The Sub-Group on Indigenous Children and Young People
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About Us

Working Group on the Rights of indigenous Children and Youth (Indigenous Sub Group- ISG)

The Sub Group on Indigenous Children and Young People (ISG) was officially formed on 24 October 2005 at a meeting held at Native Child and Family Services in Toronto, Canada. It was created to build on the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child Day of General Discussion on Indigenous Child Rights and the work of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues respecting Indigenous child rights. The development of the sub group represents the first international focal point that specifically focuses on the pervasive and persistent rights violations that Indigenous children, young people and their families experience worldwide.

Mission:

Embedded in the distinct cultures and languages of Indigenous Peoples, the ISG works towards the recognition of, respect for, and implementation of the human rights of Indigenous children and young people, taking into account the specific role of their families and communities.

Current Convenor:

The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care - SNAICC (Australia)

Membership:

Active Members
  • Dawn Wallam- The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC), Australia;
  • Cindy Blackstock - First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada;
  • Roy Laifungbam - Centre for Organisation Research and Education (CORE), India;
  • John Waldon & Ced Simpson - Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (ACYA), New Zealand.
Active Observers
  • Ngima Tendup Sherpa- Himalayan Health and Environmental Services Solukhumbu (HHESS), Nepal;
  • Anton Blank- Te Kahui Mana Ririk, New Zealand;
  • Margo Greenwood- National collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, Canada.
Past work of the ISG:

Two presentations were delivered at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on 14 May 2007 namely:

  • Worthy of Attention: Indigenous Children Around the World
Prepared by Margo Greenwood and Presented by Cindy Blackstock
  • Sub Group on Indigenous Children and Youth: Promoting the recognition of child rights under customary and international law
 presented by Cindy Blackstock

The Indigenous Sub-Group worked persistently with the Committee and other key stakeholders on the development and adoption of General Comment 11 on Indigenous Children and their Rights under the Convention.

The ISG also hosted a side event at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the UNICEF offices in New York on 28 May 2009 on General Comment No. 11 on the rights of Indigenous children.

Current workplan of the ISG:

The ISG is currently focusing on the following areas. We are eager to work with others to increase our impact and support Indigenous children’s rights more broadly and effectively. So please get involved!

  • Strengthen the foundation of the ISG by:
    • Building relationships among existing ISG members through exchanging information regularly, sharing resources and joint collaboration
    • Reaching out to other organisations to combine efforts to advocate for the rights of indigenous children from different countries
    • Accessing financial resources for effective participation of the members of the ISG
  • Build international pressure to redress priority issues for indigenous children’s issues by:
    • Lobbying with key international human rights actors, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of indigenous Peoples, UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, on priority issues of concern and to strengthen their strategic structural focus on Indigenous children
    • Hosting events at international gatherings on indigenous issues focused on agreed issue of concern (such as UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and at International Society for prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN))
  • Develop a strategy for advancing one common critical core human rights issue impacting indigenous children globally
    • While there are many critical issues impacting Indigenous children around the world, the ISG feels that the pervasive experience of poverty, created and compounded through multiple layers of discrimination, requires priority attention.
    • Discussions on this issue will be kicked off shortly with a Working Paper and side event at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues between 7 and 18 May 2012. o We hope to build a broader base through participation in events this year, including the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and ISPCAN (International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) Conference in Turkey, 9 – 12 September 2012.

Further information, updates on news, events and resources, are available in the ISG website resources page.

Join us to strengthen our collective efforts for change!

If you are working on Indigenous children’s rights or looking at how you can increase your work in this area, please get in touch! Contact Emma at emmas@snaicc.asn.au to chat with us about possibilities.

Phone:+61 39489 8099