Plan International - Girls' Rights Platform - Girls' rights are human rights: Positioning girls at the heart of the international agenda

Aware of the decision of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in its resolution 3/2 of 6 May 1994, 9/ to consider the international traffic in minors at its fourth session in the context of its discussion on the question of organized transnational crime,

(c) To further revisit the revised Islamic Penal Code to make it consistent with its obligation, under article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to abolish executions of minors and persons who at the time of their offence were under the age of 18;

Recognizing that early childhood is a critical stage for cognitive, emotional and behavioural development and that the parent-child relationship is a significant factor in predicting bullying behaviour in adolescents, as well as the existing evidence of a link between domestic violence and bullying in schools,

Underlining that, although the crime of smuggling of migrants may share, in some cases, some common features with the crime of trafficking in persons, Member States need to recognize that they are distinct crimes and that they require separate and complementary legal, operational and policy responses, and recalling further its resolutions 68/179 of 18 December 2013 and 69/167 and 69/187 of 18 December 2014, in which it called upon all Member States to protect and assist migrants, including migrant children and adolescents, and Economic and Social Council resolutions 2014/23 of 16 July 2014 and 2015/23 of 21 July 2015,

5. Reaffirms the need to effectively promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrant children, including adolescents, regardless of their migration status, and to address international migration through international, regional or bilateral cooperation and dialogue and through a comprehensive and balanced approach, recognizing the roles and responsibilities of countries of origin, transit and destination in promoting and protecting the human rights of migrant children, including adolescents, and avoiding approaches that might aggravate their vulnerability;

9. Urges States parties to comply strictly with their obligations under the Convention, including, in view of the high number of reports not submitted, their obligation to submit reports in accordance with article 19 of the Convention, and invites States parties to incorporate a gender perspective and information concerning children and juveniles when submitting reports to the Committee against Torture;

(o) To provide support to girls, including adolescents, if needed, to voice their views and for their views to be given due weight, and adopt measures to eliminate gender stereotypes that undermine and place severe limitations on girls in the enjoyment of their right to be heard;

5. Calls upon the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, the United Nations Children’s Fund and other United Nations organizations to mobilize, within existing resources, adequate assistance to unaccompanied minors in the areas of relief, education, health and psychological rehabilitation;

13. Calls upon States to scale up scientifically accurate and age-appropriate comprehensive education, relevant to cultural contexts, that provides adolescent girls and boys and young women and men, in and out of school, consistent with their evolving capacities, and with appropriate direction and guidance from parents and legal guardians, with the best interests of the child as their basic concern, with information on sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention, gender equality and women’s empowerment, human rights, physical, psychological and pubertal development and power in relationships between women and men, to enable them to build self-esteem and foster informed decision-making, communication and risk- reduction skills and to develop respectful relationships, in full partnership with young people, parents, legal guardians, caregivers, educators and health-care providers, in order to, inter alia, enable them protect themselves from HIV infection and other risks;

(c) Enable migrants to communicate with their families without delay to inform them that they are alive by facilitating access to means of communication along routes and at their destination, including in places of detention, as well as access to consular missions, local authorities and organizations that can provide assistance with family contacts, especially in cases of unaccompanied or separated migrant children, as well as adolescents;

Emphasizing the relevance of international instruments and United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice related to the treatment of prisoners, in particular women and juveniles,

Reaffirming also the fact that all migrant children, including adolescents, are entitled to equal protection by the law and that all persons, regardless of their migration status, are equal before the courts and tribunals and, in the determination of their rights and obligations in a suit at law, are entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law,

1. Urges all States to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and to respect, protect and fulfil sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, in accordance with the Beijing Platform for Action and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and their review conference and outcome documents, and the right to have full control over and decide freely and responsibly on all matters relating to sexuality and sexual and reproductive health, free from discrimination, coercion and violence, including through the removal of legal barriers and the development and enforcement of policies, good practices and legal frameworks that respect bodily autonomy and guarantee universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, evidence-based information and education within a human rights-based approach, including for family planning, safe and effective methods of modern contraception, emergency contraception, universal access to health care, including quality maternal health care, such as skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care, safe abortion in accordance with international human rights law and where not against national law, the prevention and treatment of reproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted infections, HIV and reproductive cancers, and the integration of sexual and reproductive health into national health strategies and programmes for all women and girls, including adolescents;

