The 24th Triennial Congress of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, 14-25 July, 1989 in Sydney, Australia:
It is resolved that all WILPF Sections should press their governments to ensure that the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child is definitely on the Agenda for the next UN General Assembly, that their governments sign the Convention, ratify and implement it.
The British Section would like to draw Congress’ attention to 2 particular parts of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Protection from economic exploitation and slavery: Children shall have time to rest and play (…) States shall protect the child from economic exploitation and work that may interfere with education or be harmful to health and well-being. We wish to support the efforts of the Indian government in attempts to release 4 million children from ‘slave labour’.
- Protection from war and military service: No child shall take any part in hostilities; children exposed to armed conflict shall receive special protection. WILPF wishes to protect children from conscription into the armed forces.
- Children must be protected from radioactive contamination through all aspects of the nuclear power and armaments industry, including uranium mining and nuclear testing. Where this has already occurred WILPF will lobby for children to receive compensation from the governments responsible.
- WILPF calls for the release of all children imprisoned for political reasons on South Africa.