Government of Timor-Leste

Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and

Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste

 Díli, October 7th, 2015

Minister of Justice delivers Timor-Leste’s Report on Rights of the Child

On the 25^th of September the Minister of Justice, Ivo Valente, presented Timor-Leste’s Second and Third Periodic Reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in the 70^th session of Committee on the Rights of the Child held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Minister Valente led a delegation including the Deputy-Minister of Education, Dulce Soares, the Ambassador of Timor-Leste to the United Nations in Geneva, Marciano da Silva, the Commissioner on the Rights of the Child, Maria Barreto and other government representatives who participated in the presentation and various related meetings in Switzerland.

Timor-Leste ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2003 and presented its first report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2007. The Convention, now nearly 25 years old, calls on States to do everything in their power to protect and promote the rights of children to “survive and thrive, learn and grow, to make their voices heard and to reach their full potential.”

In his presentation the Minister of Justice noted that “The promotion and protection of the rights of the child is a central issue in our national policy, as reflected in the Strategic Development Plan (2011 - 2030) and in the Program of the VI Constitutional Government.” He went on to outline legislation enacted in the reporting period [2007-2012] that provides for the protection of children’s rights and interests, and relevant laws submitted to the Council of Ministers for deliberation including “the Tutelary and Education Law (Juvenile Justice), for minors aged from 12 until 16 years old, consequently exempt from criminal liability; and the Special Regime for persons with 16 years of age until 21, that establishes a special regime applicable for these adolescents, avoiding the subsidiary application of the general rules of the Penal Code.”

The Minister underlined that the authorities of Timor-Leste “are committed to combating trafficking in children and to assisting victims of this trafficking” and explained positive child friendly developments in the fields of education, birth registration, health and support for the disabled.

Timor-Leste’s National Action Plan for Children is currently in the process of development led by the National Commission on the Rights of the Child, with the support of UNICEF. It is being discussed by a Consultative Council, comprising government, NGO’s and religious organizations to ensure the ownership by all stakeholders based on national experience.

Spokesperson for the Sixth Constitutional Government, Minister of State Agio Pereira noted “Timor-Leste has made significant progress in improving conditions for our children and yet challenges remain. The Government remains committed to continued efforts to boost the quality of life for our children and to maximize their health, education and well being.”