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24 May 2000
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CRC
24th Session
24 May 2000
Morning
Government Delegation Describes Efforts to Help Children in Face of Serious
Problems Following Decades of War
The Committee on the Rights of the Child began consideration this morning of an initial report of Cambodia, hearing from a three-member Government delegation that a recent end to three decades of war and related catastrophes had left many of the nation's children variously orphaned, maimed by anti-personnel landmines, prey to health problems and sexual exploitation, gripped by poverty, limited by a shortage of schools, and in need of extensive international assistance.
Committee members queried the delegation, among other things, on coordination of child-related programmes, budget levels for such programmes, differences in treatment of boys and girls, and a Government policy that allowed employment below age 16.
Introducing the report, Im Sethy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of Cambodia, said that despite the country's damaged and outdated infrastructure and a shortage of human and financial resources, the Government was doing what it could for children. Legislation was being drafted to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Cambodian National Council for Children, established in 1995, was charged with coordinating these activities, he said. A number of reports had been drafted on the situation of children and a five-year plan had been developed to combat sexual exploitation of children.
Discussion at the morning meeting focused on the basic topics of implementation measures, definition of the child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms.
In addition to Mr. Sethy, the Cambodian delegation consisted of Nouv Phearith, Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training, and Youth Rehabilitation; and Chan Haranvaddey, Secretary General of the Cambodian National Council for Children.
As one of the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Cambodia, which acceded to the international treaty in 1992, must file periodic reports with the Committee on the status of the country's children and on efforts to implement the Convention.
The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. to continue its review of the report of Cambodia.
Initial report of Cambodia
The report (CRC/C/11/Add.16) reviews efforts to implement the Convention on an article-by-article basis. It notes, among other things, that the Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC), created in 1995, is entrusted with the task of coordinating the implementation, consideration and evaluation of all policies and programmes related to Cambodian children. The Council is presided over by the Secretary of State for Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training, and Youth Rehabilitation and is composed of representatives of 11 ministries, the Council of Ministers and the Red Cross. A Centre for Mothers and Infants has been set up under the Ministry of Health which is responsible for protection and care to mothers and infants, and the Office of the Secretary of State for Women's Affairs has set up a department for the protection of the rights of women and children and a further department for women and children's health. A national plan of action for children exists and information on the rights of the child are disseminated by television, radio, the press, leaflets, posters and slogans, although the report notes that such publicity 'is limited and cannot be said to have achieved good results'.
The report indicates that as a result of two decades of war, 13 per cent of Cambodian children have lost at least one parent and half of that group have lost both parents; that most such children 'live in the community' and many are treated harshly and are forced to engage in domestic work, farm labour or begging to survive; that the war has led to a 'disastrous' decline in living standards and health conditions, although life expectancy had gradually increased since 1979; that malnutrition is a problem, including among nursing mothers who often lack sufficient breast milk for their infants; that a large proportion of babies are of low birth-weight; that the annual income per family member is $ 154, while annual living costs amount to $ 173; that the number of disabled children is very high and that many children are among the 20,000 to 30,000 citizens crippled by anti-personnel land mines; that there is a serious problem with sexual exploitation of children and that some 35 per cent of prostitutes in Phnom Penh are aged between 15 and 18; that many children, especially boys, are fraudulently lured or kidnapped and then forced to have sexual relations with clients; and that many children work to help support their families, especially in families where mothers have been widowed -- among other things, children work in the fields, hire themselves out as porters, become beggars, or become scavengers picking over rubbish dumps.
Introduction of report
IM SETHY, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of Cambodia, said his country had ratified the Convention in 1992. Cambodia had suffered a series of armed conflicts which had left it devastated; the last bastion of the Khmer Rouge opposition had given way only at the end of 1998; infrastructure, where it had not been destroyed, was outdated and inadequate; there also was a severe shortage of human resources, as many of the country's intelligentsia had been killed during the internal conflict.
