, disabled children and corporal punishment.

The report outlines measures taken by the DPRK to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This morning, a nine-member official delegation told the expert panel that if the economic blockade and sanctions against the country had not existed, the Government's implementation of the rights of the child would have been at a much higher level now.

The Committee is expected to provide preliminary observations and recommendations on the situation in the DPRK when it resumes its work at 3 p.m. today.

Discussion

In response to questions raised on Wednesday by the Committee's experts, a delegation led by Jo Sung Ju, Chargé d'Affaires at the Permanent Mission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said under the colonial rule of imperialist Japan, an assimilation policy had forced Koreans not to use their own language or even their Korean names. Following liberation in 1945, the DPRK had started the democratic reform of the country. The Government had adopted a policy which gave special attention to children. First choice for everything was given to children, who were respected. That was the guiding line of the
People's Power Organs.

The delegation said even if the intentions of the authorities were good, it had to be acknowledged that there were some difficulties. The budget was limited, but hospitals had been built to ensure free medical care; moreover, an 11-year compulsory free education system was implemented.

Children were more than just objects of protection and love, the delegation indicated. Their personality was fully acknowledged and they had their own associations and groups to express their free will.

Concerning the gap between the Convention's definition of a child as anyone under 18 years of age and that of the DPRK, which had an age of majority of 17, the delegation said many countries had set the age of voting at 19 or 20, but the DPRK had set it at 17. Minimum age for capital punishment used to be 17, but it had been changed to 18 after a big social discussion in the country. In matters of criminal affairs, persons between the ages of 17 and 18 were sent to community education, just as minors were. Therefore the legal protection of persons under the age of 18 was guaranteed. However, the DPRK would consider the suggestion of the Committee to end the age disparity.

With regards to disabled children, the delegation said with the complete implementation of the preventive system, the number of children who were disabled physically and mentally was relatively small. Wholehearted assistance for disabled children was encouraged all over the country, with the State paying special attention to ensure them every possible medical service and opportunity free of charge. Disabled children of school age were given the opportunity to get medical treatment while learning at school. There were three schools for the blind and nine for the deaf and dumb, educating 1,362 pupils. Children with other disabilities were either sent to special schools, or, if possible, were integrated in regular schools.

Concerning technical advisory services, the delegation said in order for the Government to evaluate its progress, it needed the help of specialized personnel. Training was an important issue and the DPRK needed more help from the United Nations and other organizations in that field. There was a need to train people about the medical and psychological treatment of disabled children.

On the issue of the supply of hygienic water, the delegation said for years, the problem had been solved. However, natural disasters, including a tidal wave, had created a lot of obstacles for the supply of clean drinking water to children. After a programme carried out with the mobilization of the whole population, the goal of supplying clean water had been basically served, but achievements had not been sufficient, and some diseases caused by unclean water had appeared. Cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was going well, but more help from the international community was needed.

Putting additional questions to the delegation, Committee experts asked, among other things, about concrete measures undertaken to protect children against the harmful effect of the media. To what extent was ill-treatment of children a problem? Was sexual abuse of children a serious problem?

More information was requested about child labour; the DPRK's withdrawal from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and whether teachers were trained to teach human rights in schools. How could the public be made into a partner in the implementation of the rights of children? an expert asked.

The experts noted the Government had undertaken efforts to ban corporal punishment in schools. But was it expressly prohibited in schools and institutions, and what was the situation within the family? Corporal punishment was humiliating for children and public campaigns should be carried out to show parents that was not the right way to treat their offspring.

Committee experts said the fact that past reports had noted there were no cases of sexual abuse or violence against children in the DPRK was worrying, as such treatment occurred everywhere. Were teachers or doctors trained to look for signs in children of corporal punishment, ill-treatment or sexual abuse? What foreign languages were taught in schools, as that affected children's access to information in the new electronic media? An expert said children in institutions 'missed emotional nutrition', and wondered what was being done to deal with this. Maybe a policy which favoured family-like solutions should be considered, he said.

