Egypt, along with the international community, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the approval of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. Reem Leila attended the celebrations The Ministry of State for Family and Population, and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), celebrated the 20th anniversary of the approval of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) by the United Nation's General Assembly. The CRC anniversary also coincided with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM). The celebrations, from 21-24 November, were capped by an international conference under the auspices and with the presence of Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, NCCM head. Fifty-seven members of the OIC attended the conference held under the name "Rights of children in Islamic Sharia". The OIC and its member states, inspired by the teachings of Islam, which urges due care of children and granting them their full rights, including to thrive to reach their full potential, have repeatedly asserted, and most recently in the Khartoum Declaration of February 2009, that CRC constitutes a frame of reference for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. The conference provided the opportunity to discuss policies and measures adopted and on lessons gained. Mrs Mubarak pointed out while addressing the attendees that after 20 years after the CRC was approved, there is a lot to be accomplished in children's survival, education, malnutrition and development as well as expanding and promoting efforts to protect them, while there is a growing recognition of the importance of enabling children to participate in the development and protection of their societies. "There is a huge gap between the available financial resources, international and regional funds and the required funds necessary for accomplishing a better future for children. Millions of children in the world still suffer from poverty and abuse and are in dire need of food, shelter and healthcare," stated Mrs Mubarak. During her address, Mrs Mubarak called on the international society and its institutions to strengthen the rights of children, asserting the importance of family to instill good morals and protect cultural and religious principals. Mrs Mubarak's statement pointed out that although Egypt has relatively succeeded in disseminating health awareness and boosting child and motherhood healthcare particularly in decreasing rates of Female Genital Cutting (FGC), other countries, along with Egypt, still need to exert more efforts in other fields regarding children's welfare. The United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF) issued a report on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the CRC highlighting its achievements but admitting at the same time that many challenges are still facing its full implementation. The report asserted that the celebration represents clear evidence of the mutual understanding between governments and communities on children's rights to life, safety and protection against abuse, violence and exploitation. Specialists in the field of childhood indicated that several countries were facing a huge problem especially the plight of children who were born out of wedlock whose mothers abandoned them because of the stigma attached to them and their children by the society due to the prevalent social and religious values. Peter Newell, co- convenor of the international NGO campaign for CRC optional protocol, explained that such stigmas can be removed through awareness-raising campaigns in collaboration with enlightened religious men. The CRC was met with much approval from heads of state when it was adopted in 1989. At present, 194 countries have ratified the agreement including Somalia which ratified it this month. This means every UN member country ratified the convention except the United States. Therefore, it is considered the most acceptable global human rights agreement in history. The US promised to review its position towards the CRC. The agreement identifies the child as any person who is under the age of 18. It requires all state parties to guarantee to children all procedures and measures of protection, provide them with education opportunities and healthcare, enable them to reach the maximum level of their capacities and skills, live in an environment of happiness, love and understanding and provide them with information that enables them to know their rights and participate in their implementation. Minister of State for Family and Population Mushira Khattab believes that the CRC is now the only core human rights instrument with a reporting procedure that does not have a complementary communications system. The CRC requires a communications programme just as much as the other core human rights treaties which already have one. The almost universal ratification of the CRC confirms the acceptance by the international community of children as right-holders. "But the lack of a communications procedure under the CRC limits our full recognition of their status," confirmed Khattab. The conference looked at the right of non- discrimination and its application in Muslim states, highlighting success stories and challenges, the status of certain groups of children including female children and children without parental care. Children involved with juvenile justice systems are another area that the conference focussed on along with the rights of child witnesses and victims of crime. An important cross-cutting theme to the work of the conference was the participation of children. Over four days, the conference focussed on issues of relevance to Muslim countries. A session was devoted to efforts exerted by many Muslim countries to combat violence and discrimination against female children. Issues including girls education, combating FGC and child marriage were discussed. "The respect for children's rights is a priority objective for the government," Mubarak said, adding that the Egyptian government has been exerting great efforts. "A number of these challenges are yet to be overcome," she said, pointing to the resilience of customs which are still backward and the small budgets allocated to children's well-being. To protect children's rights, a law has been enacted to fight child trafficking and mistreatment. The green light was given to social action to denounce violence against children. Khattab stated that it was necessary to promote and protect children's rights which call for responsibility from governments, parents and civil society groups. "If we are serious in our commitment to children's rights, then we have to accept that for rights to have meaning, effective remedies must be available to address violation of rights," Khattab said. Islamic countries have shown commitment to the convention. Most Islamic countries have ratified the convention. They all report regularly to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the Convention in their respective states. Two children from each country attended the conference, representing their respective nations. During the conference, children participated with their views, presented the problems they suffer from. At the end of the conference the children sang to express their deep love and profound appreciation of the country.
