Centre
for
World
Dialogue
Conferences
& Meetings
CHILDREN'S
RIGHTS AND WRONGS
the Child, children's rights continue to be violated. This conference was intended
to raise awareness of the need for radical action if children's rights are to
be respected and if those countries that have signed the convention are to be
compelled to observe its provisions.
My
sincere congratulations to the Centre for World Dialogue for its initiative
in organising this seminar in co-operation with UNICEF
Kofi
Annan
Secretary-General, United Nations
Delegates went on to address a number of issues affecting the well-being of
children. These included the reaction of children to the effects of war and
its aftermath, focusing in particular on the rehabilitation of child soldiers
in Rwanda; child poverty and the phenomenon of street children in Latin America;
and efforts to curtail child prostitution and the exploitation of children in
bonded labour.
Some of the most memorable contributions came from children themselves who vividly
described their personal experience of poverty, abuse and exploitation. Their
resilience and optimism belied the grim reality of their lives.
Among
the distinguished speakers were Dr Shirin Ebadi, National Association in Support
of Children's Rights, Tehran; Sandra Mason, Chairperson, UN Committee on the
Rights of the Child; Cleophas K. Mally, Director, World Association of Orphans,
Lomé; and André Roberfroid, Regional Director, UNICEF, Geneva.
In conjunction with the conference, the Centre hosted an exhibition of photographs
by the internationally acclaimed Iranian photojournalist Reza. Entitled Child's
Destiny, the exhibition illustrated the hardship endured by children in
many parts of the world.
The
conference was opened by the President of Cyprus, Glafcos Clerides, and a message
from the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, was delivered by Dame Anne Hercus,
then UN Chief of Mission in Cyprus.
Nicosia,
Cyprus, November 1998:
in co-operation with UNICEF
In
1998 alone 130 million children were denied an education, 13 million died of
malnutrition, and 250,000 were serving in government armies around the world.
More than ten years after the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights
of
