Month: February 2022

Albania needs to invest more in education and health to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The treatment of girls and Roma children must also be improved.

The Committee recommends that the State party address as a matter of priority the situation of extreme marginalization of children with disabilities in the State party. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party undertake long-term awareness-raising programmes in order to change and combat negative societal attitudes prevailing against children with disabilities. The Committee also recommends to set up mechanisms for early detection and multidisciplinary intervention services for children with disabilities and their families and take all the necessary measures to increase their access to preschool education. Albania should further ensure that all children with disabilities, including children with mental, hearing and speech disabilities receive proper financial support and care from the State and that support to families is no longer restricted to one child per family. The Committee further recommends that Albania develop a comprehensive national strategy on disability, promoting the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all children with disabilities, with special focus on time-bound measures to ensure that children with disabilities access mainstream education.

The Committee urges the State party to prioritize the allocation of financial and human resources to the health sector with a special emphasis on primary health care in order to ensure equal access to quality health services by all children. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to address child malnutrition, focusing primarily on the most disadvantaged categories of children and on nutrition education and access to quality food. The Committee further recommends to Albania to ensure that access to basic health care is not conditional upon the mother’s membership in the social security schemes and take all necessary measures to counter the pervasive practice of health workers and doctors asking for informal payments. In addition, Albania should strengthen the link between maternal and child health services, including paediatric institutions, and the collaboration of these services and the early childhood care institutions.

The Committee is concerned at the absence of specialized health services for adolescents, including mental health services, and the fact that existing counselling services are not used by adolescents.

The Committee recommends to take all the necessary measures to address air pollution and contamination of drinking water.

The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to eradicate child labour, particularly in its worst forms, by addressing the root causes of economic exploitation through poverty eradication and education. In particular, the Committee urges the State party to strengthen the labour inspectorate and provide labour inspectors with all the necessary support, including child labour expertise, with a view to enabling them to monitor effectively, at the State and local levels, the implementation of labour law standards.
Albania should also ensure that the Gërdec incident is thoroughly investigated and those responsible are effectively prosecuted.

The Committee urges the State party to establish specialized juvenile courts with adequate human, technical and financial resources throughout the country, introduce specialized judges for children in all the regions and ensure that such specialized judges receive appropriate education and training. The Committee further urges the State Party to ensure that children are no longer detained in police stations together with adults and without access to a lawyer and that all cases of mistreatment are properly investigated and punished. The Committee further recommends to organize regular training for law enforcement personnel, including police and prison administration staff, in order to ensure that they all have a thorough understanding of provisions of the Convention and are aware that violations are not acceptable and will be investigated, and that perpetrators are liable to prosecution.
In addition, the Committee recommends to take urgent measures to address the conditions of detention in pretrial detention centres for juveniles and also ensure that all children deprived of liberty have effective access to education and health services, including mental health care.

The Committee is deeply concerned about the persistence of “blood feuds” resulting from the application of customary law known as “Kanun” and, in particular, the killing of children and the confinement of a large number of children for fear of being killed, especially in the northern areas of the State party. In that regard, the Committee expresses deep concern that in May 2012, a 14-year-old girl was killed in a “blood feud”.

In Iceland, the child rights situation is very good, with few exceptions. Participation must be improved and health care can also be improved.

The Committee is concerned that the number of pregnancies and abortions among girls under the age of 18 is relatively high, which may be attributed to a general lack of knowledge of reproductive health, access to contraceptives and counselling services on reproductive health.
The Committee recommends that the State party raise awareness among adolescents about reproductive health and negative impacts of early pregnancies and abortions, and provide access to contraceptives and counselling services on reproductive health, including psychological counselling.

The Committee is concerned that access to services by children with disabilities may be limited by public allocations.
Therefore, the Committee recommends that the State party continue and strengthen measures to include children with disabilities in all areas of life as well as ensure that children with disabilities are provided with all necessary support and services without undue delay and financial constraints should not be an obstacle in accessing services. Iceland should further ensure that data collected on persons with disabilities is disaggregated also by the nature of the disability, age and gender.

The Committee welcomes the regulation by the Ministry of Health and Social Security exempting children below the age of 18 from health-care and hospital fees. Further, the Committee appreciates that obesity among children and young people has decreased, but is concerned that it remains a problem.
To improve the situation, the Committee recommends that the State party continue educating the public about healthy nutrition and negative impacts of obesity on a child’s health and development.

The Committee is concerned that there is a growing number of children in the State party who are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or related conditions, leading to an increase in the prescription of psychostimulant drugs. It is also concerned that the waiting lists for mental health diagnosis and treatment are long. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of children with such problems and strengthen mental health services for children and guarantee access to examinations and treatment needed, including by improving the capacity of treatment and diagnostic centres as well as pay greater attention to other kinds of treatment, including psychological, educational and social measures, and strengthen the support to parents and teachers.

