- North Korea has come under scathing attack for gross violation of children’s rights. The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child unhappy with Pyongyang's record
Pyongyang's government reportedly subjects children to hard labor because of their parents’ political views and crimes
The mighty North Korea has come under severe attack after it emerged that President Pyongyang's government has been involved in gross violation of children’s rights and freedoms.
According to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of Child, North Korean children are send to hard labor for crimes committed by their parents, including dissenting political views and crimes.
“North Korea punishes children with severe child labor for their parents’ crimes and political views. This amounts to ideological indoctrination,” United Nations panel of child rights notes in its report.
Schoolchildren stand beside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last year at "We Are the Happiest in the World".Photo: Reuters.
The UN is not yet convinced that North Korea has absolute guaranteed the right to freedom from cruel and degrading treatment, torture, or punishment.
The watchdog also called on North Korea to allow children freedom of expression, including access to the Internet. Photo: Daily Mirror.
The child rights watchdog is challenging Pyongyang's government to explain how ‘songbun’, a system that allegedly ranks citizens based on their levels of loyalty to the state, has affected children’s rights, including access to food, health, and education.
Two young boys carry materials at a child labour camp in North Korea. Image: Daily Mirror.