HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONCLUDES ANNUAL DAY OF DISCUSSION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD WITH A FOCUS ON CHILDREN LIVING AND OR WORKING ON THE STREET

The Human Rights Council this afternoon concluded its annual day of discussion on the rights of the child with a panel focusing on prevention strategies and responses to the conditions of children living and or working in the street.

Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, introducing the discussion, said the Office of the High Commissioner placed great importance on the annual discussion on the protection and promotion of the rights of children working and or living on the street. These children experienced deprivation of some of the most fundamental rights, including the rights to education, health, food, physical integrity and also the right to life. It was clear that there was an urgent need for more reliable and systematic data collection and research on children in street situations, and a need to apply a gender sensitive approach to protecting them. Children living and begging in the streets should not be treated as delinquents or criminals, but instead they should be provided with preventive and rehabilitative services, such as for physical and sexual abuse, to which they were all too commonly vulnerable.

The panellists speaking in today’s discussion were Ms. Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children; Mr. Abdul Khalique Shaikh, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Pakistan; Mr. Marco Antonio da Silva Souza, Director, Proyecto Menimos e meninas da rua, Brazil; Ms. Theresa Kilbane, Senior Adviser, Child Protection Unit, United Nations Children’s Fund; and Mr. Kari Tapiola, Special Advisor to the Director General, International Labour Organization.

Ms. Marta Santos Pais said that the true measure of a nation’s standing was assessed by how much it invested in children and how well it fulfilled children’s human rights, and yet the recognition of these rights tended to fade away in the situation of children living or working in the street and were replaced by stigma, indifference, invisibility and fear. Ms. Pais stressed the urgent need to establish and make widely available safe, child-sensitive and confidential counselling for children working or living on the street and to provide reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence.

Abdul Khalique Shaikh said that police perception of street children played a crucial role in shaping the response and support they received and therefore sensitisation for police officers about street children and their rights was essential. Pakistan had undertaken a number of measures such as the establishment of a five model Child Rights Desks in Sindh province, preparation of a police training manual on the juvenile justice system, and the organization of short courses and awareness workshops for police officers on the rights of street children. The police response should not be isolated but linked with the overall goal of child protection, and good practices should be institutionalised and replicated in other provinces and countries.

Marco Antonio da Silva Souza said that experience showed that children worked on the street to improve their family’s income, but society did not understand this preferring to see street children as drug users. The child on the street was left to his own destiny, confronted with situations of labour exploitation, sexual exploitation and even sudden death. Government policies were fragmented and poorly resourced and it was only through holistic public polices that these conditions would be changed. The speaker himself was a survivor of violence and child trafficking on the street.

Theresa Kilbane shifted the discussion toward the holistic approach and reviewed how the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with governments and non-governmental organizations, had been working to create a more systematic approach which embraced laws, services, behaviours and practices that minimized children’s susceptibility to risk. The necessary components of a protective environment included changes in the societal attitudes, customs and practices that allowed children’s rights to be violated and an emphasis on the accountability of governments to put in place the best possible systems for the protection of children, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity or religion.

Kari Tapiola said that street children were exposed to forced prostitution and begging, used in the drug trade and other work that harmed the health, safety or morals of children and there was a high degree of danger that children were seen as part of criminal activity rather than as victims of criminal activity. The International Labour Organization’s response relied heavily on comprehensive national action plans with relevant authorities and civil society. There was a need for better data to understand the situation and to develop activities for professionals who worked with children. In 2011 the international community pledged itself to the global elimination of all the worst forms of child labour by 2016 and this would not be achieved without addressing the issue of street children.

During the interactive discussion with the panel speakers said that the considerable stigma attached to being a street child restricted these children’s options for the future. The identification of reasons for which children found themselves on the street might help in devising response strategies. In that sense, poverty, particularly in developing countries, was one of the main reasons. A holistic approach was a challenge for governments, as many different stakeholders needed to work together and severe gaps remained between policy and practice. Speakers asked panellists to provide more information concerning strategies to better integrate children into society and concerning successful campaigns to raise awareness on the issue of street children. Countries requested information on out-of-home care standards and systems and on the results of longitudinal studies and research findings into the question of children on the street. Speakers asked how the sharing of best practices in situ might be facilitated by international cooperation and there was a request for statistics to be made available on street children, specifically about what happened to them later in life, how they fared in work and family life, and what was their status in the community.

