Good intentions alone will not bring relief to child victim of human rights violations

Good intentions alone will not bring relief to child victim of human rights violations

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is having its 98th session in Geneva, presided over by its Chair, Dr. Ann Marie Skelton, South African Jurist. CRC is composed of 18 independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its State parties.

CRC statement says that it monitors implementation of two Optional Protocols to the Convention, on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC) and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPSC). On 19 December 2011, the UN General Assembly approved a third Optional Protocol on a communications procedure (OPIC), which allows individual children to submit complaints regarding specific violations of their rights under the Convention and its first two optional protocols. This Protocol entered into force in April 2014.

The Committee is also able to consider individual complaints alleging violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its first two optional protocols (OPAC and OPSC) by States parties to the OPIC, as well as to carry out inquiries into allegations of grave or systematic violations of rights under the Convention and its two optional protocols.

Dr. Ann Marie Skelton, Committee Chair, in her opening statement, said since the last session, the Committee had marked the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Convention, and diverse celebrations of this milestone were held across the world. However, she said it was hard be in a celebratory mood while children’s rights continued to be violated across the world, particularly in conflict zones. However, Ms. Skelton said the Committee would not give up; it would continue to uphold children’s rights to the best of its ability.
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”.

Khurram Parvez, a Kashmir-based human rights activist, told DW that the children in Kashmir are witnessing two types of violence: “The first type is when they are directly affected by killing, torture, arrests; the second is when they see their families suffering,” adding that these children cannot lead a normal life. “Their life is shaped by a sense of injustice, and the tendency to accept violence increases with time. All these things have a negative impact on their mental health.”

Anees Zargar quoted Khurram Parvez in NewsClick that it is not normal for any society where children are exposed to violence. “It compels children to think about their identity, politics, and other issues. There are implications where violence then becomes normal and acceptable,” he said.

Zahid Mushtaq wrote in Foreign Policy News on May 5, 2017, The condition of the children of Kashmir reflects the tragic fate of the children when otherwise they were supposed to bloom. The everyday traumatic effects have had a profound and long-lasting impact on the emotional, cognitive, behavioural and psychological functioning of the children. These children find themselves through no fault of their own lacking the opportunity to learn and develop the necessary skills to become fully functional members of the society. This lost generation of our time is the tragedy of our time. For these children, in the future, the possibility of finding gainful employment as an adult becomes increasingly challenging. To sum up in poetic terms

By Yusra Shakeel of Kashmir Institute of International Relations wrote under the heading, “The Impact of Conflict on Children’s Mental Health in Jammu and Kashmir, “The most vulnerable group are children who have been traumatized by violence, loss, and insecurity since childhood. Cognitive development in conflict zones differs from that of children in stable environments. Daily life for children in Jammu and Kashmir is characterized by prolonged restrictions, armed forces, fear of violence, and uncertainty about the future. These conditions have a significant impact on the health and development of individuals and lead to many psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety stress and other injuries.

I would strongly recommend the UNHRC and in particular ‘Committee on Rights of Child’ meticulously studies of whether strict laws against child labor and their scrupulous enforcement in less developed countries causes children who lose jobs to turn to crimes or fall into depravity. Child labor laws are certainly benignly motivated and aimed to benefit the child. But kindly motives do not invariably lead to kind results.

CRC should tell India to abide by the provisions of international humanitarian law in Kashmir.

CRC must persuade India to offer mental health treatment including therapy to those children in Kashmir who are suffering from PTSD, anxiety and depression.

CRC should request for an official visit to Kashmir to assess the situation there.

Dr. Fai is also the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: WhatsApp: 1-202-607-6435. Or. gnfai2003@yahoo.com
www.kaashmirawareness.org