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

“I joined air cadets. I didn’t stay very long, a few months. The coolest was shooting pellets but we didn’t
do it very much. I lost interest in following orders. It was not hard to leave.”
<strong>CCRC</strong> Youth Consultation, October 2, 2011
International Development
Through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada provides assistance to
programs in a number of countries, such as Colombia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, to
implement the OPAC. In relation to the Security Council, Canada continues to be active in the Friends
of Children and Armed Conflict, work together on implementation of Security Council resolutions
relating to children and armed conflict.
“It is quite a good job if you don’t get killed.”
<strong>CCRC</strong> Youth Consultation, October 2, 2011
© UNICEF Canada/2010/Sri Utami
6
Children’s Rights
and International
Development
Recommendations
ACTION
Give greater priority to recruiting over-18s, cease
holding recruitment events at high schools and other
locations that target youth under the age of 18, and
cease co-op programs that give high school credit for
military training programs.
Hold Canada accountable for its lack of compliance
with the OPAC in the case of Omar Khadr, and insist
that Canada make amends as much as possible
through facilitating Khadr’s return to Canada with
a reintegration program that is consistent with the
Paris Principles for the rehabilitation of children
associated with armed forces.
Provide information about steps taken to protect
the rights of under-age detainees in Afghanistan,
in response to the recommendations received after
Canada’s first review under the OPAC.
Conduct a review to ensure that defence policies,
immigration policies relating to children involved in
armed conflict, international aid policies, and foreign
policy positions fully comply with the OPAC.
Actors (Lead and Main Actors)
Department of National Defence and the
Canadian Forces
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
Department of Foreign Affairs and the
Department of National Defence
Auditor General of Canada
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) announced a new strategy entitled Securing
the Future of Children and Youth in May 2010. It replaced the five-year Action Plan on Child Protection,
which expired in 2005. (This previous plan is highlighted in Canada’s combined Third and Fourth
Reports). The new strategy provides a rationale for focusing on children/youth and identifies three
priority areas for CIDA: improving child and maternal health, quality education, and safe and secure
futures for children and youth.
While the Convention includes provision rights, which relate equally to the sectors of health and
education, the CIDA strategy relegates children’s rights to the protection sector alone. Children’s rights
should be taken into consideration in all three priority areas.
Missing from the strategy is an explicit focus on child and youth participation in the development and
delivery of development programming. This is a lost opportunity because CIDA’s earlier Action Plan
identified good participation practices that could have been scaled up in the next phase. Children are
viewed primarily as recipients of services, not as development actors. There is no specific mention of
strengthening mechanisms for implementing children’s rights in target countries.
As well as missing a systemic approach, the listed actions and outcomes in the strategy are very
general. In order to achieve effective accountability, one of the primary features of rights-based
approaches, the strategy requires more defined targets and mechanisms for on-going monitoring of
progress.
82 Right in principle, right in practice Children’s Rights and International Development 83