The Committee notes with concern that, while compulsory education in the State party lasts until 16 years of age (although may be completed earlier), the minimum age of employment remains 15 years of age. The Committee is also concerned that some children in the State party begin working at an early age, reportedly at 13–14 years. Although this work may be light in nature, it may be undertaken under bad conditions and inappropriate work arrangements that expose them to long working hours, high rates of work accidents and harassment, and often give them more responsibility than is fitting with their age.

The Committee recommends that the State party bring the juvenile justice system fully in line with the Convention.
The Committee also recommends that the State party ensure, through adequate legal provisions and regulations, that all children victims and/or witnesses of crimes, including those perpetrated by State and non-State actors, are provided with the protection required by the Convention. The Committee recommends the State party to encourage courts to make use of the Children’s House for obtaining testimonies from children.

The Committee takes note of the deep financial crisis undergone by the State party since the crash of its banking system in 2008, which had a severe impact on its ability to maintain the level of public investment and employment, which in turn impacted on children and their families, especially on lower income families. However, the Committee notes with appreciation the State party’s fiscal efforts to protect the rights of children, especially regarding special protection measures, and that it intends to redress the budget cuts to social investment, including education and health, as its financial and economic situation steadily continues to improve.

Concluding observations on the third and fourth periodic reports released on 23 January 2012.The Committee welcomes the withdrawal of the reservation concerning article 9 of the Convention in February 2009. The Committee regrets, however, that the State party has not withdrawn its reservation concerning article 37. More information about education in Iceland: https://work.iceland.is and https://www.government.is

China practices continuous discrimination against Tibetan and Uyghur children and violations of their rights. Moreover, patriarchal structures prevail in the country and girls are often aborted or killed after birth and are generally deprived of their rights. In addition, tensions between Hong Kong and China negatively impact children's rights.

The Committee is deeply concerned about the pervasive discrimination against girls and women in mainland China and the persistent patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes and practices that perpetuate discrimination against girls. The Committee is further concerned that due to long-standing traditions and cultural influences that perpetuate boy preference and unequal status of girls, sex-selective abortions, female infanticide and abandonment of girls remain widespread, resulting among others in a high male-to-female sex ratio.

The Committee is disturbed by reports of forced sterilization and abortions in mainland China targeting, among others, teenage girls, carried out by local family
officials in the context of the implementation of the one-child policy, practices which contravene the fundamental principles and provisions in the Convention.

With respect to mainland China, the Committee notes as positive the adoption of various policies that promote the rights of children with disabilities. However, it notes with concern that the State party continues to adopt a medical approach to disability and that the services for children with disabilities are centred mostly on institutions for physical “rehabilitation”. The Committee is concerned about the lack of screening programmes for early detection of disabilities in all areas of the State party. With regard to Macao, China, the Committee is concerned that children with disabilities experience de facto discrimination and have limited access to inclusive education and well-trained, motivated teachers. It is further concerned about the lack of disaggregated data on children with disabilities in Hong Kong, China, and that reports indicate that they are commonly excluded and discriminated against, including by teachers, and bullied by their peers.

The Committee welcomes the improvements in immunization rates, as well as the significant reduction in maternal and child mortality in mainland China and the increase of births in hospitals, including in rural areas. However, it is deeply concerned about the persistence of health disparities between urban and rural areas, among migrant children and between and within different regions, particularly in western China. It is further concerned about the gaps in the allocation of health resources between urban and rural areas and the quality of health care for children living in remote and poor areas and children of migrant workers.
The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen efforts to address, as matter of urgency, the existing disparities in health outcomes and resource allocations in order to ensure that all children in mainland China enjoy the same access to and quality of health services, paying special attention to children in vulnerable situations, especially children living in poverty and rural areas and children of migrant workers. In particular, it recommends that the State party take all measures to eliminate child and maternal mortality in mainland China, including by improving health infrastructure and the availability of and accessibility to emergency obstetric and neonatal care and skilled birth attendants at primary health facilities in rural and poor areas.

The Committee remains concerned about the limited access to and long waiting periods for mental health services available for children in mainland China and Hong Kong, China.
The Committee recommends that, in all areas under its jurisdiction, the State party expand preventive and therapeutic mental health services for adolescents and that it adopt comprehensive child mental health policies and ensure that mental health promotion, counselling and prevention of mental health disorders in primary health care, schools and communities are integral features in each policy.

