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27 September 2000
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CRC
25th session
27 September 2000
Morning
Government Is Combatting the Culture of Violence
in Colombia, Delegation Says
The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning started its review of the second periodic report of Colombia by hearing the delegation of that country say that the Government was committed to work for a culture of peace and was combatting the culture of violence instigated by non-State armed groups.
Introducing the report, Camilo Reyes Rodriguez, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said the armed conflict in the country had affected national efforts for the promotion of children's rights. The non-State armed groups had inflicted a blow to human rights. He called on the international community to put pressure on those groups so that they excluded children from their conflicts and stopped kidnapping children with the purpose of using them as child soldiers.
A Committee expert said that street children had been victims of "social cleansing", with about 7 children killed every day. He asked the Government delegation about this situation.
Other topics discussed during the morning meeting included the main subjects of general measures of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms.
In addition to Mr. Reyes Rodriguez, the Colombian delegation was comprised of Juan Manuel Urrutia, Director-General of the Institute of Colombian Family Welfare; and Harold Sandoval Bernal of the Colombian Permanent Mission at Geneva.
Colombia is among the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and as such it is obliged to present periodic reports to the Committee on the country's compliance with the provisions of the treaty.
The Committee will continue its examination of the Colombian report when it reconvenes at 3 p.m. this afternoon.
Report of Colombia
The second periodic report of Colombia (document CRC/C/70/Add.5) enumerates the measures the Government is taking to implement the provisions of the Convention. It says that in recent decades, Colombia has paid special attention to the development of children and has taken a number of legislative and institutional measures aimed at improving the prevailing conditions of inequality and lack of access to promotional and preventive child care services. Between 1960 and 1992, the mortality rate for children under five fell from 132 per thousand to 32 per thousand, while the infant mortality rate for children under one year of age fell from 82 per thousand to 30 per thousand.
The report notes that despite these advances, in 1995, it was established that 41 per cent of the child population was living below the poverty line and that 15.6 per cent of children were in a state of extreme poverty. In many cases, the social risks faced by the child population were aggravated by special family circumstances. In addition, pre-school education had remained a privilege of children belonging to the more favoured social strata and thousands of children in a state of poverty have no access to such education, owing to restricted quotas or a complete absence of opportunities. The high drop-out rate among students from low-income families was a serious problem. Further, 2.4 million children and young people between the ages of 12 and 17 did not attend school at all.
Presentation of Colombian Report
CAMILO REYES RODRIGUEZ, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, stated that his country was among the countries which had worked on the text of the optional protocols to the Convention relating to involvement of children in armed conflicts and child sale, child prostitution and child pornography. Colombia had already endorsed the two Protocols and was in the process of ratifying them. In addition, Colombia belonged to the international system of child protection and continued to participate actively in any negotiations pertaining to children.
At the national level, the Constitution gave priority to the protection of children and had provided for "the prevalence of rights of children", Mr. Reyes Rodriguez continued to state. Children affected by situations of poverty, ill-treatment and abandonment were given more attention. Special institutions were established to support children in that situation.
Mr. Reyes Rodriguez said his country was one of the oldest democracies on the continent and had been at the vanguard of efforts to promote child education and child rights. Measures had been taken to facilitate access to health and education; additional steps were taken against illiteracy; and infant mortality had been reduced. However, the armed conflict had affected national efforts. Non-State armed groups had inflicted a blow to human rights. It was essential that the international community put pressure on those groups so that they excluded children from their conflicts and stopped kidnapping them for the purpose of using them as child soldiers.
JUAN MANUEL URRUTIA, Director-General of the Institute of Family Welfare of Colombia, stressed that the global world was dictated and designed by adults. Conflicts were ignited by adults but children were the ones who became victims. In that regard, the only guarantor and protector of rights of children should be the State.
In the case of Colombia, about 700,000 children were displaced because of the armed conflict affecting the country as a whole, Mr. Manuel Urrutia said. Approximately 600,000 children were involved in the conflict while 100,000 children had been kidnapped by the non-State armed groups. Because of the conflict, the situation in the country was deteriorating. The Government was now carrying out a study to review in depth its policy for the promotion of the rights of children. Further measures were also being contemplated to strengthen the promotion and protection of child rights so that they were not undermined.
