Lesotho

The report from Lesotho shows clearly that much still needs to be done to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Violence against children and, in particular, sexual abuse of schoolgirls and girls who work in the household is a widespread problem. The health care system lacks medicines and the vaccination rate is comparatively low. It is positive that a recommendation on mental health has been included in the report and that the issue is being addressed.

The Committee is concerned about the high rate of teenage pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections, limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, especially in rural areas, and the limited use of condoms.

The Committee recommends that the State party provide sufficient funding and resources for the implementation in respect of adolescents of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy and Strategic Plan and the Reproductive Health Commodity Supply Strategic Plan, paying attention to all aspects of prevention, including in relation to sexually transmitted infections and early pregnancy. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party ensure that access to sexual and reproductive health information and education is available country-wide, with special attention to preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Lesotho should also improve adolescent access to reproductive health care, contraception, including condoms, and related services and increase support for reproductive health and family planning services, especially in rural areas.

The Committee is seriously concerned at limited access to community-based rehabilitation, early identification and referral programmes for children with disabilities and the inadequate support and resources for service providers and families of children with disabilities. It is also concerned about stigmatization of children with disabilities owing to societal and cultural attitudes and limited access to transportation, schools, health care, public spaces and service delivery in all areas, especially in rural communities. To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to set up a comprehensive strategy for the inclusion of children with disabilities and improve access to transportation, schools, health care, public spaces/buildings and service delivery in all areas, especially in rural communities. Also, the Committee urges the State party to increase financial, human and technical resources for children with disabilities, expand community-based rehabilitation, early identification and referral programmes for children with disabilities and provide the necessary human, technical and financial support to service providers and families of children with disabilities.

The Committee is concerned at the high infant, under-five and child mortality rates owing to preventable causes such as high rates of malnutrition, food insecurity and rickets, acute respiratory illness, fever and diarrhoea. It is also concerned at limited funding, inadequate childcare facilities, an insufficient number of well-trained health workers for children and pregnant women, and poor access to health-care services, in particular in rural 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 to take measures, such as rolling out a specific programme for the management of childhood illnesses, to reduce infant, under-five and child mortality owing to preventable causes. Lesotho should also strengthen its efforts to improve access to basic health-care services for all children, in particular in rural areas, scale up capacity-building programmes for health workers who work with children and pregnant women and provide more resources to mobile clinics so that they are more frequently available and reach a wider population.

The Committee is concerned that there is no mental health policy in the State party and that information on mental health services for children has not been made available by the State party.
The Committee therefore recommends that the State party adopt a mental health policy specifically providing for the treatment of children with mental health issues. It also recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to provide sufficient financial and human resources for the mental health of children, including through international cooperation.

The Committee recommends to undertake measures to increase the knowledge of teachers and educators regarding environmental issues and climate change and to integrate environment and climate change issues into the national curriculum.

The Committee is concerned that child labour negatively affects schooling and leisure time, in particular for children in rural areas, and that there is no statistical data on children involved in child labour.

Therefore, the Committee recommends to collect data on children involved in different types of child labour and establish a child-specific complaints mechanism that can receive, monitor and investigate reports on cases of child exploitation, and raise awareness among children of the mechanism.

The Committee is seriously concerned that the juvenile justice system is not effective and that not all children’s courts have an appropriately child-friendly infrastructure, and magistrates are not adequately equipped with victim support units. Additionally, there are no separate holding cells for children in police stations and free legal representation is not available in every case.

To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system into full compliance with the Convention and other relevant standards. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party allocate sufficient financial resources to establish an adequate child-friendly infrastructure for children's courts and for village children's justice committees in all districts. It should also ensure that all children who appear in court are tried in children's courts, with special procedures and appropriately trained judges, and that children are housed separately from adults in police stations. In addition, the Committee recommends that all children in conflict with the law be provided with free, qualified, and independent legal assistance at an early stage of the proceedings and throughout the process, and that overreliance on inpatient facilities such as probation homes and accredited schools be avoided. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that it be ensured that these existing facilities are child-friendly institutions that promote reintegration, and that they are used only as a last resort and for the shortest possible period of time, with opportunities for early release.

The Committee is seriously concerned at the reports of killings of children involving the mutilation of body parts for the purpose of using the body parts medicinally. The Committee urges that the State party take immediate measures to prevent killings of children involving the mutilation of body parts, through raising community awareness, investigating all cases and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

The Committee urges the State party to include the specific needs of girls in measures regarding access to and use of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and services in order to prevent sexual violence when collecting water, bathing or using toilets at night.

Concluding observations on the second periodic report released on 25 June 2018. More information about education: Education Act