Welcome to the United Nations 
OHCHR 
Press releases Treaty bodies
Default title
09 January 2001
Share
CRC
26th session
9 January 2001
Morning
Latvia to Accede to the Two Optional Protocols to the Convention,
Delegation Says
The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning started its consideration of the initial report of Latvia by hearing a Government delegation saying that the country had to overcome its difficult economic situation to fully satisfy the needs of its population.
Introducing the report, Janis Karklins, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations Office of Geneva, said, among other things, that the protection, welfare and growth of children had always been one of the priorities of the Government, Parliament and numerous non-governmental organizations in Latvia. One of the first decisions of the Latvian Parliament immediately after the restoration of independence was accession to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which entered into force in Latvia on 14 May 1992.
Mr. Karklins told the Committee that during the last ten years, Latvia had passed through difficult and sometimes painful transformations of the economy and society; the Government recognized that much more needed to and could be done in different fields; and believed that assurance of the sustainability of economic development of the country was a key to the resolution of many social problems.
In addition to Mr. Karklins, the delegation consisted of Inete Ielite, Director of the National Centre for the Protection of the Rights of the Child; Kristine Malinovska, Director of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Nils Sakes, Director of the Department of European Integration and International Assistant Programmes of the Ministry of Education; Guntis Vasiljevskis, Director of the Department of General Education of the Ministry of Education; Inga Cabe, Deputy Director of the Health Affairs Department of the Ministry of Welfare; Daina Podzina, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Assistance of the Ministry of Welfare; Liana Lizbovska, Acting Head of the Division of Information and Education of the National Centre for the Protection of the Rights of the Child; and Raimonds Jansons, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Latvia in Geneva.
As one of the 191 States parties to the Convention, Latvia must report periodically to the Committee on the status of the country's children and on Government efforts to implement the Convention.
The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. this afternoon to continue its consideration of the report of Latvia.
Initial report of Latvia
The initial report of Latvia (CRC/C/11/Add.22) covers efforts to implement the Convention on an article-by-article basis since the State has ratified the Convention. The introduction states that Latvia has made significant advances in its economic and political development since restoring independence in 1991 and that it is embracing comprehensive market reforms. Some 23.5 percent of the population is made up of children under the age of 18.
In its general measures of implementation of the Convention, the report says that a law on the protection of the rights of the child was adopted in 1998; it was based on the principles of the Convention and the purpose of the law was to define the rights and freedoms of the child and the obligations of the child towards his or her family. In 1994, the Commission of the Protection of Children's Rights was established at the Cabinet of Ministers with the aim of advising the Government on policy issues related to the protection of the rights of children.
According to the Latvian report, majority attainment was fixed at the age of 18 years; the age to contract marriage was fixed at 18 years; persons under the age of 18 cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment or capital punishment; education is compulsory and free of charge until the attainment of 15 years of age; with the consent of parents, children from the age of 13 can be employed part-time, however, persons under the age of 18 may not be employed during night hours and public holidays; and the criminal law prohibits sexual intercourse and other sexual relations with a child under age of 16.
The report also enumerates the various legislative measures undertaken by the Government to implement the provisions of the Convention on civil rights and freedoms, family environment and alternative care, basic education, leisure and cultural activities, and social protection measures.
Introduction of report
JANIS KARKLINS, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, underlined that the protection, welfare and growth of children had always been one of priorities of the Government, Parliament and numerous non-governmental organizations in Latvia. One of the first decisions of the Latvian Parliament immediately after the restoration of independence was accession to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which entered into force in Latvia on 14 May 1992.
Further, in 1995, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, the Government had established the National Centre for the Rights of the Child, Mr. Karklins continued to say. Since 1997, the Custody Courts of city municipalities had started to work. These were new institutions which dealt with the issues of custody and guardianship.
Mr. Karklins said that the role of non-governmental organizations in the protection of the rights of the child had been growing constantly over the years. They had made valuable contributions to the development of the policy and practice of the protection of the rights of the child.
Mr. Karklins stated that the Latvian Government had started the internal procedure of accession to the two latest Protocols to the Convention -- the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
During the last ten years, Latvia had passed through difficult and sometimes painful transformations of the economy and society, Mr. Karklins further said. The Government recognized that much more needed to and could be done in different fields; and believed that assurance of the sustainability of economic development of the country was a key to resolution of many social problems.
In conclusion, Mr. Karklins said the Latvian Government was well aware and concerned about some serious problems relating to increased drug abuse and the subsequent increase of HIV/AIDS cases; the growing disparity of living standards of some groups in the population; and uneven development in some regions compared to others. The Government had elaborated policies to resolve those problems and they were being implemented.