An expert said in most societies, people who had not attained the age of majority were not regarded as full citizens; it never occurred to grown-ups that the civil and political freedoms which were in the Constitution were applicable to minors. Was the issue of children's civil and political rights expressly written in laws? the expert asked.

In response to the additional questions, the delegation said serious attention was paid to prohibiting the spread of pornographic materials and unjust ideologies which instigated hatred and aggression in the media. Customs regulations were also applied to ensure this. The mass media guarded against elements that had harmful effects on the development of children. There was no censorship, but organs of the mass media previewed programmes to make sure they were not harmful to children. The Government recognized the mass media had positive influences, as illustrated by the fact that the authorities translated foreign cartoons which children liked into Korean.

The teaching of foreign languages in schools was the weakest point in school education, according to the officials. English, French, Russian or Chinese were taught in some secondary schools. More international assistance to teach foreign languages in schools could improve relations with other countries.

The delegation said the older the country's students got, the wider the range of topics they were taught. Education by the family, school and the community were closely combined. For moral education, the society turned into a larger family where all members helped each other. Maltreatment of children by parents was criticized by the community as uncivilized behaviour. Corporal punishment was strictly forbidden at schools. Sometimes there were accidents, and in such cases, punishment was imposed according to the gravity of the injuries sustained by the child; ill-treatment of children was punished by varying prison terms with labour. The persistence of some old feudal phenomena whereby parents treated children too strictly was not easily discovered. However, people's neighbourhood units, or vigilant groups, watched out for such practices.

Because of intrinsic cultural characteristics, sexual abuse within the family was unimaginable in the DPRK, the delegation continued. It could be read about in books, but historically speaking, it did not occur. Thus, corporal punishment and sexual abuse were not social issues in the DPRK. At the same time, there were strict laws which acted as a deterrent to sexual abuse. Education on the rights of children and human rights were part of the school curriculum.

The report outlines measures taken by the DPRK to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This morning, a nine-member official delegation told the expert panel that if the economic blockade and sanctions against the country had not existed, the Government's implementation of the rights of the child would have been at a much higher level now.

The Committee is expected to provide preliminary observations and recommendations on the situation in the DPRK when it resumes its work at 3 p.m. today.

Discussion

In response to questions raised on Wednesday by the Committee's experts, a delegation led by Jo Sung Ju, Chargé d'Affaires at the Permanent Mission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said under the colonial rule of imperialist Japan, an assimilation policy had forced Koreans not to use their own language or even their Korean names. Following liberation in 1945, the DPRK had started the democratic reform of the country. The Government had adopted a policy which gave special attention to children. First choice for everything was given to children, who were respected. That was the guiding line of the
People's Power Organs.

The delegation said even if the intentions of the authorities were good, it had to be acknowledged that there were some difficulties. The budget was limited, but hospitals had been built to ensure free medical care; moreover, an 11-year compulsory free education system was implemented.
Children were more than just objects of protection and love, the delegation indicated. Their personality was fully acknowledged and they had their own associations and groups to express their free will.

Concerning the gap between the Convention's definition of a child as anyone under 18 years of age and that of the DPRK, which had an age of majority of 17, the delegation said many countries had set the age of voting at 19 or 20, but the DPRK had set it at 17. Minimum age for capital punishment used to be 17, but it had been changed to 18 after a big social discussion in the country. In matters of criminal affairs, persons between the ages of 17 and 18 were sent to community education, just as minors were. Therefore the legal protection of persons under the age of 18 was guaranteed. However, the DPRK would consider the suggestion of the Committee to end the age disparity.

