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COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD TAKES UP REPORT OF VANUATU
24 September 1999
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MORNING
HR/CRC/99/44
24 September 1999
Corporal Punishment An Accepted Traditional Practice to Correct Misbehaviour by Children, Delegation says
The Committee on the Rights of the Child began consideration this morning of an initial report of Vanuatu, questioning a one-person Government delegation, among other things, on the practice of corporal punishment and on the status within domestic legislation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Gideons Mael, Officer-in-Charge of Health Services Development of the Ministry of Health of Vanuatu, answering questions raised by Committee members, said that corporal punishment was an accepted practice in Vanuatuan society and that normally beating was applied as a means of correcting a "wrong-doing" child. However, the Ministry of Education had officially prohibited corporal punishment against students in schools and other specialized institutions, he said.
Vanuatu is a country composed of scattered islands in the Pacific Ocean with an estimated total population of 164,900.
Discussion over the course of the morning focussed on general measures for implementation of the Convention; legal definitions of the child; specific measures to implement general principles of child rights; and civil rights and freedoms.
Vanuatu, as one of 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, must submit periodic reports to the Committee on efforts to improve the circumstances of the country's children. Government delegations generally appear before the Committee to discuss these reports and to answer questions raised by Committee members.
The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. to continue its consideration of the report of Vanuatu.
Report of Vanuatu
The initial report of Vanuatu (document CRC/C/28/Add.8) reviews administrative and legislative measures taken by the Government to implement provisions of the Convention. It says that in Vanuatu, the family is viewed as the foundation of society. The child is given the very best care and protection by parents, grandparents and all members of the extended family.
The report says the Government of Vanuatu, through its previous and current development plans and with the support of the donor Governments and international agencies, has invested heavily in the social sector, especially in education, health, food and nutrition to improve the quality of life of the population, particularly children. Due to the efforts put forward by all -- the Government, non-governmental organizations and multinational agencies -- much improvement has been made in the standard of living of the people of Vanuatu, especially women and children.
The ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women shows Vanuatu's continuous commitment to the protection and development of human rights in the country, the report says. However, the rights of children and the rights of women are two areas not yet fully covered by provisions of the national Constitution.
The report says many activities have already been implemented and positive results achieved, despite the distances separating the islands that make up the country and the resulting isolation of some communities. More efforts are still needed to maintain the current level of achievement and to continue improvements in child welfare in areas not yet covered or well-covered.
According to the report, two sayings in Vanuatu explain the importance of children at the family and national levels: "Children are our future” and “Children are the future of the nation".
Discussion
In the absence of an introductory statement by the one-person delegation of Vanuatu, Committee members queried the representative on such issues as corporal punishment; child abuse and prostitution; how arranged marriages worked in society; the functioning of the newly established Office of the Ombudsman; and the status of the Convention vis-a-vis customary law, which was heavily present in the everyday life of the population. Some Experts said that the report did not follow the guidelines of the Committee, while others wondered why the Vanuatu Government had ratified only the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and not other human-rights Conventions.
Mr. Mael said corporal punishment was an accepted practice in Vanuatuan society, and that normally beatings were applied as a means of correcting a "wrong-doing" child. However, the Ministry of Education had officially prohibited corporal punishment against students in schools and other specialized institutions.
The Government of Vanuatu had so far given priority to the development of the health and educational sectors, which in the delegate's judgment had covered much of the territory of the country. According to Mr. Mael, the objective of the health services was to attain better health for all by the year 2000 through the application of primary health-care strategies.
Mr. Mael said the educational system operated in a unique environment which provided six years of primary education, four years of junior secondary education and two to three years of senior secondary education. The Government committed a high percentage of the country's budget to education and health.
The office of the Ombudsman for Children was a new institution which took its functions very seriously, Mr. Mael said. The Ombudsman was expected to recommend studies favouring the promotion and protection of the rights of the child and eventually was expected to be able to lodge complaints on behalf of child victims of maltreatment.
Mr. Mael stressed that child abuse and prostitution were not known in Vanuatu's society because of the traditional family set up. Children were considered to be important components of the extended family and they were treated with respect. Similarly, because of the special attachment of society to customary laws which consideration it taboo, prostitution was not heard of.
Concerning arranged marriage, Mr. Mael said that in most cases marriages between boys and girls were arranged by parents when the children were still young. However, the children continued to grow up in their respective family environments before they got married after the age of 16, which was the legal age for marriage. Children were still considered part of their extended families even after they married and/or reached adulthood.
