BackThe Human Rights Defender of Armenia has released a new ad hoc public report, entitled “Commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its protocols: the state of fulfillment by Armenia.” The report, published on June 12, 2018 was developed with the support of UNICEF office in Armenia.
In 1993, Armenia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, pledging to bring its domestic law and practice into full conformity with the requirements of this international document.
The new report aims to assess to what extent the Republic of Armenia has implemented and complied with the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which oversees Member States’ adherence to the Convention and its two subsequent Protocols. The report covers the period from 2013 to December 2017, during which the CRC released three concluding observations regarding Armenia. After summarizing the facts and recommendations presented within these documents, the Ombudsman provides his assessments and recommendations regarding implementation of each of them.
"Our studies show that the Republic of Armenia has not paid due attention to the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and most of the recommendations are not met at all or met partially. Moreover, the society is not properly informed about the Convention. This is evidenced by our numerous meetings with students from different schools in Armenia, "Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan said.
"It is symbolic that Armenia's next report will be presented next year when the world will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Convention. This gives an opportunity to address the great progress registered in the field of child rights while at the same time remembering our future plans, "said UNICEF Representative Tanja Radocaj.
In the compilation of the Defender’s report, concluding observations of the CRC,, previous reports of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the reports of relevant state agencies, and the reports of non-governmental organizations, including alternative reports, were all examined.
In addition, interviews with independent experts in the field of child rights protection, staff of state and community bodies, advocates, and judges were conducted. Numerous judicial acts, conclusions of guardianship and trusteeship bodies and administrative acts adopted by community bodies have been studied. Particular attention was paid to mass media reports, as well as discussions on social networks. Extensive data received from state authorities has also been included in the report.
The Human Rights Defender of Armenia carries continuous monitoring of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as prevention and advocacy for victims of children's rights violations. For the effective implementation of this important mission, a Department for Protection of Children's Rights has been created within the Defender’s Office. This report was drawn up within the scope of the Ombudsman's mission and is an important component of the monitoring process.
Source: Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia
