Latest news with #UnitedNationsConventionontheRightsoftheChild
Cision Canada
3 days ago
- Health
- Cision Canada
Throne Speech 2025: Three ways the Canadian government can prioritize children Français
UNICEF Canada shares the bold policies and proven solutions that can help advance rights of every child at home and around the world following the Speech from the Throne. TORONTO, May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - The Speech from the Throne has set an ambitious vision for Canada at a time of intensifying domestic pressures and global uncertainty. There were welcome signals that the federal government intends to build a Canada with future generations in mind by protecting investments in family-friendly policies, such as child care, dental care and pharmacare. For Canada to"think big and act bigger," concrete steps to further improve conditions for our country's youngest still need to be taken. Efforts to strengthen the economy and address affordability will only lead to sustainable progress if accompanied by robust investments in child rights and well-being. Furthermore, as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Canada has a responsibility to uphold and advance the rights of every child in Canada and around the world. UNICEF Canada is calling for bold policies and proven solutions such as: Expand support for families through enhanced income benefits, inclusive parental leave, dedicated mental and physical health care investments, increased access to school food programmes, and affordable early learning and child care. Affirm Canada's leadership globally through the G7 Presidency in 2025 to advocate for action where children are at greatest risk, especially in Sudan, Haiti, Ukraine and Gaza, and drive sustained commitment to international development and humanitarian assistance. Champion children's right to a healthy environment by signing the UNICEF Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action, a global commitment to child- and youth-centred climate policy. Canada can only build a country worthy of our children and grandchildren through protections and investments that enable every child to reach their full potential. To quote the Speech from the Throne, "We owe it to this generation, and those who succeed us, to think and act for the greater good of all." In that spirit, UNICEF Canada stands ready to support the Government in advancing these promises for every child, both in Canada and around the world. About UNICEF UNICEF is the world's leading humanitarian organization focused on children. We work in the most challenging areas to provide protection, healthcare and immunizations, education, safe water and sanitation and nutrition. As part of the United Nations, our unrivalled reach spans more than 190 countries and territories, ensuring we are on the ground to help the most disadvantaged children. While part of the UN system, UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations to finance our life-saving work. Please visit and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Madras High Court restrains media from reporting Tamil actor's matrimonial dispute
The Madras High Court has restrained the media, both print as well as online, from posting, hosting, or debating any information concerning the matrimonial dispute between a popular film actor and his wife, as it would have deleterious effect not only on them but also their minor children. Justice G.R. Swaminathan ordered that all online portals and websites must take down the offending, defamatory contents that they had already published regarding the matrimonial dispute between the couple, to respect the right to privacy of the two children as well. The judge directed the High Court Registry to mark a copy of his order to the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to ensure prompt and effective compliance of the generalised order passed by him with respect to all media houses across the country. The orders were passed at the request of senior counsel Dama Seshadri Naidu, representing the actor who had approached the court to prevent his estranged wife and the latter's mother from making defamatory statements against him on mainstream and social media. Biblical saying During the course of hearing of the case, the judge said, there was a biblical saying that one should do to others what he/she would want them to do to him/her. Negatively put, it would mean that one should not do to others what he/she would not want them to do to him/her. 'The applicant herein does not want the respondents to defame him. Fair enough. But the applicant also should conduct himself likewise,' the judge said and obtained an undertaking from Mr. Naidu and senior counsel J. Ravindran, assisted by S.P. Arthi, representing the actor's wife, that neither party would issue statements against the other. 'Super injunction' against media After giving the undertaking, Mr. Naidu urged the court to pass a 'super injunction order', restraining the media in general from reporting any information regarding the matrimonial dispute, since there was always a possibility of 'inspired leaks or sponsored reporting' from either party. While examining the need for passing such an injunction, the judge took note that the marital relationship between the actor and his estranged wife was under severe strain, and because he happened to be a celebrity, the issue had evoked great amount of public attention. 'The footprints of the negative campaign are there for all to see in the virtual world. I am worried about the impact it will have on the psychological health of their children. Article 8 of European Convention on Human Rights states that everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life,' the judge wrote. United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Further, Article 16 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that no child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home, or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his or her honour and reputation. 