Support youth's mental health-social reintegration

At the beginning of February, Children Change Colombia was invited by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to participate in the pre-sessional working group of Colombia in Geneva. Our Executive Director Angela Carreño attended the session and presented the situation of forced recruitment of Children in Colombia.

Last year CCC presented with the Human Rights International Human Rights Center at Loyola Law School a report on child forced recruitment in Colombia to the Committee.

Both organisations were invited to provide expert advice on the implementation of the Convention. The Convention on the Rights of the Child expressly gives civil society a role in monitoring its implementation. Under article 45(a) of the Convention, the Committee may invite specialized agencies, UNICEF and “other competent bodies” – including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), national human rights institutions (NHRIs), individual experts and children

The pre-sessional working group is a confidential, interactive meeting between the Committee and United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, NGOs, NHRIs and children. It provides a unique opportunity for dialogue with partners regarding implementation of the Convention and its Optional Protocols by States parties.

The Committee will only invite partners whose information is particularly relevant to its consideration of the State party's report. Priority will be given to partners who have submitted information within the requested timeframe, who are working at national level and who can provide first-hand information that is complementary to information already available to the Committee. The Committee reserves the right to limit the number of partners invited.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), comprising 18 members, monitors implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols. This convention safeguards all human rights of children, defined as persons under the age of 18. The 196 states parties agree to take all appropriate measures to ensure these rights are protected in their respective countries, and they regularly submit progress reports to the CRC.

Last time the Committee had a revision of the Colombia situation was in 2015. For CCC was an hour to be the voice of the children victims of recruitment in Colombia in this important meeting and has created links with the Committee to continue working together to protect children’s rights in Colombia.