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27 September 2000
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CRC
25th session
27 September 2000
Afternoon
The Committee on the Rights of the Child completed its review this afternoon of the second periodic report of Colombia, with an expert calling in preliminary remarks for the ongoing peace process to give due consideration to the rights of children.
The expert said the socio-economic situation had played a detrimental role in the worsening condition of Colombian children. It had resulted in serious difficulties to provide the access of all children to education, health care and other social services. He noted that the Government had a very difficult task in effectively demobilizing child soldiers and reintegrating them into society, not just child soldiers from the army but also from the paramilitary groups.
Formal, written conclusions and recommendations on the report of Colombia will be issued towards 6 October when the Committee will adjourn its three-week autumn session.
Colombia's report was presented this morning by a three-member Government delegation, and the officials spent the day responding to questions put by Committee experts. Discussion this afternoon centred on the main subjects of family environment and alternative care; basic health and welfare; education, leisure, and cultural activities; and special protection measures.
The delegation said, among other things, that in order to promote a policy of peaceful coexistence within the family, the Government had launched a "Haz Paz" plan of action to combat domestic violence. It was based on a culture of rights and the principles of equity and participation. Forty years of violence had led to difficulties and the Government was trying to establish a human rights culture. Today, the legal and prosecuting systems were progressing by punishing those who had committed violent acts.
Colombia is among the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and on that basis it is obliged to present periodic reports explaining how it is implementing the provisions of the treaty.
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 28 September, it will take up the initial report of the Central African Republic.
Discussion
A Committee expert observed that since Colombian children continued to be killed, it was no use "to talk of the rights of the dead". He reminded the delegation that Colombia had the obligation to protect children from being involved in armed conflicts. It was also regrettable that the Government did not discharge its commitments in preventing children from being recruited in the national armed forces.
The Colombian delegation said that in response to the worsening economic crisis in the country, the Government had decided to implement a programme to support the poorest sectors of the population to mitigate the adverse effects of the crisis. The Government had designed a conditional subsidies programme to address the fall in family income, the school drop-out rate and the adverse impact on mothers' and children's health.
According to Colombian legislation, children under 18 were excluded from being called up to serve in any of the sectors of the armed forces, even voluntarily and with the consent of their parents. In 1998, the national army had dismissed all child soldiers voluntarily enlisted in its ranks -- about 1,000 young people nationwide. The decision was consistent with the spirit of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on involvement of children in armed conflicts, recently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
In order to promote a policy of peaceful coexistence within the family, the Government had launched a "Haz Paz" plan of action to combat domestic violence, the delegation said. It was based on a culture of rights and the principles of equity and participation. It was intended to restore the self-esteem of persons and to establish peaceful coexistence in the family.
Forty years of violence had led to difficulties and the Government was trying to establish a human rights culture, the delegation said. Today, the legal and prosecuting system were progressing and those who were guilty of committing violent acts were being punished.
Community mothers played an important role in taking care of children in their neighbourhoods, the delegation said. Community mothers in general replaced real mothers in their absence and provided food for the children on a temporary basis. The Government was planning to train community mothers so that they rendered better services to children and to enable them to run community homes where children could be cared for temporarily.
The position of the Government on the displaced persons was clear: the displaced were divided into categories as temporarily or permanently displaced persons, the delegation said. For those temporarily displaced persons, the necessary lodging and other materials were provided in shelters. After a three-month stay in such shelters, they could be relocated to areas which were safe. Concerning the displaced persons from the conflict-affected regions, they were at times considered to be uprooted and could be resettled in other areas.
Non-governmental organizations' accountability was essential in the fast-moving Colombian society, the delegation said. The Government was not able to cope with all problems in the society, thus the participation of NGOs was decisive in all its aspects. At present, NGOs had began to play a progressively greater role in various national, regional and local bodies responsible for defining policies relating to children.
Concerning the production of illegal crops by children, the Government had developed alternatives by providing them with the chance to go back to school, the delegation said. The growing of coca leaves had been a source of income for farmers in the southern regions. The international community should aid Colombia in its multi-facetted struggle against armed groups and drug-traffickers.
At the initial stage of displacement, Afro-Colombians were victims of the process, the delegation said. They were discriminated against by the fact that they were displaced within their own regions while the rest had to be resettled elsewhere in the country. With regard to indigenous peoples, there had been problems in which they took measures against children, and the Government had to negotiate to resolve the problem.
