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COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD BEGINS REVIEW OF REPORT OF MEXICO
27 September 1999
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HR/CRC/99/46
27 September 1999
Government Delegation Cites Problems with Poverty, Sex Exploitation, Drug Trafficking
The Committee on the Rights of the Child began consideration this morning on a second periodic report of Mexico and was told by a Government delegation that a number of legislative reforms had been made to harmonize the nation's legal system with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The delegation also reported that mortality for children under five had dropped significantly in almost every state in the country and that a programme had been adopted to deal with the different causes of poverty. It was intended to reach all regions where families lived in extreme poverty and was aimed at improving nutrition, health and education, they said.
Eleazar Ruiz y Avila, the Director-General for Human Rights of the Mexican Secretariat of External Relations, who introduced the report, said that despite the progress attained, the Government was fully aware that there was much yet to be done so that Mexican children might fully exercise their rights. He said the Government was most concerned for those living in conditions of social exclusion and poverty.
Discussion over the course of the morning focussed on the general topics of basic measures of implementation of the Convention; legal definitions pertaining to children; anti-discrimination efforts; and civil rights and freedoms.
As one of 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Mexico is obligated to submit periodic reports on efforts to promote and protect the rights of children. Government delegations generally appear before the panel to discuss these reports and to answer questions.
In addition to Mr. Ruiz y Avila, the Mexican delegation consisted of Alicia Elena Perez Duarte y Norona, Advisor at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations Office at Geneva; Elba Cardenas Miranda, Deputy Director-General for Family Development of the National Social Assistance System; and Norma Patricia Sanchez Regalado, Deputy Director-General of Basic Education at the Secretariat of Public Education.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will continue its consideration of the second periodic report of Mexico.
Report of Mexico
The second periodic report (document CRC/C/65/Add.6) reviews efforts made by the Government of Mexico to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on article-by-article basis. It says that Mexico is a nation made up largely of children: for virtually the whole of the twentieth century, two-thirds of its population has been under age 18.
The report says Mexico's social policy includes a constant quest for the well-being, development and survival of children. The Government’s National Action Programme for Children is a cornerstone of this policy, seeking to ensure that both children and women of childbearing age will enjoy better expectations and welfare conditions. In addition, Mexico has done exemplary work for its children in fulfilment of the commitments undertaken at the World Summit for Children, reaching ahead of schedule important targets set in the first national action programme, especially in areas and regions where geographic and cultural conditions and low population density render the comprehensive development of communities difficult.
The report describes measures taken by the Government to bring federal and state legislation fully into line with the provisions of the Convention; gives information about the concrete effects of the measures; reviews allocation of resources for children; discusses matters related to children in especially difficult circumstances; and reports on cases of maltreatment, abuse, and violence against children.
Introduction of Report
ELEAZAR RUIZ Y AVILA, Director-General of Human Rights at the Secretariat for External Relations of Mexico, said that since the presentation of Mexico's first periodic report in January 1994, the Government had consolidated its actions in favour of children as a priority of its national policy. It had redoubled its efforts to comply with the national action programme 1995-2000, a programme that established as its goals those agreed upon at the World Summit for Children. It also had conducted actions to ensure the full implementation of the Convention.
The reduction in the mortality rate of children under the age of five had been considered the most important of the overall goals established by the World Summit on Children, Mr. Ruiz y Avila went on to say. In addition, infant mortality in that age group had dropped significantly in almost every state in the country.
Mr. Ruiz y Avila recalled that in August 1997, a programme for education, health and nutrition had been implemented. The programme would deal with the different causes of poverty, aiming to reach all regions that encompassed families living in extreme poverty in order to improve conditions in nutrition, health and education. Among the population living in conditions of poverty, boy and girls comprised the majority. Out of every 100 Mexicans, approximately 28 were poor and out of every 100 children aged under ten, 40 were living in poverty, he said.
Mr. Ruiz y Avila said the Government of Mexico was adopting a series of initiatives to lay groundwork that would ensure the application of the Convention, not only in priority areas such as education and health, but in all areas covered by the Convention. The Government and civil society were jointly working to establish mechanisms that would permit evaluation of compliance with the provisions of the Convention and would strengthen inter-institutional coordination at the federal and state levels, thus ensuring best results.
Mr. Ruiz y Avila said an area on which the Government of Mexico was focussing greater attention was that of the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. Regrettably, he said, this was a growing problem from which Mexico had not escaped, and which until recent years had not been highly visible. In order to combine efforts to provide a comprehensive solution to the problem, the Government had submitted an inter-institutional action plan for the prevention, attention to and elimination of the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
Mr. Ruiz y Avila said his Government had developed a series of actions that were evidence of its political will to promote and protect the rights of Mexican children. Despite the progress attained, the Government was fully cognizant that there was much yet to be done so that Mexican children might fully exercise their rights. The Government was most concerned for those living in conditions of social exclusion and poverty. That was why the Government was doing its utmost to ensure that those children might also play and enjoy life, one of their fundamental rights.