In the interactive discussion the following countries spoke: Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Paraguay on behalf of Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), Australia, Algeria, Ukraine, Honduras, Costa Rica, the Maldives, the African Union, Pakistan, Switzerland, Angola, Nepal and Canada.

Also speaking were the following non-governmental organisations: the National Human Rights Council of Morocco, SOS Kinderdorf International and Defence for Children International.

During the second part of the discussion, speakers said that many children were exposed to numerous and serious threats and became victims of sexual exploitation, trafficking, HIV infection and child labour. These threats were due to a variety of complex factors such as poverty, education system barriers, legal and policy barriers, cultural and traditional practices, weak child labour law enforcement, and a lack of awareness thereof. Countries supported the creation of a sustainable social welfare system supporting children and an integrated multilateral approach in assisting street children. There were diverse initiatives at regional, national and international levels that should be put in place to counteract the phenomenon of children working and living on the street, such as ending impunity for violence against children; the establishment of an ombudsman that investigated violence against children; ensuring children’s participation and taking into account their views in accordance with their age and maturity; and supporting efforts to prevent violence within families. Countries noted the impact of the juvenile justice system on street children and said it should not be used as a substitute for a comprehensive child protection system.

In the second part of the interactive discussion the following countries spoke: the United States, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Jordan, India, Georgia, Japan, Sudan, Morocco, Viet Nam, Egypt, the European Union, Peru, Indonesia and Slovenia.

Also speaking were the following non-governmental organizations: Human Rights Advocate, Plan International, the Consortium for Street Children and the International Harm Reduction Association.

The next meeting of the Council will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 10 March 2011, when the Council will hold a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteurs on human rights defenders and on freedom of religion or belief.

Opening Statement by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights

KYUNG-WHA KANG, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, introducing the panel, said the High Commissioner and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights placed great importance on the annual discussion on the protection and promotion of the rights of children working and or living on the street. Children that lived and worked on the street experienced deprivation of some of the most fundamental rights, including the rights to education, health, food, physical integrity and also the right to life. It was clear that there was an urgent need for more reliable and systematic data collection and research on children in street situations, and the importance of using a gender sensitive approach to protecting them. International mechanisms, particularly the Committee on the Rights of the Child, gave much attention in their review of State party reports to the situation of children in street situations. Children living and begging in the streets should not be treated as delinquents or criminals, but instead they should be provided with preventive and rehabilitative services, such as for physical and sexual abuse, to which they were all too commonly vulnerable. This afternoon, the exploration of an action oriented part of the discussion would focus on prevention and reintegration, identifying possible responses at both the international and national levels.

Statements by Panellists

MARTA SANTOS PAIS, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, said that the true measure of a nation’s standing was assessed by how much it invested in children and how well it fulfilled children’s human rights, the right to grow up healthy, happy and safe; to enjoy education, and develop talents and skills to their full potential; to be respected with dignity and worth; to feel supported in addressing the unknown and steadily nurtured in a strong sense of belonging. As universal as these values might be, they tended to fade away when the situation of children living or working on the street was at stake; then, stigma, indifference, invisibility and fear routinely prevailed. Perceived as a curse, pictured as a danger, socially rejected, labelled as delinquents, and ignored in their individual identity and history, these children were met with neglect, marginalization and contempt. In most cases, their life was associated with high levels of violence and abuse, and unfortunately also with weak, ill-resourced and fragmented efforts to protect their fundamental rights. This was a serious governance gap that the international community needed to urgently address.

No one knew with precision how many children were living and/or working in the streets in countries around the globe. But with the fast urbanization of the world, these numbers would continue to grow, and with them, inequity, exclusion and violence would increase too. Addressing the situation of these children was therefore a question of urgency and also a human rights imperative. For millions of children around the world, the street was their home, their school, their place of work, and also the space where they made friends and built relationships. Girls were at special risk. They might be fewer and less visible, as they might be disguised as boys to protect themselves from harm. In addition to negative social attitudes, they endured sexual abuse and exploitation; faced early pregnancy and enhanced responsibilities as mothers of a new generation of street children; and still too often, they ended up placed in detention for deviant behaviour for their own protection. This dramatic pattern was seriously worsened when political instability occurred. Across regions there was a worrying trend to criminalize children living and or working on the street. As noted by the United Nations Study on Violence against Children, these children were demonized for activities which, even when they involved petty offences, in no way warranted the kind of cruel and gratuitous violence these children endured. In conclusion, Ms. Pais said that it was urgent to establish and make widely available and well publicized safe, child sensitive and confidential counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence, to reach out and support these children, and to fight impunity for the harm they may have suffered.