The Committee is deeply concerned about the incidence and prevalence of lead poisoning of children in mainland China, which has resulted in permanent mental and physical disabilities among hundreds of thousands of children, especially in poor and rural areas. The Committee is particularly concerned about the lack of remedial solutions for the affected children and their families, reports of threats against individuals seeking treatment and information and of refusals to provide appropriate treatment for the affected children.
The Committee recommends that the State Party strengthen the implementation of regulations in mainland China to ensure that the business sector complies with international and national human rights, labour, environment and other standards, particularly as regards child rights. The Committee further recommends that the State party immediately conduct a nationwide, publicly accessible assessment to determine the extent of lead poisoning affecting children and communities across the country, and design a comprehensive public health strategy to tackle chronic lead exposure and its long-term consequences. In addition, China should effectively monitor the implementation of the regulatory framework for the industries, including chemical factories operating in the State party, to ensure that their activities do not affect children’s rights and have adverse impact on children; and ensure appropriate sanctions and remedies are provided when violations occur.

The Committee recommends that in all areas of its jurisdiction, the State party strengthen its efforts to build a system of restorative and rehabilitative juvenile justice. With regard to mainland China, the Committee urges the State party to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily and that the best interests of the child shall be the primary consideration in any action.

The Committee further recommends to abolish the institutionalized system of re-education through labour and work study schools, which allows for the widespread application of administrative detention of children; and end the use of incommunicado detention of children, including by immediately closing all secret detention facilities, such as black jails. Also, China should ensure that children arrested and deprived of their liberty are brought before an independent judicial authority to examine the legality of their arrest and detention within 24 hours of their arrest, are provided with adequate free and independent legal assistance immediately and can contact their parents or close relatives.

The Committee is deeply disturbed by an alarming escalation of self-immolations by Tibetan children and the State party’s failure to prevent such loss of life by addressing the deep underlying causes and long-standing grievances of Tibetans. It is further concerned about reports of detention and imprisonment of Tibetan children accused of “inciting” self- immolations, and of harassment and intimidation of families of victims, which could exacerbate the situation and lead to more self-immolations.

The Committee is deeply concerned that despite the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religious belief for ethnic and religious minorities, the State party continues to introduce regulations and policies that impose severe restrictions on cultural and religious freedoms of various groups of children, including Tibetan and Uighur children and children of Falun Gong practitioners. In particular, the Committee is deeply disturbed by frequent reports indicating that Tibetan and Uighur children and children of Falun Gong practitioners seeking to exercise their right to freedom of religion and conscience are arrested, detained and subject to ill-treatment and torture.

Concluding observations on the third and fourth periodic reports released on 29 October 2013. More information about education in China: https://www.chinaeducenter.com

The report from Kuwait puts a strong focus on the welfare of Bidoon children, who enjoy free education as part of the state program, but otherwise live in poor conditions, without health care and often suffering from discrimination.

The Committee expresses its concern that abortion is allowed only when the mother’s life is threatened and is criminalized in all other circumstances. Therefore, the Committee recommends that the State party review its legislation concerning abortion, with a view notably to guaranteeing the best interests of pregnant teenagers, and ensure by law and in practice that the views of the child always be heard and respected in abortion decisions.

The Committee recommends that the State party adopt urgent measures to address the situation of Bidoon children with disabilities in terms of their right to have access to suitable health care, education and rehabilitation services depending on their particular disability. Kuwait should also develop a comprehensive national strategy to expand inclusive education in order for all children with disabilities to benefit from a quality inclusive education system, irrespective of their different capacities, and provide to all schools sufficient numbers of specialist teachers and professionals offering individual support and ensure that all professionals are adequately trained so that all children with disabilities can effectively enjoy their right to quality inclusive education. The Committee further recommends to adopt concrete measures to eliminate obstacles and barriers to indoor and outdoor facilities and undertake awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the government, the public and families to promote the positive image of children and adults with disabilities and their role as active participants in and contributors to society.

To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee urges the State party to take immediate measures to ensure that all Bidoon children receive without delay all medical care and treatment required by their health condition.

The Committee notes with concern the absence of a legislative framework to regulate mental care. In this context, the Committee is seriously concerned at reported cases of girls with no mental illness arbitrarily placed by their families in mental care institutions for indeterminate periods of time.
The Committee urges the State party to adopt without delay a law regulating mental care. It also urges the State party to ensure that girls arbitrarily placed in mental care be removed without delay from mental care institutions and that proper medical screening be systematically conducted before admitting girls to hospitals.

The Committee expresses concern that children are generally not perceived as rights holders in Kuwaiti society and that their participation in the public sphere and their opportunity to have their voices heard in decision-making processes are absent at the policy level and insufficient at the family, school and institutional and community levels.

