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29 September 2000
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CRC
25th session
29 September 2000
Morning
The Committee on the Rights of the Child started this morning its consideration of an initial report presented by the Marshall Islands on how that Pacific island country was implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Introducing the report, Philip Kabua, Chief Secretary of the Government of the Marshall Islands, said that much had been done to improve the well-being of the country's children over the past five years; however, much still had to be done; the Government still had to resolve and improve the issue of international adoptions of children, teenage pregnancies, minimum age for marriage, registration of new births, school dropouts, and censorship and control of the production and publication of materials harmful to children.
The Marshall Islands is a small island country in the Pacific with a population of 51,000 residing in 34 atolls and islands, Mr. Kabua said. What made that country special was that a little over half of its population was made up of children. It was the culture of those islanders to have children and to bring them up with love and care.
Discussion over the morning meeting focused on the main subjects of general measures of implementation of the Convention, definition of the child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms.
Also included in the five-member delegation of the Marshall Islands were Atbi Riklon, Attorney General of the Republic; Justina Langidrik, Assistant Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Environment; Joseph Maddison-Hill, Programme Coordinator, Ministry of Internal Affairs; and Jefferson Barton Butuna, Director of the Office of Planning and Statistics.
As one of the 191 States parties to the Convention, the Marshall Islands must submit periodic reports to the Committee on how that country was complying with the terms of the treaty.
The Committee will continue its consideration of the report of the Marshall Islands when it reconvenes at 3 p.m.
Report of the Marshall Islands
The report of the Marshall Islands (document CRC/C/28/Add.12) enumerates the administrative and judicial measures taken by the Government with the intention to implement the provisions of the Convention on an article-by-article basis. In its introduction, the report says that the Government has not taken specific measures to harmonize national law with the Convention. However, with few exceptions, the laws and policies of the country are consistent with the Convention's provisions. The areas where the national laws of the country needed improvement included laws regarding child labour, sexual consent and marriage, and the naming of the natural father of a child born out of wedlock.
Presentation of Report
PHILIP KABUA, Chief Secretary of the Marshall Islands, recalled that in 1991, the national nutrition and children's council had been established to deal with children's rights and health issues. Since then the health and care for children had improved and the protection of their rights had been amplified.
The Marshall Islands was a small island country in the Pacific with a population of 51,000 residing in 34 atolls and islands, Mr. Kabua said. What made that country special was that a little over half of its population was made up of children. It was the culture of those islanders to have children, to raise and to bring them up with love and care.
Since the Marshall Islands had gained independence in 1979, the Government of the Republic had taken significant steps to protect and uphold the rights of the child, Mr. Kabua went on to say. The country's Constitution also provided for children's rights, including the legislative measures taken in recent years.
Mr. Kabua said the Government had ratified the Convention in 1993 and in the same year, a national plan of action for children had been developed for the implementation of the provisions of the Convention. During the past five years, much had been done to improve the well-being of children in the areas of school enrolment, universal immunization, nutrition, and reduction of infant and child mortality, among other things.
However, much still had to be done, Mr Kabua stressed. The Government still had to resolve and improve the issue of international adoptions of children, teenage pregnancies, minimum age for marriage, registration of new births, school dropouts, and censorship and control of the production and publication of materials harmful to children.
Discussion
Committee experts queried the members of the Marshall Islands delegation on the main subjects of general measures of implementation of the Convention, definition of the child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms.
Responding to a question raised by an expert about the fate of the Government after the expiration of the agreement between the United States and the Marshall Islands, in which two-thirds of the country's revenue was provided by the United States, the delegation said that the money given by the United States was a donation to compensate for the hazardous nuclear tests in the area. The nuclear tests carried by the United States had damaged at least three atolls. The agreement for donations would be terminated and renegotiated.
The delegation continued to say that some of the provisions in the agreement might be terminated but the remaining were protected for the coming 15 years. The donation received by virtue of that agreement was devoted to development, and the delegation predicted a situation of difficulty if it ceased to be supplied. The Marshall Islands had little resources to sustain itself.
The national office for planning and statistics was at present working on establishing a statistical data base on the situation of children, their numbers, their involvement in juvenile justice and their activities in labour, the delegation said. The age limit for criminal responsibility of children was fixed at 10 years and over. Although child labour was not a problem in the Marshall Islands, no statistics were available on the involvement of children in the labour force. However, it was difficult to find a working child, except helping parents in fishing or other activities.
The procurator general was responsible for the implementation of the provisions of the Convention and to ensure that children were enjoying their rights enshrined in that treaty, the delegation said. Any complaints on the violation of those rights could be lodged by children or their custodians to the office of the procurator general.
The law did not expressly prohibit the practice of corporal punishment, and the procurator general was not dealing with such issues, the delegation said. The case, however, could be referred to the police under the context of assault. Within the traditional practice, corporal punishment was tolerated.
One of the smallest islands of the country consisted of 27 households, the delegation said. The budget allocation of children was made on the basis of the number of children going to school.