ABDUL KHALIQUE SHAIKH, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Pakistan, said the topic had been chosen due to the 20 years of experience on child cases, and also due to the responsibility of State agencies to act responsibly and fulfil their obligations. Since street children were more likely to come in conflict with laws, it had been observed that police officers in contact with children needed to be knowledgeable about different issues, including juvenile delinquency, vagrancy, begging, drug abuse, torture and others. Police perception of street children played a crucial role in shaping the response and therefore sensitisation about street children and their rights was essential. Mr. Shaikh outlined the issues and challenges the Sindh police had been dealing with and said most of those challenges were not specific to Pakistan, but to all developing countries. There was an increasing awareness among the police leadership of the need to improve the handling of street children in big cities. Pakistan had therefore undertaken a number of measures to that effect, including the establishment of five model Child Rights Desks in Sindh province, preparation of a police training manual on the juvenile justice system, and short courses and awareness workshops for police officers on the rights of street children. In order to ensure a better police response, it was recommended that it not be seen in isolation, but it should be linked with the overall goal of child protection. Good practices needed to be institutionalised and replicated in other provinces and countries and capacity building of police authorities needed to be expedited. Community policing matters should be encouraged to take street children off the street and re-integrate them back into society.

MARCO ANTONIO DA SILVA SOUZA, Director, Proyecto Meninos e meninas da rua, Brazil, thanked and congratulated the Human Rights Council for providing this opportunity to examine the issue of children on the streets. Although more than 20 years had passed since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was passed, children’s rights were still violated, particularly those living on the streets. The rights of these children were forgotten in the agendas of Member States, which was reflected in the lack of adequate responses from governments, negative responses from the media and a society which criminalized street children and increased their stigmatization and isolation. Experience showed that children worked on the street to improve their family income, but society did not understand this, preferring to see street children as drug users. The child on the street was left to his own destiny, confronted with situations of labour exploitation, sexual exploitation and even sudden death. Government policies were fragmented and poorly resourced. Behind each child on the street was an abandoned family with no protection and it was only through holistic public policies that these conditions would be changed. Simultaneous policies of in-patient and out-patient health care, especially reproductive health services, and support for education and reintegration programmes would provide a space for street children and their families to redevelop. Street children should be worked with in groups supported with various educators and once the child’s trust was won the first step was achieved. Professionals would need to go to where the children were and to respect their knowledge, including taking into account their opinions and capacities to transform their own situation; in this way dialogue was crucial. Professionals should be willing to listen and believe in the possibility of changing a child’s situation. National plans of coordinated action with guaranteed financial resources should address issues of race, economics and social and cultural situations. Mr. Souza said that he himself was a survivor of violence and child trafficking on the street.

THERESA KILBANE, Senior Advisor, Child Protection Unit, UNICEF, shifted the afternoon’s discussion from responses targeting children working and living on the streets specifically, towards a discussion on the “holistic approach” mentioned in the title of the discussion. She addressed steps that could be taken, or were being taken to varying degrees, to stem the numbers of children forced into the streets due to the basic failure of society to provide them with a safe and protecting environment to grow up in. UNICEF, in partnership with governments and non-governmental organizations, had been working to create a more systemic approach to create a protective environment for children. A protective environment was envisioned to embrace all areas of social life; it was an environment where laws, services, behaviors and practices minimized children’s susceptibility to risk as well as strengthened their own resilience, and it could prevent many forms of violence, exploitation and abuse from occurring. In 2008, UNICEF had adopted a new Child Protection Strategy that described in detail the necessary components of a protective environment. It called for systemic approaches to change the societal attitudes, customs and practices that allowed children’s rights to be violated. The strategy built on the extensive international framework for child protection and on relevant recommendations of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children. It emphasized the accountability of governments to put in place the best possible systems for the protection of children, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity or religion. Addressing family separation was often an entry point for strengthening the overall child protection system. Approximately 131 UNICEF country officers were engaged in the protective care of children through programmes ranging from policy development to direct care support. Tools were now in place to map and assess child protection systems and guide responses for system strengthening. These would include the use of targeted assessment methodologies in the area of juvenile justice and alternative care. Additional tools and resources would be further identified, such as in human resources and budgeting, as well as identifying minimum services and functions required for child protection systems. By 2012, UNICEF would convene a global policy conference drawing on the past three years of work experience in child protection systems to identify lessons and good practices to collectively move forward in strengthening the systems approach to child protection.

