The Committee on the Rights of the Child met for its 62nd session from 14 January – 1 February 2013.
More information on this session
Related documents:
- IDA’s disability-relevant analysis of the adopted Concluding Observations
- IDA’s proposed recommendations for the Concluding Observations
- IDA’s disability analysis of state reports
Pre-sessional Working Group
The Committee on the Rights of the Child also adopted lists of issues on China, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Monaco, Sao Tome and Principe and Tuvalu.
Related documents:
- IDA disability analysis of the adopted lists of issues
- IDA submission on China (based on consultations with mainland China organisations of persons with disabilities, NGOs and research carried out by independent experts who wish to keep their identities anonymous)
- Submission on Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Coalition for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
General Comment
The CRC Committee’s three General Comments, adopted in this session, have been made public. General Comment no 15 on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, General Comment no 16 on State obligations regarding the impact of the business sector on children’s rights and General Comment no 17 on the right of the child to rest, leisure, play, recreational activities, cultural life and the arts. All General Comments take into account the rights of children with disabilities. Of note, General Comment no 16 calls on States to “establish copyright exceptions which permit reproduction of books and other printed publications in formats that are accessible for children with visual or other impairments” (para 58); and General Comment no 17 in particular has very comprehensive references to children with disabilities and introduces the concept of “inclusive play as both a right and a means of achieving optimum development” (paras 24, 27).
Day of General Discussion
The Committee announced that the theme of its next Day of General Discussion to be held during its 64th session (16 September – 4 October 2013) will focus on media, social networks and the rights of the child.
Other Reports
In follow up to the day of general discussion held at its 61st session in September last year, the CRC Committee adopted a Report on the rights of all children in the context of international migration which provides an overview of the discussions and puts forwards recommendations to States as well as guidance to other relevant actors concerning the respect, promotion and fulfillment of the rights of children in situations of international migration. In particular, the Committee calls on States to “ensure that their migration policies do not discriminate against children with disabilities or children in families of parents with disabilities, and that States refrain from considering disability as grounds for the denial of an immigration application” (para 71), as well as sets standards on the right to family life, access to services and benefits such as healthcare, education, and social assistance, regardless of their or their parents’ migration status.
Related documents:
