Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 19 Nov 2003

Vol. 574 No. 5

Written Answers. - Overseas Development Aid.

Ciarán Cuffe

Question:

166 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action the Government intends to take to ensure that the plight of street children in Guatemala and Honduras is recognised and acted on, and that the Government, through the Department and relevant agencies, take appropriate steps to reduce the threat of violence and improve the living conditions of street children in Central America. [27762/03]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen)

The protection of the rights of children everywhere in the world is a matter of great importance. However, the plight of the so-called "street children" in Guatemala and Honduras is particularly poignant. These street children are born into the most marginalised sectors of society and, for reasons related mainly to their domestic circumstances, find themselves living on the streets, exposed to a life of malnutrition, petty crime, drug addiction, violence, prostitution and, in some cases, murder. Reports from Amnesty International and other non-governmental agencies allude to the extra judicial execution of many such children, often, it is alleged, with the involvement of security forces. It is estimated that in Honduras alone, more than 2,000 children have been killed in this manner since 1998.

The Government, through the official development co-operation programme, Development Co-operation Ireland, supports a wide variety of initiatives and programmes aimed at addressing the problem of street children in Latin America, as well as in other regions. Both Trócaire and GOAL, who administer numerous programmes relating to poverty reduction and social development, are now receiving significantly increased funding through the new multi-annual programmes scheme, MAPS.

My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Kitt, paid a visit to Honduras earlier this year and was able to familiarise himself first-hand with the problems being addressed by Irish NGOs and missionaries using Development Co-operation Ireland funding. Officials from my Department, including those from the embassy in Mexico, visit these countries on a regular basis and have specifically paid visits to project sites dealing with street children in a number of cities. Development Co-operation Ireland is currently reviewing its regional strategy for Central America and, in doing so, will be taking into account its experiences of the issue of street children.

Ireland's concern for the rights and protection of all children is also reflected in its ratification, in 1992, of the UNs Convention on the Rights of the Child, CRC. This convention, which was ratified by 192 countries including Honduras and Guatemala, contains an agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. It spells out the basic human rights to which children everywhere "without discrimination" are entitled by birth, namely: to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The CRC protects children's rights by setting standards in health care and education as well as legal, civil and social services. These standards are benchmarks against which progress can be assessed.

The CRC was reinforced by a United Nations Special Session on Children, SSC, which took place in May 2002 at which delegations from 190 countries, including Honduras and Guatemala, committed themselves to a time-bound set of specific goals relating to the rights of children. A follow-up report produced one year later showed that while Honduras had completed its plan for the implementation for the commitments made, Guatemala had yet to do so.

As a member of the UN, Ireland will seek to ensure that the obligations placed by the SSC on Honduras, Guatemala and all other states will be honoured in full and that these countries will implement systems and reforms that will ensure a long-term commitment to the rights of children. Together with our EU partners, Ireland will also seek to ensure that the issue remains at the forefront of the EU-Latin American dialogue.