A/HRC/54/31/Add.1 I. Children 74. About one quarter of the population of Greenland is less than 18 years of age. Most children in Greenland are doing well; however, a much higher proportion than in Denmark are facing severe challenges, ranging from violence, scarce mental health support and a lack of access to quality education in their mother tongue. 75. The Special Rapporteur was mainly concerned about reports that economic inequalities are increasing in Greenland and about estimates that suggest that approximately 10 per cent of children live in relative poverty and go to bed or school hungry. The Special Rapporteur was informed that the lack of housing results in overcrowded living conditions and, at times, four families live together in homes intended for only one family. 76. In 2012, the National Advocacy Centre for Children’s Rights was established by the Government of Greenland with the aim to safeguard and promote children’s rights.27 The Centre has played a key role in documenting the situation of children’s rights, consulting children and advising on child-related policies. 77. Approximately, one out of five children in Greenland has been exposed to violence and sexual abuse, with long-lasting impacts on child victims. The Special Rapporteur is concerned about reports that the incidence of such crimes remains underreported and shrouded in a culture of silence. In 2020, a report was published with 16 recommendations, agreed upon by the Governments of Greenland and Denmark, to improve the conditions of vulnerable children and young persons.28 The police has scaled up efforts to take appropriate action on reports of sexual violence and conducted a campaign on how to report cases against children. There have been significant additional resources dedicated to recruit professionals to address sexual abuse; however, concerns have also been raised that the majority of such staff have been recruited in Nuuk, which in turn has reduced the number of social workers available in other municipalities. 78. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the efforts by authorities to fight against sexual abuse of children, however, notes the need for culturally appropriate, effective and holistic actions in order to eradicate the root causes of these crimes and, in particular, the need for increased support for mental health services and legal assistance. 79. Greenland has one of the world’s highest suicide rates, and children and young persons are particularly affected. It is a deeply worrying development that now even younger children commit suicide than before, some as young as 12 years old. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the fact that the Government of Greenland intends to revise and extend the national strategy on the prevention of suicide. However, the Special Rapporteur emphasizes that more resources need to be made available for mental health care, including preventive measures, and there should be better inclusion of child and youth perspectives and coordination with municipal authorities. The strategy needs to address root causes and ensure the development of measurable indicators. 80. The Special Rapporteur also welcomes the development of a national action plan on compliance with the Convention of the Rights of the Child (2023–2030). He urges the Government to assign adequate resources for the implementation of important policy measures, especially at the municipal level, to elaborate measurable indicators and to ensure that the national action plan is implemented through collaboration with municipal authorities, civil society, the National Advocacy Centre for Children’s Rights, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Spokesperson for Persons with Disabilities in Greenland and the children’s advisory board in Greenland (Nakuusa). Specifically, the Government should reach remote Inuit settlements and, in coordination with them, design culturally appropriate intervention measures in the framework of the national action plan in order to ensure local ownership. 27 28 14 See www.mio.gl. See https://im.dk/media/7608/rapport_groenlandskdansk_tvaergaaende_arbejde_for_styrket_indsats_udsatte_boern_og_unge_dansk_t.pdf (in Danish). GE.23-13414