A Criminal Code and Penal Code were being drafted which included provisions dealing with minors, Mr. Sethy said; a new Civil Code also was being prepared that would cover various gaps in legislation, such as the absence of standards for registration of births and of a minimum age of sexual consent. In 1995, the Cambodian National Council for Children was established and charged with coordinating Government activities aimed at implementing the Convention. A number of reports had been drafted on the situation of children, and a five-year plan had been developed to combat sexual exploitation of children, a plan which was to be implemented by all Government ministries.
The problems facing the country were still major, Mr. Sethy said. Infant mortality and mortality for children under age 5 were quite high, as was maternal mortality; the AIDS epidemic was spreading rapidly, and one result was an increasing number of AIDS orphans. There was an insufficient number of schools and a high level of absenteeism; child labour, sexual exploitation, trafficking in children, and justice for minors were areas of concern. The country needed international technical assistance to tackle these problems.
Discussion
Discussion during the morning meeting centred on implementation measures, definition of the child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms. Reference was made on occasion to written replies supplied by the Cambodian Government to questions prepared by the Committee in advance.
The Cambodian delegation, responding to questions from Committee members, said, among other things, that the Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC) was not finding it easy to coordinate child-related activities between Government bodies and the Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); there were shortages of human resources and money, and there was as yet a lack of experience. Reports were exchanged between central and provincial levels, and information often was sought from NGOs, who frequently were the best sources on local and provincial matters. Attempts were made to monitor the situation of children through reports issued by provinces, through articles in the newspapers, and through seeking information from NGOs, international agencies, and on occasion by carrying out direct surveys in the countryside.
Cambodia had more than 400 NGOs, the delegation said; many worked solely in human rights and received complaints on a daily basis which they passed on to the Government and frequently to the newspapers. Cambodia had the greatest freedom of press in the region. Some 18 Government ministries were involved in efforts on behalf of children; a number of key ministers were members of the CNCC. A great many important laws were still lacking, although in recent years 120 laws had been adopted not only to protect children but to try and revive the country. Establishment of an Ombudsman for children had not been proposed but might be considered in the future. At the moment, what was needed was assistance for projects already under way -- assistance in addition to the help that already was being provided by UNICEF, by a Norwegian relief agency, and by other sources. The Khmer Rouge genocide had killed 2 million people, it had to be remembered, and that was only one of several devastating conflicts; the country was in a very bad condition; rebuilding society was an immense task.
Cluster schools had been developed, based on active participation by parents, in an effort to expand educational services given limited resources, the delegation said.
There was not much ethnic discrimination in Cambodia, in part because more than 95 per cent of the population was made up of Khmer, the delegation said, although there were many subdivisions within the Khmer; there was a smattering of minority ethnic groups, and their existence had never been denied; there was recognition of the ethnic diversity of the country; there were mosques, Chinese schools, Vietnamese schools, and ethnic political parties. The Government was aware of discrimination issues and was striving to prevent such offenses as racial and ethnic discrimination.
There had been four armed groups in Cambodia that had, to put it mildly, not followed human-rights standards, the delegation said; they had conscripted people forcibly, including children. But now the country was living in peace, the past was past, the Government was acting to demilitarize the country and to demobilize combatants, including child soldiers. In fact, the problem of child soldiers no longer existed, as that was the problem that had been addressed first.
The Government budget for defense and security was large, some 50 per cent of the total, the delegation said, but this was necessary, even at the expense of social spending, because demobilized soldiers could not be left with their needs unaddressed -- they needed a stake in society; they needed training; they needed jobs. Now emphasis was shifting towards social programmes, including education. Cuts in the defense budget would occur over a number of coming years, and the savings would be invested in social projects. A national plan for education was to be developed, using an inter-ministerial committee; education was to be a priority concern and the education budget would go up this year to something like 15 per cent of the total budget.
The minimum age of marriage was 18 for girls and 20 for boys, the delegation said; there were exceptions that allowed marriage for girls under age 18, if there was parental consent -- for example, if the girl was pregnant. The Labour Code allowed children under 16 to work because of poverty; it sometimes was necessary for parents to have children work in order to help finance the family; the Government was considering amending the provision and lowering the age to 14, as poverty was an increasing problem.