Discussion
The Mexican delegation responded to a number of questions. Discussion focussed on the general topics of basic measures for implementation of the Convention; legal definitions pertaining to children; anti-discrimination efforts; and civil rights and freedoms.
The delegation said that 60 per cent of the country's budget went to enhance the social activities of the population. However, the exact amount allocated for the promotion and protection of the rights of children was not known. The Government, through a series of legislative reforms, had also attempted to harmonize domestic laws to bring them into line with the Convention.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was actively participating in most activities designed to implement the provisions of the Convention, said the delegation. Several national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were also involved in the promotion of children's rights in Mexico. Three among the nation's large political parties had also been collaborating on the revision of the country's legislation. The Government believed that progress had been made in that regard.
In addition, a national programme of action for children had been launched with 33 aims, among which the promotion of health and education were priorities. Improving the situations of minors in difficult and vulnerable situations was also a goal of the plan.
Recently, a legal proposal to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 years had not met with consensus among legislators, the delegation said. Although a debate was going on on the subject, the aim of the age reduction was to fight drug trafficking, in which children were involved.
Asked about the role of the National System for the Integral Development of the Family (DIF), the delegation said the DIF coordinated the activities of all Ministries and governmental agencies involved in children's issues, as well as the activities carried out by federal, state and municipal authorities. In addition, there were 32 State Procurators for the defence of the rights of the child and the family currently in operation, in addition to 784 Municipal Procurators -- all of which were connected to agencies of the DIF.
Several Committee Experts asked the Mexican delegation about the situation of children in Chiapas, where militarization of the region had continued, they contended. Committee members also queried the delegation on reported brutalization of children held in detention.
With regard to the definition of the child, the delegation said a person under 18 years of age was considered to be a child according to Mexican legislation. The age of marriage was fixed at 16 for girls and 18 for boys; and marriage of minors was not allowed, mainly for health reasons and to allow them to achieve greater maturity.
Abortion was an offence in Mexican law, except when certain economic and health factors were involved, said the delegation. Since 1985, there had been only one case of penalty for abortion. With regard to child abuse, recently a police officer had been sentenced to 36 years in prison for rapes involving three girls. In addition, 25,000 complaints of family violence had been reported by women; and a national programme for street children, paying special attention to girls, had also been launched.
27 September 1999
Government Delegation Cites Problems with Poverty, Sex Exploitation, Drug Trafficking
The Committee on the Rights of the Child began consideration this morning on a second periodic report of Mexico and was told by a Government delegation that a number of legislative reforms had been made to harmonize the nation's legal system with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The delegation also reported that mortality for children under five had dropped significantly in almost every state in the country and that a programme had been adopted to deal with the different causes of poverty. It was intended to reach all regions where families lived in extreme poverty and was aimed at improving nutrition, health and education, they said.
Eleazar Ruiz y Avila, the Director-General for Human Rights of the Mexican Secretariat of External Relations, who introduced the report, said that despite the progress attained, the Government was fully aware that there was much yet to be done so that Mexican children might fully exercise their rights. He said the Government was most concerned for those living in conditions of social exclusion and poverty.
Discussion over the course of the morning focussed on the general topics of basic measures of implementation of the Convention; legal definitions pertaining to children; anti-discrimination efforts; and civil rights and freedoms.
As one of 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Mexico is obligated to submit periodic reports on efforts to promote and protect the rights of children. Government delegations generally appear before the panel to discuss these reports and to answer questions.
In addition to Mr. Ruiz y Avila, the Mexican delegation consisted of Alicia Elena Perez Duarte y Norona, Advisor at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations Office at Geneva; Elba Cardenas Miranda, Deputy Director-General for Family Development of the National Social Assistance System; and Norma Patricia Sanchez Regalado, Deputy Director-General of Basic Education at the Secretariat of Public Education.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will continue its consideration of the second periodic report of Mexico.
Report of Mexico
The second periodic report (document CRC/C/65/Add.6) reviews efforts made by the Government of Mexico to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on article-by-article basis. It says that Mexico is a nation made up largely of children: for virtually the whole of the twentieth century, two-thirds of its population has been under age 18.
The report says Mexico's social policy includes a constant quest for the well-being, development and survival of children. The Government’s National Action Programme for Children is a cornerstone of this policy, seeking to ensure that both children and women of childbearing age will enjoy better expectations and welfare conditions. In addition, Mexico has done exemplary work for its children in fulfilment of the commitments undertaken at the World Summit for Children, reaching ahead of schedule important targets set in the first national action programme, especially in areas and regions where geographic and cultural conditions and low population density render the comprehensive development of communities difficult.
