Committee on the Rights of the Child

Day of General Discussion

"Children of incarcerated parents"

30 September 2011 - 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Salle XVII, Palais des Nations

“The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified international human rights instrument, with 193 States Parties.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child, the body of independent experts responsible for reviewing progress made by States parties in implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, during its 56th session (17 January – 7 February 2011), the Committee decided to devote its 2011 discussion day to article 9 of the Convention dealing with issues relating to the rights of children of incarcerated parents. The discussion will take place on Friday, 30 September 2011 during the 58th session of the Committee at the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The purpose of the Days of General Discussion is to foster a deeper understanding of the contents and implications of the Convention as they relate to specific articles or topics. Representatives of Governments, United Nations human rights mechanisms, United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, non-governmental organizations, national human rights institutions as well as individual experts and children are welcome to take part.

The rights of children of incarcerated parents are set out in article 9 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The 2011 Day of General Discussion is intended to provide States and other actors with more comprehensive guidance as to their obligations to promote and protect the rights of children of incarcerated parents as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Given the complexity of the concepts and issues involved as well as the concerns raised and experiences gathered to date in the Committee's efforts to address these issues, it is proposed that participants to this meeting be divided in two working groups on the following themes (please see the outline for more details on the two working groups and their respective sub-themes):

Working Group 1: Babies and children living with or visiting a parent in prison

Working Group 2: Children left ‘outside’ when their parent is incarcerated
The Committee holds a day of general discussion each year. Past themes are listed below. Click on the title to view the recommendations:”