July 26 to August 13, 2004
Fifty-sixth session, 26 July — 13 August 2004.
Item 6: Specific human rights issues, a) Women and human rights.
Children’s rights: Separation of the family
The preamble to the Convention on the rights of the child declares that “the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community.”……The practice of Falun Gong was banned in 1999. Vicious persecution has followed leaving families tortured and torn apart. The children themselves suffer as they are sometimes imprisoned with their parents, e.g. a two-year-old boy who was abducted with his parents and grandmother in May 2002 and detained for at least nine months; or they are left alone at home without any supervision, e.g. a thirteen year-old-boy whose mother was illegally arrested in 2000 and whose father was tortured to death. Still others, very young, are tortured to death. In 2001, a boy just over six months old and his mother, a practitioner, were arrested and taken to a forced labor camp. At this camp the boy and his mother were violently beaten to death.…When the basic human rights of children are set at naught, the children often experience severe psychological trauma, and the lasting effects of indignities and abuses have an impact decades into the future of the young. In situations where children are separated from their families and taken advantage of, they lose essential opportunities for healthy human development and have lasting negative effects. If we expect to stem the tide of cyclical hatred, violence and abuse, children must be afforded a family environment where they can be nurtured, taught and allowed freedom to develop themselves. Protecting children is an investment in the future of peace.Mr. Chairman, situations where children’s rights are being violated and families torn apart are taking place throughout the world, and we have only mentioned a few. We therefore request that the Commission undertake measures within its power to investigate these situations and promote compliance with the Convention on the rights of the child, whether through the appointment of a special rapporteur, designation of a working group or adoption of a resolution. We must protect our children.Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