The Government was trying to train police and security officials on human-rights principles, the delegation said; NGOs were active in the field as well; there were cases of abuse by such officials, but these were the acts of individuals and not a reflection of official policy. Prison conditions in the recent past had been wretched, but improvements had been made and the worst of the facilities had been torn down; Australian aid for building new and better prisons had been very helpful to Cambodia. It was necessary to have detention centres for children; the Government had a centre for juvenile offenders -- not a prison but a training centre.
Landmines were a major problem, the delegation said; an agency was working on their removal, had a well-trained staff, and received much international assistance. In remote districts where mines were still present, the agency was using a very sophisticated system to at least locate mines and mark them off so that people would not tread on them. There remained dangerous areas, and mine-clearing continued.
There were habits and practices that might have existed in the past that were discriminatory against girls, the delegation said; parents might have felt there was no point in sending daughters to school, for example; but things had changed. Disparities between the sexes existed, but such matters were now discussed openly, and the country's predominantly Buddhist culture was tolerant and in general treated the sexes equally. The Government was encouraging such an approach.
AIDS was a serious problem, the delegation said; the disease was devastating the country. A Government department had been set up to combat the spread of AIDS, in cooperation with various ministries. Programmes had been introduced into school curricula and textbooks had been distributed; the focus was on prevention. Methods for helping pregnant mothers who were HIV-positive were being researched by the Government, and any programme adopted would focus as well on helping the children of such mothers.
Lack of a birth registration system reflected the chaos afflicting the country following the Khmer Rouge period, the delegation said; public buildings had been burned; many citizens had lost their birth certificates then, if not their lives. It was necessary to start over again and rebuild the entire country, and there were only so many things that could be done first. It was quite right that there had to be a code for birth registration, but the Government was doing its best, and in the absence of the necessary legislation, most births nonetheless were being registered and most infants received birth certificates. Legislation would follow, it was hoped.
* *** *
24th Session
24 May 2000
Morning
Government Delegation Describes Efforts to Help Children in Face of Serious
Problems Following Decades of War
The Committee on the Rights of the Child began consideration this morning of an initial report of Cambodia, hearing from a three-member Government delegation that a recent end to three decades of war and related catastrophes had left many of the nation's children variously orphaned, maimed by anti-personnel landmines, prey to health problems and sexual exploitation, gripped by poverty, limited by a shortage of schools, and in need of extensive international assistance.
Committee members queried the delegation, among other things, on coordination of child-related programmes, budget levels for such programmes, differences in treatment of boys and girls, and a Government policy that allowed employment below age 16.
Introducing the report, Im Sethy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of Cambodia, said that despite the country's damaged and outdated infrastructure and a shortage of human and financial resources, the Government was doing what it could for children. Legislation was being drafted to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Cambodian National Council for Children, established in 1995, was charged with coordinating these activities, he said. A number of reports had been drafted on the situation of children and a five-year plan had been developed to combat sexual exploitation of children.
Discussion at the morning meeting focused on the basic topics of implementation measures, definition of the child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms.
In addition to Mr. Sethy, the Cambodian delegation consisted of Nouv Phearith, Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training, and Youth Rehabilitation; and Chan Haranvaddey, Secretary General of the Cambodian National Council for Children.
As one of the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Cambodia, which acceded to the international treaty in 1992, must file periodic reports with the Committee on the status of the country's children and on efforts to implement the Convention.
The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. to continue its review of the report of Cambodia.
Initial report of Cambodia
The report (CRC/C/11/Add.16) reviews efforts to implement the Convention on an article-by-article basis. It notes, among other things, that the Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC), created in 1995, is entrusted with the task of coordinating the implementation, consideration and evaluation of all policies and programmes related to Cambodian children. The Council is presided over by the Secretary of State for Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training, and Youth Rehabilitation and is composed of representatives of 11 ministries, the Council of Ministers and the Red Cross. A Centre for Mothers and Infants has been set up under the Ministry of Health which is responsible for protection and care to mothers and infants, and the Office of the Secretary of State for Women's Affairs has set up a department for the protection of the rights of women and children and a further department for women and children's health. A national plan of action for children exists and information on the rights of the child are disseminated by television, radio, the press, leaflets, posters and slogans, although the report notes that such publicity 'is limited and cannot be said to have achieved good results'.
