full version - World Organisation Against Torture

Eritrea1. Preliminary ObservationsThe submission of specific information on violence against girls to theCommittee on the Rights of the Child forms part of the Violence AgainstWomen Programme of OMCT, which focuses on the integration of a genderperspective into the work of the United Nations human rights treatymonitoring bodies.The Convention on the Rights of the Child (hereinafter “Convention”)establishes standards for the protection of girls from physical and psychologicalviolence in the home, in the community and at the hands of Stateofficials. The Convention uses both feminine and masculine pronouns inits provisions and it stresses in Article 2(1) that : “State parties shallrespect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to eachchild within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespectiveof the child’s … sex.” Among the rights that States Parties mustprotect regardless of sex, are: the right to life; the right to be free fromviolence, mistreatment and exploitation while under the care of a parentor other guardian; the right to be free from harmful traditional practices;the right against sexual exploitation and abuse; and the right against torture.Importantly, Article 39 provides that “States Parties shall take allappropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery andsocial reintegration of a child victim of: any form of neglect, exploitation,or abuse; torture or any form of cruel inhuman or degrading treatment orpunishment; or armed conflicts. Such recovery and reintegration shall takeplace in an environment which fosters the health, self-respect and dignityof the child.”The reporting guidelines of the Committee on the Rights of the Child containan umbrella clause which requests States Parties to provide genderspecificinformation, statistical data and indicators on various issuescovered by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The particular situationof the girl child is also addressed more specifically in certainArticles. For example, with respect to Article 1 of the Convention (definitionof the child), the Committee on the Rights of the Child has identifiedgender-specific issues of particular relevance to the girl child, including,for example, the minimum age for marriage, which can be problematicwhere it is set at a very young age for girls. With respect to Article 2(non-discrimination), States Parties are requested to provide information199