Ombudsman for Children in Sweden Visits Manila to Promote the Rights of Filipino Children

To strengthen the co-operation between the Philippines and Sweden in ensuring that the rights of the child are being recognized, protected and promoted, the Swedish Ombudsman for Children, Lena Nyberg is in Manila from 1-7 March 2008. The visit is part of the last phase of a three year co-operation programme between the Office of the Swedish Ombudsman for Children and the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippine with the purpose to strengthen the Child Rights Centre of the Commission and to promote the rights of the child.

Both Sweden and the Philippines are parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, CRC.

During her visit, the Ombudsman together with Mr. Jorge Rivera and Ms. Malin Dahlberg Markstedt, both from the Ombudsman’s office, will actively participate as resource speakers in the CHRP Training on Child Perspective, Child Participation, Child Impact Assessments and Juvenile Justice from 3-7 March 2008 at the Ballroom 3 and Captain’s Bar of the Mandarin Oriental Manila in Makati City which is being spearheaded by the Commission.

The objectives of the training are to institutionalize child perspective in its line services and operations, emphasizing the importance of child participation and the use of child impact assessments and to further capacitate its child rights workers towards making a significant contribution in the establishment of a more child sensitive justice system in the country.

Pursuant to the Agreement between the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP), the Office of the Swedish Ombudsman for Children and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), approximately
Php 30 000 000 has been granted by the Swedish government to the CHRP for the purpose of strengthening the CHRP’s Child Rights Centre.

CHRP sees itself playing the role of a catalyst to strengthen the Philippine Child Justice System both in terms of policymaking and in terms of developing methods in including children in different democratic processes. Its thrust is for its Child Rights Centre to strengthen its capability to be a training centre for the actors in the child justice system, emphasizing the importance of the voice of the child in all matters affecting the child.

In Sweden, children and young people up to the age of 18 have their own Ombudsman. The Children’s Ombudsman is appointed by the Swedish government for a term of six years. The Ombudsman’s main duty is to promote the rights and interest of children and young people as set forth in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the CRC). The agency monitors the implementation of the CRC in Sweden. It participates in public debates, promotes public interest regarding key issues, and influences the attitudes of decision-makers and the public. However, the Ombudsman does not supervise other authorities and, by law, may not interfere in individual cases.

PRESS CONTACTS

Ms. Jitt Pascual

Embassy of Sweden, Manila

Direct Line: 811 7921

Fax: 815 3002

Mobile: 0917 535 6800

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