In Compliance with the Ottawa Convention, the Colombian Government destroys its last arsenal of anti-personnel mines

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA, October 24, 2004 - Meeting the commitment assumed in the Ottawa Convention, the Colombian Government today destroyed its last arsenal of anti-personnel mines, in a ceremony held simultaneously in Bogotá’s Plaza de Bolívar and in the northern city of Barranquilla, where more than 6,800 mines belonging to the Armed Forces were destroyed.

The ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic, Alvaro Uribe Vélez, the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, Queen Noor of Jordan, the military high command, the ministerial cabinet, the high-ranking hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the diplomatic corps, and representatives of the United Nations.  UN participants included Nils Kastberg, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Manuel Manrique, UNICEF Representative for Colombia and Venezuela, and Alfredo Witschi-Certari, representative of the United Nations Development  Programme, UNDP, who delivered a message of support for this action for peace, sent by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Today, Colombia is the fourth country in the world in number of anti-personnel mine victims, after Chechnya, Afghanistan and Angola, and the only country to destroy its arsenal of anti-personnel land mines (APM) amid ongoing armed confrontation. One of the greatest challenges for action against mines in Colombia is the internal armed conflict, which has intensified in recent years.

APMs and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) represent an increasing problem for this South American country.  To date, 542 of the country’s 1,119 municipalities – and 31 of its 32 departments – have suffered the consequences of anti-personnel mines.  These artefacts are found in schools, along rural roads, and around other social goods protected by International Humanitarian Law.  Official government statistics show a total of 3,142 victims (between January 1990 and September 2004).  However, experts agree that there has been a significant under-registration.

At least 37 per cent of all victims registered are civilians, and of these almost 40% are children.  The effect that APM and UXO have on children is especially nefarious.  The few that survive must submit to multiple surgical surgeries and have to change their prostheses as they grow, complicating their processes of physical and emotional development, at the same time causing considerable expense to their families and the health system

One of the greatest obstacles to humanitarian action against anti-personnel mines in Colombia is the continued use of these arms by the illegal armed groups. UNICEF believes that it is possible to prevent accidents and provide attention to victims as a humanitarian imperative.

UNICEF implements educative activities covering accident prevention, attention for mine victims, and institutional strengthening for application of the Ottawa Convention.

At the same time, the current Government has strengthened its actions against the Mines, and is taking steps to meet the commitments assumed upon signing the Ottawa Convention. The presence of Queen Noor, the Regional Director of UNICEF and many local personalities is intended to provide visibility to the destruction of the 23 thousand remaining anti-personnel mines in the hands of the Colombian army.

As part of her agenda in Colombia, Queen Noor will travel to the municipality of Silvia in the southern department of Cauca, one of the areas most heavily affected by the presence of APMs and UXO.  There she will meet with Guambiano and Paez indigenous groups to learn about the Humanitarian Action Project for the Prevention of Accidents with Anti-personnel Mines and Abandoned Unexploded Ordnance.  That project has technical and financial support from UNICEF, and is being implemented in partnership with the Foundation for Development of Democracy (FUNDEMOS) and the Office of the Governor of Cauca.

For further information:

Bernardo Nieto, UNICEF Columbia, (1) 3120090 ext.- 439, bnieto@unicef.org
Marisol Quintero G., UNICEF Columbia, (1) 315.8642912, mquintero@unicef.org

Young people need opportunities, “a dream for a bright future at home”

VIENTIANE, LAOS, 26 October 2004 – Child trafficking is an important problem for Lao PDR which requires urgent action, according to the first national study on the subject released today by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and UNICEF.

The study, entitled ‘Broken Promises, Shattered Dreams’, found cases of child trafficking from each of the seventeen provinces surveyed, from the far north to the far south of the country. Trafficking occurs both internally and across borders, particularly to Thailand.

While approximately one-third of global trafficking in women and children occurs in or from East Asia, and the Mekong sub-region in particular, it is only now that the extent of the problem in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is being grasped. ‘Broken Promises, Shattered Dreams’ is a qualitative study based on interviews with 253 victims of trafficking, their families and key informants.  The study found that most trafficking victims (60 percent) are girls aged between12 and 18 years, and that 35 percent of these girls end up in forced prostitution. A significant proportion of trafficking victims come from non-Lao ethnic backgrounds.

“Combating the exploitation and abuse of Lao children is a priority which we will work towards as a matter of urgency” said an official from the Social Welfare Department at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. “Action is being taken to protect children through strengthened policy, law enforcement, and recovery and reintegration of trafficking victims.”

‘Broken Promises, Shattered Dreams’ notes that the Lao PDR is particularly susceptible to trafficking as it is one of the world’s least developed countries situated at the center of a fast developing region.  Fifty-five percent of the population is 18 years old or younger, employment opportunities are limited and literacy rates are low.  For many young people in Lao PDR, movement across borders – or to the country’s urban capitals – seems to provide the best prospects to improve livelihoods.  The study interviews reveal that children aspire to what they perceive as the more modern, glamorous lifestyle they see on Thai television which is widely watched in much of the country.

