OMCT, its member organisation in Uruguay IELSUR, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child of Uruguay submitted a joint alternative report to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT)

URUGUAY:OMCT, IELSUR and the COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD OF URUGUAY submittedan alternative report to the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT)

Geneva (Switzerland), 29th April2014.

The World Organisation AgainstTorture (OMCT), its member organisation in Uruguay, the Institute for Legal andSocial Studies (IELSUR), and the Committee on the Rights of the Child ofUruguay presented their joint alternative report on torture and ill-treatmentin Uruguay to the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) during its 52ndsession, in connection with its review of Uruguay’s third periodic report, inGeneva (Switzerland), from 28th April to 23rd May 2014.

Onthe eve of the examination of Uruguay by the Committee Against Torture, theOMCT has presented additional information to the Committee in a privatemeeting, followed by a Skype meeting with the two country rapporteurs andOMCT’s partner organisations in Uruguay.

TheOMCT has emphasized in its presentation the situation of children deprived ofliberty, presenting to the Committee the conclusions from its last mission inthe country in 2013. As the sole organisationpresent in the meeting, the OMCT could express the grave concerns that civilsociety organisations have being denouncing in Uruguay for the past years, suchas the acquiescence of some governmental authorities to the systematic practiceof torture, inhuman and degrading treatment against children in detentioncentres.

Asa final recommendation the OMCT urged the Committee to call on Uruguay tocreate safeguards for the protection of children deprived of their liberty, andguarantees that all allegations oftorture are object of a meaningful, diligent, impartial and transparentinvestigation in order to ensure accountability and non-repetition.

Theinformation presented can also be found in the reportsubmitted by OMCT, jointly with IELSUR and the Committee on the Rights of theChild of Uruguay (the report is currentlyonly available in Spanish)[1].

The Committee Against Torture will examineUruguay today. To follow the webcast please see http://www.treatybodywebcast.org

Contact:

OMCT, MsCarolina Barbara, Child Rights Coordinator, Tel. +41 (0) 22 809 49 39, Email: cb@omct.org

[1] See www.omct.org