North Korea has formally ratified a UN optional protocol on
the protection of children, according to a report by state media. The North
first acceded to the Convention in September 1990.
According to a Chosun Central News Agency [KCNA] report on
November 10th, the Supreme People’s Assembly “ratified the optional protocol on
banning child trafficking, prostitution and pornographic literature, annex to the
UN Convention on Children’s Rights.”
Ja Sung Nam, the permanent representative of North Korea at
the UN, signed the protocol on September 9th. Of the 17 clauses in the
protocol, the majority focus on detailed regulations and punishments for violators and
international cooperation for victims.
Regarding the North’s decision, the report read, “Its
ratification of the protocol is a demonstration of the government’s policy of
attaching importance to the children and a manifestation of its will to fulfill
its commitment and promote international cooperation in the field of human
rights.”
The UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review [UPR]
recommended the North to ratify the protocol in May. Pyongyang’s cooperation in
going through with the ratification is understood to fit in with larger efforts
to improve its international image and avoid a possible referral to the
International Criminal Court [ICC] for crimes against humanity.
On September 13th, Pyongyang published its own human rights
report, countering accusations from the Commission of Inquiry [COI] on North
Korea findings and claiming that all North Koreans enjoy ample political,
social, and cultural rights. The report mentioned this protocol, along with
myriad other international treaties, and North Korea’s efforts to look into
matters of joining them, while arguing its status as an existing party to
others.
In accordance with the protocol, North Korea must submit a
report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child within two years,
stipulating the measures in place that serve to uphold the convention’s standards.