KARI TAPIOLA, Special Adviser to the Director-General, International Labour Organization, said that the international framework on child labour was set out by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Minimum Age Convention No. 138 (1973) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention No. 182 (1999) and to date 173 Member States had ratified Convention 182 and 158 States were party to Convention 138. Though working on the street was not classified as the worst sort of child labour as defined by the ILO conventions, the reality of the problem was more difficult to ascertain. For example, if a child sold flowers at a weekend market with their parents it was less of a concern than if a child sold flowers alone at night outside a night club. Street children were exposed to forced prostitution, forced begging, use in the drug trade and in general work that harmed the health, safety or morals of children. All States that ratified Convention 182 pledged action and action plans which were reported regularly to the ILO’s supervisory bodies. Particular attention should be given to children on the street so they would not fall through the cracks of protection services and with the realization that the family could be more of the problem than the solution. There was a high degree of danger that children were seen as part of criminal activity rather than as victims of criminal activity and many of them had ended up on the street after escaping from forced activities. The ILO response relied heavily on comprehensive national action plans with relevant authorities and civil society. Legislation should be updated and enforced. When recognizing what was criminal, legislation must distinguish between the criminals and the victims. There was a need for better data to better understand the situation and to develop activities for professionals who worked with children. The three phases of prevention, withdrawal and rehabilitation were required to combat this problem and specific measures and action plans should be undertaken in each phase. In 2011, the international community pledged itself to the global elimination of all the worst forms of child labour by 2016 and this would not be done without addressing street children.

Discussion

During the interactive discussion following the presentations by panellists on prevention strategies and responses, speakers said that it was refreshing to see children on the panel this morning, which was a good reminder of the whole purpose of today’s meeting and debate. Today’s gathering was special in that it focused on the relatively new issue of street children, which was of great concern to many and was urgent. There was considerable stigma attached to being a street child which restricted their options for the future and made their future a question of concern. The children ended up in the street for various reasons, but the fact that they earned a living on the street made them vulnerable to violence, abuse and exploitation, and therefore States had an obligation to address the issue. Since it was a complex and comprehensive problem, responses should be complex and comprehensive. The identification of reasons for which children found themselves in the street might help in devising response strategies. In that sense, poverty, particularly in developing countries, was one of the main reasons.

Any strategy that dealt with street children, or any preventive strategies, must include children as well, even though a lot of resistance still existed among States to do so. A holistic approach was a challenge for governments, as many different stakeholders needed to get together and severe gaps remained between policy and practice. Also, many countries suffered from a lack of capacity and lack of resources to address this issue. Countries noted the need for organizations and institutions working on children’s issues to act in synergy and in this respect the United Nations agencies should lead the way in coordinating efforts. Speakers shared good practices and initiatives from their countries, such as the provision of institutional support to women that had multiplier effects in many other sectors in Costa Rica, strengthening of schools as a way of creating protective environments for children in the Maldives, and focusing on early strategies to prevent children from becoming street children in Australia.

Speakers asked panellists to provide more information concerning strategies to better integrate children into society and concerning successful campaigns to raise awareness of the issue of street children. Furthermore, countries requested information on out-of-home care standards and systems, and on results of longitudinal studies and research findings into the question of children in the street. How could the sharing of best practices in situ be facilitated by international cooperation in order to ensure a better future for boys and girls living in the street? Were statistics available on street children and was there a difference between being a girl street child and being a boy street child? What happened to street children when they grew up? How did they fare in work and family life, and what was their status in the community?

