24 November 1995

Doc. 7431

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

Supplementary reply to Recommendation 1121 (1990)

on the rights of children

(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 18 November 1995

at the 548th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)

      Further to its interim reply to the Parliamentary Assembly concerning Assembly Recommendation 1121 (1990) on the rights of children adopted in March 1990, the Committee of Ministers is pleased to inform the Assembly that in September this year it adopted the text of the European Convention on the exercise of children's rights. This Convention will be opened to signature on 25 January 1996 during the session of the Parliamentary Assembly.

      The Convention will help Council of Europe member States and certain other States which are Parties to the 1989 United Nations Convention on the rights of the child to conform to Article 4 of the United Nations Convention which provides that States Parties shall undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognised in the United Nations Convention.

      The European Convention will facilitate the exercise of the substantive rights of children by strengthening and creating procedural rights which can be exercised by children themselves or through other persons or bodies.

      The European Convention deals with family proceedings affecting children which take place before judicial authorities and States are required to make a declaration specifying at least three categories of family cases to which the Convention is to apply.

      A Standing Committee has been set up under the Convention with the task to keep under review problems relating to this Convention.

      In addition, following the request from the Committee of Ministers to the Steering Committee on Social Policy (CDPS) to make proposals for further action concerning children and child welfare taking into account the adoption by the United Nations of the Convention on the rights of the child, the CDPS took the initiative in establishing a Childhood Policies Project, bringing together representatives from twelve steering committees in a multisectoral project which will come to an end at the end of 1995. The outcome of the Project will cover among other questions child day care, children's participation in family and social life, and the situation of children in residential care. The results will be presented at a Conference to be held at the invitation of the German Minister for Youth and Family in Leipzig from 30 May to 1 June 1996, entitled "Children's rights and childhood policies in Europe: new approaches?".