GENEVA
Vatican Information Service
PRESENTATION OF THE PERIODIC REPORTS OF THE HOLY SEE TO THE COMMITTEE ON THE CONVENTION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD AND THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS (JANUARY 16, 2014 PALAIS WILSON, GENEVA), 16.01.2014
Pubblichiamo di seguito l’intervento tenuto questa mattina dal Capo Delegazione della Santa Sede al Comitato che oggi esamina a Ginevra il Rapporto presentato dalla Santa Sede sull’applicazione della Convenzione sui Diritti del Fanciullo:
● S.E.R. MONS. SILVANO TOMASI, HEAD OF HOLY SEE DELEGATION
Madame Chairperson, Members of the Committee,
At the time of the ratification in 1990, the Holy See made the following declaration.
“The Holy See regards the present Convention as a proper and laudable instrument aimed at protecting the rights and interests of children, who are ‘that precious treasure given to each generation as a challenge to its wisdom and humanity.”
“By acceding to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Holy See intends to give renewed expression to its constant concern for the well-being of children and families. In consideration of its singular nature and position, the Holy See, in acceding to this Convention, does not intend to prescind in any way from its specific mission which is of a religious and moral character.”
The protection of children remains a major concern for contemporary society and for the Holy See. The UN report on Violence Against Children, issued in 2006, cited shocking WHO estimates that 150 million girls and 73 million boys under 18 “experienced forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual violence involving physical contact”.1 Even if they contain a significant margin of error, these estimates should never be ignored nor overshadowed by other priorities or interests on the part of the international community. Moreover, this estimate does not include projections on the number of victims of child labour and child trafficking, whether for sexual exploitation, forced work, sale of organs, and other shameful reasons. Although little is known about the magnitude of the problem, the International Labor Organization, in 2002, estimated that there were 1.2 million children being trafficked each year2.
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