Discussion
The discussion centred on the broad topics of general measures of implementation, definition of the child, and civil rights and freedoms. In addition, answers were provided by the Government in writing to questions posed by the Committee in advance.
In response to questions from Committee members, the Latvian delegation underlined that the difficult economic situation in the country had been felt profoundly since the restoration of independence. Although the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) showed a growth of 5 per cent, the economy was still suffering. The growth was expected to increase to 6 per cent during the current year. The country had also passed through a series of governmental structures with frequent change of governance.
Latvia believed that the taxation system and collection of taxes were tools to promote sustainable economic and industrial development, the delegation said. It was hoped that industrial production would also improve the growth of the country's GDP. At present, the so-called 'grey' sector of the economy which was not paying taxes amounted to 20 per cent of the national economy.
Concerning budgetary distribution to municipalities, the Government had encountered difficulties in defining the amount to be allocated to each entity, the delegation said. Some municipalities had their own income generating systems while others only depended on State budgetary allocation. Municipalities such as Riga, the capital city, had been attractive for investments and development programmes, while other regions were less interesting and thus were neglected. The Government had been encouraging investors to extend their economic activities to other regions which required economic development.
The situation of poverty in Latvia was not bright as expressed by some non-governmental organizations, the delegation said. The gap between the rich and the poor was wide, and some people were believed to be living beneath the poverty line. At least 20 per cent of the population was needy. However, the Government was endeavouring to tackle poverty among its population.
While querying the delegation, an expert expressed relative satisfaction with the trend of self-criticism employed by Latvia in its initial report, adding that such a measure was constructive. The only criteria in which the protection of the rights of the child could be evaluated was the legislation designed to that effect. Latvia should be lauded for the fact that it had made available such legislation for the promotion and protection of the rights of children. However, it was difficult to form a clear opinion of the situation of the protection of the rights of children because of the lack of a translated version of the text of the legislation.
The national budget allocation for education was 6 per cent while 4 per cent went to health, the delegation said. The total amount available to social affairs was 20 per cent of the GDP.
A Committee member expressed concern about the status of the Convention within the national law to which the delegation said that Latvia followed a general principle according to which the international convention prevailed over domestic law. In addition, international treaties were directly applicable internally.
Latvia had ratified the European Convention on child adoption as well as the Hague Convention concerning the protection of minors, the delegation said. It was also expected to ratify the European Convention on the rights of the child and the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption and protection of children.
*****
26th session
9 January 2001
Morning
Latvia to Accede to the Two Optional Protocols to the Convention,
Delegation Says
The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning started its consideration of the initial report of Latvia by hearing a Government delegation saying that the country had to overcome its difficult economic situation to fully satisfy the needs of its population.
Introducing the report, Janis Karklins, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations Office of Geneva, said, among other things, that the protection, welfare and growth of children had always been one of the priorities of the Government, Parliament and numerous non-governmental organizations in Latvia. One of the first decisions of the Latvian Parliament immediately after the restoration of independence was accession to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which entered into force in Latvia on 14 May 1992.
Mr. Karklins told the Committee that during the last ten years, Latvia had passed through difficult and sometimes painful transformations of the economy and society; the Government recognized that much more needed to and could be done in different fields; and believed that assurance of the sustainability of economic development of the country was a key to the resolution of many social problems.
In addition to Mr. Karklins, the delegation consisted of Inete Ielite, Director of the National Centre for the Protection of the Rights of the Child; Kristine Malinovska, Director of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Nils Sakes, Director of the Department of European Integration and International Assistant Programmes of the Ministry of Education; Guntis Vasiljevskis, Director of the Department of General Education of the Ministry of Education; Inga Cabe, Deputy Director of the Health Affairs Department of the Ministry of Welfare; Daina Podzina, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Assistance of the Ministry of Welfare; Liana Lizbovska, Acting Head of the Division of Information and Education of the National Centre for the Protection of the Rights of the Child; and Raimonds Jansons, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Latvia in Geneva.
As one of the 191 States parties to the Convention, Latvia must report periodically to the Committee on the status of the country's children and on Government efforts to implement the Convention.
The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. this afternoon to continue its consideration of the report of Latvia.
Initial report of Latvia
The initial report of Latvia (CRC/C/11/Add.22) covers efforts to implement the Convention on an article-by-article basis since the State has ratified the Convention. The introduction states that Latvia has made significant advances in its economic and political development since restoring independence in 1991 and that it is embracing comprehensive market reforms. Some 23.5 percent of the population is made up of children under the age of 18.
