Sep 20 - ERG Presses Government On Children's Rights And Domestic Violence

Equality Rights Group is concerned and actively chasing up Gibraltar’s attention to issues of both children’s rights and domestic violence. 

 

A spokesman for the group said the Minister for Justice, Gilbert Licudi, has usually attended to our requests for information promptly and we have again been in touch with him in writing to obtain information regarding where Gibraltar stands on the adoption of two important pieces of international legislation into Gibraltar law.

 

"The first item is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the UN in November 1989 and ratified by 20 countries in September 1990. While Britain ratified the Convention in 1991, 25 years later, Gibraltar has still not adopted this Convention. This is an inexcusable time delay on our part here in Gibraltar," the statement continued.

 

The spokesman added: "The Minister first advised us over a year ago of processes which were being undergone for Gibraltar’s adoption of this legislation safeguarding the rights of children, but we are concerned to have received no further update on progress since then. We are particularly concerned because there are strong research indicators pointing to a correlation between early child experience of physical abuse and later manifestation of domestic violence. The research in that regard is getting stronger.

 

"We have therefore also asked the Minister for his advice as to whether Gibraltar is considering, or indeed already proceeding en route to adoption of the Council of Europe’s Convention On Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence in the hope that we will not be as backward in adopting these measures as we have been on the rights of the child.

 

"ERG fully supports Claire Borrell and the Women in Need organisation in their many concerns regarding the increasing incidence of domestic violence in Gibraltar. It is a worrying situation, and it is equally clear that a holistic approach to better handling the issues is necessary. ERG, for its part, will continue to press for adequate compliance and early adoption of international and other legislative measures necessary in providing the formal backbone frameworks required to support the logistical and community-based responses that are needed."

{fcomment}