'A child has the right to protection of the law against such interference or attacks. This convention was ratified by the Government of India in 1992 itself, and Article 51 of the Constitution emphasises the need to foster respect for international law and treaty obligations,' the judge pointed out. He went on to state: 'Section 9(2) of Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, too mandates that a Data Fiduciary shall not undertake such processing of personal data that is likely to cause detrimental effect on the well-being of a child. I have referred to these provisions to emphasise the need to bear in mind the paramount interests of the children in such matters.' Supreme Court verdicts The judge recalled the Supreme Court to have held in Sukhwant Singh versus State of Punjab (2009) that the reputation of a person was a valuable asset and a facet of his/her right under Article 21 of the Constitution. Privacy too had been declared as a fundamental right flowing out of the same Article in the famous K.S. Puttaswamy case (2017). Further, the top court in Kaushal Kishor versus State of Uttar Pradesh (2023) had declared that a fundamental right under Articles 19 and 21 could be enforced even against persons other than the State or its instrumentality. 'Thus, there can be a horizontal application of the fundamental right to reputation and privacy even against private entities,' he observed. John Doe orders Posing a question to himself as to whether a super injunction could be issued against media houses which remain unrepresented before the court, the judge answered it by asking: 'What are John Doe (or Ashok Kumar) orders then? They are exparte orders issued against unidentified people in order to prevent them from indulging in activities that breach the copyrights of the applicants. John Doe orders are issued not only to uphold copyrights but also to protect the right to reputation and privacy.' Also invoking the doctrine of ubi jus ibi remedium (if there is a right, there must be remedy), the judge said, once the right to privacy of the couple as well as their children had been acknowledged, such a right could not be frustrated merely because it would not be immediately possible to exhaustively catalogue the names of persons/media houses who had infringed the right or may infringe in the future. UK Supreme Court judgment Justice Swaminathan heavily relied upon a 2016 judgment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in PJS versus News Group Newspapers Limited, which dealt with the competing claims of a claimant's right to privacy and the right to freedom of expression. 'In that judgment, Lady Hale spoke on the interests of the children involved in the case. Her Ladyship noted that the children would definitely be affected by the publication of private information about their parents... Editors must demonstrate an exceptional public interest to override the normally paramount interests of children under Article 16 of UNCRC,' the judge said. Matrimonial dispute has no public interest at all Stating he was inclined to adopt the same approach in the present case, Justice Swaminathan said, the matrimonial dispute between the actor and his wife had no element of public interest at all, and said that it was basically the subject matter of divorce proceedings pending between them before a Family Court in Chennai. 'Just because the applicant is a celebrity, the negative development in his personal life has attracted general attention. People are curious to know every petty detail about the intimate aspects. We are in the age of social media and voyeurism is on the rise. To gain more and more viewership, every sleazy information is magnified, distorted and presented. The interests of the two children of the parties cannot be sacrificed at the altar of mass consumerism,' the judge observed. 'There is another sacred principle which all of us have forgotten; the doctrine of sub judice. When a court is seized of the matter, it is not for the media to conduct a parallel trial. Media would include social media also. Therefore, injunction has to be granted against the world at large to uphold the principle of sub judice too,' the judge concluded.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Assault' on Class 11 student: Rights panel directs Jhajjar SP to submit report in 4 weeks
The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken a suo-moto cognisance of the incident of alleged physical assault by a Jhajjar private school teacher on a Class 11 student and has directed the superintendent of police (SP) to investigate the matter. The panel has also directed the SP to submit a report within four weeks and has asked the district education officer to conduct an institutional audit of the school. As per information, the student sustained a fracture in the arm due to assault and was later admitted to the hospital run by the same educational group. When the family reached the hospital, they were also subjected to intimidation and misconduct by the staff. Right panel chairperson justice Lalit Batra and other two members— Kuldeep Jain and Deep Bhatia— observed that the facts disclosed suggests serious violations of fundamental and human rights enshrined under the Constitution of India, particularly the right to life and personal liberty under Article 2, which encompasses dignity, mental well-being, and protection from abuse. 'The commission noted that this is not an isolated incident of violence but points to a systemic failure in ensuring student safety and monitoring staff conduct. Reports of intimidation faced by the victim's family further aggravate the seriousness of the matter,' the right panel said, adding such behaviour undermines trust in educational institutions and damages the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship. The panel also expressed concern over the physical and emotional trauma suffered by the student. 'The commission observed that the incident violates Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which prohibit cruelty and corporal punishment against children. Moreover, it contravenes Articles 19 and 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which call for safeguarding children from all forms of physical or mental violence and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment. The matter demands immediate and thorough investigation to protect the rights of the victim and ensure accountability,' justice Batra said in the order. Justice Batra also directed the Jhajjar superintendent of police to investigate the matter fairly in a time-bound manner under his own supervision and submit the report within four weeks. Moreover, he also directed the Jhajjar district education officer to conduct an urgent institutional audit of the concerned school. 'The audit will find out whether the educational institute has adopted a child protection policy or not, functioning of grievance redressal mechanisms exist for students and parents or not and whether the internal disciplinary mechanisms for staff misconduct are effectively implemented or not. The next hearing is fixed on July 8,' read the order.
