UN Committee to review Cambodia’s record on children’s rights

UN Committee to review Cambodia’s record on children’s rights

GENEVA (6 January 2015) –Cambodia’s record on preventing the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography will be reviewed by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on Monday 12 January and Tuesday 13 January.  The CRC will also examine Cambodia’s record on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

Cambodia has ratified two legal instruments, known as Optional Protocols, to the Convention on the Rights of the Child – one on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPSC) and one on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC) – and so is required to undergo regular examination by the Committee.

Among the possible issues to be discussed by the CRC and the delegation from the Cambodian Government:  

OPSC - protection of children from sex tourism exploitation, trafficking for sex and for labour; child prostitution in entertainment venues and child pornography widely available online.

OPAC - measures to ensure birth registration and to establish age verification systems; removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance in areas of previous armed conflict.

The list of issues and Cambodia’s report can be found here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=825&Lang=en. The sessions will take place at Palais Wison in Geneva from 15:00-18:00 (21:00-24:00 in Phnom Penh) on 12 January and from 10:00-13:00 (16:00-19:00) on 13 January. They will be webcast at http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/.

The CRC’s concluding observations on Cambodia and the other countries being reviewed – Turkmenistan, Gambia, Jamaica, Colombia, Switzerland, Dominican Republic, Sweden, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uruguay and Iraq - will be published on 4 February here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=825&Lang=en

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Liz Throssell (+41 (0) 22 917 9466 /  ethrossell@ohchr.org ).

To learn more about the Committee on the Rights of the Child visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRC/Pages/CRCIndex.aspx

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/OPSCCRC.aspx

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/OPACCRC.aspx

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