COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONSIDERS REPORT OF ICELAND

CRC
32nd session
28 January 2003



The Committee on the Rights of the Child examined today a second periodic report of Iceland, querying a Government delegation on such topics as accident prevention for children and steps taken to help immigrant youngsters blend into Icelandic society.
The report was introduced by Stefan Haukur Johannesson, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations Office at Geneva, who described a number of measures taken to improve the situation of children since the presentation of Iceland's initial report to the Committee in 1996.
Responding to questions put by Committee members, the Government delegation said among other things that high rates of out-of-wedlock births reflected Icelandic society, where many couples lived together without marrying; that a number of measures had been taken to combat sexual abuse of children; and that a high rate of accidents involving children had been reduced following the creation of an Accident Prevention Council.
The Committee will issue its formal conclusions and recommendations on the report of Iceland towards the end of its three-week session, which concludes Friday.
Other members of the delegation of Iceland were Ragna Arnadottir, Director of Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs; Ragnheidur Haraldsdottir, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Social Security; Bragi Gudbrandsson, Director, and Hrefina Fridriksdottir, Legal Expert, of the Government Agency for Child Protection; Guoni Olgeirsson, Head of Division of the Ministry of Education; and Ingibjorg Davidsdottir, First Secretary, and Hildur Bjorns Vernudottir, Trainee, of the Permanent Mission of Iceland to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Iceland, as one of 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, must present periodic reports to the Committee on efforts to improve the situation of children.
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 29 January, it will hold an informal meeting with States parties to the Convention.

Second Periodic Report of Iceland
The report (document CRC/C/83/Add.5) reviews legislative measures on child rights introduced since the initial report was considered by the Committee in 1996. Extensive legal amendments have been introduced and, the report contends, efforts have been made to ensure that the Convention is fully reflected in Icelandic laws and administrative regulations. A new Constitutional provision on the protection of children, an increase in the age at which persons are judged competent to manage their personal affairs, and a changed definition of the term "child" in the Child Protection Act are among the steps taken.
The report notes the adoption of a resolution on the formation of a family policy and the establishment of a Family Council. General educational curricula reflect a new and progressive school policy, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child was taken into account in preparing curricula for all school levels. Future health planning will focus on the needs of children.

Presentation of Report
STEFAN HAUKUR JOHANNESSON, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said the welfare of children was a priority of the Government. Although the authorities did not pretend to have solved all the problems they faced, they were aware of the need to address them and hoped with the Committee's help to be able to continue to make progress.
Mr. Johannesson said significant changes had taken place in Iceland in the public's awareness of children's issues in general and of children's rights and welfare in particular. The Convention on the Rights o the Child had played a key role in contributing to that positive development.
RAGNA ARNADOTTIR, Director of Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs of Iceland, said a series of laws had been adopted by Parliament to further promote and protect the rights of the child. The provisions of the Convention were also reflected in all major pieces of legislation. Also adopted was a law on prolonged maternity leave for mothers and fathers.
Ms. Arnadottir said the Government had already withdrawn its declarations on articles 9 and 37 of the Convention. In accordance with article 9, courts could be entrusted with resolving in a clear manner certain disputes relating to child protection, such as whether to deprive parents of their custody, contrary to a previous practice in which administrative authorities took final decisions. With respect to article 37, the separation of juvenile prisoners from adult prisoners was not obligatory under Icelandic law. An agreement had been reached between the Prison and Probation Administration and the Child Welfare Office on the accommodation of prisoners under 18 years of age in treatment homes, separate from adult prisoners.

