[Communicated to the Members of the Council.] C . 2 9 3 . (1) 1925. IV. LEAGUE OF NATIONS Advisory Committee on the Traffic in Women and Protection of Children.1 REPORT OF THE FOURTH SESSION MAY 1925. The Advisory Committee on the Traffic in Women and Protection of Children met in Geneva from May 20th-27th, 1925. Last year the Assembly and Council of the League of Nations decided that the work hitherto carried out by the International Association for the Protection of Children should henceforth be entrusted to the League of Nations, and that the Advisory Committee on the Traffic in Women and Children should be reconstituted with a new group of assessors to deal with the question of child welfare. This was accord­ ingly the first meeting of the reconstituted Committee. The original Committee held its first meeting in 1922 and two subsequent meetings in 1923 and 1924. The following members of the Committee were present : Delegates appointed by the Governments : Don Pedro Sangro y E os de Olano (Chairman) Spain Don Emilio Martinez Amador (Substitute delegate) Spain His Excellency M. Regnault (Vice-Chairman) France M. B arbier (Substitute delegate) Trance His Excellency le Comte Carton de Wiart Belgium M. Xavier Carton de Wiart (Substitute delegate) Belgium Mr. S. W. H arris British Empire Dr. Estrid Hein Denmark Miss Grace Abbott United States of America His Excellency the Marquis Paulucci d e C a l b o ij Italy M. Yotaro Sugimura J apan M. Stanislas P osner Poland His Excellency M. N. P. Comnene Roumania Madame Sadovano (Substitute delegate) Roumania Dr. Paulina Luisi Uruguay Assessors : 1. Child Welfare Miss Eglantvne J ebb International Union of “ Save the Children ” Fund. Dame Katharine F ttrse International Organisation of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. 1 Original Title : Advisory Committee on Traffic in Women and Children. S. d. N. 650 (A.) + 625 (F.) 6/25. — Imp. de la “ Tribune de Genève Dr. H umbert League of Bed Cross Societies. Mr. Bascom J ohnson Miss Eleanor R athbone Women’s International Organisations. M. Henri R ollet International Association for the Protection of Children. 2. Traffic in W omen Miss B aker International Bureau for Suppression of Traffic in Women and Children. Madame Chaponnière-Chaix Women’s International Organisations. (Replacing Madame Avril de Saint-Croix). Mr. S. Cohen Jewish Association for the Protection of Women and Girls. Madame Curchod-Secrétan Fédération des Unions Nationales des Amies de la Jeune Fille. Mlle. Thurler Association catholique internationale des (Replacing Madame de Montenach) œuvres de protection de la jeune fille. Dr. Léon Bernard and Mr. Johnston were appointed on behalf of the Health Organisa­ tion and the International Labour Office respectively, to act as liaison officers as regarded the question of child welfare, and Dr. Ferenczi of the International Labour Office acted as Maison officer as regarded the question of traffic in women. Dame Rachel Crowdy was also present as Secretary of the Committee. Change of Membership. Last year, in connection with the reconstitution of the Committee, the Council decidèd to include Belgium among the Governments represented in view of the great interest which that country has hitherto taken in the question of child welfare. The Committee welcomed Comte Carton de Wiart as the new Belgian representative. Election of Chairman. Dr. Estrid Hein, the delegate of Denmark, vacated the office of Chairman and Don Pedro Sangro, the delegate of Spain, was elected in her place. The office of Vice-Chairman was offered to Miss Grace Abbott, the delegate of the United States of America, who felt unable to accept it for the present. M. Regnault, the delegate of France, was elected in her place. Preliminary Business., The draft agenda was adopted and it was decided, as last year, to hold the meetings in public, subject to the discretion of the Committee to hold any session in private if the need arose. It was also decided that on this occasion both groups of assessors should be present at all the meetings, as some of the subjects to be discussed concerned both groups. The main report of the Committee is divided into two parts, the first dealing with child welfare and the second with traffic in women. The remainder of the report deals with future organisation, staff and finance. PART I. — CHILD WELFARE The decision already mentioned, to include child welfare among the subjects referred to the Committee, marked the entry of the League of Nations into a field of work of great interest and promise. The Advisory Committee approached this new study with a deep sense of the responsibility which lies upon it, with appreciation of the privilege of being allowed to share in the task, and with a feeling of hope that as the work develops it may be able to make some contribution of value in the solution of problems which concern all countries alike. It is commonly said that children are a nation’s greatest asset ; but it may sometimes be forgotten that children represent a trust which it is the solemn duty of each succeeding generation to safeguard, so as to secure for them the fullest opportunities of development to a free and happy life of service to their fellows. This idea has been well expressed in the so-called “Declaration of Geneva” which was recommended by the Fifth Assembly as a guide to States Members of the League in the work of child welfare. — 3 — The Advisory Committee thinks it right to take the normal child as the basis of its study, and to emphasise the constructive side of child welfare as much as the more limited though vital question of protecting the child from adverse influences or wilful exploita­ tion. There is also the difficult problem of the abnormal child whose free development is hampered by physical, mental or moral defectiveness, and whose lot calls for special care and sympathy. The Advisory Committee has considered very carefully whether it should attempt to offer some specific definition of the subjects which the League of Nations should regard as falling within the term “ child welfare”, but it has come to the conclusion that such an attempt would be ill-advised. Any complete definition might be so wide as inevitably to excite suspicion that the League was proposing for itself a task far beyond its powers. On the other hand, to adopt a narrow definition might exclude some questions which a brief experience might show were well worthy of consideration. The Committee, however, fully realises that if the work of the League in this field is to be effective, it must be built up gradually from a strictly limited programme, and developed as opportunity offers. There is, too, an obvious limit fixed by consideration of staff and the amount of money which can reasonably be allocated for this purpose. In the resolutions passed last year, the Assembly expressed the view that, in connection with the question of Child Welfare, the “League can most usefully concern itself with the study of those problems on which the comparison of the methods and experience of different countries, consultation and exchange of views between the officials or experts of different countries and international co-operation may be likely to assist the Governments in dealing with such problems”. Adopting this formula, the Committee thinks that the duties of the League may be said to fall within three main categories : (a) Documentation, (b) Research and (c) Discussion. (a) As regards Documentation, it should be the business of the Secretariat to make a collection and analysis on well-considered lines of the laws and regulations of different countries on such subjects as may be selected from time to time by the Council on the advice of the Committee. In order to present this body of law in a form which may be readily understood, the Secretariat will do well to rely not only on its own staff, but on such help as can be obtained from the Governments or from expert advisers in the countries to which the law applies, or from societies who may have already made a study of the subject. But documentation should not necessarily be limited to legal enactments : it may be equally important to obtain full information as to the administration of the law and as to the methods adopted in different countries in dealing with a particular problem. (b) Research.— For the better appreciation and presentation of information obtained by ordinary channels, it will be desirable in some cases to supplement it by personal enquiry made, with the consent of the Governments, by members of the staff of the Secretariat, some of whom, as recommended later, should have special qualifications for such work. It may also well prove desirable that some particular problem should be investigated on the spot by special experts appointed by the League. (c) Discussion. — The information obtained under the two first categories will be brought before the Advisory Committee for discussion in order that it may be in a position to advise the Council as to what further action is required or in what form the information should be made available to Governments or otherwise. In some cases when a matter has an international bearing in the strict sense, or when it is proposed to make it the subject of an international convention, it may be necessary to contemplate a wider discussion by means of an international Conference. A large number of subjects has been proposed by the official members of the Committee and by the Assessors as best suited to inaugurate this new branch of the League’s functions, and, in an embarrassment of choice, the Committee has found some difficulty in making a selection ; but bearing in mind the need already referred to of limiting the amount of work in the first instance, it has drawn up the following programme for the consideration of the Council : (1) A study of the law relating to the protection of life and health in early infancy.