In its general measures of implementation of the Convention, the report says that a law on the protection of the rights of the child was adopted in 1998; it was based on the principles of the Convention and the purpose of the law was to define the rights and freedoms of the child and the obligations of the child towards his or her family. In 1994, the Commission of the Protection of Children's Rights was established at the Cabinet of Ministers with the aim of advising the Government on policy issues related to the protection of the rights of children.
According to the Latvian report, majority attainment was fixed at the age of 18 years; the age to contract marriage was fixed at 18 years; persons under the age of 18 cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment or capital punishment; education is compulsory and free of charge until the attainment of 15 years of age; with the consent of parents, children from the age of 13 can be employed part-time, however, persons under the age of 18 may not be employed during night hours and public holidays; and the criminal law prohibits sexual intercourse and other sexual relations with a child under age of 16.
The report also enumerates the various legislative measures undertaken by the Government to implement the provisions of the Convention on civil rights and freedoms, family environment and alternative care, basic education, leisure and cultural activities, and social protection measures.
Introduction of report
JANIS KARKLINS, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, underlined that the protection, welfare and growth of children had always been one of priorities of the Government, Parliament and numerous non-governmental organizations in Latvia. One of the first decisions of the Latvian Parliament immediately after the restoration of independence was accession to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which entered into force in Latvia on 14 May 1992.
Further, in 1995, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, the Government had established the National Centre for the Rights of the Child, Mr. Karklins continued to say. Since 1997, the Custody Courts of city municipalities had started to work. These were new institutions which dealt with the issues of custody and guardianship.
Mr. Karklins said that the role of non-governmental organizations in the protection of the rights of the child had been growing constantly over the years. They had made valuable contributions to the development of the policy and practice of the protection of the rights of the child.
Mr. Karklins stated that the Latvian Government had started the internal procedure of accession to the two latest Protocols to the Convention -- the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
During the last ten years, Latvia had passed through difficult and sometimes painful transformations of the economy and society, Mr. Karklins further said. The Government recognized that much more needed to and could be done in different fields; and believed that assurance of the sustainability of economic development of the country was a key to resolution of many social problems.
In conclusion, Mr. Karklins said the Latvian Government was well aware and concerned about some serious problems relating to increased drug abuse and the subsequent increase of HIV/AIDS cases; the growing disparity of living standards of some groups in the population; and uneven development in some regions compared to others. The Government had elaborated policies to resolve those problems and they were being implemented.
Discussion
The discussion centred on the broad topics of general measures of implementation, definition of the child, and civil rights and freedoms. In addition, answers were provided by the Government in writing to questions posed by the Committee in advance.
In response to questions from Committee members, the Latvian delegation underlined that the difficult economic situation in the country had been felt profoundly since the restoration of independence. Although the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) showed a growth of 5 per cent, the economy was still suffering. The growth was expected to increase to 6 per cent during the current year. The country had also passed through a series of governmental structures with frequent change of governance.
Latvia believed that the taxation system and collection of taxes were tools to promote sustainable economic and industrial development, the delegation said. It was hoped that industrial production would also improve the growth of the country's GDP. At present, the so-called 'grey' sector of the economy which was not paying taxes amounted to 20 per cent of the national economy.
Concerning budgetary distribution to municipalities, the Government had encountered difficulties in defining the amount to be allocated to each entity, the delegation said. Some municipalities had their own income generating systems while others only depended on State budgetary allocation. Municipalities such as Riga, the capital city, had been attractive for investments and development programmes, while other regions were less interesting and thus were neglected. The Government had been encouraging investors to extend their economic activities to other regions which required economic development.
The situation of poverty in Latvia was not bright as expressed by some non-governmental organizations, the delegation said. The gap between the rich and the poor was wide, and some people were believed to be living beneath the poverty line. At least 20 per cent of the population was needy. However, the Government was endeavouring to tackle poverty among its population.
While querying the delegation, an expert expressed relative satisfaction with the trend of self-criticism employed by Latvia in its initial report, adding that such a measure was constructive. The only criteria in which the protection of the rights of the child could be evaluated was the legislation designed to that effect. Latvia should be lauded for the fact that it had made available such legislation for the promotion and protection of the rights of children. However, it was difficult to form a clear opinion of the situation of the protection of the rights of children because of the lack of a translated version of the text of the legislation.
The national budget allocation for education was 6 per cent while 4 per cent went to health, the delegation said. The total amount available to social affairs was 20 per cent of the GDP.
A Committee member expressed concern about the status of the Convention within the national law to which the delegation said that Latvia followed a general principle according to which the international convention prevailed over domestic law. In addition, international treaties were directly applicable internally.
Latvia had ratified the European Convention on child adoption as well as the Hague Convention concerning the protection of minors, the delegation said. It was also expected to ratify the European Convention on the rights of the child and the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption and protection of children.
*****