Discussion
Committee Experts raised several questions under the main subjects of general measures of implementation of the provisions of the Convention; and the legal definition of the child. Their queries dealt with such topics as coordination of activities with regard to child rights; the status of the Convention within domestic law; the role of municipalities in the promotion and protection of child rights; the role of the Family Council; the purpose of the country's database on children; and the rate of poverty and the definition of the poverty level.
Responding, the Icelandic delegation said among other things that the substantive articles of the Convention had been incorporated into various pieces of legislation. The Family Council had neither an office nor staff support. It provided advisory services through a survey it conducted with municipalities and other institutions. Among the objectives of the Government's child policies were the strengthening of parental authority and their role in bringing up their children. Poverty was also addressed in the child policy; it was true that poverty was a reality in society that had to be addressed.
New school curricula had been written to adapt to new requirements in education, the delegation said. All schools had to follow the new guidelines. However, emphasis was placed on self-assessment in individual schools, and on review of the methods used for that purpose. The last year of compulsory school -- tenth grade -- was devoted to social science. A new study subject, life skills, which was a mandatory subject in primary and secondary schools, ensured that children were given human rights education.
The country's new immigration policy was aimed at regulating a changing situation, the delegation said. At present, 3 per cent of the Icelandic population was composed of people coming from different parts of the world. School systems needed to be modified to adapt to this new immigration and to multiculturalism in general. Although the teaching of the Icelandic language was obligatory, the creation of a peaceful coexistence with other cultures and languages was also considered necessary. Every child, whether Icelander or immigrant, was given educational opportunity. A further debate on child policy would take place in the capital, Reykjavik, next Friday with a view to adopting a new text on child policy.
Research had shown that children of 14 and 15 had already been experimenting with sexual intercourse, and the Government found it necessary to maintain the minimum age for sexual consent at 15, the delegation said. Raising the legal age of sexual consent might criminalize those who were already sexually active.
Committee Experts went on to raise questions under the main issues of general principles of the Convention; civil rights and freedoms; and family environment and alternative care. They asked, among other things, about the compatibility of national laws with the provisions of the Convention; the role of Iceland in international cooperation; single-parent households headed by females; poverty; drug-abuse among adolescents; measures to protect children from harmful Internet information; corporal punishment; integration of migrants; the definition of the right to development of a child; the justiciability of child rights; a high rate of accidents for children under age 10; increased acts of sexual aggression by young people; sexual abuse and neglect; and the right of a child to know his biological parents.
Responding, the delegation of Iceland said among other things that significant changes had been made to the country's legislation over the last few years. Children were now accorded the right to be parties to child protection cases. There were only two courts dealing with cases of child rights -- the District Court and the High Court of Appeal.
Children roaming late at night could be apprehended by police officers who contacted parents to hand over the children, the delegation said. That measure empowered parents.
The rate of child sexual abuse had gone up in Iceland in recent years, prompting debate on the issue, the delegation said. At least 150 cases of such abuse were registered every year. The Government had taken measures to combat abuse. Further preventive steps had been adopted in children's houses, where some of the incidents were believed to occur. Sexual offenders were mainly young men below the age of 25. Some adults were also involved in cases of sexual abuse, including acts of paedophilia.
Iceland was devoting part of its Gross Domestic Product to international cooperation, the delegation said. It had been contributing to international agencies, particularly those working in emerging countries in the Balkans and other regions of the world.
Icelanders had easy access to health care services for all, the delegation said. The Government was, however, aware of the high rate of accidents suffered by children. Measures undertaken by an Accident Prevention Council had reduced the rate of child mortality and injury in recent years.
Municipalities were free to decide on the amount of funds they allocated to activities for child rights, the delegation said. The Ministry of Health and Social Security was responsible for monitoring the activities of municipalities.
The high ratio of children born out of wedlock reflected the family structure and life style of Icelandic society, the delegation said. Many children were born within a system of cohabitation of unmarried couples. The traditional structure of a families composed of officially married men and women was not as dominant in the country.
Icelandic society had always welcomed foreigners and immigrants as contributors to its development, the delegation said. There was no officially formed political party propagating against the presence of foreigners in the country. A tiny nationalist group aspiring to evolve into a political party was operating without any hope of being embraced by the people. Children of migrants were guided to integrate themselves into society through education and knowledge of the Icelandic language. An inter-cultural centre had been set up in the capital city to provide cultural information.
Committee Experts went on to raise questions under the main subjects of basic health and welfare; education, leisure and cultural activities; and special protection measures, focusing, among other things, on disabled children; access to education for all; high dropout rates among children of immigrants; curfews for children; breastfeeding; protection against HIV/AIDS; child labour; adoption; commercial sexual exploitation of children; prevention of teenage pregnancy; suicide among teenagers; and provision of protection to victims of abuse or neglect.
Responding, the delegation said among other things that teenage pregnancy rates had been decreasing, thanks to the preventive measures taken by the Government.
The high rate of suicide among youth was a great concern to the Government of Iceland, the delegation said. Full-time personnel with psychological and medical experience had been recruited to counsel teenagers as part of broad efforts to prevent suicide.
There had been only six to eight deaths caused by HIV/AIDS, the delegation said. The Government was worried that irresponsible sexual behaviour was making the population more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infections. Authorities had continued a campaign of awareness-raising about the disease.
At the age of six, an adopted child should know the identities of his or her biological parents, the delegation said. However, in the case of artificial insemination, the names of donors were not disclosed to the children.
Financial and other material support were provided by the Government to families caring for disabled children, the delegation said. More emphasis was being placed on the social integration of disabled children. There were only few disabled children in specialized centres; most attended normal schools.
A number of steps had been taken by the Government to prevent commercial sexual exploitation of young women coming from countries of the former Soviet Union, such as Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, the delegation said. Strict monitoring of residence permits of women had been carried out against performers of "striptease show" of foreign origin. Measures also included the banning of "private striptease shows", which involved young women from those countries.
The rate of school dropouts among immigrants and children with learning disabilities was high, the delegation said. The phenomenon affected students up to the secondary level. The Government was trying to deal with the situation.
A committee had been created to study bullying in schools, and an anti-bullying campaign had been carried out, the delegation said. The Government had tried to learn from Norway in dealing with bullying in schools, and the situation recently had improved.

Preliminary Concluding Remarks
IBRAHIM ABDUL AZIZ AL-SHEDDI, the Committee Expert who served as country rapporteur for the report of Iceland, said the discussion had enabled members of the Committee to better understand the situation of children in Iceland. The children of Iceland were in good hands. The creation of a central authority was needed to coordinate activities and efforts concerning children. Although much had been done in the area of legislation, much remained to be achieved in practice. Iceland had so far had made great efforts in international cooperation and it should continue to share its wealth and knowledge with others who were in need.



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