A United Nations committee expressed its concern about...

A United Nations committee expressed its concern about the conditions of children who had defected from North Korea and were living in China. During its 36th session, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said some North Korean children were roaming the streets in China, and North Korea dealt with them as criminals if they were repatriated. The monitoring committee for children recommended that the North analyze the reasons for the children's defections and regard them as sufferers. It also asked the North to negotiate safe repatriation procedures with China and provide necessary support for the children, including counseling. The committee also urged the North to provide information on the children, who were separated from parents who were sent to labor camps or received a death sentence.