“Child trafficking is a criminal act that violates the fundamental rights of the most vulnerable children” said Desiree Jongsma, Acting UNICEF Representative in Lao PDR.  “We commend the Government for bringing this sensitive issue to light, and are particularly heartened by the National Assembly’s recent adoption of a new law on the Development and Protection of Women, which includes a chapter on trafficking.”

Jongsma added: “This study has a deeper lesson to teach us:  we can only counter the lure of the traffickers by creating real opportunities for children and young people here in Lao PDR. If they believe they can realize their dreams for a bright future at home, they will no longer feel compelled to leave their communities for distant cities or neighbouring countries.”

The new study describes the types of exploitation trafficking victims from Lao PDR are subjected to:

• Domestic Service. A large percentage of trafficking victims to Thailand find themselves locked up in private homes, as domestic servants. Victims surveyed experienced some of the most extreme cases of violence and abuse.
• Commercial sexual exploitation.  Sexual exploitation is a major aspect of trafficking, and the physical appearance of the girls is a major factor in assessing their value as a commodity.
  Trafficking victims may be kept in brothels, and forced prostitution is often combined with work in the entertainment industry, particularly beer shops, bars and nightclubs.
• Factory work.  Much of the internal trafficking within Lao PDR involves factory work in the nation’s urban centers, with most trafficking victims having to work long hours with little if any compensation for over-time.

Traffickers are usually familiar to their victims, often from the same, or nearby villages. They use this familiarity with the victims to build trust, making empty promises of lucrative work to persuade them to leave home.

The Government of Lao PDR is undertaking new initiatives to combat trafficking in collaboration with partners, with UNICEF supporting the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in the following areas:

• Support for trafficked victims.  The Lao Women’s Union runs psycho-social counselling in Vientiane and plans to expand the service to almost every province.
• Social work.  UNICEF supports training for Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare staff notably on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and family tracing.
• Child protection networks. Community networks exist in 75 villages to monitor children vulnerable to a range of hazards, including trafficking.
• Youth prevention A package of communication materials is being produced employing Lao youth personalities to convey anti-trafficking, drugs and HIV AIDS prevention messages.

UNICEF Laos projects to combat child trafficking are supported by the Government of Italy, the German National Committee for UNICEF and the Government of Japan through the UN Human Security Trust Fund.

For more information, please contact:

Ruth Landy, UNICEF Communication, Mobile 856 20 551 9681, rlandy@unicef.org
Amanda Bissex, UNICEF Child Protection, Mobile 856 20 550 7815, abissex@unicef.org

NAIROBI, KENYA, 30 September, 2004 - About 20,000 children have been demobilised from the ranks of southern Sudanese rebel forces since 2001, according to UNICEF. An article published this week in the journal “Forced Migration Review” (Oxford University, UK) summarises a major evaluation of child demobilisation in Sudan commissioned by UNICEF.

According to the report, although complex and problematic, many of the demobilisations in southern Sudan were “relatively straightforward”. Future child demobilisation, especially from government or government-allied forces in the event of a north-south peace agreement, will present new and “enormous” challenges.

Rough estimates suggest there may be several thousand combatant children remaining with various armed forces in the country. Many of them are thought to be southerners who have been involved with government or associated forces in the 21-year civil war. Local leaders in southern Sudan interviewed in the study say they do not expect problems absorbing these new children. “They are all our children… it isn’t their fault they have been fighting for the enemy… they were abducted… they had to eat.” However, on further reflection, community leaders express concern about pressure on services, especially education; culture and religion, criminality and other possible problems that could crop up as the children return.

The article can be accessed online at: http://www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR21/FMR2111.pdf or can be e-mailed on request.

Una McCauley, co-author of the article and UNICEF Protection Officer for Operation Lifeline Sudan (Southern Sector) is available for interview on +254 20 622423.

Photos of child demobilisation and reintegration in southern Sudan are also available.

For more information, please contact:

Ben Parker, UNICEF Operation Lifeline Sudan, +254 733 609869, bparker@unicef.org

JERUSALEM, 6 September 2004 - Some 1.2 million children returned to school last week in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after a summer break.

Students and teachers have begun the new school year with enthusiasm, but it will not be without challenges – classroom size, quality of teaching, and, amid school closures, checkpoints and day-long curfews. Almost 200,000 children lost school days last year due to curfews and closures.

UNICEF is supporting the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education by providing essential learning supplies, supporting teacher training, and advocating to ensure that students take final exams safely and on schedule.

