Last Updated on January 16, 2025, 2:07 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Azilla Clarke, the permanent secretary in St. Kitts and Nevis’s Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs, will head a delegation to Geneva to present a report to an international committee of experts about the country’s efforts to protect its children on Thursday and Friday, dated January 16 and 17, 2025, respectively.
The Caribbean island-nation’s endeavour towards safeguarding its children is in alignment with obligations outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child — a key treaty supported by nations which have vowed to protect the rights of their minor population. The convention has been effective since September 1990.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, with which the St. Kitts and Nevis team will share the report virtually, comprises 18 independent experts who supervise the convention’s implementation by the states that have ratified it. St. Kitts and Nevis was one of the first countries in the Caribbean to ratify the Convention.
The committee, composed of eighteen independent experts, is responsible for supervising the implementation of the Convention by the states that have ratified it.
It will be the third time that the Caribbean nation will submit its report on child protection to the UN committee. The first report was shared in 2019, followed by a reformatted version two years later. It included official suggestions given on the report’s format.
On Friday, the Clarke-led team will inform the committee about how the government of St. Kitts and Nevis is working with partnering bodies to protect children’s rights. It will also highlight various measures that have been taken to educate individuals and civil society about the rights of children, as mentioned in the Convention.
Article 42 of the Convention, titled ‘Everyone must know children’s rights’, says the government should actively tell both children and adults about it so that everybody is aware of children’s rights. The Convention also says ‘All the rights are connected, they are all equally important and they cannot be taken away from children’.
The delegation led by Clarke will also include officials from the ministries of health, legal and justice affairs, education, foreign affairs and the Department of Probation and Child Protection Services under the social development and gender affairs ministry. Representatives from Nevis and other support agencies will also be present.
The meetings on both days are scheduled to begin at 10 am and is expected to continue for two hours. Those interested can follow it live at https://webtv.un.org/live/
St. Kitts and Nevis & child rights protection
Over the years, St. Kitts and Nevis has ensured that its national laws, policies and practices adhere to the UN Convention’s principles and spirit. However, its leadership acknowledges that more needs to be accomplished.
The country has introduced legislations over the years to protect children from menace such as violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect, and others. National laws have been enacted in the form of the Children Care and Adoption Bill, Domestic Violence Bill, Child Justice Bill, and Child Maintenance Bill, among others.
The country has also focussed on securing various rights of children, including the right to health; the right to clean water and sanitation; the right to education; and right to identity. Care has also been taken to protect minors against abuse, violence including those based on gender, and discrimination and address issues such as teen pregnancy and juvenile justice.
In June 2024, the 30th edition of Child Month was observed in the federation under the theme “Embrace Inclusion, Every Child Counts.” Prime Minister Terrance Drew initiated several crucial policies to serve the country’s children, including providing laptop to students; increased pre-school subsidies; children’s medical fund; children’s saving and financial literacy programme; and free tuition for college education.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