The Committee notes as positive the adoption of the Private Sector Labour Code which prohibits the employment of children under the age of 15. The Committee is however concerned that, due to the marginalized situation of their families, Bidoon children drop out of school and work on the streets or as domestic workers.
The Committee urges the State party to address the root causes of poverty and of the economic exploitation of Bidoon children and ensure that families living in poverty receive financial support and free and accessible services and that their children do not drop out of school.

The Committee urges the State party to refrain from lowering the age where deprivation of liberty can be imposed and to ensure that detention is used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time, and that it is reviewed on a regular basis with a view to its withdrawal. Kuwait should also take immediate and concrete measures for all girls detained on the ground of “possible perversity” to be released without delay and review all laws that have permitted their detention; and ensure by law and in practice that children, both victims and accused, are provided with effective and adequate legal and other assistance at an early stage of the procedure and throughout the legal proceedings and that interpreters are provided for children who do not speak Arabic at all stages of the judicial process.

The Committee notes as positive the establishment in 2010 of the Central System to Resolve Illegal Resident Status, the issuance of birth certificates for some Bidoon children and the assurances given by the delegation that the situation of Bidoon families will be resolved in the next five years. The Committee is nevertheless deeply concerned about the persistent discrimination against Bidoon children, with a great proportion of them being deprived of their basic rights, in particular their rights to birth registration and access to health care, social services and education, and living in precarious conditions in the State party.

Concluding observations on the second periodic report released on 29 October 2013.More information about education in Kuwait: https://borgenproject.org and
https://www.kuwaiteducation.info

Much of the report from Israel revolves around the territories occupied by Israel and the resulting devastating child rights situation in those territories. Additional children are dying and being injured as a result of the armed conflict, and infrastructure in Israel and the occupied territories is being destroyed, limiting the availability of health care and education.

The Committee recommends that the State party reconsider the model of parental choice and establish a formal process, with strict procedural safeguards, designed to assess and determine the best interests of the child with disabilities and ensure that the right of children with disabilities to be heard and have their views taken into account is fully respected in this process. The Committee further recommends that Israel develop a comprehensive national strategy on children with disabilities with the view to expanding inclusive education to all children who could benefit from it. Particular attention should be paid to children in the most disadvantaged situations, among them children with autism. Israel should also ensure the provision of adequate human, financial and technical resources for schools to effectively provide inclusive education for children with disabilities.

To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee urges the State party to take all necessary measures to ensure that all children enjoy this right without discrimination. The Committee also recommends that the State party guarantee safe and unconditional access by all children and pregnant women living in the OPT to health services, including emergency medical care, and ensure the availability of adequate medical supplies and trained personnel. This recommendation also applies to Bedouin children in the Negev. The Committee urges the State party to cease its attacks against hospitals and medical facilities and to urgently allow entry into Gaza of all the necessary material for the reconstruction of medical infrastructure and to ensure timely transfer without delay of all children and pregnant mothers in need of medical care outside the OPT. The Committee also urges the State party to adopt immediate measures for the restoration of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation services and ensure unimpeded access of humanitarian agencies which provide those services until the restoration is completed.

The Committee is concerned about the critical water shortage faced by Palestinian children and their families and by Bedouin children in the Negev due to prohibitions of access to natural resources, restrictions on water utilization and destruction of water services including traditional cistern-based water infrastructure essential for maintaining the Bedouin people’s nomadic and agricultural way of life.

The Committee emphasizes that the illegal long-lasting occupation of Palestinian territory (OPT) and the Syrian Golan Heights, the continued expansion of unlawful settlements and construction of the Wall into the West Bank as well as land confiscation, destruction of houses and livelihood of Palestinians constitute severe and continuous violations of the rights of Palestinian children and their families, feed the cycle of humiliation and violence and jeopardize a peaceful and stable future for all children of the region.

The Committee strongly urges the State party to guarantee that juvenile justice standards apply to all children without discrimination and that trials are conducted in a prompt and impartial manner, in accordance with minimum fair trial standards. The Committee also urges the State party to dismantle the institutionalized system of detention and use of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children at all stages of the judicial procedure. All those who have been involved in this illegal system should be brought to justice and punished if found guilty. The Committee also urges the State party in particular that it review and amend all laws that allow the sentencing of Palestinian children to 20 years of prison for having thrown stones, remove from detention all children that are held there for this reason, ensure that detained children have effective access to an independent judicial review of the legality of their arrest and detention within 24 hours of their arrest, are provided with adequate free and independent legal assistance immediately after their arrest, and can contact their parents or close relatives. Israel should also ensure that children accused of having committed security offences are only detained as a measure of last resort, in adequate conditions in accordance with their age and vulnerability and for the shortest possible period of time. In case of doubt on having reached the age of criminal responsibility, children have to be presumed to be below this age. In addition, the Committee recommends to ensure that all confessions written in Hebrew and signed or adopted by a Palestinian child be rejected as evidence by the courts and that decisions are no longer made solely on the basis of confessions from children as well as that Israel ensure that all detained Palestinian children are separated from adults and are held in appropriate conditions and with access to education in facilities located in the OPT.