Speaking during the interactive discussion were Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Paraguay on behalf of Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), Australia, Algeria, Ukraine, Honduras, Costa Rica, the Maldives, the African Union, Pakistan, Switzerland, Angola, Nepal and Canada.

Also speaking were the following non-governmental organizations: National Human Rights Council of Morocco, SOS Kinderdorf International and Defence for Children International.

Response from Panellists

MARTA SANTOS PAIS, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, responding to the questions and comments, said that young people had great potential and it was important to build a partnership with them. This meant that the international community needed to be patient and listen to what children thought. The international community needed to support families and have an integrated approach because it was not enough simply to react to situations once they happened. The international community needed to invest in prevention and protection of children from all forms of violence. This also meant that the international community needed to investigate situations of violence that children might experience.

ABDUL KHALIQUE SHAIKH, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Pakistan, answering the first round of questions by the delegations, said that many speakers raised the issue of sharing good practices and replicating them in different parts of the world. Obviously, there was not just one area in question for child protection and a holistic approach was needed with the involvement of different departments and sectors of society. Different best practices in different areas, such as health, education, policing and others, were available in countries, and this was where the role of international organisations came into play. Good practices must be identified, assessed and those that were workable, selected. The next step would then be dissemination and implementation of those best practices and their improvement. It was not only the task and responsibility of international organizations, since it was observed in many countries themselves that good practices from one province were not taken up and replicated in another.

MARCO ANTONIO DA SILVA SOUZA, Director, Proyecto Meninos e meninas da rua, Brazil, said that poverty was a strategic factor and an important point that led children to live on the street. Professionals should consider the many points that created this situation; a child came from a community and a family. One time an expert asked a child of nine years old what he was doing and he said he was in the street to play, he thought the street was a park because that was all he knew, and after two years the child was at a reception centre. To think of street children simultaneous lines should be considered: the family, the community including school and health, the generational aspect, conflict with new technology, conflict with modes of behaviour, violence and drugs which were cross cutting issues, and the mix of drugs and alcohol. The State had an important role to play, along with international bodies, in providing a holistic approach to support families and children who were adrift.

THERESA KILBANE, Senior Advisor, Child Protection Unit, UNICEF, in response to questions and comments, said that Mexico had raised a question on discrimination and stigma and she pointed out the responsibility that the international community had to create policies that were inclusive of children such as vocational education and supporting families in order that they could effectively reintegrate their children at home. These were important roles that the States needed to take on. Regarding the creation of best practices, Ms. Kilbane said that one of the areas where it was happening was at the regional level, so that it was possible to learn from each other. UNICEF planned to document the lessons learnt to respond to vulnerable children by 2012, taking into account their regional meetings and the work that was happening on the ground.

KARI TAPIOLA, Special Adviser to the Director-General, International Labour Organization, said that there was an annual event at the International Labour Organization dedicated to child labour and this year’s event would focus on children on the street. There had been a significant convergence of views expressed today and much more could be done at the basic level, where the children were. Best practices needed a high level of awareness raising and mobilisation and there was a need for law enforcement officials in particular to be able to distinguish criminals or offenders from victims. It was also important to inform and educate the public, and the media had an important role to play in demonstrating that those begging on the street were not a nuisance, but were most likely victims of the worst forms of exploitation.

Discussion

In the ensuing interactive dialogue, speakers welcomed the convening of an annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child on the topic of adopting a holistic approach for the protection and promotion of the rights of children working and/or living on the street. Speakers said that many children were exposed to numerous and serious threats and became victims of sexual exploitation, trafficking, HIV infection and child labour. These threats were due to a variety of complex factors such as poverty, education system barriers, legal and policy barriers, cultural and traditional practices, weak child labor law enforcement, and a lack of awareness thereof. Speakers noted that poverty was a major issue to be addressed as it gravely affected the development and health of children and that the presence of children on the street was directly linked to poverty and to a lack of education.

Some speakers pointed out that some significant achievements had been made with regard to this category of children, yet many challenges lay ahead and violence against children continued to be a great challenge that needed to be addressed. Some countries underlined the major role played by UNICEF in improving the international community’s understanding of the complex and changing factors causing children in all parts of the world to lead a life on the streets.

