eng - World Organisation Against Torture

3.2. Practice – Cases of tortureThe practice of torture and other forms ofinhuman or degrading treatment or punishmentagainst children has been reported onoccasion. In the following sections cases oftorture are reported:• 4.2.1. Practice of commercial sexual exploitationof children, Child Prostitution,Child Sex Tourism, and Trafficking,• 4.2. Children in situations of armed conflictand child soldiers (cases of graveviolence, unlawful killings, arbitrary detentionand torture towards children by militaryforces),• 5.2. Lack of Compliance with theConvention on the Rights of the Child; withregards to juvenile justice system and especiallythe conditions of detention of children.3.3. Arbitrary executions andextrajudicial killings (Davao andDigos Death Squads)The Universal Declaration of Human Rightsdeclares the inherent right of every humanbeing to life. Article 6 of the CRC calls uponsignatory States to recognise that every childhas the inherent right to life, while Article 37prohibits the imposition of the death sentencefor crimes committed by persons below18 years of age. Summary executions areconsidered being among the worst forms ofhuman rights violations.Davao and Digos Death SquadsFor over eight years now, two vigilantegroups, respectively known as the Davao andDigos Death Squads (DDS), have killed morethan 150 people, including teenagers in andaround Digos City in the Southern provinceof Mindanao. It is not clear how close thelinks are, if any, between both groups.However, the killings committed are carriedout in a similar manner and against suspecteddrug pushers and petty criminals. Thekillings remain unpunished and seeminglynot investigated. Although the death squadsappeared to have stopped in 2000 after an12