Author: Jette Nietzard

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.

In Slovenia, the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child has progressed to very different degrees, and in the Promurje region in particular, the health care system and the associated infrastructure need to be improved. Roma children also enjoy fewer rights and have a lower standard of living than Slovenian children of the same age.

The Committee is concerned about reports received on underage forced marriages of Roma children involving sexual practices violating the children’s dignity. The Committee also notes with concern that Roma girls are often subject to sexual violence and exploitation by family members and there is a lack of adequate programmes for the recovery of these child victims of sexual abuse.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that children with disabilities fully enjoy their rights under the Convention, in particular their right to health, education and adequate standard of living. The Committee encourages the State party to allocate the necessary resources for an effective implementation and extension of the above-mentioned programme with a view to guaranteeing to all children with disabilities access to education and health care, opportunities for play and culture, family life, protection from violence, an adequate standard of living and the right to be heard.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that all children in the State party have similar access to basic health services, and further increase its efforts in eliminating any ethnic disparity in access to, and provision of, health services in all regions in the State party. In this respect the State party should, inter alia, effectively implement the Strategy for enhancing health and the action plan for reducing inequalities in health in the Promurje region, and conclude similar strategies in all regions concerned in the State party. The Committee encourages the State party to pursue its efforts to combat childhood obesity and intensify measures to raise awareness of healthy nutrition among parents, children and the public in general and promote healthy eating habits particularly among young children and adolescents.

The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation to take effective measures to prevent suicide among young people. Therefore, the State party should accelerate its efforts to finalize the National Programme for Mental Health, with a view to reducing the suicide rate in the State party. The State party is also requested to ensure that child perspectives are incorporated and special psychosocial support programmes are introduced for adolescents in the above-mentioned programme and related action plans. The State party should, moreover, collect disaggregated data on suicide occurrence.

The Committee is concerned about the allegedly growing phenomenon of child begging in the streets and the involvement of children from vulnerable populations, particularly Roma, in forced illegal activities such as theft and the sale of illegal drugs. The Committee is also concerned about the lack of disaggregated data in the State party report. The Committee further expresses its concern that self-employed children are not protected against hazardous work.

The Committee is concerned about the lack of special provisions for children in the State party’s Criminal Code, and expresses its concern about the non-availability of open educational institutions for children aged 14-16 years who are in conflict with the law.
The Committee encourages the State party to pursue its intention to establish special provisions in its Criminal Code for children. In so doing, the State party should bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party strengthen alternative and non-judicial dispute resolutions for young children in conflict with the law. It is also recommended that the State party ensure that deprivation of liberty of these children is taken only as a measure of last resort. The Committee further encourages the State party to improve measures of rehabilitation and social reintegration, and to consider placing children aged 14-16 years who are in conflict with the law in open or semi-open educational institutions.

The Committee recommends that the State party assume primary responsibility for the effective operation of the Children’s Parliament and provide it with adequate human, financial and technical support. The Committee also recommends that the State party ensure that the child’s views are de facto heard in legal proceedings in courts and at Social Work Centres. To this end, the State party should provide opportunities for children’s views to be heard in legal proceedings, among others by expanding the system of a children’s advocate, and should ensure that courts attach due weight to the views of the children concerned.

Concluding observations on the third and fourth periodic reports released on 8 July 2013.More information about education in Slovenia: https://www.gov.si

In the report from Monaco, many points, such as the situation of children with disabilities or refugee children are not mentioned, so little information can be given about the situation of disadvantaged groups. For all other children the situation is very good, there is good health care, free education and efforts are made to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

The Committee notes as positive the efforts undertaken by the State party to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS and the establishment of the Antenatal and Family Support Coordination Centre. However, the Committee is concerned that sexual and reproductive health education for adolescents, especially in schools, is not systematic. The Committee is also concerned at the lack of adequate data on teenage pregnancy in the State party.

The Committee is concerned that domestic legislation and practice still do not guarantee free medical assistance to foreign children residing in the State party for fewer than five years.
To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends that the State party undertake all necessary measures, including legislative measures, to ensure that all children, including non-nationals, enjoy the same access and quality of health services.

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, particularly with regard to the rights of the child. The Committee recommends that the State party give special attention to the requirement of enterprises to undertake child-rights due diligence in their chain of suppliers and customers, including outside of the territory of the State party. It also recommends that the State party establish effective and accessible procedural safeguards against business enterprises implicated in violations of children’s rights.

The Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully in line with the Convention and with other relevant standards. In particular, the Committee urges the State party to consider repealing the recent amendment to the Penal Procedure Code which allows children of under 13 years of age to be placed in police custody for the needs of investigation and promote alternative measures to the justice system wherever possible and ensure that detention is a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time. Also, Monaco should ensure the provision of qualified and specialized legal aid to children in conflict with the law at an early stage of procedure and throughout the legal proceedings and that court judges, lawyers, police officers and social assistants receive appropriate and systematic education and training on juvenile justice.

While the Committee welcomes permitting naturalized Monegasque men and women to pass their nationality on to their spouse, it remains concerned about the restriction that prevents naturalized women from transmitting Monegasque nationality to their children in the event of a divorce. The Committee urges the State party to pursue its efforts to adopt legislation establishing the same right for men and women to pass on the Monegasque nationality to their children, regardless of the manner in which the nationality was acquired.

