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PRESS RELEASE
'The OMCT celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child'
New York, 20 November 2014
Today the World celebrates
the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The most widely
ratified human rights treaty in the World is a milestone for the empowerment of
children and promotion of their rights.
In the past weeks the OMCT has promoted and participate in a series of activities in order to advocate for the rights of children and their protection from torture and ill-treatment, culminating with the participation today at the High Level Panel on the Rights of the Child at the General Assembly in New York.
"To celebrate the recognition of children's basic human rights also means recognizing their special vulnerability to all forms of harm, including torture and ill-treatment. In this landmark occasion we should not forget that children' special needs entail an increased duty of diligence and responsibility of States." Said the OMCT Secretary General, Gerald Staberock.
The OMCT's child rights coordinator has met with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Children, Marta Santos Pais, to discuss the advancements and challenges faced by children and their advocates in promoting their rights and ensuring their protection from torture and ill-treatment.
Despite the many reasons to celebrate, today the OMCT would like to remember the thousands of children deprived of liberty who are still subject to inhumane conditions of detention and frequently submitted to practices of torture and ill-treatment around the globe.
"We still see in our daily work monitoring juvenile detention centres around the World that children are not seen as subject of rights and practices of torture, ill-treatment and corporal punishment, that in some cases wouldn't be allowed or accepted towards adults, are often tolerated by States and societies when applicable to children." Noted the OMCT's child rights coordinator, Carolina Barbara.
On the anniversary of CRC, the OMCT would like to call members states to step up to the commitments and promises made 25 years ago to protect children from torture and ill-treatment and ensure accountability for the crimes committed against them.
For further information
please contact:
Carolina Barbara at cb@omct.org