CCRC report on rights of children in Canada - Canadian Coalition ...

One young person said, “A friend was raped by her boyfriend. She didn’t tell her parents but her
doctor did and her parents kicked her out. She had to have baby by herself, the guy was gone. She
didn’t have anywhere to turn to.”
<strong>CCRC</strong> Youth Consultation, August 24th, 2011
Article 10: International Cooperation
When Canada ratified OPSC, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) had a five-year
Child Protection Strategy that included a focus on strengthening children’s rights and preventing sexual
exploitation, child labour, and use of children in armed conflict. That strategy has not been renewed. A
new Children and Youth Strategy within CIDA has ‘safety and security’ as one of its three pillars, along
with health and education. Safety in schools is one specific priority in the safety pillar. However, it is
not clear how much focus will be put on prevention of sexual exploitation.
© UNICEF Canada/2010/Sri Utami
4
Enabling
Children’s Full
Development
Recommendations
ACTION
Include implementation of article 10 of OPSC in CIDA’s
Child and Youth Strategy and provide a supplementary
<strong>report</strong> to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
on how CIDA’s new strategy implements OPSC.
“If you’re a student, your teacher should talk about
it more and get some really engaging teachers to
help students talk about it in class. My elementary
school was really good at that. When we did ‘sex ed’
we would separate guys and girls and ask whatever
questions we wanted. The teachers were about 27
years old and really good with us. Would be cool to
do that in high school.”
<strong>CCRC</strong> Youth Consultation, August 24th, 2011
Actors (Lead and Main Actors)
Canadian International Development
Agency
a CHILDREN’S RIGHT TO HEALTHY
LIVING CONDITIONS AND
HEALTH CARE
Introduction
Implementing article 24 of the Convention is an urgent matter for children’s health in Canada and for the
country’s future, as well as fulfilling children’s rights. Article 24 includes healthy living conditions as well
as access to health care. In Canada, implementing article 24 can provide a useful balance for an overemphasis
on clinical medicine in our public health system.
Fulfilling article 24 also makes good economic sense. Current public debate is focused on lagging
productivity and an aging population. One of the best solutions is to invest in children’s health. Mastery
of the skills required for economic success builds on early foundations. 25 Health research clearly
documents a direct relationship between childhood conditions, brain development, and skill formation.
In reverse, brain damage and stunted development from unhealthy conditions during childhood can be
irreversible, and it adds tremendous costs in health care and social services, as well as lost productivity.
An expanding field of research, known as the social determinants of health, provides scientific evidence
for what are essential components of healthy conditions for children. Nutrition, housing, family
dynamics, socioeconomic status, quality of neighbourhood, community services, and environmental
factors are examples of the components of healthy conditions for child development.
We know the life-long positive impacts of providing healthy conditions for child development; we know
the negative impacts and economic costs of failing to do so. There is a remarkable consensus in the
40 Right in principle, right in practice Enabling Children’s Full Development 41