Geneva, September 25 (RHC)-- Cuban civil society organizations stressed in Geneva the island's work toward the protection and promotion of the rights of children and adolescents during a panel that ran parallel to the 30th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Some of the issues raised during the panel discussion included work to set an average age for certain legal relations, including labor, political participation, penal and civil responsibilities.

The Cuban representatives in Geneva also referred to the international instruments signed by the Caribbean nation, and mechanisms favoring the participation of children and adolescents in decisions that affect their interests.

The use of information and communications technologies in the current context and their impact on the development of children was also high on the agenda of the panel.

Particular reference was made to the over-50-year U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba as a major obstacle t the rights of the Cuban people to development, including children.

The panel was made up of representatives of the Cuban National Jurists' Union, the Federation of Cuban Women and Cuba's United Nations Organization.