The report indicates that as a result of two decades of war, 13 per cent of Cambodian children have lost at least one parent and half of that group have lost both parents; that most such children 'live in the community' and many are treated harshly and are forced to engage in domestic work, farm labour or begging to survive; that the war has led to a 'disastrous' decline in living standards and health conditions, although life expectancy had gradually increased since 1979; that malnutrition is a problem, including among nursing mothers who often lack sufficient breast milk for their infants; that a large proportion of babies are of low birth-weight; that the annual income per family member is $ 154, while annual living costs amount to $ 173; that the number of disabled children is very high and that many children are among the 20,000 to 30,000 citizens crippled by anti-personnel land mines; that there is a serious problem with sexual exploitation of children and that some 35 per cent of prostitutes in Phnom Penh are aged between 15 and 18; that many children, especially boys, are fraudulently lured or kidnapped and then forced to have sexual relations with clients; and that many children work to help support their families, especially in families where mothers have been widowed -- among other things, children work in the fields, hire themselves out as porters, become beggars, or become scavengers picking over rubbish dumps.
Introduction of report
IM SETHY, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of Cambodia, said his country had ratified the Convention in 1992. Cambodia had suffered a series of armed conflicts which had left it devastated; the last bastion of the Khmer Rouge opposition had given way only at the end of 1998; infrastructure, where it had not been destroyed, was outdated and inadequate; there also was a severe shortage of human resources, as many of the country's intelligentsia had been killed during the internal conflict.
A Criminal Code and Penal Code were being drafted which included provisions dealing with minors, Mr. Sethy said; a new Civil Code also was being prepared that would cover various gaps in legislation, such as the absence of standards for registration of births and of a minimum age of sexual consent. In 1995, the Cambodian National Council for Children was established and charged with coordinating Government activities aimed at implementing the Convention. A number of reports had been drafted on the situation of children, and a five-year plan had been developed to combat sexual exploitation of children, a plan which was to be implemented by all Government ministries.
The problems facing the country were still major, Mr. Sethy said. Infant mortality and mortality for children under age 5 were quite high, as was maternal mortality; the AIDS epidemic was spreading rapidly, and one result was an increasing number of AIDS orphans. There was an insufficient number of schools and a high level of absenteeism; child labour, sexual exploitation, trafficking in children, and justice for minors were areas of concern. The country needed international technical assistance to tackle these problems.
Discussion
Discussion during the morning meeting centred on implementation measures, definition of the child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms. Reference was made on occasion to written replies supplied by the Cambodian Government to questions prepared by the Committee in advance.
The Cambodian delegation, responding to questions from Committee members, said, among other things, that the Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC) was not finding it easy to coordinate child-related activities between Government bodies and the Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); there were shortages of human resources and money, and there was as yet a lack of experience. Reports were exchanged between central and provincial levels, and information often was sought from NGOs, who frequently were the best sources on local and provincial matters. Attempts were made to monitor the situation of children through reports issued by provinces, through articles in the newspapers, and through seeking information from NGOs, international agencies, and on occasion by carrying out direct surveys in the countryside.
Cambodia had more than 400 NGOs, the delegation said; many worked solely in human rights and received complaints on a daily basis which they passed on to the Government and frequently to the newspapers. Cambodia had the greatest freedom of press in the region. Some 18 Government ministries were involved in efforts on behalf of children; a number of key ministers were members of the CNCC. A great many important laws were still lacking, although in recent years 120 laws had been adopted not only to protect children but to try and revive the country. Establishment of an Ombudsman for children had not been proposed but might be considered in the future. At the moment, what was needed was assistance for projects already under way -- assistance in addition to the help that already was being provided by UNICEF, by a Norwegian relief agency, and by other sources. The Khmer Rouge genocide had killed 2 million people, it had to be remembered, and that was only one of several devastating conflicts; the country was in a very bad condition; rebuilding society was an immense task.