The Committee is concerned that, when regulating surrogate motherhood arrangements, the State party has paid insufficient attention to the rights and interests of children born as a result of assisted reproduction technologies, particularly with the involvement of surrogate mothers.

The Committee takes into account the national security concerns of the State party. More information about education in Israel: https://www.haaretz.com

Uzbekistan must make improvements in the areas of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and privacy and respect for the opinions of children. In addition, corruption in the country must be fought in order to implement children's rights.

While noting that students can seek advice from school nurses on reproductive health, there is no mandatory and comprehensive sex education in school curricula as it is considered to be “against national values”.

The Committee urges the State party to adopt a human rights-based approach to disability and specifically recommends that it undertake awareness-raising programmes, including campaigns, on eliminating discrimination against children with disabilities, and strengthen its enforcement mechanisms for ensuring compliance with its legislation prohibiting such discrimination. It further recommends to establish a system for disaggregated data collection and analysis on children with disabilities to guide the development of policies and programmes to ensure the full and equal fulfilment of the rights of children with disabilities. Additionally, the Committee recommends that the State Party establish a clear legislative definition of disability which is in compliance with the Convention, including for learning, cognitive and mental disabilities, with the aim of accurately identifying children with disabilities in order to effectively address their needs, including for inclusive education, in a non-discriminatory manner.

Uzbekistan should also adopt a social model approach, addressing attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder the full and effective participation of children with disabilities in society on an equal basis, including by adapting curricula and implementing disability-friendly building-codes, and training all professionals working with or for children with disabilities accordingly.

To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends that the State party undertake further reforms for strengthening its health sector, including by ensuring adequate measures for eliminating the practice of informal fees and realizing the constitutional Right to qualified medical care free of charge for all persons. Uzbekistan should also ensure the allocation of adequate human, technical and financial resources in all State health-care facilities to ensure the availability of, inter alia, required medicines, utilities and hygiene materials. In addition, the Committee recommends to undertake a comprehensive study on the specific causes of infant, child and maternal mortality and use its findings for implementing concrete measures to reduce and prevent such mortality and increase the State party’s allocation of human, technical and financial resources for vaccinations to ensure their long-term sustainability independent of donor funding.

The Committee recommends that the State party establish and implement regulations to ensure that the business sector complies with international and national human rights, labour, environment and other standards. In particular, it recommends that the State party establish a clear regulatory framework for the industries operating in the State party to ensure that their activities do not negatively affect human rights or endanger environmental and other standards, especially those relating to children’s and women’s rights. Uzbekistan should also ensure effective implementation by companies, especially industrial companies, of international and national environment and health standards, effective monitoring of implementation of these standards and appropriately sanctioning and providing remedies when violations occur, as well as ensure that appropriate international certification is sought as well as require companies to undertake assessments, consultations, and full public disclosure of the environmental, health-related and human rights impacts of their business activities and their plans to address such impacts.

The Committee urges the State party to establish a juvenile justice system, including juvenile courts, on the basis of a comprehensive legal framework for a juvenile justice system, as well as diversion measures to prevent children in conflict with the law from entering the formal justice system. The Committee also urges to ensure the provision of qualified and impartial legal aid to children in conflict with the law at an early stage of the procedure and throughout the legal proceedings as well as to ensure the proper and timely investigation of all cases of alleged mistreatment and subject perpetrators of such mistreatment to commensurate sanctions. Uzbekistan should further ensure that detention is a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time, and that it is reviewed on a regular basis with a view to its withdrawal as well as also ensure that children are not, including in relation to police custody, detained together with adults. Additionally, in instances where detention is unavoidable, Uzbekistan should ensure that the conditions for this are compliant with international standards and ensure that all children deprived of their liberty have effective access to education and health services.

The Committee remains gravely concerned about the severity and pervasiveness of corruption in the State party, particularly regarding birth registration and the issuance of birth certificates, access to health care and education, which constitutes a serious obstacle to the effective use of the State party’s resources and the implementation of the Convention. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned that current sanctions against perpetrators of corruption are insufficient.

Concluding observations on the third and fourth periodic reports released on 10 July 2013. More information about education in Uzbekistan: LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN and Preschool in Uzbekistan

In Armenia, the poverty rate is rising and many children are affected by poverty. In addition, the health care system is poorly equipped. In addition, girls are discriminated against on the basis of their gender and sex-selective abortions are carried out. These and other factors hinder the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Committee is concerned at the prevalence of discrimination on the basis of gender. It is particularly concerned about sex-selective abortion in rural areas.

