Legislators yesterday passed a motion calling on the government to set up a commission on children to protect their rights and well-being. It was moved by welfare sector lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung, who said it was needed to fulfil obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. He said the government's planned Family Commission would not be able do the job. Although the economy was reviving, children's rights had to be considered and improved. Mandy Tam Heung-man asked why the government had no plans for a commission. 'The government has set up the Commission on Youth and the Women's Commission, but why not a commission on children?' She suggested psychology experts be invited to join the commission to liaise with government and push the development of policies. She urged the government to review use of the HK$300 million invested in the Child Development Fund set up earlier this year to help disadvantaged children. Legislator Choy So-yuk said children were individuals and should be respected. She said there should be a system to protect their rights. Ms Choy also accused the media of exploiting children, citing the recent case of a 14-year-old girl singer who was pictured in a wet shirt. It showed 'the system of protecting children's rights is not complete'. She said day-care services were insufficient and expensive, hurting children's development, and called for subsidies to low-income families. But Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan said a commission on children was not the only way to implement the UN convention. Legco last night passed a non-binding motion urging the government to step up support for mainstream schools enrolling special-needs students to aid their integration. Education sector lawmaker Cheung Man-kwong said of the policy to integrate special-needs students: 'The policy stemmed from a legal basis but there isn't enough support in schools.' Civil Service secretary Denise Yue Chung-yee, who appeared at Legco on behalf of education chief Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, said it may not be practical to enforce an across-the-board requirement for schools to integrate special-needs students. Insurance sector legislator Bernard Chan said many international schools were reluctant to admit non-Chinese-speaking students with special education needs.