WORLD: Water quality, a matter of children’s rights 

Dear friends,

We wish to share with you the following statement from a group of UN human rights experts.

Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong

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A Statement from a group of UN human rights experts forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission

“With an estimated 884 million people relying on unimproved drinking water sources, access to safe drinking water is clearly a human rights issue, with serious implications for children’s health, education and even personal security,” says the UN Independent Expert on water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque.

In a joint statement on World Water Day, a group of UN human rights experts* for water and sanitation, health, education, and violence against children, note that the lack of safe water poses numerous threats to the enjoyment of human rights and call for a special focus on children in increasing efforts to ensure access to safe water and sanitation is a reality for all.

“Children are particularly vulnerable to water contamination,” warns Anand Grover, the UN Special Rapporteur on health, noting that 1.5 million children under the age of five die annually because of lack of safe water, sanitation and associated hygiene, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). “This scandalous situation needs to be tackled, and children’s right to health must be upheld.”

Lack of access to safe water and sanitation has also a devastating impact on education. “Waterborne illnesses keep children out of school, threatening their right to education,” says Vernor Muñoz Villalobos, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education. “Lack of education early in life poses dire consequences for children’s development,” notes the human rights expert, drawing attention to the fact that, when schools lack sex-segregated toilets, girls will often not attend.

“Children’s right to be free from violence is also jeopardized by the lack of safe drinking water,” explains Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, highlighting the life-threatening impact this situation has for children.

“Children, and very especially girls, often carry the main responsibility of collecting water for the household, sometimes walking long distances in order to find potable water,” says the UN expert. “Along the way, they face serious risks for their security, including physical and sexual attacks.”

On World Water Day, celebrated this year under the motto “Clean Water for a Healthy World,” the group of UN human rights experts stresses that States must ensure that everyone, including children, have access to safe drinking water.

“Without it, millions of children will continue to die every year,” says Ms. Albuquerque, who also recommends including an indicator for water quality in the monitoring of the realization of the Millennium Development Goals. In her view, “most estimates -so far- miss this crucial dimension which has such a tragic impact.”

(*) The group of experts:
Catarina de Albuquerque, Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/water/iexpert/index.htm
Anand Grover, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/health/right/index.htm
Vernor Muñoz Villalobos, Special Rapporteur on the right to education: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/rapporteur/index.htm
Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sga1182.doc.htm

 

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