CONTROL YUAN, TAIWAN | NHRC Releases Independent Opinion on the Second National Report on the CRC

On April 1, 2022, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) released the Independent Opinion on the Second National Report on the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC). In her speech, NHRC Chairperson Chen Chu reiterated the Commission’s commitment to listening to children and working to protect the mental and physical development.

She added that she hopes that the government will be encouraged to incorporate diverse views on children and through the Independent Opinion, helping everyone better understand the blueprint for Taiwan’s children’s rights policy and its implementation. At the same time, Chen expressed her concern for the innocent children being harmed in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The three NHRC members responsible for supervising this effort—Ta-hua YEH, Chiu-chin LIU TIEN, and Sun-lu FAN—have held four regional children and youth sessions, five focus sessions, four institutional discussions, and three discussions with experts and scholars since mid-2021. These were aimed at collecting a broad and diverse range of opinions from stakeholders in the well-being of children and young people, with a focus on exploring and analyzing the difficulties and institutional difficulties involved in the current implementation of the CRC in Taiwan.

This Independent Opinion also addresses three main topics: children’s rights during the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s digital rights, and alternative care measures for children. A total of 24 issues around the rights of children and young people have been put forward, with a particular urging for a prompt amendment of the Implementation Act of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to outline the monitoring mechanism for children’s rights more clearly and strengthen budgetary investment in children.

The NHRC has also stated that Independent Opinion on the CRC will serve as a reference for international experts when reviewing the National Report and that they also plan to produce sign-language and audiobook versions in the hope of encouraging all corners of Taiwanese society to work together on implementing Taiwan’s policy on the rights of children and young people.

Source: Control Yuan, Taiwan