Discussion
At the beginning of the discussion, a Committee expert spoke about the report and the situation in Colombia in general. The expert noted that while 40 per cent of the population received 10 per cent of the national revenue, 62 per cent of the national income went to 20 per cent of the population. In addition, among 2.5 million working children, about 800,000 were between the age of 6 and 11 years. During the last few years, the rate of infant mortality had increased. Some 3 million children had no access to health-care. The socio-economic situation of Colombia was putting the lives of many children in peril.
The culture of violence which prevailed in Colombia had created a feeling of fear and resignation among the population that understood that impunity was the order of the day, the expert went on to say. The violence had led to child prostitution and child gangs which added to the worsening situation of violence. There were 20,000 street children and each day at least 7 children were killed. The expert asked about the policies and measures put in place to combat effectively the culture of violence.
In response to a series of questions raised by the Committee experts, the Colombian delegation said that in terms of social and economic matters, the international situation should be revised. While the living conditions of people in the developed countries were improving, those of the poorer nations were deteriorating every day. Children in the developed countries were well off and small in number, while in the developing nations they remained poor and numerous.
The unequal treatment of nations and the shortage of resources had made the situation of developing nations precarious, the delegation said. Those countries had no access to the international market for their products and the little return they received from their imports went to the payment of their debts. Colombia believed that the economic situation was a determining factor in the measures to improve the living conditions of the population. There was a need to provide access to education and health care facilities in Colombia.
The culture of violence could only be replaced by a culture of peace when the armed conflict which affected Colombia was brought to a halt, the delegation said. A peaceful settlement of conflict should be implemented in all aspects. Colombia was committed to social and economic recovery and reducing the exclusion of the population. For many years, economic hardship had hit the poorest of the population. In addition, it was believed that economic reconvey in Colombia required a major reform in the tax system.
The negative impact on social services was attributed to economic structuring, the Colombian officials said. The Government had been studying ways to mitigate the situation by developing a programme of subsidies for poor families. A monthly subsidy programme for families was intended to keep children in the school system and to avoid mistreatment of children. This programme would start on 15 October and would cover families living in the poorest municipalities. In addition, the Government had realized that it was because of food shortages in the family that children often dropped out of schools. In that regard, the Government was planning to increase allocation of funds for food.
The ill-treatment of children in the family could be corrected, the delegation said. However, the mother of a child who herself was a victim of violence was another problem. Through the legislative measures, such violence could be corrected and the situation could be reversed through close scrutiny of the situation. The family welfare institutions were working against such phenomenon. An Ombudsperson had been appointed to enhance the search for means to establish peace and to discard the culture of violence.
The minimum age for child labour was fixed at 14 years and the Government was dropping the use of the word "minor" and was replacing it by child, the delegation said. In addition, there was a plan to strengthen the educational system in such a way so as to keep children in school at least until they had completed their basic education. Work training programmes for young people over the age of 14 years was also being developed.
The Colombian resources reallocation system took into consideration the needs of each region, the delegation said. Each risk-map was drawn while reallocating budgetary allocation to programmes relating to children. There was no fixed budget for each region, but it could vary from one region to the other depending on the urgent needs. Additional resources were reallocated from other extra-budgetary resources.
The Colombian Government had no policy of "social cleansing", nor did it condone such actions, the delegation said. Instead, it was pursuing a policy in which human rights were protected and promoted. The Government was determined to take the necessary measures against those persons who practised "social cleansing" and killed street children.
Colombia had received resources amounting to $ 4 billion in a fund for peace, the delegation said. Although the fund was mainly for the war efforts, the social sectors were not forgotten.
In a follow-up questions, an expert said that the effort in the fight against drug-traffickers should also focus on consumers. It would be a one-way fight if the effort was concentrated only on traffickers and not on consumers.
