The report from Côte d’Ivoire shows that many laws and regulations have been passed in recent years to improve the situation and that the country is indeed on its way to improving the child rights situation. However, there are still many problems, especially in the health sector, such as malnutrition, tuberculosis, and poor immunization coverage. There are also large disparities between urban and remote regions, with education and health facilities being particularly affected.

The Committee is concerned that human rights defenders, particularly women human rights defenders, who address child marriage and female genital mutilation, are reportedly subject to intimidation.
The Committee therefore recommends that the State party strengthen protection mechanisms for human rights defenders to ensure that child human rights defenders are addressed.

The Committee further recommends that Côte d’Ivoire ensures access to sexual and reproductive health information and services countrywide for girls and boys at schools, in particular access to modern contraception methods, including by implementing the National Program on Comprehensive Sexuality Education and by ensuring that sexual and reproductive health education is part of the mandatory school curriculum.

While commending the State party on the establishment of a Directorate for the Advancement of Persons with Disabilities in the ministry responsible for employment and social affairs, the Committee recommends that the State party promote a human rights-based approach to disability, and ensure inclusive education, access to health services and reasonable accommodation in all spheres of life for all children with disabilities, including by allocating sufficient human, technical and financial resources to the project on inclusive education. Also, Côte d’Ivoire should carry out awareness-raising programs to combat the stigmatization of children with disabilities.

The Committee welcomes the establishment of universal health coverage. To guarantee the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health to every child, the Committee urges the State party to consider expanding the free health-care service, introduced in 2011, to ensure that children and pregnant women have access to it in all parts of the State party and to decrease the disparity in access to health services, safe water and adequate sanitation between urban and rural areas, with a particular focus on measures to address the contamination of water. Côte d’Ivoire should also continue to increase immunization coverage, particularly in rural areas, and expand the exemption of fees for vaccinations of new-borns to also cover booster shots for routine vaccinations and any other vaccinations provided to children beyond the age of one year as well as implement a national strategy to counter the sale of medicine on the street (“street medicine”) and the lack of regulation of traditional medicine.

The Committee recommends the State party to ensure that all children have access to mental health services and counselling, and increase the number of child psychiatrists and psychologists.

The Committee is concerned about the consistently high number of children involved in child labour, including the worst forms of child labour, particularly children undertaking hazardous work in mining sites and in the agricultural sector, as well as girl domestic workers and talibé children.

The Committee is also concerned about the negative effect of the dumping of toxic waste in 18 localities of Abidjan in 2016 on children’s health and their well-being, and the delay in compensation paid to the victims.

The Committee recommends to provide free, qualified and independent legal aid to all children. Also, Ivory Coast should ensure that, in cases where detention is unavoidable, children are not detained together with adults and that detention conditions comply with international standards, particularly regarding access to health services, facilitate visits by parents to children in detention by reducing administrative hurdles and carry out regular inspections of prisons.

The Committee is concerned about the very high number of children who do not possess a birth certificate and that parents incur multiple direct and indirect costs in the registration process. It is further concerned about the considerable disparity in birth registration levels between urban and rural areas, and difficulties and delays in registration owing to insufficient registration services being available in some locations in the State party.

Also, children with albinism are victims of ritual killings, abductions, abandonment and stigmatization and the policy aimed at protecting the rights of children with albinism is inadequately implemented.

Concluding observations on the second periodic reports released on 12 July 2019.
More information about education: Basic education and Pre-primary education

The Committee is concerned that the State party maintains a reservation with respect to article 14, notwithstanding the modification of that reservation. The Committee is also concerned about a general reservation stating that the provisions of the Convention should be applied within the limits imposed by the material resources available.

The Committee commends the State party for the marked decrease in the number of girls giving birth. However, the Committee is concerned about the limited knowledge about reproductive health, and the social and cultural barriers that prevent young people and adolescents from seeking reproductive health information and services, which leads in particular to teenage pregnancies, as well as the insufficient awareness of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends to promote age-appropriate sexual education and family planning targeted at adolescents and the wider community, and to establish programmes on drug and substance abuse and on the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, including as a part of the compulsory school curriculum.