Cluster schools had been developed, based on active participation by parents, in an effort to expand educational services given limited resources, the delegation said.
There was not much ethnic discrimination in Cambodia, in part because more than 95 per cent of the population was made up of Khmer, the delegation said, although there were many subdivisions within the Khmer; there was a smattering of minority ethnic groups, and their existence had never been denied; there was recognition of the ethnic diversity of the country; there were mosques, Chinese schools, Vietnamese schools, and ethnic political parties. The Government was aware of discrimination issues and was striving to prevent such offenses as racial and ethnic discrimination.
There had been four armed groups in Cambodia that had, to put it mildly, not followed human-rights standards, the delegation said; they had conscripted people forcibly, including children. But now the country was living in peace, the past was past, the Government was acting to demilitarize the country and to demobilize combatants, including child soldiers. In fact, the problem of child soldiers no longer existed, as that was the problem that had been addressed first.
The Government budget for defense and security was large, some 50 per cent of the total, the delegation said, but this was necessary, even at the expense of social spending, because demobilized soldiers could not be left with their needs unaddressed -- they needed a stake in society; they needed training; they needed jobs. Now emphasis was shifting towards social programmes, including education. Cuts in the defense budget would occur over a number of coming years, and the savings would be invested in social projects. A national plan for education was to be developed, using an inter-ministerial committee; education was to be a priority concern and the education budget would go up this year to something like 15 per cent of the total budget.
The minimum age of marriage was 18 for girls and 20 for boys, the delegation said; there were exceptions that allowed marriage for girls under age 18, if there was parental consent -- for example, if the girl was pregnant. The Labour Code allowed children under 16 to work because of poverty; it sometimes was necessary for parents to have children work in order to help finance the family; the Government was considering amending the provision and lowering the age to 14, as poverty was an increasing problem.
The Government was trying to train police and security officials on human-rights principles, the delegation said; NGOs were active in the field as well; there were cases of abuse by such officials, but these were the acts of individuals and not a reflection of official policy. Prison conditions in the recent past had been wretched, but improvements had been made and the worst of the facilities had been torn down; Australian aid for building new and better prisons had been very helpful to Cambodia. It was necessary to have detention centres for children; the Government had a centre for juvenile offenders -- not a prison but a training centre.
Landmines were a major problem, the delegation said; an agency was working on their removal, had a well-trained staff, and received much international assistance. In remote districts where mines were still present, the agency was using a very sophisticated system to at least locate mines and mark them off so that people would not tread on them. There remained dangerous areas, and mine-clearing continued.
There were habits and practices that might have existed in the past that were discriminatory against girls, the delegation said; parents might have felt there was no point in sending daughters to school, for example; but things had changed. Disparities between the sexes existed, but such matters were now discussed openly, and the country's predominantly Buddhist culture was tolerant and in general treated the sexes equally. The Government was encouraging such an approach.
AIDS was a serious problem, the delegation said; the disease was devastating the country. A Government department had been set up to combat the spread of AIDS, in cooperation with various ministries. Programmes had been introduced into school curricula and textbooks had been distributed; the focus was on prevention. Methods for helping pregnant mothers who were HIV-positive were being researched by the Government, and any programme adopted would focus as well on helping the children of such mothers.
Lack of a birth registration system reflected the chaos afflicting the country following the Khmer Rouge period, the delegation said; public buildings had been burned; many citizens had lost their birth certificates then, if not their lives. It was necessary to start over again and rebuild the entire country, and there were only so many things that could be done first. It was quite right that there had to be a code for birth registration, but the Government was doing its best, and in the absence of the necessary legislation, most births nonetheless were being registered and most infants received birth certificates. Legislation would follow, it was hoped.
* *** *