* *** *
25th session
27 September 2000
Morning
Government Is Combatting the Culture of Violence
in Colombia, Delegation Says
The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning started its review of the second periodic report of Colombia by hearing the delegation of that country say that the Government was committed to work for a culture of peace and was combatting the culture of violence instigated by non-State armed groups.
Introducing the report, Camilo Reyes Rodriguez, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said the armed conflict in the country had affected national efforts for the promotion of children's rights. The non-State armed groups had inflicted a blow to human rights. He called on the international community to put pressure on those groups so that they excluded children from their conflicts and stopped kidnapping children with the purpose of using them as child soldiers.
A Committee expert said that street children had been victims of "social cleansing", with about 7 children killed every day. He asked the Government delegation about this situation.
Other topics discussed during the morning meeting included the main subjects of general measures of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, general principles, and civil rights and freedoms.
In addition to Mr. Reyes Rodriguez, the Colombian delegation was comprised of Juan Manuel Urrutia, Director-General of the Institute of Colombian Family Welfare; and Harold Sandoval Bernal of the Colombian Permanent Mission at Geneva.
Colombia is among the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and as such it is obliged to present periodic reports to the Committee on the country's compliance with the provisions of the treaty.
The Committee will continue its examination of the Colombian report when it reconvenes at 3 p.m. this afternoon.
Report of Colombia
The second periodic report of Colombia (document CRC/C/70/Add.5) enumerates the measures the Government is taking to implement the provisions of the Convention. It says that in recent decades, Colombia has paid special attention to the development of children and has taken a number of legislative and institutional measures aimed at improving the prevailing conditions of inequality and lack of access to promotional and preventive child care services. Between 1960 and 1992, the mortality rate for children under five fell from 132 per thousand to 32 per thousand, while the infant mortality rate for children under one year of age fell from 82 per thousand to 30 per thousand.
The report notes that despite these advances, in 1995, it was established that 41 per cent of the child population was living below the poverty line and that 15.6 per cent of children were in a state of extreme poverty. In many cases, the social risks faced by the child population were aggravated by special family circumstances. In addition, pre-school education had remained a privilege of children belonging to the more favoured social strata and thousands of children in a state of poverty have no access to such education, owing to restricted quotas or a complete absence of opportunities. The high drop-out rate among students from low-income families was a serious problem. Further, 2.4 million children and young people between the ages of 12 and 17 did not attend school at all.
Presentation of Colombian Report
CAMILO REYES RODRIGUEZ, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, stated that his country was among the countries which had worked on the text of the optional protocols to the Convention relating to involvement of children in armed conflicts and child sale, child prostitution and child pornography. Colombia had already endorsed the two Protocols and was in the process of ratifying them. In addition, Colombia belonged to the international system of child protection and continued to participate actively in any negotiations pertaining to children.
At the national level, the Constitution gave priority to the protection of children and had provided for "the prevalence of rights of children", Mr. Reyes Rodriguez continued to state. Children affected by situations of poverty, ill-treatment and abandonment were given more attention. Special institutions were established to support children in that situation.
Mr. Reyes Rodriguez said his country was one of the oldest democracies on the continent and had been at the vanguard of efforts to promote child education and child rights. Measures had been taken to facilitate access to health and education; additional steps were taken against illiteracy; and infant mortality had been reduced. However, the armed conflict had affected national efforts. Non-State armed groups had inflicted a blow to human rights. It was essential that the international community put pressure on those groups so that they excluded children from their conflicts and stopped kidnapping them for the purpose of using them as child soldiers.
JUAN MANUEL URRUTIA, Director-General of the Institute of Family Welfare of Colombia, stressed that the global world was dictated and designed by adults. Conflicts were ignited by adults but children were the ones who became victims. In that regard, the only guarantor and protector of rights of children should be the State.
In the case of Colombia, about 700,000 children were displaced because of the armed conflict affecting the country as a whole, Mr. Manuel Urrutia said. Approximately 600,000 children were involved in the conflict while 100,000 children had been kidnapped by the non-State armed groups. Because of the conflict, the situation in the country was deteriorating. The Government was now carrying out a study to review in depth its policy for the promotion of the rights of children. Further measures were also being contemplated to strengthen the promotion and protection of child rights so that they were not undermined.
