At the beginning of February, Children Change Colombia was invited by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to participate in the pre-sessional working group of Colombia in Geneva. Our Executive Director Angela Carreño attended the session and presented the situation of forced recruitment of Children in Colombia.
CCC presented with the Human Rights Centre from Loyola Law School a report on child forced recruitment in Colombia to the Committee. “It was a great experience meeting with the Committee members and being able to explain to them in person the challenges that face children and young people in Colombia, there were also three adolescents from Colombia explaining their concerns. The organisations that attended were highly committed and there were experts on different child areas such as health, environment, conflict and disabilities” expresed Angela.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child expressly gives civil society a role in monitoring its implementation. Under article 45(a) of the Convention, the Committee may invite specialized agencies, UNICEF and “other competent bodies” – including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), national human rights institutions (NHRIs), individual experts and children.
The pre-sessional working group is a confidential, interactive meeting between the Committee and United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, NGOs, NHRIs and children. It provides a unique opportunity for dialogue with partners regarding implementation of the Convention and its Optional Protocols by States parties.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), comprising 18 members, monitors implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols. This convention safeguards all human rights of children, defined as persons under the age of 18. The 196 states parties agree to take all appropriate measures to ensure these rights are protected in their respective countries, and they regularly submit progress reports to the CRC.
Last time the Committee had a revision of the Colombia situation was in 2015. For CCC, it was an honour to be the voice of the child victims of recruitment in Colombia in this important meeting. As a result, Children Change Colombia has created links with the Committee to continue working together to protect children’s rights in Colombia.
