Children Win Right to File Complaints with Un Rights Body

London South East
January 14, 2014

http://www.lse.co.uk/AllNews.asp?code=jbpctwjs&headline=Children_win_right_to_file_complaints_with_UN_rights_body

Vienna (Alliance News) - Children will be able to bring violations of their rights before a UN human rights body in Geneva from April, the United Nations said Tuesday in Geneva.

Children or their representatives will be allowed to file complaints with the Geneva-based Committee on the Rights of the Child, if all other legal avenues are exhausted in their country.

"It means children are able to fully exercise their rights and are empowered to have access to international human rights bodies in the same way adults are under several other human rights treaties," said Kirsten Sandberg, the committee's chairwoman.

UN treaties guarantee the development and family life of children, while aiming to protect them against various forms of exploitation.

The body's 18 independent experts would adopt child-sensitive procedures and would issue recommendations to the country in question, she said.

With Costa Rica set to submit its ratification at the UN in New York later on Tuesday, the 10 ratifications necessary for implementing the new legal UN procedure would be complete.

However, the so-called Communications Procedure will be available only to children from countries that have adopted it. Besides Costa Rica, these currently are Albania, Bolivia, Gabon, Germany, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Thailand.