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Bericht door mosquito » 11-09-2014 20:55

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010 ... s-face-ban

Mosquito youth dispersal alarms face ban
Rights groups say devices used to disperse teenage groups are distressing and dangerous
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Amelia Hill
The Guardian , Thursday 24 June 2010 18.26 BST
Child crying
The Council of Europe says Mosquitos can cause extreme distress to children. Photograph: Patrick Bennett/Getty Images
Mosquito devices, which emit painful high-frequency sounds audible only to children and young adults, could be banned following a debate at the Council of Europe tomorrow.

About 5,000 of the devices are thought to be in use in the UK – more than anywhere else in Europe – to discourage young people gathering in public areas.

Guardian research has revealed that 25% of local councils use or have used the £500 machines. Their use is not formally regulated and in most cases no warning or information is given about their installation.

Of the 483 council, police and community partnerships questioned, 22% said they endorsed or used the devices. The most recent model has a range up to 40 metres and can be set to ring continuously, but they could be banned after a recent Council of Europe report found them "degrading and discriminatory".

Piotr Wach, of the body's committee on culture, science and education, says that while the pulsating acoustic signal does not exceed the sound level permitted for short-term exposure, there is no research into the health implications for children and unborn babies.

"People over 25 are not aware that they are being exposed to this kind of strong acoustic emission because it is outside their hearing range," he said. "But for teenagers, it is extremely irritating and often even painful. Many children, in particular babies, have dramatic reactions to the sound."

Liberty is considering asking the European court of human rights to rule on whether the devices should be banned. Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, believes the devices are a clear contravention of young people's human rights. "What type of society uses a low-level sonic weapon on its children?" she asked. "Imagine the outcry if a machine was designed to cause blanket discomfort to members of one sex or ethnic group."

Sir Al Aynsley-Green, a former children's commissioner for England, also objects to the "collective punishment" imposed on all young people by Mosquitos and has set up the Buzz Off campaign calling for a ban.

The Children's Society and the Children's Rights Alliance for England complained to the UN committee on the rights of the child last year. The CRAE said: "Children who do not talk may be distressed by the noise but be unable to move out of the zone."

In response, the UN committee called on all governments to "reconsider the Mosquito devices, insofar as they may violate the rights of children".

Their recommendations were ignored by both the Home Office and the EU commission, who concluded that there was insufficient information to establish guidelines for safe exposure to high frequencies.

Despite this, the Association of Chief Police Officers has refused to give the Mosquito national approval – although local forces may still use it – "primarily due to lack of evidence that it is safe".

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