ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 13, 1997 TAG: 9702130011
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELIZABETH H. FETTER
MICHAEL FARRIS' commentary (Jan. 23, ``Don't hand U.S. policy over to U.N.'') concerning the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child contains a number of distortions and misinterpretations that need to be addressed.
The intent of the convention is to protect the children of the world's nations from serious abuses and injustices, such as child labor, sexual exploitation, military service under age 15 and torture. The convention doesn't infringe on parents' rights to raise their children, and states in its preamble that ``the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, would be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume responsibilities within the community
The convention doesn't ban the spanking of children by their parents or incarceration of juvenile offenders. Article 19, Part I, states: ``Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse ... ''
To interpret this as a mandate to ban parental spanking is a gross misreading of this article. And Article 40 states that the child is entitled to basic guarantees as well as legal and other assistance for his or her defense. It's stated: Judicial proceedings and institutional placements shall be avoided whenever possible. Hardly a ban on incarceration.
By suggesting that the U.N. will determine our domestic policies, Farris demonstrates - at best - a misinterpretation of the power of the U.N.; at worst, a paranoia.
There are no sanctions for a nation's noncompliance. The U.N. isn't an international government so much as it is a cooperative organization of nations, each of which retains all of the elements of sovereignty. Most U.S. laws are already in compliance with the standards of the convention, executing juveniles for crimes committed under the age of 18 being one exception.
By ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United States would have to evaluate its success in dealing with the problems addressed by the convention.
We're the only industrialized country that hasn't ratified the convention, yet we have been a champion for human rights for many years. Failing to ratify would undermine our credibility when we press other countries to protect their children.
Elizabeth H. Fetter of Roanoke is a retired schoolteacher.
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