Seychelles

There are some interesting points in the Seychelles report, which differ from the reports of other countries. For example, very general forms of discrimination based on "race" or "gender" are listed here, while other reports were much more specific. The report is also very short, whether it is due to missing data or due to something else that is not mentioned. Especially the chapter on children with disabilities is very short. Also, no information on the general living situation for children is given. The topic of climate protection, which affects the Seychelles as an island particularly strongly, is not mentioned either.

There is a sex-discriminatory provision on "carnal knowledge" in the Penal Code, which should be deleted. Concerning the improvement of reproductive health, the Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to educate children, adolescents and their families about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as about the negative consequences of early pregnancy and abortions, especially abortions carried out at home. Seychelles should also strengthen its adolescent reproductive health programmes, including life skills education to foster responsible parenthood and sexual behaviour, paying particular attention to boys, continue to allow access to contraceptives for adolescents under the age of 18 years and provide a legal basis to ensure access to comprehensive health services, confidential counselling and support for pregnant adolescent girls.

The Committee recommends that the State party continue integrating children with disabilities into the mainstream school system and building the capacity, including through training, of primary and secondary school teachers for inclusive education of children with disabilities and for education of children with special needs.

While noting the almost universal immunization coverage of children and the improvements to the State party’s health infrastructure, the Committee recommends that the State party effectively implement existing programmes aimed at reducing mortality rates and seek financial and technical assistance in this regard from, among others, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Concerning drug and substance abuse, the Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its measures to address drug use by children and adolescents by, inter alia, providing children and adolescents with accurate and objective information and life skills education on preventing substance abuse, including tobacco and alcohol, and developing accessible and youth-friendly drug dependence treatment and harm-reduction services.

The Committee, inter alia, recommends that the State party establish a clear regulatory framework for the industries operating in the State party, in particular the tourism, fishing and farming industries, to ensure that their activities do not negatively affect children’s rights or endanger environmental and other standards. The Seychelles should also ensure effective implementation by companies of international and national environmental and health standards and effective monitoring of the implementation of these standards. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party appropriately sanction and provide remedies for any violations that occur, as well as ensure that appropriate international certification is sought.

The Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and other relevant standards, and recommends that the State party ensure the provision of qualified and independent legal aid to children in conflict with the law at an early stage of and throughout legal proceedings, and also ensure that the juvenile justice system is equipped with adequate human, technical and financial resources and that designated specialized judges for children receive appropriate training.

The Committee remains deeply concerned that no law has been enacted to ensure the right of children born out of wedlock to know their biological father and that the State party considers implementing the Committee’s recommendations to be difficult, owing to sociocultural aspects. The Committee is also concerned that the Citizenship Act does not provide for the acquisition of citizenship of the State party by children born to unknown parents or abandoned by their parents on the territory of the State party, a situation which may render them stateless.

Concluding observations on the fifth and sixth periodic reports released on 5 March 2018.
More information about education: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education