The report describes measures taken by the Government to bring federal and state legislation fully into line with the provisions of the Convention; gives information about the concrete effects of the measures; reviews allocation of resources for children; discusses matters related to children in especially difficult circumstances; and reports on cases of maltreatment, abuse, and violence against children.
Introduction of Report
ELEAZAR RUIZ Y AVILA, Director-General of Human Rights at the Secretariat for External Relations of Mexico, said that since the presentation of Mexico's first periodic report in January 1994, the Government had consolidated its actions in favour of children as a priority of its national policy. It had redoubled its efforts to comply with the national action programme 1995-2000, a programme that established as its goals those agreed upon at the World Summit for Children. It also had conducted actions to ensure the full implementation of the Convention.
The reduction in the mortality rate of children under the age of five had been considered the most important of the overall goals established by the World Summit on Children, Mr. Ruiz y Avila went on to say. In addition, infant mortality in that age group had dropped significantly in almost every state in the country.
Mr. Ruiz y Avila recalled that in August 1997, a programme for education, health and nutrition had been implemented. The programme would deal with the different causes of poverty, aiming to reach all regions that encompassed families living in extreme poverty in order to improve conditions in nutrition, health and education. Among the population living in conditions of poverty, boy and girls comprised the majority. Out of every 100 Mexicans, approximately 28 were poor and out of every 100 children aged under ten, 40 were living in poverty, he said.
Mr. Ruiz y Avila said the Government of Mexico was adopting a series of initiatives to lay groundwork that would ensure the application of the Convention, not only in priority areas such as education and health, but in all areas covered by the Convention. The Government and civil society were jointly working to establish mechanisms that would permit evaluation of compliance with the provisions of the Convention and would strengthen inter-institutional coordination at the federal and state levels, thus ensuring best results.
Mr. Ruiz y Avila said an area on which the Government of Mexico was focussing greater attention was that of the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. Regrettably, he said, this was a growing problem from which Mexico had not escaped, and which until recent years had not been highly visible. In order to combine efforts to provide a comprehensive solution to the problem, the Government had submitted an inter-institutional action plan for the prevention, attention to and elimination of the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
Mr. Ruiz y Avila said his Government had developed a series of actions that were evidence of its political will to promote and protect the rights of Mexican children. Despite the progress attained, the Government was fully cognizant that there was much yet to be done so that Mexican children might fully exercise their rights. The Government was most concerned for those living in conditions of social exclusion and poverty. That was why the Government was doing its utmost to ensure that those children might also play and enjoy life, one of their fundamental rights.
Discussion
The Mexican delegation responded to a number of questions. Discussion focussed on the general topics of basic measures for implementation of the Convention; legal definitions pertaining to children; anti-discrimination efforts; and civil rights and freedoms.
The delegation said that 60 per cent of the country's budget went to enhance the social activities of the population. However, the exact amount allocated for the promotion and protection of the rights of children was not known. The Government, through a series of legislative reforms, had also attempted to harmonize domestic laws to bring them into line with the Convention.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was actively participating in most activities designed to implement the provisions of the Convention, said the delegation. Several national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were also involved in the promotion of children's rights in Mexico. Three among the nation's large political parties had also been collaborating on the revision of the country's legislation. The Government believed that progress had been made in that regard.
In addition, a national programme of action for children had been launched with 33 aims, among which the promotion of health and education were priorities. Improving the situations of minors in difficult and vulnerable situations was also a goal of the plan.
Recently, a legal proposal to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 years had not met with consensus among legislators, the delegation said. Although a debate was going on on the subject, the aim of the age reduction was to fight drug trafficking, in which children were involved.
Asked about the role of the National System for the Integral Development of the Family (DIF), the delegation said the DIF coordinated the activities of all Ministries and governmental agencies involved in children's issues, as well as the activities carried out by federal, state and municipal authorities. In addition, there were 32 State Procurators for the defence of the rights of the child and the family currently in operation, in addition to 784 Municipal Procurators -- all of which were connected to agencies of the DIF.
Several Committee Experts asked the Mexican delegation about the situation of children in Chiapas, where militarization of the region had continued, they contended. Committee members also queried the delegation on reported brutalization of children held in detention.
With regard to the definition of the child, the delegation said a person under 18 years of age was considered to be a child according to Mexican legislation. The age of marriage was fixed at 16 for girls and 18 for boys; and marriage of minors was not allowed, mainly for health reasons and to allow them to achieve greater maturity.
Abortion was an offence in Mexican law, except when certain economic and health factors were involved, said the delegation. Since 1985, there had been only one case of penalty for abortion. With regard to child abuse, recently a police officer had been sentenced to 36 years in prison for rapes involving three girls. In addition, 25,000 complaints of family violence had been reported by women; and a national programme for street children, paying special attention to girls, had also been launched.