A question was raised on how the Government was coping with the imbalances created in the implementation of social services, to which the delegation said that all children had access to all subsidised health centres in the regions. Any corruption intended to create an imbalance in services was repressed through a system of periodic monitoring.
The Government had been working on expanding a reproductive health system throughout the country, the delegation said. Teenage pregnancy had been a great problem as many young girls lost their lives in trying to hide their pregnancy or attempting to abort the baby.
The rate of suicide in Colombia had been disturbing although it did not raise a public concern as such, the delegation. The number of young people taking their own lives was by far higher than those dying in combat. In some cases, the act of sexual abuse of children had also led to suicide in the absence of programmes on emotional rehabilitation and psychological support.
Concerning corporal punishment, it was observed that in the Colombian society there was a sort of dominance: man dominating women or children, or women dominating children, the delegation said. However, the Government was working on a campaign to expose cases of mistreatment of children and women in order to raise public awareness. A system of complaints had been proposed to change the cultural value attached to corporal punishment. Already, a campaign had been launched to make parents understand that screaming at and beating of children was not a proper way of upbringing them. Children should be made responsible for their own acts.
Preliminary Observations
In preliminary remarks, a Committee expert praised the Government for trying to improve the situation in the country through legal activities and legislative efforts being undertaken, including accession to international treaties and adoption of a number of programmes. The signature of the memorandum of understanding between the Government of Colombia and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was expected to further improve the human rights situation in the country.
The socio-economic situation had played a detrimental role in the worsening condition of Colombian children, the expert said. It had resulted in serious difficulties to provide access for all children to education, health care and other social services. There was the very disturbing and ongoing violence, which was not only the result of the internal armed conflict, but was also the result of cultural violence. Gang wars and paramilitary groups and other forms of violent activities made Colombia an area of major concern. The expert urged the international community to look carefully at the situation, not just to point fingers but to look at how it would be possible to support the State party in improving the situation.
The expert said it was very important for the ongoing peace process to give due consideration to the rights of children. The Government had a very difficult task in effectively demobilizing child soldiers and reintegrating them into society, not just child soldiers from the army but also from the paramilitary groups.
One of the major challenges of the State party was to convert words into practise. This applied to child labour, displaced children and the demobilization of child soldiers, the expert said.
* *** *
25th session
27 September 2000
Afternoon
The Committee on the Rights of the Child completed its review this afternoon of the second periodic report of Colombia, with an expert calling in preliminary remarks for the ongoing peace process to give due consideration to the rights of children.
The expert said the socio-economic situation had played a detrimental role in the worsening condition of Colombian children. It had resulted in serious difficulties to provide the access of all children to education, health care and other social services. He noted that the Government had a very difficult task in effectively demobilizing child soldiers and reintegrating them into society, not just child soldiers from the army but also from the paramilitary groups.
Formal, written conclusions and recommendations on the report of Colombia will be issued towards 6 October when the Committee will adjourn its three-week autumn session.
Colombia's report was presented this morning by a three-member Government delegation, and the officials spent the day responding to questions put by Committee experts. Discussion this afternoon centred on the main subjects of family environment and alternative care; basic health and welfare; education, leisure, and cultural activities; and special protection measures.
The delegation said, among other things, that in order to promote a policy of peaceful coexistence within the family, the Government had launched a "Haz Paz" plan of action to combat domestic violence. It was based on a culture of rights and the principles of equity and participation. Forty years of violence had led to difficulties and the Government was trying to establish a human rights culture. Today, the legal and prosecuting systems were progressing by punishing those who had committed violent acts.
Colombia is among the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and on that basis it is obliged to present periodic reports explaining how it is implementing the provisions of the treaty.
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 28 September, it will take up the initial report of the Central African Republic.
Discussion
A Committee expert observed that since Colombian children continued to be killed, it was no use "to talk of the rights of the dead". He reminded the delegation that Colombia had the obligation to protect children from being involved in armed conflicts. It was also regrettable that the Government did not discharge its commitments in preventing children from being recruited in the national armed forces.
The Colombian delegation said that in response to the worsening economic crisis in the country, the Government had decided to implement a programme to support the poorest sectors of the population to mitigate the adverse effects of the crisis. The Government had designed a conditional subsidies programme to address the fall in family income, the school drop-out rate and the adverse impact on mothers' and children's health.
