International children’s court is needed to punish abuses, says global report

Child labourers work in a field in Vietnam国产视频檚 northern mountains听Picture: 漏 ILO/Hoang Dinh Chieu

听

An international children国产视频檚 court should be set up to investigate and punish abuses such as child labour, child marriage and child slavery that prevent children from going to school.

That was one of the major recommendations by the Global Citizenship Commission headed by Gordon Brown, the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education.

In a hard-hitting report on human rights, the commission also said the UN Security Council should annually review violations of children国产视频檚 rights.

A children国产视频檚 court would be similar to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which hears听cases such as war crimes and genocide. It would have powers to rule on cases reported by children and give legally-binding rulings.

Mr Brown told the UN on April 18:听国产视频淲e need, in a sense, a civil rights struggle by and on behalf of children because their rights have been neglected in the international community.国产视频�

The Global Citizenship Commission presents its findings to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on April 18听Picture: UN

In a blog for the Boston Globe, the UN envoy said children had been overlooked when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was agreed in 1948.

He added: 国产视频淕lobally, 168 million children have no choice but to take up work and 85 million are engaged in hazardous labor.

国产视频淚n addition, nearly 60 million children will never enter a classroom 国产视频� will never find the hope and fulfillment that can come only with an education. And every year, some 10 million school-aged girls are married off and deprived of a future.国产视频�

The commission is made up of political leaders and academics, incuding Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed El Baradei, politician and campaigner Graca Machel and Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum.

Its report 国产视频� The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the 21st Century 国产视频� also looked beyond children国产视频檚 issues and recommended far-reaching measures to reform the UN国产视频檚 human rights structures.

The commission also examined the rights of refugees and asylum seekers and said human rights should be part of a 国产视频済lobal ethic国产视频� that includes issues such as the eradication of poverty, responsibility for the planet and climate, and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.