The Committee recommends that the State party take measures for the deinstitutionalization of children with disabilities and provide them with alternative family and community-based care options and that Armenia allocate adequate human, technical and financial resources for ensuring the availability of early detection and rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, especially for children in the regions (marzes). The Committee further recommends to ensure that children with disabilities receive adequate support even after graduating from the care institutions, and ensure that children with mental disabilities are not placed in mental health institutions but are rather provided with adequate support and a place in the community. In addition, Armenia should continue its efforts to include children with disabilities in the mainstream education system, take immediate measures to ensure that service providers do not take fees for services that are free of charge and establish regular control of the quality of services and products provided.

The Committee urges the State party to ensure equal access to all health-care services, in particular, provide equitable access to health care during pregnancy, at the delivery, including access to Emergency Obstetric Care and care for the new-born during the neonatal period, and adequate resources to provide emergency services and resuscitations in rural areas. The Committee further urges the State Party to provide health institutions with adequate supplies and equipment, especially in neonatal departments, as well as training of staff, eliminate all informal fees for health-care services that are free of charge, and set up a confidential system for reporting and action in case of non-compliance. Armenia should also take measures to ensure that all health-care personnel responsible for health care for children are well qualified and well trained.
Additionally, the Committee urges to continue the implementation of its action plans and strategies aimed at improving the nutritional status of pregnant women, infants, pre-school children and adolescents, especially in rural areas. This includes promoting healthy eating habits and refraining from overconsumption of sugary drinks and “junk food” which is contributing to a growing problem of obesity in children.

The Committee urges the State party to ensure that labour legislation and practices comply with the Convention, including effective implementation of existing laws, strengthen and involve labour inspectorates and establish child labour reporting mechanisms. The Committee further recommends that the State party ensure the prosecution of perpetrators of child exploitation with commensurate sanctions, and in doing so ensure that such reporting mechanisms are known to and accessible by children.

The Committee recommends that Armenia establish a holistic juvenile justice system, including juvenile courts, on the basis of a comprehensive legal framework, as well as diversion measures to prevent children in conflict with the law from entering the formal justice system and to develop more alternatives to trial, sentencing and execution of punishment such as community service and mediation between the victim and offender in order to avoid stigmatization and provide for their effective reintegration. Armenia should also take immediate measures to ban solitary confinement of children, which amounts to inhuman treatment, and take immediate measures that children in Abovyan and other prisons are provided with all basic supplies, hygienic items and clean beddings and that children in prisons are provided with proper education.

The Committee regrets that the child poverty rate has increased due to the economic crisis, with children with disabilities being among the hardest hit.
The Committee urges the State party to continue and strengthen its efforts to combat poverty and to ensure that benefit packages cover all families in vulnerable situations by facilitating their access to State support and raising awareness of the existing benefits, as well as to guarantee the right of all children to an adequate standard of living.

Concluding observations on the third and fourth periodic reports released on 8 July 2013.More information about education in Armenia: https://www.unicef.org

Guinea-Bissau still has a lot to do to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, such as investing a lot more money into the health sector, as well as into education, to provide basic services to all children. The situation of girls also needs improvement, as they are exploited and abused in child labour and female genital mutilation and child marriage are practiced.

The Committee is concerned that girls continue to be subjected to multiple gender-based discrimination, for instance with regard to practices like FGM/C, forced and child marriages, and enrolment in and completion of education. The Committee is also concerned about the increase in underage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among adolescents with particular emphasis on HIV/AIDS.

The Committee recommends that the State party urgently address the high level of discrimination against children with disabilities and take all available measures to ensure that the rights of such children are implemented. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party eradicate impunity for abuse of children with disabilities by ensuring investigation, prosecution and appropriate sentencing of perpetrators of such abuse. The Committee also recommends to expand and strengthen awareness-raising programmes, for the community at large, aimed at combating prejudice, superstitious beliefs and discrimination against children with disabilities and also strengthen the monitoring of situations of children with disabilities in the home, including by training social workers on detecting signs of sexual abuse, in particular in children with mental disabilities. Additionally, Guinea-Bissau should take all available measures to improve access to education for all children with disabilities, and adopt and gradually implement programmes and policies on inclusive education to improve the number of children with disabilities who have access to education and increase access to appropriate health care.

To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends that the State party prioritize the adequate allocation of human, financial and technical resources to the health sector. This must be undertaken to ensure access to quality health services by all children, particularly children living in the most disadvantaged and remote areas of the country. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to improve the health situation of children and increase the portion of the State party’s annual budget for health and increase the quantity and quality of human resources including availability of trained primary health-care workers as well as adopt a strategy to fund the health sector, identifying necessary resources from the State and other interested donors. Guinea-Bissau should, inter alia, also expand the immunization coverage of all infants and preschool children, which includes obtaining adequate quantities of vaccines, establishing a cold chain for vaccines, and developing outreach programmes to access all children.

