UN Committee to review Zimbabwe’s record on children’s rights

GENEVA (15 January  2016) – Children’s rights in Zimbabwe will be reviewed by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on 19 January in sessions that will be webcast live. Zimbabwe is one of the 196 states that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and so is required to undergo regular examinations of its record by the Committee of 18 independent experts.

The CRC members will hold discussions with a delegation from the Zimbabwean Government on how the Convention is being implemented. The Committee will base its evaluation on the delegation’s replies, as well as information from civil society groups.

These are among the possible issues to be discussed: Proportion of national budget allocated to children; high level of discrimination faced by children with disabilities, children in street situations, children living in rural areas, children born out of wedlock, orphans and children living in foster care and children affected or infected by HIV/AIDS; high prevalence of sexual exploitation and abuse against girls;  child and forced marriage; high rate of child poverty; high prevalence of child labour; use of corporal punishment; and low minimum age of criminal responsibility.

The full list of issues and Zimbabwe’s submitted written report can be found here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=924&Lang=en

The CRC’s meetings with the Zimbabwean delegation will take place in Room XXIV at Palais des Nations in Geneva on 19 January from 10:00 - 18:00 (11:00 - 19:00 in Harare.) The sessions are public and will be webcast here: http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/.

The CRC will hold a news conference to discuss its findings on Zimbabwe and the other countries being reviewed - Senegal, Iran, Oman, Latvia, France, Ireland, Haiti, Peru, Maldives, Zambia, Benin, Brunei and Kenya – at 12:00 on 4 February at the Palais des Nations. The findings, officially called concluding observations, will be published on 4 February here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=924&Lang=en

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Liz Throssell (+41 22 917 9466/ +41 79 752 0488 ethrossell@ohchr.org)
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