The Committee notes that the State party is developing a strategy on children with disabilities, which includes a database. It also welcomes the information that the State party has implemented a number of programmes to promote, in each governorate, the access of children with disabilities to health, education and social services and other initiatives. However, the Committee is concerned about the low number of children with disabilities enrolled in schools, and the high illiteracy rate among children with disabilities as well as the fact that children with disabilities are subjected to discrimination, neglect and abuse, and are not effectively integrated into all areas of social life. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends to ensure that continuing training is provided for professionals working with children with disabilities, such as teachers, social workers and health, medical, therapeutic and care personnel, that guidelines and training materials are developed, and that monitoring mechanisms are in place regarding the performance of care providers.

The Committee commends the State party for its significant improvements in health infrastructure and services, including universal immunization coverage, and for its efforts to improve comprehensive health services to children. The Committee also commends the reduction in infant mortality rates, child mortality under the age of five, malnutrition-related diseases and iodine deficiency disorders. The Committee further commends the awareness-raising campaigns to promote sound nutritional practices and healthy living.
To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends to continue targeted interventions to prevent anaemia and the stunting, wasting and undernourishment of children, including the promotion of proper infant and young child feeding practices, continue to raise awareness of nutrition issues, and promote overall nutrition education in all parts of the State party. Oman should also continue to improve maternal care, including by ensuring the quality of the services, and raise awareness among women of the importance of antenatal, perinatal and post-partum care, of sound nutritional practices for pregnant women, including taking iron and folic acid supplements during pregnancy to prevent and treat anaemia, and of optimal birth spacing to protect the health of mothers and children.

The Committee is concerned about the insufficient attention paid to mental health care for children, the oversight mechanisms to protect children in mental health facilities, the inadequate number of outpatient facilities for children, and the insufficient training for primary care staff.
Therefore, the Committee recommends that the State party strengthen the quality of available services and programmes of mental health for children and in particular take measures to ensure an adequate number of specialists in children’s mental health and ensure adequate facilities and outpatient services for psychosocial rehabilitation. It also recommends that the State party ensure training of all professionals working with children to identify and address mental health problems.

The Committee welcomes the information that the State party has taken measures to address the economic exploitation of children. However, the Committee is concerned about the lack of data on the prevalence of child labour in the State party, as well as the lack of a comprehensive definition of the worst forms of child labour.
The Committee urges the State party to ensure that all children are protected against economic exploitation and to ensure that the prohibition of the employment of children below the age of 15 applies to every child, including migrants and children of migrants, without exception. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to prevent children from being economically exploited and take appropriate measures to address the problem of children begging in the streets, including prosecution of parents, guardians or caregivers who coerce or force their children to engage in street begging.

The Committee is also concerned about the information that children have been imprisoned for begging and are held together with adults, as well as the lack of information on prison conditions in the State party and the insufficient information on personnel with specialized training in juvenile justice.
Therefore, the Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system into line with the Convention, and, in particular, it recommends that the State party adopt a holistic and preventative approach to addressing the problem of children in conflict with the law and the underlying social factors, with a view to supporting children at risk at an early stage, including by expanding intervention programmes, vocational training and other outreach activities. Also, in cases where detention is unavoidable, Oman should ensure that adequate facilities exist for children in conflict with the law, and that their conditions of detention are compliant with international standards, including with regard to access to education and health services.

The Committee takes note of the information provided during the dialogue with the State party on programmes to assist families in need, and notes the fact that the State party has made great progress in reducing extreme poverty. However, the Committee is concerned that some families in situations of poverty still face food insecurity and lack appropriate assistance. Therefore, the Committee recommends that the State party intensify efforts to provide appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in situations of poverty, including by strengthening the system of family benefits, child allowances and other services.

Concluding observations on the third and fourth periodic reports released on 14 March 2016.

Vanuatu is a small island nation and is therefore particularly affected by climate change, but does not prepare children for it or involves them in planning for the island's future. There is also a high level of stigma towards contraceptives and children with disabilities. On the positive side, education is free from pre-school to 13th Grade.