The Committee is concerned at the increase in child labour between 2006 and 2010 and at the high number of children, particularly the meninos de criação, who are economically active. The Committee is also concerned that a large number of those children do not go to school, and as a result of these activities are exposed to dangerous work and long working hours, mistreatment as well as abuse and sexual violence, particularly against girls. The Committee also expresses concern about the lack of information on any investigation or prosecution of persons who may be responsible for child labour.

The Committee is concerned at the number of children in adult jails and the ill- treatment of children in custody by police, including in pretrial detention, and the absence of penal procedural rules during their trial. The Committee is equally concerned about the lack of information on measures taken to prevent children from coming into conflict with the law.

The Committee is deeply concerned that birth registration has declined from 39 per cent in 2006 to 24 per cent in 2010, and that 61.1 per cent of children under 5 years of age are not registered. The Committee is concerned at the lack of access to functioning birth registration centres at the regional level; that civil registration authorities in the regions do not have adequate materials, workspace nor transport to carry out their work; and that the cost of registration after 5 years of age is too expensive for many families.

The Committee appreciates the establishment of the Children’s Parliament. However, it remains concerned that traditional attitudes towards children in society limit, and often prevent, children from expressing their views on a wide range of issues that affect them within the family, schools, institutions, judicial system and in society at large.

Concluding observations on the second to fourth periodic reports released on 8 July 2013. The Committee takes note of the current political crisis in the State party and the effect this has on the development and implementation of relevant legislation, policy and programmes for children. The Committee acknowledges the political instability, insecurity, financial, human and capacity constraints, and weak law enforcement faced by the State party.

More information about Guinea-Bissau: Situation analysis of children and women

In Sao Tome, many children live in poverty and the countermeasures are not effective enough. In addition, health care is often inadequate, partly because people believe in the healing powers of witches, but the overall quality of the health care system also needs to be improved.

The Committee is deeply concerned about the high rate of adolescent pregnancies in the State party, especially on the island of Principe. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned at the stigma, discrimination and resulting obstacles to services and education to which pregnant teenagers and adolescent mothers are frequently subjected. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends to adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents and ensure that sexual and reproductive health education is part of the mandatory school curriculum and targeted at adolescent girls and boys, with special attention on preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections as well as to develop and implement a policy to protect the rights of pregnant teenagers, adolescent mothers and their children and combat discrimination against them.

The Committee urges the State party to adopt a human rights-based approach to disability, and specifically recommends that it take measures to compile and analyse disaggregated data on children with disabilities and use these data, and consult with children with disabilities with a view to informing the formulation of policy and practical measures to meet their needs. It further urges the State party to conduct long-term awareness-raising programmes in order to combat negative societal attitudes prevailing against children with disabilities. In addition, Sao Tome should ensure that children with disabilities effectively enjoy their right to education, and provide for their inclusion in the mainstream education system to the greatest extent possible, including by specifically identifying current inadequacies in resources and establishing clear objectives with concrete timelines for the implementation of measures to address the educational needs of children with disabilities.

The Committee notes as positive that the primary health-care services in the State party provide free consultations and medication for children under 5 years, pregnant women, chronically ill persons and children under the national school health programme. The Committee also notes as positive the significant progress made in reducing infant and under-5 mortality rates. However, the Committee is concerned that the resources allocated for training health-care personnel and the overall quality of health care, particularly at local levels, remain inadequate. The Committee is also concerned that the maternal mortality rate in the State party remains high.
To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary measures to allocate adequate human, technical and financial resources to improve the quality of health care and provide quality training for health-care personnel, particularly at the local level. It further recommends to conduct surveys and studies on the extent and root causes of maternal mortality throughout the country, and apply the findings for formulating and implementing comprehensive programmes to address maternal mortality.

The Committee recommends that the State party establish a clear regulatory framework for all businesses, particularly the extractive and cocoa industries operating in the State party, to ensure that their activities do not negatively affect human rights or endanger environmental and other standards, especially those relating to children’s and women’s rights. Sao Tome should also ensure effective implementation by companies, especially those in the extractive industries, of international and national environment and health standards, effective monitoring of the implementation of these standards, and appropriately sanction and provide remedies when violations occur, as well as ensure that appropriate international certification is sought. The Committee further recommends to require companies to carry out assessments, consultations and full public disclosure of the environmental, health-related and human rights impacts of their business activities, and their plans to address such impacts.

The Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and with other relevant standards. In particular, the Committee urges the State party to expeditiously establish specialized juvenile court facilities and procedures with adequate human, technical and financial resources, designate specialized judges for children and ensure that such specialized judges receive appropriate education and training. The Committee further recommends to ensure the provision of qualified and impartial legal aid to children in conflict with the law at an early stage of the procedure and throughout the legal proceedings.
Sao Tome should also promote alternative measures to detention wherever possible, and ensure that detention is used as a last resort and for the shortest possible period of time and that it is reviewed on a regular basis with a view to withdrawing it. In cases where detention is unavoidable, Sao Tome should ensure that children are not detained together with adults and that detention conditions are compliant with international standards, including with regard to access to education and health services.

While noting the recent progress in access to safe drinking water in the State party, the Committee remains concerned that only 60 per cent of the population living in rural areas have safe drinking water and only 35 per cent have adequate sanitation. It is concerned that the severely limited access to adequate sanitation facilities has a major negative impact on children’s health. While noting as positive the adoption of a Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan 2012-2016, the Committee is concerned at its inadequate focus on child poverty, which has a high rate of incidence in the State party.

Guyana has a major problem in the treatment and control of preventable diseases such as tuberculosis. Free education from pre-school to secondary is positive, but care must be taken to ensure that adolescent mothers also benefit from education without discrimination.

The Committee is concerned that sex and reproductive education is not included in the education syllabus of the State party. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned at the stigma, discrimination and resulting hindrance to services and education to which pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers are frequently subjected. In particular, the Committee is concerned that pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers frequently face obstacles to the continuation of their education.

The Committee urges the State party to ensure conformity of its legislation, policies and practices with the aim of effectively addressing the needs of children with disabilities in a non-discriminatory manner. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party undertake measures for compiling and analysing disaggregated data on children with disabilities with a view to using such data to formulate policy and measures for meeting their needs. Guyana should also undertake long-term awareness-raising programmes in order to combat negative societal attitudes prevailing against children with disabilities and allocate adequate human, technical and financial resources for ensuring the availability of health and rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, and in doing so prioritize addressing the situation in the hinterland.
The Committee further urges Guyana to ensure that children with disabilities effectively enjoy their right to education, and provide for their inclusion in the mainstream education system to the greatest extent possible, including by developing a disability education action plan to specifically identify current inadequacies in resources, and to establish clear objectives with concrete timelines for the implementation of measures to address the educational needs of children with disabilities.

The Committee is concerned that preventable maternal mortality rates remain high, particularly in the hinterland and amongst socio-economically disadvantaged women. Furthermore, the Committee reiterates its previous concern at the high infant and under-five mortality rates. The Committee is also concerned at the high rates of tuberculosis in the State party.
The Committee recommends that the State party apply the findings and recommendations of its maternal mortality surveillance committees and perinatal information system to implement comprehensive programmes for addressing maternal and perinatal deaths. The Committee also recommends to undertake targeted programmes for addressing preventable health problems among children and also undertake measures to address the quality, access and utilization of all health and nutrition services, particularly perinatal facilities, in its hinterland and outlying regions. Guyana should further take all necessary measures to combat tuberculosis.

Noting that the State party’s economy is heavily dependent on extractive and timber industries, the Committee is concerned at the absence of a legislative framework regulating the prevention of, protection against and reparation of the adverse impact of such activities by foreign and national private and State-owned enterprises on human rights, including children ́s rights. The Committee is especially concerned at the impact of these businesses on the living conditions of children and their families in the regions directly affected, on the health hazards and environmental degradation arising there from as well as on child labour.

To improve the situation, the Committee recommends that the State party establish the necessary regulatory framework and policies for business, in particular with regard to the extractive industry (gold and bauxite) and timber and fisheries projects – whether large or small scale – to ensure that they respect the rights of children and promote the adoption of effective corporate responsibility models.

The Committee recommends to the State party to abolish status offences as criminal offences and provide adequate diversionary options for children as part of wider reforms in the court system in order to ensure that detention is the last resort. The Committee further recommends to allocate adequate human, technical and financial resources for ensuring that children in conflict with the law receive free legal advice and representation. Guyana should also establish additional juvenile detention and rehabilitation facilities, particularly in its hinterland region, and ensure regular independent monitoring and inspection of all facilities in which children and youth are placed to ensure that Convention-compliant standards of treatment and care are maintained.

While noting as positive the reduction of poverty over the past two decades, including through programmes to facilitate poverty relief and social assistance measures to vulnerable groups, the Committee is concerned that 36 per cent of the population still lives below the poverty line, with much higher rates of poverty in rural and Amerindian areas.
The Committee urges the State party to continue and strengthen its efforts to combat poverty and to provide support and material assistance to economically disadvantaged families, notably those living in rural areas, and to guarantee the right of all children to an adequate standard of living.