With regards to disabled children, the delegation said with the complete implementation of the preventive system, the number of children who were disabled physically and mentally was relatively small. Wholehearted assistance for disabled children was encouraged all over the country, with the State paying special attention to ensure them every possible medical service and opportunity free of charge. Disabled children of school age were given the opportunity to get medical treatment while learning at school. There were three schools for the blind and nine for the deaf and dumb, educating 1,362 pupils. Children with other disabilities were either sent to special schools, or, if possible, were integrated in regular schools.

Concerning technical advisory services, the delegation said in order for the Government to evaluate its progress, it needed the help of specialized personnel. Training was an important issue and the DPRK needed more help from the United Nations and other organizations in that field. There was a need to train people about the medical and psychological treatment of disabled children.

On the issue of the supply of hygienic water, the delegation said for years, the problem had been solved. However, natural disasters, including a tidal wave, had created a lot of obstacles for the supply of clean drinking water to children. After a programme carried out with the mobilization of the whole population, the goal of supplying clean water had been basically served, but achievements had not been sufficient, and some diseases caused by unclean water had appeared. Cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was going well, but more help from the international community was needed.

Putting additional questions to the delegation, Committee experts asked, among other things, about concrete measures undertaken to protect children against the harmful effect of the media. To what extent was ill-treatment of children a problem? Was sexual abuse of children a serious problem?

More information was requested about child labour; the DPRK's withdrawal from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and whether teachers were trained to teach human rights in schools. How could the public be made into a partner in the implementation of the rights of children? an expert asked.

The experts noted the Government had undertaken efforts to ban corporal punishment in schools. But was it expressly prohibited in schools and institutions, and what was the situation within the family? Corporal punishment was humiliating for children and public campaigns should be carried out to show parents that was not the right way to treat their offspring.

Committee experts said the fact that past reports had noted there were no cases of sexual abuse or violence against children in the DPRK was worrying, as such treatment occurred everywhere. Were teachers or doctors trained to look for signs in children of corporal punishment, ill-treatment or sexual abuse? What foreign languages were taught in schools, as that affected children's access to information in the new electronic media? An expert said children in institutions 'missed emotional nutrition', and wondered what was being done to deal with this. Maybe a policy which favoured family-like solutions should be considered, he said.

An expert said in most societies, people who had not attained the age of majority were not regarded as full citizens; it never occurred to grown-ups that the civil and political freedoms which were in the Constitution were applicable to minors. Was the issue of children's civil and political rights expressly written in laws? the expert asked.

In response to the additional questions, the delegation said serious attention was paid to prohibiting the spread of pornographic materials and unjust ideologies which instigated hatred and aggression in the media. Customs regulations were also applied to ensure this. The mass media guarded against elements that had harmful effects on the development of children. There was no censorship, but organs of the mass media previewed programmes to make sure they were not harmful to children. The Government recognized the mass media had positive influences, as illustrated by the fact that the authorities translated foreign cartoons which children liked into Korean.

The teaching of foreign languages in schools was the weakest point in school education, according to the officials. English, French, Russian or Chinese were taught in some secondary schools. More international assistance to teach foreign languages in schools could improve relations with other countries.

The delegation said the older the country's students got, the wider the range of topics they were taught. Education by the family, school and the community were closely combined. For moral education, the society turned into a larger family where all members helped each other. Maltreatment of children by parents was criticized by the community as uncivilized behaviour. Corporal punishment was strictly forbidden at schools. Sometimes there were accidents, and in such cases, punishment was imposed according to the gravity of the injuries sustained by the child; ill-treatment of children was punished by varying prison terms with labour. The persistence of some old feudal phenomena whereby parents treated children too strictly was not easily discovered. However, people's neighbourhood units, or vigilant groups, watched out for such practices.

Because of intrinsic cultural characteristics, sexual abuse within the family was unimaginable in the DPRK, the delegation continued. It could be read about in books, but historically speaking, it did not occur. Thus, corporal punishment and sexual abuse were not social issues in the DPRK. At the same time, there were strict laws which acted as a deterrent to sexual abuse. Education on the rights of children and human rights were part of the school curriculum.