The UNICEF Special Representative in Jerusalem, Dan Rohrmann, said the PA has done remarkable work to keep schools open and functioning during difficult times.  “More Palestinian children are in school than ever before,” Rohrmann said. “Education is the key to economic development in the Palestinian territory.  By investing in children you invest in the future.”

As schools re-open for the year, UNICEF is assisting in a number of ways.

Remedial education activities give students opportunities to continue education when schools are interrupted by closures both through catching-up activities in informal arrangements as well as through self-learning worksheets that can be used when children are unable to get to school.  Training and materials for parents are also made available when home-schooling is the only option.

Through the Child-Friendly Schools initiative, schools are being supported to make their facilities more friendly for students. Improvements range from adding sanitation facilities and improving extra-curricular programmes to special classes aimed at reducing violence in schools. Basic educational supplies are also provided. As an example, UNICEF is distributing more than 40,000 school bags for children in the Gaza Strip.

UNICEF’s support for education comes at a critical time. Years of conflict have damaged some 300 schools and forced many children to miss classes. Last year 580 schools were periodically forced to closed and some schools remain closed after being declared military outposts by the IDF.

For more information please contact:

Michael Bociurkiw, Tel: +9722 5830013 ext. 242, Cell: +972-577-293214, Mawad@unicef.org

Monica Awad, Tel: +9722-583-0012 ext. 213, Cell: +972-577-84374,Mbociurkiw@unicef.org

NEW YORK/GENEVA/HONG KONG, 3 September 2004 - “The Beslan siege represents a new and discouraging low — children used as hostages and denied food and water for three terrifying days,” said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy.
“It is unacceptable, incomprehensible, senseless. And the tragedy is that this episode is just the latest in a rising tide of violence aimed at children. It is time to take stock, to take a long hard look at our world and how it is treating children,” said Bellamy.

“We reiterate our earlier call that children must never be used for political purposes, and that schools must never be degraded to places of violence,” Bellamy said speaking from Hong Kong.

“If we don’t respect the sanctity of childhood, then we have nothing,” she added.

Carol Bellamy
UNICEF Executive Director

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For more information, please contact:

Angela Hawke, UNICEF CEE/CISand Baltics, 00 4122 909 5433

Jehane Sedky-Lavandero, UNICEF New York, 1 212 326-7269

Gordon Weiss, UNICEF New York, 1 212 326-7426

NEW YORK, 20 November 2004 - On the 15th anniversary today of the international adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that despite major advancements for children that include the creation of new laws in many countries, the rights of millions of children remain forgotten or ignored.

“The enactment of new laws set in motion by the Convention is a positive step that is critical to protecting the rights of children, but legal reform must be pursued at the same timeas social policies that address the challenges facing children right now,” Bellamy said. “Too many children are growing up without basic health care, education and protection from abuse and exploitation.”

Adopted in 1989 and ratified by every country in the world except two, the CRC is the most widely accepted international human rights treaty in history. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harm, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.

The implementation of the CRC remains a critical strategy to achieving the Millennium Declaration and the Millenium Development Goals, behind which the international community stands.

A recent review by UNICEF of 62 countries that have strived to implement the CRC shows that:

• More than half the countries studied have incorporated the CRC into domestic law;
• Nearly a third of the countries have incorporated important provisions on the rights of the child into their constitutions;
• Nearly half the countries have adopted codes or comprehensive laws on children.

In addition, two optional protocols anchored on the CRC have been approved since: one on the involvement of children in armed conflict; and the second on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. There has been widespread ratification of both of these, and their implementation is gaining momentum, Bellamy said.

The review also found that the CRC has led to important institutional reforms, including the establishment of more than 60 independent human rights institutions for children in at least 38 states around the world.

With the UN Special Session on Children in 2002, independent institutions joined in a global network to enhance their advocacy on behalf of children’s rights, and committed to double their number by end decade.

“These independent institutions constitute a critical pillar of a global movement to specifically monitor and protect the rights of children,” Bellamy said.

But the study also found that while high-level political commitment has been essential to the development of new laws protecting children’s rights, social change has been sustained only when that commitment has been matched by effective law enforcement, allocation of adequate resources and the engagement of all levels of society.

“Only when governments are dedicated to developing and implementing laws to protect children and work in partnership with all sectors of society will we have the true culture of human rights for children that the CRC envisions,” Bellamy said.

A renewed commitment to children’s rights is essential at a time when nearly 11 million children before the age of five die every year, most from preventable causes, Bellamy said.

“Children are dying because their families are too poor to be sick,” said Bellamy. “If we are truly to make a difference in children’s lives, and have a chance at achieving the social and economic goals of the world community, we must make the rights of these marginalized and forgotten children our highest priority. The rights to education, health care and a safe and loving environment in which to thrive must never be theoretical. They must be a reality for all children.”

For more information, please contact:
Jehane Sedky-Lavandero, UNICEF New York, 212 326 7269,
Kate Donovan, UNICEF New York, 212