According to Colombian legislation, children under 18 were excluded from being called up to serve in any of the sectors of the armed forces, even voluntarily and with the consent of their parents. In 1998, the national army had dismissed all child soldiers voluntarily enlisted in its ranks -- about 1,000 young people nationwide. The decision was consistent with the spirit of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on involvement of children in armed conflicts, recently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
In order to promote a policy of peaceful coexistence within the family, the Government had launched a "Haz Paz" plan of action to combat domestic violence, the delegation said. It was based on a culture of rights and the principles of equity and participation. It was intended to restore the self-esteem of persons and to establish peaceful coexistence in the family.
Forty years of violence had led to difficulties and the Government was trying to establish a human rights culture, the delegation said. Today, the legal and prosecuting system were progressing and those who were guilty of committing violent acts were being punished.
Community mothers played an important role in taking care of children in their neighbourhoods, the delegation said. Community mothers in general replaced real mothers in their absence and provided food for the children on a temporary basis. The Government was planning to train community mothers so that they rendered better services to children and to enable them to run community homes where children could be cared for temporarily.
The position of the Government on the displaced persons was clear: the displaced were divided into categories as temporarily or permanently displaced persons, the delegation said. For those temporarily displaced persons, the necessary lodging and other materials were provided in shelters. After a three-month stay in such shelters, they could be relocated to areas which were safe. Concerning the displaced persons from the conflict-affected regions, they were at times considered to be uprooted and could be resettled in other areas.
Non-governmental organizations' accountability was essential in the fast-moving Colombian society, the delegation said. The Government was not able to cope with all problems in the society, thus the participation of NGOs was decisive in all its aspects. At present, NGOs had began to play a progressively greater role in various national, regional and local bodies responsible for defining policies relating to children.
Concerning the production of illegal crops by children, the Government had developed alternatives by providing them with the chance to go back to school, the delegation said. The growing of coca leaves had been a source of income for farmers in the southern regions. The international community should aid Colombia in its multi-facetted struggle against armed groups and drug-traffickers.
At the initial stage of displacement, Afro-Colombians were victims of the process, the delegation said. They were discriminated against by the fact that they were displaced within their own regions while the rest had to be resettled elsewhere in the country. With regard to indigenous peoples, there had been problems in which they took measures against children, and the Government had to negotiate to resolve the problem.
A question was raised on how the Government was coping with the imbalances created in the implementation of social services, to which the delegation said that all children had access to all subsidised health centres in the regions. Any corruption intended to create an imbalance in services was repressed through a system of periodic monitoring.
The Government had been working on expanding a reproductive health system throughout the country, the delegation said. Teenage pregnancy had been a great problem as many young girls lost their lives in trying to hide their pregnancy or attempting to abort the baby.
The rate of suicide in Colombia had been disturbing although it did not raise a public concern as such, the delegation. The number of young people taking their own lives was by far higher than those dying in combat. In some cases, the act of sexual abuse of children had also led to suicide in the absence of programmes on emotional rehabilitation and psychological support.
Concerning corporal punishment, it was observed that in the Colombian society there was a sort of dominance: man dominating women or children, or women dominating children, the delegation said. However, the Government was working on a campaign to expose cases of mistreatment of children and women in order to raise public awareness. A system of complaints had been proposed to change the cultural value attached to corporal punishment. Already, a campaign had been launched to make parents understand that screaming at and beating of children was not a proper way of upbringing them. Children should be made responsible for their own acts.
Preliminary Observations
In preliminary remarks, a Committee expert praised the Government for trying to improve the situation in the country through legal activities and legislative efforts being undertaken, including accession to international treaties and adoption of a number of programmes. The signature of the memorandum of understanding between the Government of Colombia and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was expected to further improve the human rights situation in the country.
The socio-economic situation had played a detrimental role in the worsening condition of Colombian children, the expert said. It had resulted in serious difficulties to provide access for all children to education, health care and other social services. There was the very disturbing and ongoing violence, which was not only the result of the internal armed conflict, but was also the result of cultural violence. Gang wars and paramilitary groups and other forms of violent activities made Colombia an area of major concern. The expert urged the international community to look carefully at the situation, not just to point fingers but to look at how it would be possible to support the State party in improving the situation.
The expert said it was very important for the ongoing peace process to give due consideration to the rights of children. The Government had a very difficult task in effectively demobilizing child soldiers and reintegrating them into society, not just child soldiers from the army but also from the paramilitary groups.
One of the major challenges of the State party was to convert words into practise. This applied to child labour, displaced children and the demobilization of child soldiers, the expert said.
* *** *