With the Ministry of the Interior's recently created Bureau of Child Welfare (兒童局) organizing events for International Children's Day on Nov. 20, legislators, scholars and private groups gathered yesterday to reaffirm their goal of joining a UN convention regarding children's rights.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (兒童權利?蓮?, adopted by the UN in 1989, is an international human rights treaty. Taiwan hopes to win international recognition of its efforts in improving children's welfare and its willingness to abide by international standards of children's rights as laid out by the UN.
According to Liao Ching-chih (1钀R芝), a senior specialist at the Department of Social Affairs (社會司) at the Ministry of the Interior (?漪F3?, the government passed the Child Welfare Law (兒童福利法) in 1973 and revised it in 1993. The Adolescent Welfare Law (?痎~福利法) was also passed in 1989.
Liao said yesterday she welcomes the establishment of the Bureau of Child Welfare, but she is concerned about the bureau's work load. "They have only 35 people and a limited budget, so I expect to see a heavy workload for the staff," she said.
But Wang Ming-jen (?y援??, the executive director of the Chinese Fund for Children and Families (??華兒童暨家庭扶注基金會), saw the situation in a more optimistic light.
"They may have a lot to do and might not do a good job at first, but it's good to see the government taking the initiative to form the bureau because it can take advantage of the government's resources and budget," he said.
Huang Wen-hsiung (黃?撊?, chairperson of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (台灣?H權促進會), was also upbeat about the formation of the bureau.
"The founding of the children's bureau is a good start, and the feasibility to join the treaty is high," he said. "What we should concentrate on now is how to become a treaty member."
Tung Kuo-yu (?國猷), Deputy Director General of the Department of International Organizations (國際2梒揖q) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs(外交3?, pointed to the problem that Taiwan faces in trying to join international organizations.
"Two of the major difficulties are strategy and tactical issues," Tung said. "The authorities and the public have to reach a consensus that we want to do it (joining an international organization). If we can get the international community to back us up, things might get a little bit easier."
Tung said the issue in joining the treaty, as is the case with other organizations, is the status and name of Taiwan. "Our position is that we don't mind adjusting our name to be part of the game," he said.
Tunghai University law professor Liao Fu-te (1戇眽S), said the focus should be put on the hope of succeeding, rather than the difficulties the effort faces.
"Of course, having hope doesn't necessarily guarantee that we will succeed in the long run, but we should stay positive and concentrate on changing our laws to correspond with international regulations," Liao said.
Chiang Huang-chih (
"According to the 48th article of the convention treaty, it's open for all countries for accession, including non-UN members," Chiang said. "If the worst happens, at least we get the publicity, telling the international community that we're a sovereign independent state."
Lee Li-fen (李麗芬), secretary-general of the End Child Prostitution Association (2*?豯ㄖ2協會), suggests entering international organizations through a different channel, citing the association's own experience.
"We've learned from our experience that we can enter the international arena as a non-government organization, and we usually receive a friendly welcome," she said.
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