Human Rights Commission

The Human Rights Commission’s Chief Commissioner, David Rutherford, welcomes the Government’s ratification of two significant treaties at the United Nations last month.

On 20 September, Justice Minister Simon Power deposited New Zealand’s instruments of ratification for two optional protocols. One criminalises serious violation of children’s rights, and the other criminalises attacks on United Nations peace-builders.

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography emphasises the criminalisation of these serious violations of children’s rights. It is intended to achieve the purposes of certain articles in the Convention adopted in 2000, and New Zealand joins 157 other countries in ratifying it.

Mr Rutherford says the Protocol reflects concerns about the increasing levels of international traffic in children, often for child prostitution and child pornography. Modern technologies are making children even more vulnerable to such exploitation.

“This strengthens our obligations under the Convention by setting international standards, and encourages countries to work together to protect and promote children’s dignity and rights,” says Mr Rutherford.

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel was adopted in 2005. The parent 1994 Convention criminalises attacks against United Nations’ peacekeeping personnel, and the Protocol expands this to include other United Nations workers such as those involved in humanitarian, political and development assistance.

New Zealand played a key role in the negotiations for the 1994 Convention and in the negotiations for the Optional Protocol, and joins 25 other countries that have ratified it.