HR/CRC/99/44
24 September 1999
Corporal Punishment An Accepted Traditional Practice to Correct Misbehaviour by Children, Delegation says
The Committee on the Rights of the Child began consideration this morning of an initial report of Vanuatu, questioning a one-person Government delegation, among other things, on the practice of corporal punishment and on the status within domestic legislation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Gideons Mael, Officer-in-Charge of Health Services Development of the Ministry of Health of Vanuatu, answering questions raised by Committee members, said that corporal punishment was an accepted practice in Vanuatuan society and that normally beating was applied as a means of correcting a "wrong-doing" child. However, the Ministry of Education had officially prohibited corporal punishment against students in schools and other specialized institutions, he said.
Vanuatu is a country composed of scattered islands in the Pacific Ocean with an estimated total population of 164,900.
Discussion over the course of the morning focussed on general measures for implementation of the Convention; legal definitions of the child; specific measures to implement general principles of child rights; and civil rights and freedoms.
Vanuatu, as one of 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, must submit periodic reports to the Committee on efforts to improve the circumstances of the country's children. Government delegations generally appear before the Committee to discuss these reports and to answer questions raised by Committee members.
The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. to continue its consideration of the report of Vanuatu.
Report of Vanuatu
The initial report of Vanuatu (document CRC/C/28/Add.8) reviews administrative and legislative measures taken by the Government to implement provisions of the Convention. It says that in Vanuatu, the family is viewed as the foundation of society. The child is given the very best care and protection by parents, grandparents and all members of the extended family.
The report says the Government of Vanuatu, through its previous and current development plans and with the support of the donor Governments and international agencies, has invested heavily in the social sector, especially in education, health, food and nutrition to improve the quality of life of the population, particularly children. Due to the efforts put forward by all -- the Government, non-governmental organizations and multinational agencies -- much improvement has been made in the standard of living of the people of Vanuatu, especially women and children.
The ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women shows Vanuatu's continuous commitment to the protection and development of human rights in the country, the report says. However, the rights of children and the rights of women are two areas not yet fully covered by provisions of the national Constitution.
The report says many activities have already been implemented and positive results achieved, despite the distances separating the islands that make up the country and the resulting isolation of some communities. More efforts are still needed to maintain the current level of achievement and to continue improvements in child welfare in areas not yet covered or well-covered.
According to the report, two sayings in Vanuatu explain the importance of children at the family and national levels: "Children are our future” and “Children are the future of the nation".
Discussion
In the absence of an introductory statement by the one-person delegation of Vanuatu, Committee members queried the representative on such issues as corporal punishment; child abuse and prostitution; how arranged marriages worked in society; the functioning of the newly established Office of the Ombudsman; and the status of the Convention vis-a-vis customary law, which was heavily present in the everyday life of the population. Some Experts said that the report did not follow the guidelines of the Committee, while others wondered why the Vanuatu Government had ratified only the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and not other human-rights Conventions.
Mr. Mael said corporal punishment was an accepted practice in Vanuatuan society, and that normally beatings were applied as a means of correcting a "wrong-doing" child. However, the Ministry of Education had officially prohibited corporal punishment against students in schools and other specialized institutions.
The Government of Vanuatu had so far given priority to the development of the health and educational sectors, which in the delegate's judgment had covered much of the territory of the country. According to Mr. Mael, the objective of the health services was to attain better health for all by the year 2000 through the application of primary health-care strategies.
Mr. Mael said the educational system operated in a unique environment which provided six years of primary education, four years of junior secondary education and two to three years of senior secondary education. The Government committed a high percentage of the country's budget to education and health.
The office of the Ombudsman for Children was a new institution which took its functions very seriously, Mr. Mael said. The Ombudsman was expected to recommend studies favouring the promotion and protection of the rights of the child and eventually was expected to be able to lodge complaints on behalf of child victims of maltreatment.
Mr. Mael stressed that child abuse and prostitution were not known in Vanuatu's society because of the traditional family set up. Children were considered to be important components of the extended family and they were treated with respect. Similarly, because of the special attachment of society to customary laws which consideration it taboo, prostitution was not heard of.
Concerning arranged marriage, Mr. Mael said that in most cases marriages between boys and girls were arranged by parents when the children were still young. However, the children continued to grow up in their respective family environments before they got married after the age of 16, which was the legal age for marriage. Children were still considered part of their extended families even after they married and/or reached adulthood.