A/HRC/28/54
X. Progress in the development of international law
Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols
48.
In November 2014, the Special Representative participated in the celebration of the
25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child together
with, among others, the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and the Special
Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. She addressed
the General Assembly and called upon Member States to honour the commitments that they
have made to children, recalling that governments bear the primary responsibility for the
respect, protection and fulfilment of the rights of children. The Special Representative
utilized field missions to South Sudan and Somalia to reiterate that message and strongly
advocate for accession to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. She gained
commitments from the Presidents of both States to expedite the accession process. The
Special Representative welcomes the decision taken on 15 December 2014 by the Federal
Parliament of Somalia to ratify the Convention.
49.
The Special Representative continued to encourage Member States to sign and ratify
the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of
children in armed conflict and to enact legislation to criminalize the recruitment and use of
children. During the reporting period, she held bilateral meetings with United Nations
Member States that had not ratified and/or signed the treaty, and actively briefed regional
organizations, civil society and regional groups on the matters so as to coordinate advocacy.
Moreover, in September 2014, the Special Representative sent letters to all States that had
not yet ratified the Optional Protocol. In 2014, an additional seven States ratified the
Protocol, namely the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, St.
Lucia and the State of Palestine. To date, the Optional Protocol has 129 signatories and 159
parties.
50.
The Special Representative welcomes the entry into force of the Optional Protocol
to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure on 14 April
2014, as it will strengthen the overall architecture and redress mechanisms of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of
children in armed conflict.
XI. Progress in achieving accountability for violations of
children’s rights
51.
Despite increasing violations in a number of situations, it is a sad reality that
perpetrators of grave violations of child rights are rarely brought to justice. Several factors
limit access to justice for children and facilitate impunity, such as breakdown in the rule of
law, corruption, ambiguity and gaps in the law, poverty and insecurity. The Special
Representative continued to work with United Nations bodies, offices, justice actors, NGOs
and other key interlocutors to pursue accountability and overcome those barriers. She also
continued to call for accountability for violations of the rights of children in bilateral and
multilateral meetings with United Nations Member States.
52.
The devastating nature of the violence in the Central African Republic demanded a
robust response from the international community and the United Nations system
demonstrated a deep commitment to address impunity and put in place justice mechanisms.
In April 2014, the Security Council adopted resolution 2149 that allows the United Nations
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic
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