Discussion
At the beginning of the discussion, a Committee expert spoke about the report and the situation in Colombia in general. The expert noted that while 40 per cent of the population received 10 per cent of the national revenue, 62 per cent of the national income went to 20 per cent of the population. In addition, among 2.5 million working children, about 800,000 were between the age of 6 and 11 years. During the last few years, the rate of infant mortality had increased. Some 3 million children had no access to health-care. The socio-economic situation of Colombia was putting the lives of many children in peril.
The culture of violence which prevailed in Colombia had created a feeling of fear and resignation among the population that understood that impunity was the order of the day, the expert went on to say. The violence had led to child prostitution and child gangs which added to the worsening situation of violence. There were 20,000 street children and each day at least 7 children were killed. The expert asked about the policies and measures put in place to combat effectively the culture of violence.
In response to a series of questions raised by the Committee experts, the Colombian delegation said that in terms of social and economic matters, the international situation should be revised. While the living conditions of people in the developed countries were improving, those of the poorer nations were deteriorating every day. Children in the developed countries were well off and small in number, while in the developing nations they remained poor and numerous.
The unequal treatment of nations and the shortage of resources had made the situation of developing nations precarious, the delegation said. Those countries had no access to the international market for their products and the little return they received from their imports went to the payment of their debts. Colombia believed that the economic situation was a determining factor in the measures to improve the living conditions of the population. There was a need to provide access to education and health care facilities in Colombia.
The culture of violence could only be replaced by a culture of peace when the armed conflict which affected Colombia was brought to a halt, the delegation said. A peaceful settlement of conflict should be implemented in all aspects. Colombia was committed to social and economic recovery and reducing the exclusion of the population. For many years, economic hardship had hit the poorest of the population. In addition, it was believed that economic reconvey in Colombia required a major reform in the tax system.
The negative impact on social services was attributed to economic structuring, the Colombian officials said. The Government had been studying ways to mitigate the situation by developing a programme of subsidies for poor families. A monthly subsidy programme for families was intended to keep children in the school system and to avoid mistreatment of children. This programme would start on 15 October and would cover families living in the poorest municipalities. In addition, the Government had realized that it was because of food shortages in the family that children often dropped out of schools. In that regard, the Government was planning to increase allocation of funds for food.
The ill-treatment of children in the family could be corrected, the delegation said. However, the mother of a child who herself was a victim of violence was another problem. Through the legislative measures, such violence could be corrected and the situation could be reversed through close scrutiny of the situation. The family welfare institutions were working against such phenomenon. An Ombudsperson had been appointed to enhance the search for means to establish peace and to discard the culture of violence.
The minimum age for child labour was fixed at 14 years and the Government was dropping the use of the word "minor" and was replacing it by child, the delegation said. In addition, there was a plan to strengthen the educational system in such a way so as to keep children in school at least until they had completed their basic education. Work training programmes for young people over the age of 14 years was also being developed.
The Colombian resources reallocation system took into consideration the needs of each region, the delegation said. Each risk-map was drawn while reallocating budgetary allocation to programmes relating to children. There was no fixed budget for each region, but it could vary from one region to the other depending on the urgent needs. Additional resources were reallocated from other extra-budgetary resources.
The Colombian Government had no policy of "social cleansing", nor did it condone such actions, the delegation said. Instead, it was pursuing a policy in which human rights were protected and promoted. The Government was determined to take the necessary measures against those persons who practised "social cleansing" and killed street children.
Colombia had received resources amounting to $ 4 billion in a fund for peace, the delegation said. Although the fund was mainly for the war efforts, the social sectors were not forgotten.
In a follow-up questions, an expert said that the effort in the fight against drug-traffickers should also focus on consumers. It would be a one-way fight if the effort was concentrated only on traffickers and not on consumers.
* *** *