UN Special Session for
Children Begins TodayWorld leaders
convene today for the three-day United Nations General
Assembly Special Session for Children. Three thousand
delegates from over 180 countries and 3,000
representatives from nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) will consider new objectives and approaches to
improve the condition of children over the next 15
years. Attendees will confront these sobering realities:
10 million children die each year from preventable
diseases; over 120 million children, many of whom are
girls, still do not have access to education; and more
than one million children, primarily girls, are forced
into the sex trade each year.
While the summit
will address critical issues for children worldwide, it
is not without controversy. The Bush Administration has
vocally opposed language in the Summit declaration
relating to the reproductive health of children and has
repeatedly supported language that would exclude support
for abortion counseling and services. When preparing for
the summit, the Bush Administration made clear its view
that the phrase “reproductive health services” in the
declaration was an endorsement of abortion. The US has
also opposed provisions in the Convention on the Rights
of the Child and has refused to ratify the treaty. At
issue, according to some members of Congress, is
language that would give children more control over
their healthcare. Opponents argue that children could
elect to have healthcare procedures performed without
parental consent. Ratified by 191 countries, however,
the Convention is the most universally ratified treaty
in history.
For more information, see the United
Nations General Assembly Special Session for
Children.
 OR 
Feminist.org: Your daily source for the feminist
perspective on national and global events.
Media Resources: Associated Press, 5/8/02; New
York Times, 5/8/02; UNICEF, 4/26/02; Human Rights Watch,
5/2/02 |
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