59. Also encourages Member States, in cooperation with relevant United Nations humanitarian organizations, to ensure that women and girls have access to basic health-care services, including reliable and safe access to sexual and reproductive health-care services and mental health and psychosocial support, from the onset of emergencies, in this regard recognizes that such assistance protects women, adolescent girls and infants from preventable mortality and morbidity that occur in humanitarian emergencies, and calls upon Member States, the United Nations and other relevant actors to give such programmes due consideration;

3. Expresses its deep concern at the continued plight of unaccompanied refugee minors, and emphasizes once again the urgent need for their early identification and for timely, detailed and accurate information on their number and whereabouts;

68. Commit to develop and implement strategies to improve infant HIV diagnosis, including through access to diagnostics at point of care, significantly increase and improve access to treatment for children and adolescents living with HIV, including access to prophylaxis and treatments for opportunistic infections, as well as increased support to children and adolescents through increased financial, social and moral support for their parents, families and legal guardians, and promote a smooth transition from paediatric to young adult treatment and related support and services;

Recognizing, with interest, the Secretary-General’s revised Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030), undertaken by a broad coalition of partners, in support of national plans and strategies that aim for the highest attainable standards of health and well-being, physical, mental and social, at every age, ending maternal and newborn mortality, which is preventable, and noting that this can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,

19. Also urges all States to make appropriate treatment and rehabilitation accessible to children, including adolescents, dependent on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, inhalants and alcohol;

Recognizing that undocumented and unaccompanied migrant children, including adolescents, should be promptly placed in the least restrictive setting, for the shortest possible period of time, that is in the best interest of the child and respects their human rights,

Concerned by the increase in the abuse of illicit drugs among children, including adolescents, and young people,

Welcoming the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on children 6 and the firm commitments contained therein to promote and protect the rights of each child — every human being below the age of 18 years, including adolescents,

(b) To support adolescents to be able to deal positively and responsibly with their sexuality in order to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS infection and to implement measures to increase their capacity to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS, through, inter alia, the provision of health care, including for sexual and reproductive health, and through prevention education that promotes gender equality;

Recognizing further that adolescent girls, in particular those who live in poverty or who are marginalized, are at particular risk of maternal death and morbidity, including obstetric fistula, and concerned that the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 in many low- and middle-income countries is complications from pregnancy and childbirth and that women aged 30 and older are at increased risk of developing complications and of dying during childbirth,

18. Reiterate with profound concern that Africa, in particular sub -Saharan Africa, remains the worst-affected region and that urgent and exceptional action is required at all levels to curb the devastating effects of this epidemic, particularly on women and adolescent girls, and recognize the renewed commitment of African Governments and regional institutions to scale up their own HIV and AIDS responses;

16. Subsections A and B both provide additional rules for the treatment of juvenile female prisoners. It is important to note, however, that separate strategies and policies in accordance with international standards, in particular the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (the Beijing Rules), 22 the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (the Riyadh Guidelines), 23 the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of Their Liberty 24 and the Guidelines for Action on Children in the Criminal Justice System, 25 need to be designed for the treatment and rehabilitation of this category of prisoners, while institutionalization shall be avoided to the maximum possible extent.

Expressing grave concern further at the reported use of forced labour, including of conscripts and minors in the mining industry,

12. Urges Governments to respect and protect the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health through the development and enforcement of policies and legal frameworks and the strengthening of health systems, including health information systems, that make universally accessible and available quality, gender-responsive, adolescent-friendly health services, sexual and reproductive health-care services, information and commodities, HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care, mental health services and nutrition interventions;

(d) To promote an educational setting that eliminates all barriers that impede the schooling of pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers;

7. Also expresses its grave concern that, in some countries, the socioeconomic conditions of family members, particularly women and children, are adversely affected by unilateral coercive measures, imposed and maintained contrary to international law and the Charter, that create obstacles to trade relations among States, restrict movement through various means of transport, impede the full realization of social and economic development and hinder the well-being of the population in the affected countries, with particular consequences for women, children, including adolescents, the elderly and persons with disabilities;

33. Urges all States parties to the Convention that have not yet done so to make the declarations provided for in articles 21 and 22 of the Convention concerning inter-State and individual communications, to consider the possibility of withdrawing their reservations to article 20, to notify the Secretary-General of their acceptance of the amendments to articles 17 and 18, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of the Committee against Torture as soon as possible, and to comply strictly with their obligations under the Convention, including, in view of the high number of reports not submitted in time, their obligation to submi t reports in accordance with article 19 of the Convention, and invites States parties to incorporate a gender perspective and information concerning persons who are marginalized and most vulnerable, including children and juveniles and persons with disabilities, when submitting reports to the Committee;