IWTC WOMEN'S GLOBALNET #194
Initiatives and Activities of Women Worldwide
By Anne S. Walker, Isha Dyfan and Yasna Uberoi

May 3, 2002

UN SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN 8-10 MAY 2002, NEW YORK
(The Special Session, originally planned for 19-21 September 2001, was postponed following the attack on the World Trade Center in New York and Pentagon in Washington on 11 September, 2001)

This issue of IWTC Women's GlobalNet begins with a plea from young people to be heard at the Special Session, then gives examples of lobbying action on behalf of the rights of children being undertaken by women's groups in two countries (Australia and Canada). We hope these examples will encourage other groups to take action in their own countries.

NOTE: Despite concerted efforts early on in the drafting process The Girl Child has not been completely removed from the draft policy document, at least not yet!

Paragraph 22 states: The achievement of goals for children, particularly for girls, will be advanced if women fully enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms, -including the right to development-, are empowered to participate fully and equally in all spheres of society and are protected and free from all forms of violence, abuse and discrimination. We  are determined to eliminate all forms of  discrimination against the  girl child throughout her life cycle and to provide special attention to her needs in order to promote and protect all her human rights, including the right to be free from coercion and from harmful practices and sexual exploitation. We will promote gender equality and equal access to basic social services, such as education, nutrition, health care, including sexual and reproductive health care, vaccinations, and protection from diseases representing the major causes of mortality, and will mainstream a gender perspective in all development policies and programmes.

There are however renewed efforts amongst fundamentalist and right-wing groups at the UN during negotiations this week to have, amongst other things, sexual and reproductive care removed from the document. There is also currently no mention of the special needs of girls in the section of the draft document on HIV/AIDS.

Entitled "A World Fit for children" the document can be found at:
http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/documentation/index.html   

YOUNG PEOPLE PLEAD TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Voices of Youth has received many messages on its Special Session on Children (SsoC) web discussion board as well as on the young-delegates' networking board over the past few weeks. Many messages are about the need to work with adults, especially parents and families, on critical social issues. They show that young people are acutely aware of the responsibilities that face them as the world's "next generation." They are searching for ways to obtain the necessary skills and experience.

Young delegates to the SSoC have been introducing themselves on the boards. What is most striking about their messages is that they clearly are looking beyond the frontiers of their own country, choosing instead to represent the interests of all young people around the world. There are also messages reminding readers of the adversity and suffering inflicted on very many young people. Yet the overriding sense is of young people convinced that they can improve the world. One young delegate writes, "I will leave you with a quote, which I think sums up the Special Session for me, because even though there will be lots of  people when we all meet in New York, what we do individually, in our small groups in our own countries, makes a difference too: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has.'"

Voices of Youth message Boards can be accessed at the following
web-sites: English: http://www.unicef.org/voy/misc/ssoc.html
French: http://www.unicef.org/voy/fr/misc/ssoc.html
Spanish: http://www.unicef.org/voy/es/misc/ssoc.html

CANADA: MESSAGE FROM CYBERSOLIDAIRE AND ACTION CANADA FOR POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
"Today, Ayodele's life, an African girl born the same year of the earlier World Summit for Children in 1990, is similar to a 10 year-old girl at that moment: no running water, no school, no appropriate health care. She works in the fields and takes care of her little brothers and sisters. Two of her siblings died before the age of 5. Forced into genital mutilation, early marriages and pregnancies, slavery, sexual relations without protection and consent, millions of girls need government leaders and Heads of States to act now to give them a better life."

"From May 8 to 10, at the United Nationsâ Special Session on Children, government leaders, Heads of States, non-governmental organizations and young people themselves will evaluate the realization of the goals adopted In 1990 at the World Summit. They will also elaborate a Plan of Action for the next 10 years. Will the right wing allow the specific realities of girls to be taken into account? What rights will be acknowledged to them? Will the international community commit themselves to realize precise objectives?"

"From May 5th, with Action Canada for Population and Development, Cybersolidaires will be in New York to cover the Special Session, the Children's Forum and side events. Our team will disseminate news, in French and English, on important issues concerning girls and teenagers through listservesâ on women's networks and on our web site at: http://www.cybersolidaires.org. Finally, if you go to the Session, we would be glad to meet you. Don't hesitate to contact. In
cybersolidarity! Nicole Nepton, info@cybersolidaires.org.  

For more on Cybersolidaires, go to: http://www.cybersolidaires.org/obs/filles.html
For Action Canada for Population and Development, go to: http://www.acpd.ca

AUSTRALIA : SUGGESTED ACTION LETTER TO SEND TO THE  HEAD OF AUSTRALIA'S DELEGATION TO THE SPECIAL SESSION
"I am writing with reference to the forthcoming negotiations for the UNGASS on Children. I believe that children in every country in our world are entitled to a life in which their human rights are respected and protected. Your recent decision to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography suggests that your are equally committed to the human rights of children, and I do congratulate you on the ratification. "

"In the contest of the UNGASS on Children I ask that you ensure that the UNGASS outcomes document A World Fit for Children is consistent with agreements already reached in other UN negotiations to which Australia has been a party - specifically and crucially- the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD, 1994); Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW, 1995) and the respective reviews ICPD + 5 (1999) and Beijing + 5 (2000)."

"Moreover, I ask that the Australian Government take an unequivocal position in relation to the recognition and promotion of the human  rights of children in the document. This is a particularly appropriate position for Australia to take as our laws, services and programmes recognize and support children's human rights. This could be achieved by proposing strong and affirming statements in relation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (which has been scheduled to the HREOC Act) and also safeguarding references to the human rights of children already contained in the document."

"The realization of the human rights of children is also dependent on a document which recognizes the rights of parents (and other legal guardians) alongside but not at the expense of, nor having precedence over the rights of children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, provides a clear balance of the rights and responsibilities of parents as well as the human rights of children and primacy of the best interests of the child, and I strongly urge you to ensure that the Australian government works towards such a balanced approach in the negotiations."

"Finally, we strongly urge you to support existing consensus language which supports adolescents having access to certain health services (as per the conference outcomes from ICPD, ICPD+5, FWCW and Beijing Plus Five). The consensus language from these conferences has consistently recognized the rights of adolescents to access sexual and reproductive health services, information and education, and requires those services to safeguard the rights of adolescents to privacy, confidentiality, respect and informed consent. Within this context, the Special Session on HIV/AIDS, Co-Chaired by Australia, recognizes the importance of adolescents to have access to health care and health services, information and education in relation to sexual and reproductive health, and we ask that the Australian Government also supports this language in the conference document. "

"The United Nations Special Session on Children is a crucial opportunity in the global effort to address the many and profound issues affecting children in all regions and all countries of the world. We call on you to support this effort and to contribute to creating a world fit for children."

For further information, contact: Women's Rights Action Network Australia, c/o Caroline Lambert caro@bigpond.com    

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