Written answers

Wednesday, 18 December 2019

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Human Rights

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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118. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which he continues to influence the international community to make provision for the elimination of trafficking and violence against women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53863/19]

Photo of Ciarán CannonCiarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has put in place strong legislative, administrative and operational measures, including a multi-agency approach, to combat and prevent human trafficking. 

Ireland is party to the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings which aims to prevent trafficking, protect the human rights of victimsand prosecute traffickers.  We are party to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.  Ireland has also transposed the EU Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims. On International Women’s Day this year, Ireland ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention). 

Ireland’s new policy for International Development, A Better World, prioritises preventing and responding to gender based violence.  Ireland's Third National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security reiterates Ireland's commitment to intensifying investment in prevention and response to gender based violence, especially in fragile and conflict affected states.

Through our engagement at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), Ireland works to promote gender equality, to combat all forms of discrimination against women and prevent gender-based violence.  In addition to supporting gender-specific resolutions at the HRC, we promote the mainstreaming of gender issues across the broader UN agenda. Through our participation in the HRC’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Ireland regularly raises concerns regarding gender equality and gender based violence. At the most recent UPR session in November 2019, Ireland made recommendations to four countries on gender based violence: El Salvador; Fiji; Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Madagascar.  

Finally, my Department is also an active member of the Irish Consortium of Gender Based Violence (ICGBV),  an alliance of Irish and international human rights, humanitarian and development organisations and the Irish Defence Forces.  We support the Consortium to promote increased understanding of gender based violence and ensure high quality programming and policy responses in both development and humanitarian settings.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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119. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which he continues to influence the international community to make provision for the elimination of trafficking and violence against children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53864/19]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has put in place strong legislative, administrative and operational measures, including a multi-agency approach, to combat and prevent human trafficking. 

Ireland is party to the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings which aims to prevent trafficking, protect the human rights of victims and prosecute traffickers.  We are also party to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.  Ireland has also transposed the EU Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims.

At the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly earlier this year, Ireland co-sponsored a resolution on “Improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons”.   We also made a statement reiterating Ireland's support for the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.  

2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Ireland co-sponsored a  resolution at the General Assembly on the promotion and protection of the rights of children  which called on all countries to ensure the enjoyment by all children of their civil, politicial, ecomomic, social and cultural rights.  

The resolution urges States to take appropriate measures to protect children who are victims of trafficking and are deprived of parental care, as well as to enact and enforce legislation to prevent and combat the trafficking and exploitation of children in care facilities.  The resolution also urges countries to support children who are victims of human trafficking in returning to their families and in receiving appropriate mental health and psychological assistance that is victim-centred and trauma-informed.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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120. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and the international community have endeavoured to eliminate the use of child soldiers globally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53865/19]

Photo of Ciarán CannonCiarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The recruitment and use of child soldiers remains a serious problem with tens of thousands of children recruited and used as soldiers in conflicts around the world. Since 2002, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has issued an annual report on children and armed conflict, listing violations committed against children during armed conflict. The most recent report, published in July 2019, found that 2018 was the worst year on record for children caught up in armed conflict.

The recruitment and use of children as soldiers is explicitly prohibited under international humanitarian law and human rights law. In 1999, the UN Security Council passed its first Resolution, UNSCR 1261, on the impact of armed conflict on children and condemned violations in that context. In the same year, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child entered into force. Article 22 of the Charter sets out a prohibition on the recruitment and direct participation in hostilities of any person under the age of 18 years.

Ever since, the Security Council has established important tools to strengthen child protection and to strengthen implementation of international standards, including the position of UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict who investigates and develops best practices to address the recruitment and use of child soldiers. 

Ireland remains committed to the eradication of the recruitment and use of child soldiers. In addition to the focus in our development programmes on addressing the socio-economic causes of conflict, Ireland supports more targeted interventions by working with organisations such as UNICEF, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Criminal Court.

In 2018, Ireland co-sponsored UN Resolution 2427, which states that children recruited by armed groups should be treated primarily as victims of violations of international law. In 2019, Ireland co-sponsored UN Resolution 2475, which contains important language on the specific needs of children with disabilities affected by armed conflict.

This year, Ireland also joined the Group of Friends of the Reintegration of Child Soldiers and is supportive of reintegration programmes which are fundamental to realising the Rights of the Child, ending the cycle of violence, and ensuring sustainable peace. Ireland is also a signatory to the Safe Schools Declaration, which is an inter-governmental political commitment to protect students, teachers, schools and universities from armed conflict.

 Ireland is committed to working with our international partners to protect all children from aggression and violence.

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