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Declarations and Reservations to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography

Belgium¹

Upon signature:

Declaration:

This signature is equally binding on the French community, the Flemish community and the German-speaking community.

Qatar

Reservation:

.....subject to a general reservation concerning any provisions in the protocol that are in conflict with the Islamic Shariah.

Sweden

Upon signature:

Declaration:

"Reference is made to earlier statements submitted by the EU in connection with the Working group's ad-referendum adoption of the Optional Protocol on 4 February 2000 and the national statement submitted by Sweden at the same occasion as well as the Swedish statement submitted in connection with the adoption of the Protocol by the General Assembly on 25 May 2000. Furthermore Sweden interprets the words 'any representation' in article 2 c) as 'visual representation' ".

Turkey

Declaration:

"The Republic of Turkey declares that it will implement the provisions of the existing Optional Protocol only to the States Parties which it recognizes and with which it has diplomatic relations".

Viet Nam

Reservation:

"... the Socialist Republic of Vietnam makes its reservation to article 5 (1), (2), (3), and (4) of the said Protocol."

France

18 June 2002

With regard to the reservation made by Qatar upon accession:

The Government of the French Republic has examined the reservation entered by the Government of Qatar upon acceding to the Optional Protocol of 25 May 2000 to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, concerning the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. While indicating that it was acceding to the Protocol and voicing, in a general manner, reservations with respect to provisions of the Protocol that it regards as violating Islamic Shariah rules, the Government of Qatar has entered a reservation of a general, indeterminate nature that leaves other States parties unable to establish which provisions of the Convention the reservation currently concerns and which provisions are likely to be concerned in the future. The Government of the French Republic believes that the reservation could deprive the provisions of the Convention of any effect and is entering an objection thereto.

Germany

21 March 2002

With regard to the reservation made by Qatar upon accession:

"The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has examined the reservation to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography made by the Government of Qatar at the time of its accession to the Optional Protocol. The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany is of the view that the reservation with regard to the compatibility of the rules of the Optional Protocol with the precepts of Islamic Shariah raises doubts as to the commitment of Qatar to fulfil its obligations under the Optional Protocol. The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany considers this reservation to be incompatible with the object and purpose of the Optional Protocol. Therefore the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany objects to the aforesaid reservation made by the Government of Qatar to the Optional Protocol.

This objection does not preclude the entry into force of the Optional Protocol between the Federal Republic of Germany and Qatar."

NOTES

1. For the Kingdom of Belgium.