Doha: The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), in partnership with the European Ombudsman Institute, organized Monday an international conference on the protection of children and other vulnerable groups in times of war and migration, with the active participation of representatives of national human rights institutions, ombudsmen, some government agencies and specialized United Nations agencies, as well as the participation of experts, academics, and representatives of civil society and the media.
The conference reviewed relevant experiences and best practices in many countries around the world, and discussed the challenges of protecting children in the digital environment, and protecting children and other vulnerable groups in times of armed conflict.
The participants in the conference thanked the State of Qatar for hosting the work of this conference, praising its achievements and unique experience in the field of protecting children and other vulnerable groups inside and outside the country.
The par
ticipants also commended the experiences and best practices in the countries whose experiences were discussed during the conference sessions.
In their final recommendations, the participants stressed the importance of the roles of national human rights institutions in promoting respect for and compliance with human rights protection standards.
They called for the effective enforcement of international treaties on the rights of children and other vulnerable groups, the implementation of recommendations of relevant regional and international mechanisms, and the intensification of efforts to reach a binding international agreement on the rights of older persons, as well as ensuring the implementation of the principle of the simultaneous application of international humanitarian law and international human rights law during armed conflicts, and working to protect children and other vulnerable groups, including providing safe corridors to enable them to evacuate when necessary, and to obtain relief services.
Pa
rticipants drew attention to the importance of adapting national legislation to the requirements of international treaties, and enacting comprehensive legislation to protect children, women, persons with disabilities, the elderly and migrants from all forms of violence, discrimination and exploitation, stressing the importance of developing response programs, especially in emergency situations, with the aim of protecting children and other vulnerable groups from all forms of violence, exploitation and human trafficking, in addition to activating hotlines to receive complaints and provide support, shelter and legal assistance services, and working to reunite families and provide alternative care programs for children who have lost their families in times of armed conflict or in the context of migration, while ensuring that all children have access to basic rights, especially the right to education.
The conference participants called for simplifying procedures for accessing national redress mechanisms and stre
ngthening the capacities of judges, public prosecutors and law enforcement officials through various means, including international cooperation, in addition to emphasizing the right of children and other vulnerable groups to access a safe digital environment, and the need for them to receive protection from all forms of violence, exploitation and abuse in the digital space.
The participants stressed the need to enhance digital protection by integrating digital education into educational curricula, training teachers, children and their families on the safe and responsible use of the Internet, developing prevention tools and encouraging technological innovations to ensure the protection of children, involving national institutions in the preparation of legislation, public policies and other measures related to the protection of children in the digital environment, and working to include children’s digital rights in their guidelines and annual reports.
In their concluding recommendations, they underlined the i
mportance of activating the roles of national human rights institutions in general monitoring, data collection, awareness and education on the rights of children and other vulnerable groups, and working to develop means of cooperation between national human rights institutions to exchange experiences and best practices among them, and encouraging effective partnerships between them and governments, regional and international mechanisms and civil society.
The conference participants concluded their recommendations by stressing the importance of supporting efforts to find peaceful solutions to current international crises, emphasizing the prevention of targeting children, women and other vulnerable groups in areas of armed conflict, and preventing the targeting of infrastructure that provides services indispensable to the survival of the population, with the need to end impunity for all crimes committed in violation of relevant international laws.
Source: Qatar News Agency