The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) are returning to the Pacific Island Countries to take stock of their efforts to advance children’s rights.

Yesterday, the UNCRC delegates along with Secretary of Internal Affairs, Anne Herman, were hosted to a wonderful entertaining welcoming ceremony by Apii Avarua students who joined in the cutting of a cake to celebrate the 75th Anniversary Declaration of Human Rights and International Children’s Day.

Professor Ann Marie Skelton, chairperson of the UNCRC, highlighted that in the Pacific region climate change poses significant challenges to children, with some adolescents potentially experiencing anxiety.

Skelton said the longer-term issues for children in Pacific Island Countries are the fact that there is still a certain amount of domestic violence and smacking that goes on and the kind of acceptance of that in the culture.

“Obviously, under the Convention on the Rights of the Child we encourage people to raise children through positive parenting and through trying to guide children without actually resorting to violence, because, we believe that that leads to cycles of violence.

“So, if we want adults who are not violent then we have to demonstrate that to children,” she said.

The UNCRC will be having conversations on many matters regarding children, including positive parenting as well as on children who get into trouble – children who don’t conform.

“It’s a wonderful society when everyone’s pulling together, but what happens to those kids that don’t go with the flow, how does a society manage those issues,” she said.

Skelton expressed that worldwide the biggest challenges children are facing in so many countries are some of the basics.

She said there are many children in Africa and Asia who are not attending school, adding there is the big issue of child labour.

“Foremost on my mind at the moment is children in armed conflict.”

She noted the Ukraine and Russia war that started last year and the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

“It is just shocking numbers of children that are dying. And for every child that dies there’s another two or three that have been injured, and those who have lost their parents…”

Professor Ann Marie Skelton, chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and Secretary of Internal Affairs, Anne Herman, were hosted by Apii Avarua. MELINA ETCHES/23111402

Skelton added that the United Nations has been calling for a ceasefire.

“If that can’t immediately happen then there should at least be corridors of safety to get humanitarian aid through. It’s really important to try to achieve that but so far, it’s been falling on deaf ears.”

The UNCRC 10-day mission will see members of the Committee visiting the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Tuvalu and then Samoa to meet with children, communities, governments and civil society.

Throughout the visit, they will listen to the progress made in protecting children’s rights in Pacific Island Countries, and understand first-hand the issues impacting children, including protection from all types of violence, child justice, health and wellbeing.

The UNCRC will also hear about the impact of climate change.

“Children are uniquely and disproportionately vulnerable to pollution, diseases and extreme weather conditions, yet children’s rights, unique needs for special protection and their perspectives are not sufficiently taken into consideration in climate policies, action and investment.”