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Children's Ombudsman 'utterly dismayed' by rise in child homelessness
The Children's Ombudsman has said he is "exasperated and utterly dismayed" with the rise in child homelessness. Niall Muldoon was speaking as the Ombudsman's for Children's Office (OCO) publishes its annual report for 2024. "There were upwards of 4,500 children availing of homeless services at the end of 2024," Mr Muldoon said. "We still get complaints from people trying to access emergency accommodation. "It is clear that the delays these families are experiencing, due to the lack of available and affordable housing, is having a significant adverse impact on their children's lives," he added. Mr Muldoon said that the Ombudsman office has consistently called on the Government to review the support in place for children and families in homelessness. In a statement, the Department of Housing said child homelessness is not Government policy, however, addressing homelessness is a priority. "The new Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, sets out a number of commitments around addressing family homelessness. "The plan commits to providing emergency accommodation for everyone who needs it, with special support for children impacted by homelessness; ensuring a holistic, cross departmental approach to homelessness prevention and focusing social housing allocations on getting families out of long-term homelessness," it added. "Increasing supply is key to addressing homelessness. The overall capital funding available for housing in 2025 is now over €6.5 billion. "In the first quarter of this year nationwide, 642 households, including 850 adults and 369 families, were prevented from entering emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created and in addition 628 households, including 796 adults and 277 families, exited emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created," the statement said. As well as highlighting the year-on-year rise in the number of families in emergency accommodation, the ombudsman's report also highlights the high volume of complaints the OCO receives about children's public services. In total, the OCO received 1,772 complaints in 2024. The complaints are increasing in complexity; 16% of complaints related to more than one agency, while 33% included multiple categories of concern. Education is the issue which OCO received the most complaints about, followed by Tusla and then children's health services. The OCO was established in 2004 to protect and promote the rights of children. Mr Muldoon said that many of the issues the OCO was advocating for two decades ago, are still not resolved. He emphasised that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is not fully and directly incorporated into Irish law. Although there has been "much progress" in that time, according to Mr Muldoon, there are still many areas where the complaints made to his office in its 20th year, are the same as what they heard in the first year. Complaints related to special education, access to health services, the standards of healthcare, access to disability services were all made in 2004 and also in 2024. "The consistency of the issues raised 20 years apart highlights for us again the need to properly place children's rights, all of them, at the forefront of policy decisions and service provision," Mr Muldoon said.
Daily Record
20-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Craigneuk school celebrating UNICEF UK's Rights Respecting School Gold Award
This award recognises Berryhill Primary's commitment to embedding children's rights in every aspect of school life. A Craigneuk school is celebrating a prestigious gold accreditation from a worldwide charity. UNICEF UK has awarded Berryhill Primary School and Nursery the coveted Rights Respecting School Gold Award. This award recognises the school's commitment to embedding children's rights in every aspect of school life. The Gold Award is UNICEF UK's highest accolade and is a testament to the school's dedication to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment where the rights of every child are upheld and celebrated. 'We are absolutely delighted to receive the Gold Award. It is a wonderful recognition of the hard work and commitment of our pupils, staff, and families,' said the school's headteacher Carrie Nicol. 'At Berryhill Primary, we believe that every child has the right to feel valued and heard, and this accolade reflects our dedication to promoting children's rights in all that we do.' The Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) encourages schools to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into their ethos and curriculum. Berryhill Primary and Nursery's journey to Gold included rigorous self-assessment, engagement with children's rights initiatives, and active involvement from pupils in advocating for their rights. North Lanarkshire Provost Kenneth Duffy and education convener Michael McBride joined pupils and staff to celebrate the achievement. Councillor Michael McBride, the council's Convener of Education, Children and Families, congratulated the school. He said: 'This award is a fantastic achievement for Berryhill Primary School and Nursery. 'It reflects the commitment of the staff and the enthusiasm of the pupils to make children's rights a central part of their school culture. Everyone involved should be incredibly proud of this recognition.' The award reflects Berryhill Primary's ongoing dedication to creating a school culture that respects and values every child's rights. * Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