* *** *
25th session
29 September 2000
Morning
The Committee on the Rights of the Child started this morning its consideration of an initial report presented by the Marshall Islands on how that Pacific island country was implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Introducing the report, Philip Kabua, Chief Secretary of the Government of the Marshall Islands, said that much had been done to improve the well-being of the country's children over the past five years; however, much still had to be done; the Government still had to resolve and improve the issue of international adoptions of children, teenage pregnancies, minimum age for marriage, registration of new births, school dropouts, and censorship and control of the production and publication of materials harmful to children.
The Marshall Islands is a small island country in the Pacific with a population of 51,000 residing in 34 atolls and islands, Mr. Kabua said. What made that country special was that a little over half of its population was made up of children. It was the culture of those islanders to have children and to bring them up with love and care.
Discussion over the morning meeting focused on the main subjects of general measures of implementation of the Convention, definition of the child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms.
Also included in the five-member delegation of the Marshall Islands were Atbi Riklon, Attorney General of the Republic; Justina Langidrik, Assistant Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Environment; Joseph Maddison-Hill, Programme Coordinator, Ministry of Internal Affairs; and Jefferson Barton Butuna, Director of the Office of Planning and Statistics.
As one of the 191 States parties to the Convention, the Marshall Islands must submit periodic reports to the Committee on how that country was complying with the terms of the treaty.
The Committee will continue its consideration of the report of the Marshall Islands when it reconvenes at 3 p.m.
Report of the Marshall Islands
The report of the Marshall Islands (document CRC/C/28/Add.12) enumerates the administrative and judicial measures taken by the Government with the intention to implement the provisions of the Convention on an article-by-article basis. In its introduction, the report says that the Government has not taken specific measures to harmonize national law with the Convention. However, with few exceptions, the laws and policies of the country are consistent with the Convention's provisions. The areas where the national laws of the country needed improvement included laws regarding child labour, sexual consent and marriage, and the naming of the natural father of a child born out of wedlock.
Presentation of Report
PHILIP KABUA, Chief Secretary of the Marshall Islands, recalled that in 1991, the national nutrition and children's council had been established to deal with children's rights and health issues. Since then the health and care for children had improved and the protection of their rights had been amplified.
The Marshall Islands was a small island country in the Pacific with a population of 51,000 residing in 34 atolls and islands, Mr. Kabua said. What made that country special was that a little over half of its population was made up of children. It was the culture of those islanders to have children, to raise and to bring them up with love and care.
Since the Marshall Islands had gained independence in 1979, the Government of the Republic had taken significant steps to protect and uphold the rights of the child, Mr. Kabua went on to say. The country's Constitution also provided for children's rights, including the legislative measures taken in recent years.
Mr. Kabua said the Government had ratified the Convention in 1993 and in the same year, a national plan of action for children had been developed for the implementation of the provisions of the Convention. During the past five years, much had been done to improve the well-being of children in the areas of school enrolment, universal immunization, nutrition, and reduction of infant and child mortality, among other things.
However, much still had to be done, Mr Kabua stressed. The Government still had to resolve and improve the issue of international adoptions of children, teenage pregnancies, minimum age for marriage, registration of new births, school dropouts, and censorship and control of the production and publication of materials harmful to children.
Discussion
Committee experts queried the members of the Marshall Islands delegation on the main subjects of general measures of implementation of the Convention, definition of the child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms.
Responding to a question raised by an expert about the fate of the Government after the expiration of the agreement between the United States and the Marshall Islands, in which two-thirds of the country's revenue was provided by the United States, the delegation said that the money given by the United States was a donation to compensate for the hazardous nuclear tests in the area. The nuclear tests carried by the United States had damaged at least three atolls. The agreement for donations would be terminated and renegotiated.
The delegation continued to say that some of the provisions in the agreement might be terminated but the remaining were protected for the coming 15 years. The donation received by virtue of that agreement was devoted to development, and the delegation predicted a situation of difficulty if it ceased to be supplied. The Marshall Islands had little resources to sustain itself.
The national office for planning and statistics was at present working on establishing a statistical data base on the situation of children, their numbers, their involvement in juvenile justice and their activities in labour, the delegation said. The age limit for criminal responsibility of children was fixed at 10 years and over. Although child labour was not a problem in the Marshall Islands, no statistics were available on the involvement of children in the labour force. However, it was difficult to find a working child, except helping parents in fishing or other activities.
The procurator general was responsible for the implementation of the provisions of the Convention and to ensure that children were enjoying their rights enshrined in that treaty, the delegation said. Any complaints on the violation of those rights could be lodged by children or their custodians to the office of the procurator general.
The law did not expressly prohibit the practice of corporal punishment, and the procurator general was not dealing with such issues, the delegation said. The case, however, could be referred to the police under the context of assault. Within the traditional practice, corporal punishment was tolerated.
One of the smallest islands of the country consisted of 27 households, the delegation said. The budget allocation of children was made on the basis of the number of children going to school.
* *** *