Every day, tens of thousands of children around the world wake up behind bars. Many of them will have committed no offence. Almost every country in the world has committed itself to respecting the human rights of children. But in reality, the signatures on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, are not worth the paper they are written on.
A three part audio series looks at Pakistan, the US and Kenya.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6090608.stm
In Pakistan
Six years ago, the government of Pakistan introduced new laws to protect the rights of children in conflict with the law. Yet far from obtaining justice, many such children still fall prey to physical and sexual abuse at the hands of police and adult prisoners. They are victims of a justice system that is inefficient, corrupt and uncaring.
In the US
In the US, notions of the 'super-predator' and 'teenage time-bomb' have persuaded 40 states to adopt legislation which moves more children into the adult criminal system. This new legislation encourages ever harsher punishment regimes. Punishment, rather than rehabilitation is becoming the norm, and increasingly, juveniles are being sentenced to life without parole.
Kenya
In the final part of this landmark documentary we're travelling to the African continent. The BBC explores the fate of some of the most vulnerable youngsters on the planet, Kenyan street children who come into conflict with the law.
Here is what they are ignoring....
http://www.unicef.org/crc/index.html Click on the photo essay for a review of all the articles... totally beautiful and hardhitting
http://www.unicef.org/crc/
http://www.unicef.org/magic/briefing/uncorc.html http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm http://www.amnestyusa.org/children/crn_crc.html
NB... The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely accepted human rights treaty - of all the United Nations member states, only the United States and the collapsed state of Somalia have not ratified it.
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