Children's rights world congress.

As I write this article, the world is trying to come to terms with the trauma of one of its worst natural disasters: the Asian tsunami that left an estimated death toll of over 200,000, with thousands still missing, almost certainly dead (see page 38). There are also fears that another 150,000 could die as a result of injuries, disease and starvation. The affected fishing villages, rural communities, ports and resorts of many Asian countries now bear an eerie resemblance to post-nuclear Hiroshima. Rescuers report that a disproportionate number of the dead are women and children who were either working or playing on the beach when the waves hit. It is also apparent that a generation of children has been orphaned and made homeless. The effects of losing parents, siblings and extended family members, and experiencing the destruction of their communities and way of life, will obviously be considerable. The disaster presents a monumental challenge for the world as it seeks to help with the rebuilding of shattered communities and lives.

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At this time too, a darker side to the tragedy is unfolding, with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) calling for the protection from international trafficking of children who were orphaned in the Asian disaster (see page 54). Potential kidnappings in order to sell young victims into forced labour or sexual slavery in more affluent nations is a horrific reality. The challenge is to ensure that children are protected from predators, and adults recognize how vulnerable young people are to the actions of individual pedophiles and international criminal gangs who can use the chaos to prey on their vulnerability.

The tragedy of the tsunami crisis adds a particular focus to the 4th World Congress on Family Law and Children's Rights in Cape Town, South Africa, from 20 to 23 March 2005. The Congress will be attended by some 1,000 lawyers and other professionals from several countries, all committed to the protection and furtherance of children's rights. This is the first to be held in Africa and marks the fifteenth anniversary of the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It will present the first international opportunity to debate, report on and analyse the state of children's rights from a number of perspectives and will coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations.

Although real progress has been made since the Convention was adopted, children are still dying in appalling numbers from preventable diseases such as malaria and gastroenteritis, and from natural disasters like the tsunami. Some 300,000 are child soldiers or otherwise victims of the ultimate obscenity, war and its violent consequences. Over 1 million young persons are exploited every year in the multi-billion-dollar sex industry, and many are bought and sold by organized crime rings and moved around the world as slaves. More than 14 million are orphaned by HIV/AIDS and many of them, although often carrying the disease themselves, are forced by circumstances to raise their siblings and step prematurely into the shoes of parents who have already died. Sex discrimination abounds in many countries, and 65 million of the estimated 121 million children who are denied education worldwide are girls. In some overpopulated countries, infant girls are aborted or left to die soon after birth, merely because of their gender. Countless numbers of children live in poverty and experience hunger on a daily basis.

The theme of the 4th World Congress examines the effects and effectiveness of the Child Rights Convention, including among others: child trafficking, children and legal processes, HIV/AIDS, sexual exploitation, children's financial security, child refugees, immigration and nationality, armed conflict, cross-boarder cooperation, domestic enforcement of children's rights, culture and religion, judicial and public education, fulfilment of the Convention's ideals, social, political and economic rights, international cooperation for the protection of children, dispute resolution, domestic violence, disability, women's and children's rights, and political participation.

The international community and the UN Millennium Development Goals detail measurable targets for nations. The rights of children are central to sustainable social and economic development, and the World Congress provides a timely opportunity to reflect on progress in light of these development targets. The events surrounding the Asian tsunami, and in particular the continuing problems in war-torn Sri Lanka, prompted Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF, to observe that "one should look for opportunity in adversity". She hopes that this tragedy will provide a catalyst to bring to an end the civil war in that country and stop the recruitment of child soldiers by rebel forces.

The issues of children and armed conflict, trafficking, sexual exploitation and many others that affect them are the focus of the 4th World Congress. Past conflicts in tsunami-affected Somalia, Sri Lanka and Banda Aceh in Indonesia have had a devastating effect on children and families. The Congress represents an opportunity to address long-term human rights in these areas, as well as other issues that will impact on the children in the years ahead.

For more information, visit www.lawrights.asn.au

Bill Jackson is the Secretary of the World Congress on Family Law and Children's Rights and Chief Executive of the newly-formed non-governmental agency, Children's Rights International (www.childjustice.org).

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