Petrishenko comments on UN recommendations on children's rights in Belarus
19:21, 2 December
Photo: BelTA
Belarus will carry out the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, offered in response to the country's national reports on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, while taking into account its national interests, Belarus Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko said as he took part in the session of the National Commission for Child Rights on 2 December, BelTA has learned.
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At the 83rd session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva in January 2020, Belarus submitted the combined fifth and sixth periodic report under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The report provided information about Belarus' achievements in protection of childhood and motherhood and about efforts to create favorable conditions for children's life and development.
“In general, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child praised our countries' results in this field. I would like to stress that such reports are an effective means of reviewing information about the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in each and every country that is part to this international document. This is a good platform for strengthening the country's image in the international arena,” Igor Petrishenko noted.
The recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child concern various aspects of the government authorities' activities and correspond with the tasks of the National Commission for Child Rights. “In fact, they can become good additional measures for further improvement of the state policy on children's rights and protection of interests of every child who lives in our country,” he believes.
“Most issues raised by the committee also exist in many other countries, including the US, Germany, France, and so on,” Igor Petrishenko pointed out. For example, they concern prevention of domestic and peer violence, child information safety, and socialization of minors with disabilities.
“These issues should be addressed. At the same time I would like to point out that Belarus should prioritize national interests when solving these issues and implementing recommendations of international experts,” the deputy prime minister stressed.
According to him, Belarus has created an effective system for ensuring and protecting children's rights and interests. “However, in view of the current situation and challenges, we are working to improve it. For example, we are mulling over a harsher punishment for adults responsible for involving children in unsanctioned mass events,” Igor Petrishenko noted. The appropriate amendments to the Code on Administrative Offences have already been submitted to the House of Representatives.
With these approaches in mind, the deputy prime minister asked Belarus' Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik to speak in his report in detail about the analysis of the UN recommendations, their relevance, and possibility of implementation in Belarus from the viewpoint of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Should the commission support these recommendations, Igor Petrishenko believes, it would be advisable to make them part of the relevant state programs and the National Action Plan for Improving the Situation of Children and Protection of Their Rights.
In addition, the participants of the session will adopt the plan of activities of the National Commission for Child Rights for 2021.
