Latest news with #UNCommitteeontheRightsoftheChild
Morocco World
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
CNDH Elevates Children's Voices as Central in Government Legislation
Rabat – The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) in Rabat has brought together children from across Morocco for a two‑day national consultation on June 13 and 14 to strengthen child rights. The event marked the culmination of a year‑long journey of 12 regional consultations held between February 2023 and February 2024. Supported by UNICEF Morocco, the initiative aims to firmly embed the principle of children's participation into Moroccan laws and administrative procedures. CNDH President Amina Bouayach opened the session alongside children's representatives from each region. 'We are holding the national consultation today as a culmination of the regional consultations that we have conducted over the past year in the 12 regions of Morocco,' she told Morocco World News in an interview on the sidelines. CNDH two-day consultation in Rabat These consultations had two main objectives, Bouayach said. 'The first was to engage and discuss with children about implementing and establishing the principle of participation in the legal texts and administrative procedures in Morocco,' she explained. The second objective was to work with these children on identifying the major issues related to their rights, guarantees, and programs, in order to present their report next September. Over the two days, children will lead all discussion sessions, with a focus on how to apply the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in national policy and how to prepare their own parallel report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. In September, two elected child delegates from this consultation will travel to Geneva to present Morocco's children's perspectives directly to the committee. CNDH two-day consultation in Rabat 'Participation is key,' said Laura Bill, UNICEF Representative in Morocco, on the sidelines of the event. 'Most of the work of UNICEF around the world, and including in Morocco, is to ensure that children's participation is part of any government initiative,' she told MWN. Bill noted that the children's views will be included in the government's annual report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva. Laura Bill, UNICEF Representative in Morocco Bouayach described the initiative as a pioneering effort recognized both in Africa and around the world. She added that this national consultation not only gathers children's voices on legal and social issues, but also empowers them through practical workshops. Among these is an interactive drawing workshop on digital spaces and safe internet use. The event will close with the launch of a 'Children's Call,' a statement reflecting their vision and top priorities for rights and protections. CNDH and UNICEF will sign a partnership during the closing session to reinforce their joint commitment to 'Listen. Act. Participate.' CNDH President Amina Bouayach Tags: childrenCNDHconsultation
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
KidsRights Index 2025 Now Available
A devastating global mental health crisis among children and adolescents is reaching critical levels, with suicide the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years. According to the KidsRights Index Report 2025 released today, the only ranking that annually and systematically reviews the global state of children's rights worldwide. This year's study highlights that over 14 percent of children and adolescents aged 10-19 years globally are experiencing mental health concerns, with the global average suicide rate standing at 6 per 100,000 among adolescents aged 15-19 years. However, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child warns that these figures represent only the tip of the iceberg, as suicides remain significantly underreported worldwide due to stigma, misclassification, and inadequate reporting mechanisms. Visit the KidsRights Index and the interactive map: Marc Dullaert, KidsRights Founder and Chair, stated that: 'This year's report is a wake-up call that we cannot ignore any longer. The mental health and/or wellbeing crisis among our children has reached a tipping point, exacerbated by the unchecked expansion of social media platforms that prioritize engagement over child safety. The controversy surrounding Netflix's 'Adolescence' in February highlighted global concerns about children's representation and protection in digital media – but we need action, not just outrage". Directly download the full report (PDF): The KidsRights Index is the annual global index published by the KidsRights Foundation which charts how countries adhere to and are equipped to improve children's rights. The KidsRights Index is an initiative of the KidsRights Foundation, in cooperation with Erasmus University Rotterdam: Erasmus School of Economics and the International Institute of Social Studies.
Saba Yemen
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
UN condemns mass starvation of children in Gaza
Geneva - Saba: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned the continued obstruction by the Israeli enemy of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the Committee expressed concern over reports that more than 14,000 infants could die within hours if life-saving supplies are not allowed in. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Gaza: UN Child Rights Committee Condemns Mass Starvation Of Children Amid Aid Blockades
GENEVA (21 May 2025) - The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned the continued obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza, urging the international community to pressure Israel to allow immediate and sustained access for essential food and medical supplies. 'More than eleven weeks after the obstruction of humanitarian access, the food security crisis is deteriorating rapidly to the point that more than 50 children have died from hunger and many others are on the verge of death. If the blockade continues, more children will die and up to 71,000 children under five could suffer from acute malnutrition over the next year,' the Committee said, drawing on numbers from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). 'The right to food is a fundamental human right, intrinsically linked to the right to life, and as such, it is non-derogable under international law,' the Committee stated. It strongly condemned Israel's ongoing military actions in Gaza, which are killing and maiming women and children, including reportedly more than 100 children killed just last week, before accounting for the casualties from the latest strikes. These attacks are occurring on a massive daily scale and are pushing the humanitarian situation to a critical point. 'There is no justification for actions which clearly defy international humanitarian law as well as international human rights law, including the Conventions on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,' the Committee said. It reaffirmed the importance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, along with its Orders issued on 26 January and 24 May 2024 in the case South Africa v. Israel concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip. In addition, recalling its country review findings on Israel adopted September last year, the Committee urged the State party to take immediate action to guarantee the right to life, survival, and development of all Palestinian children, stop the killing and injuring of children in Gaza, and to allow safe and unrestricted humanitarian access throughout the Gaza Strip.
Russia Today
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian attack on school bus was ‘cynical fascism'
A Ukrainian drone attack on a school bus in Russia's Zaporozhye Region which injured several children earlier this week was an act of blatant 'fascism,' Moscow's human rights ombudswoman, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said. On Tuesday, Russian officials accused Ukraine of striking the school vehicle in Vasilyevsky district. According to Zaporozhye regional governor Evgeny Balitsky, the attack seriously injured the bus driver and also wounded five children, although their condition is reportedly stable. Moskalkova strongly condemned the incident, calling it 'monstrous' and an act of 'cynical, blatant fascism.' 'It would be an understatement to call this a crime against humanity,' she said. The ombudswoman accused the West of ignoring Ukrainian attacks and turning a blind eye to the flourishing of neo-Nazi ideology in the country. 'Exactly 80 years ago, the Yalta Conference brought together leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition to plan the defeat of fascism,' she said. 'Why is the collective West silent today when it sees the crimes of Ukrainian Nazis?' © Telegram / BalitskyEV She went on to urge the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to issue a strong response to what she described as 'horrific crimes against civilians.' © Telegram / BalitskyEV Russia has consistently accused Ukraine of launching strikes on civilian targets, with officials in the Donetsk People's Republic claiming earlier this week that shelling by Kiev's forces had injured ten civilians in just over one day. Moscow has also consistently voiced concern about the unchecked resurgence of neo-Nazi ideology in Ukraine, designating the country's 'denazification' as of the key goals of its military campaign. © Telegram / BalitskyEV
