Proposition 50K1721

Projet de loi instaurant l'établissement d'un rapport annuel sur l'application de la Convention relative aux droits de l'enfant.

General information ¶

Submitted by

The Senate

Submission date

Aug. 29, 2001

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

children's rights

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP Open Vld MR

Abstained from voting

N-VA FN

Party dissidents ¶

• Alfons Borginon (Open Vld) abstained from voting.

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

May 23, 2002 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

The 30th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which will meet in Geneva from 20 May to 7 June this year, examined today the report submitted by Belgium, pursuant to Article 44 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This report was submitted in 1999. The first report was drafted in 1994. Article 44 of the Convention requires States Parties to submit to the United Nations a five-year report on the situation of the rights of the child in their country. National parliaments have a mere informal knowledge of these reports. by

The bill, which was submitted to the Senate by Mrs. Sabine de Béthune, aims to give an annual periodicity to the publication of the report, while also intending to actively involve the Belgian parliament in the debate on respect for the rights of the child. An Advisory Committee on the Rights of the Child has been established in the Senate. In our assembly, unfortunately, we did not have a debate on this report, which was discussed today in Geneva. As far as I know, it has not been updated since 1999.

As a second note, I would also like to point out that Saturday, the first day of missing children will be held on the initiative of Child Focus. I also believe that you have accompanied other parliamentarians to the Royal Palace this morning since you are treating the myosotis, Mr. President. In this context, I would like to clarify that if we vote on bills that invite us to make annual publications, rather than every five years — which is a good thing, in my opinion — the grant of Child Focus has never been increased, while this association handles between 15 and 20% of additional cases per year. by

Also, let’s not just stop at reports, but let’s ask the government to make an effort for Child Focus! I would like to clarify that this association sees its files constantly increasing. Most of them involve leaks, followed by parental abductions: 25%, disappearances of unaccompanied minors: 10%, sexual abuse: 8%, unspecified disappearances: 3% and third-party abductions: 1,7%. by

Child Focus would also like to develop records and conduct studies on the causes of these leaks, but does not have the financial means to do so. by

If we vote today on the annualization of this report on the rights of the child, I would like to call on the government to fund more Child Focus and I thank it in advance.

I agree largely with Mr Lefevre’s words. The CD&V Chamber group is ⁇ pleased with the bill of our CD&V colleague in the Senate, Mrs. de Bethune. By approving this here, we are implementing one of the six recent recommendations formulated by the UN. This is a good step forward thanks to the good work of our colleague, Mrs. de Bethune.

I fully agree with the previous speakers. I have another small margin note. Yesterday we witnessed the Senate press conference on a Senate note on child pornography on the Internet. Anyone who reads that note can see that there is a very high involvement in the private sector in the United States itself. That brings me to the painful question that ⁇ it is precisely why the United States of America has not granted its signature, another proof of the cynicism of this great power.