Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and UNICEF regional office in Latin America & the Caribbean to conduct visit to Haiti

PRESS RELEASE Nº 36/05

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the regional office of the United Nations Children's Fund in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNICEF) will conduct an on-site visit to the Republic of Haiti from November 3-5, 2005 in order to observe and receive information concerning the human rights situation of children in the country.

The IACHR delegation will be comprised of the Rapporteur on Children, Commission member Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro,(1) assisted by staff members of the Executive Secretariat. UNICEF will be represented by Dr. María Jesús Conde, Child Protection Adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean. The main objectives of the visit are to gather information on the situation of violence against children in Haiti, and more specifically of youths involved with armed gangs, children in conflict with the law, and street children. A briefing by the Human Rights Defenders Unit of the Commission will also be conducted.

During its stay in Haiti, the visit of the Commission and the UNICEF regional office will largely focus on conducting field visits to observe conditions of children in detention, and children in shelters or centers for rehabilitation. The delegation will also meet with government officials, representatives of civil society including nongovernmental organizations working on the issue of children's rights, and representatives of the United Nations country team and the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

The Commission and UNICEF are grateful for the cooperation and the facilities provided by the Government of Haiti and by nongovernmental organizations, civil society institutions, and international organizations, including the UNICEF country office and the OAS Special Mission and MINUSTAH, in the preparation of its visit.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, November 3, 2005

Footnote

(1) Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro will also participate as the independent expert of the United Nations for the Secretary-General's study on violence against children.