Speakers supported the creation of sustainable social welfare support of children and an integrated multilateral approach in assisting street children. A common denominator for the situation of all these children was the lack of social protection and care and it was important to have institutions in place that were child-sensitive and that enjoyed the trust of the children, especially those most vulnerable and stigmatized. Speakers said that there were diverse initiatives at regional, national and international levels that should be put in place to counteract the phenomenon of children working and living on the street, such as ending impunity for violence against children; the establishment of an ombudsman that investigated violence against children; ensuring children’s participation and taking into account their views in accordance with their age and maturity; and supporting efforts to prevent violence within families. Speakers invited countries to share the results of these initiatives, as well as examples of best practices. It was essential that strategies and responses were developed in a holistic manner in cooperation with relevant United Nations bodies, regional organizations and expert non-governmental organizations.

Speakers said that today was a unique opportunity to work on a dedicated policy for street children and the discussion brought attention to the impact of juvenile justice on these children and the stigma attached to them. Detention also had a great impact on children. Children most at risk who experienced violence could not be reached by government authorities, therefore registration should be free of charge, available to all and included as a protection tool. It was important to compile international disaggregated data on children living on the streets, involve the private sector and seek international support and collaboration.

Speaking in the interactive dialogue on the rights of the child were the United States, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Jordan, India, Georgia, Japan, Sudan, Morocco, Viet Nam, Egypt, the European Union, Peru, Indonesia and Slovenia.

The following non-governmental organizations also took the floor: Human Rights Advocate, Plan International, Consortium for Street Children and the International Harm Reduction Association.

Concluding Remarks

MARTA SANTOS PAIS, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, said that in addressing the question of data and research, that although there was not sufficient information gathered on street children the tools to do this existed. There was a need to understand how children were led into the street and it was necessary to document the root causes and risk groups for better implementation of preventive policies. The Special Representative emphasized that the criminal justice system should not be a replacement for a good child protection system in the country. There should be sensitive, open mechanisms to reach out to children. There was a need to document good practices and Ms. Pais was hopeful that the outcome of this panel would be a solid, comprehensive report that the Council could revert to next year. At the regional level, States should not miss opportunities to exchange information, such as with the African Discussion on Children on the Street.

ABDUL KHALIQUE SHAIKH, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Pakistan, said that the real challenge was in implementation. The international conventions were ratified, domestic legislation was enacted and there was proper policy, but the failure was in the structures and institutions and the lack of capacity among the people who dealt with children; existing structures and institutions should be made more effective. For example, the good practice of the child’s rights desk at the police stations in Sindh, and capacity building should be indigenous with an emphasis on domestic legislation. The juvenile justice system issue raised by Egypt showed that despite good legislation there were still violations which showed that the test was in implementation, capacity building and the proper use of existing forums and structures.

MARCO ANTONIO DA SILVA SOUZA, Director, Proyecto Meninos e meninas da rua, Brazil, in his concluding observations, said that there was a need for political will, first of all, and then proper financing, and those together might bring about proper solutions. It was very important to give thought to the need for the involvement of other actors to reflect what was being done in other sectors, such as education and health. The complexity of the issue needed to be further developed and there was a definite need for an integrated and broader approach and solution. It was important to create space to hear children’s voices and to ensure broad social contribution to the solution. It was essential to do research and determine who street children were and what the appropriate responses were and how they could be expanded and replicated. Laws were all too frequently very harsh on families, much harsher than public policies should be.

THERESA KILBANE, Senior Advisor, Child Protection Unit, UNICEF, in her closing remarks, highlighted the need for prevention and creation of child-protection systems to ensure that children did not end up on the street. Regarding data, there was a need to collect the evidence of what worked and what did not and who the most vulnerable children that required assistance were. All of these measures required increased investment and adequate human and financial resources.

KARI TAPIOLA, Special Adviser to the Director-General, International Labour Organization, in his final observations, said that not enough was known about the phenomenon of street children and collecting and analysing data must go hand in hand with action. Action could not wait until all the data was in place, and countries already knew enough to continue with action. The complexity of the issue should not impede action either, and sometimes simple administrative or legal measures went a long way in addressing the problems, for example the help desks in Pakistan. Listening to the children would provide more information and more data and must be done. Concerning links to juvenile justice, Mr. Tapiola said that measures undertaken must not be prohibitive and must include prevention, assistance and rehabilitation. It must not be forgotten that street children were victims.

For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC11/026E