The Committee recommends that the State party adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents that pays attention to all aspects of prevention, including of sexually transmitted infections and of early pregnancies. It also recommends to ensure that sexual and reproductive health education is part of the mandatory school curriculum targeting adolescent girls and boys, with special attention on preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The State party should further decriminalize abortion for cases of rape, incest and other unwanted pregnancies and ensure access to safe abortion and post-abortion care services, irrespective of whether abortion is legal or not. The views of the girl should always be heard and respected in abortion decisions.

The Committee is concerned at the absence of a stand-alone law or a comprehensive policy for the protection and promotion of children with disabilities as well as the stigmatisation of children with disabilities due to societal and cultural attitudes. The Committee is further concerned about limited access to inclusive education, rehabilitation, early identification and referral programmes and the lack of well-trained specialised teachers, and limited access to transportation, public spaces and service delivery in all areas. To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to adopt a human rights-based approach to disability, set up a comprehensive strategy for the inclusion of children with disabilities and develop and support community campaigns and programmes to address discrimination and stigma against children with disabilities and create awareness of early detection and interventions. Also, Vanuatu should provide sufficient numbers of specialist teachers and professionals providing individual support in all schools and ensure that professionals are adequately trained so that children with all kinds of disabilities can effectively enjoy their right to quality inclusive education and improve access to all public buildings, spaces, service delivery and transportation in all areas.

The Committee is concerned at the high infant and under-five mortality due to neonatal causes and preventable causes, the low vaccination coverage, particularly in rural areas and outer islands and stunting, underweight prevalence and malnutrition, which is a leading cause of child death. It is further concerned at limited funding, inadequate childcare facilities, especially obstetric neonatal care facilities, insufficient number of well-trained health workers for children and pregnant women and poor access to health-care services, particularly in rural and remote areas, which all present significant barriers to the improvement of children’s health. To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to reduce infant and under-5 mortality due to neonatal conditions and preventable diseases, such as pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoea as well as scale up immunisation, particularly in rural areas and outer islands, and provide sufficient investment in suitable technologies, such as drone delivery, and human resource capacities for immunisation services.

The Committee is concerned that after the expiration of the National Mental Health Policy and Plan 2010, no new policy or action plan on mental health of children has been developed. It is also concerned at the insufficient number of personnel specialized on children with mental health issues. The Committee recommends that the State party evaluate the lapsed National Mental Health Policy 2009-2015 and its accompanying plan of action and use the findings of the assessment for the formulation of a new policy. It also recommends that the State party take all necessary measures, including regional cooperation, to increase capacity and the number of personnel specialized on children with mental health issues.

The Committee is concerned that the State party has not included the climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the school curriculum, does not have a comprehensive disaster sensitive social protection system in place, that not enough is done to include the special needs of children, including children with disabilities, in planning disaster risk reduction preparedness, response and recovery, and that school infrastructure, particularly in remote areas, is not resilient and accessible in case of natural disaster.
Therefore, the Committee recommends that the State party include climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the school curriculum and establish school-based programmes such as early warning systems. It should further develop a comprehensive disaster sensitive social protection system and ensure that the special vulnerabilities and needs of children, as well as their views, are taken into account.

The Committee is seriously concerned that the State party has made no progress in the elimination of the worst forms of child labour. It is also particularly concerned that there is no policy addressing child labour and no social programmes aimed at prevention and support to children involved in child labour.
Further, the selling of newspapers in the street by boys, working in agriculture and non-attendance in school remain a challenge as well as that there is no child-specific complaints mechanism able to effectively receive, monitor and investigate reports on cases of child exploitation.
To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to
develop and adopt a policy on child labour and a hazardous child labour
List and take necessary measures to ensure that no child under 18 years engages in hazardous work and put in place social programs that target the elimination of or prevention of child labour, especially its worst forms.

The Committee is seriously concerned that there is still no law governing the administration of juvenile justice. To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and other relevant standards. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party establish specialized juvenile courts and procedures with adequate human, technical and financial resources, designate specialized judges for children and other relevant personnel and ensure they receive appropriate education and training. Further, child protection and specific SOPs should be incorporated in the existing training curriculum for the police as well as a performance-based management system should be introduced to ensure accountability in applying their knowledge and skills.

Yes

Concluding observations on the second to fourth periodic reports released on 29 September 2017. More information about education on Vanuatu: https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/395129/vanuatu-plans-to-extend-free-education