State Council discusses draft law on child rights 

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) The State Council discussed a draft law on child rights at the third session of its annual meeting held recently.Majlis A'Shura discussed the draft law before sending it to the State Council for further discussion as recommended by the sultanate's government.The proposed draft law has 77 articles across 13 chapters related to protecting children's rights in Oman. The draft covers several aspects including children's legal rights, needs and the relation between children and human rights, and issues related to child abuse.Speaking about the project, Eng Nashia Saud al Kharusiya, who heads the social committee at the State Council, said, ''Once implemented, it will be an important law to protect the rights of a child in Oman.''She said that most of the comments were made on Article 5 of the draft law.Mohammed al Toobi, a State Council member said that provisions related to child abuse should be made stricter.Suad Sulaiman, another member, said, ''What kind of violence can be termed as illegal and punishable by the law should also be made clear.''Members of the committee said that Article 5 of the draft law needs to be amended so that it is in sync with Article 4 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.The subject of deciding the exact age of an individual who can be considered a child was also discussed.The session was chaired by Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri, chairman of the State Council.