Concluding observations on the second and third periodic reports released on 29 October 2013.
More information about education in Monaco: https://en.service-public-particuliers.gouv.m

The report from Lithuania leaves many issues open for which the current situation of children's rights cannot be understood. In the named areas, it is noticeable that children should have more of a say and that there is a need for improved birth services.

The Committee is concerned about the lack of information on sexual and reproductive health and child-friendly services available to adolescents in the country, as well as the inaccessibility of contraception and confidential tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections.
The Committee recommends that the State party introduce sexual and reproductive health education into the school curriculum as a mandatory subject and provide adolescents with easy access to contraceptives and confidential tests and treatments.

The Committee urges the State party to ensure the conformity of its legislation, policies and practices, in order to effectively address the needs of children with disabilities in a non-discriminatory manner. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to implement its legal provisions on inclusive education by training teachers, providing schools with the necessary equipment and raising awareness among school staff, children and the general public on the rights of children with disabilities, especially those with mental disabilities. The Committee further recommends that the State party take prompt and effective measures to investigate all allegations of abuse and ill-treatment of children with mental disabilities, to prosecute and punish the perpetrators and to provide assistance for the recovery and rehabilitation of victims.

The Committee welcomes the Children’s Health Promotion Programme, but is concerned that the budget allocations to maternal and child health-care programmes are continuously decreasing, making such programmes less accessible. The Committee is also concerned that women who choose to deliver at home do not receive the assistance or care they need during the delivery and post-partum.
To improve the situation, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to increase its budget allocations for maternal and child health programmes. The Committee also recommends that the State party ensure that women who choose to deliver at home receive proper maternal care by providing access to emergency obstetric care, trained care at delivery and post-partum care.

The Committee is concerned that the rates of suicides among adolescents remain high. Therefore, the Committee reiterates its previous recommendation that the State party increase its efforts to raise awareness about and prevent suicide among adolescents and continue to improve the quality and capacity of mental health services.

The Committee recommends that the State party establish a comprehensive 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 develop more alternatives to trial, sentencing and execution of punishment, such as community service and mediation between victim and offender in order to avoid stigmatization and for the effective reintegration of juvenile offenders. The Committee also recommends to ensure that all stakeholders who work with children in criminal proceedings are trained and informed about the specificities of the juvenile justice system, including judges and lawyers and that the legal assistance provided by public lawyers is of a high quality.

While noting that the right to be heard is included in a number of the State party’s laws, the Committee is concerned that there are gaps in the implementation of these laws and that the right of the child to express his or her opinion is often considered to be a mere formality.

In the report, many points are not dealt with in detail. Italy is facing big problems regarding the situation of migrant children, but has already implemented children's rights in the field of education. Climate change and cooperation with other countries are not addressed. A new law concerning unaccompanied children that was co-developed by NGOs is still not implemented. Also, access to healthcare and family-type forms of placements are disparate in different regions.

In Italy, children with disabilities are not segregated. But an efficient system for diagnosing disabilities is not implemented. The Committee recommends to undertake awareness-raising campaigns in order to combat stigmatization of and discrimination against children with disabilities and to promote a positive image of such children.

The Committee recommends to raise awareness about the importance of vaccinations and ensure comprehensive immunization coverage against childhood diseases.

No comprehensive system exists to monitor the state of mental health of children. Children with neuropsychiatric disorders have limited access to appropriate mental health care.
The Committee recommends to Italy to set up an effective monitoring system for child and adolescent mental health, and conduct a study on the root causes of the increase in the diagnosis of attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the prescription of drugs to treat them.

The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to prevent statelessness and ensure the effective implementation of the law regulating the acquisition of Italian citizenship at birth to otherwise stateless children and adopt legislation to improve statelessness determination procedures in accordance with international standards.
Also, Italy should take measures to improve the situation of undocumented or stateless children belonging to those communities.

The Committee takes note of the current and unfolding political crisis in the State party, which is currently led by a transitional government, and the negative effect this has had on the development and implementation of relevant legislation, policy and programmes for children.

In Madagascar, freedom of expression is restricted and children's opinions are not included in political decisions. Twins are subject to prejudice, resulting in abandonment and death. The predominantly poor have additional problems accessing health care and education.

The Committee is concerned about high levels of teenage pregnancies and low levels of contraceptive use. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends that the State party continue and strengthen efforts to ensure access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health services and improve sexual and reproductive health education in all schools.

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 realized. In particular, the Committee recommends the State party to eradicate impunity for abuse of children with disabilities by ensuring investigation, prosecution and appropriate sentencing of perpetrators of such abuse as well as expand and strengthen awareness-raising activities for the community at large, aimed at combating prejudice and discrimination against children with disabilities. The Committee further recommends to strengthening the monitoring of situations of children with disabilities in the home, including training social workers on detecting signs of sexual abuse and take all available measures to improve the access to education for children with disabilities. Madagascar should also strengthen implementation of programmes and policies on inclusive education to improve the numbers of children with disabilities who have access to education as well as increase access to appropriate health care for children with disabilities, including by providing training in relevant skills to health-care workers and encouraging families to access health-care services for children with disabilities.

The Committee urges the State party to conduct a rapid assessment of the health system, in particular at the community level, to urgently review its functioning and ensure that priority areas, including maternal- and infant-mortality-reduction activities, have secure and consistent funding. The Committee also urges the State party to strengthen social and financial support to children at risk of malnutrition and improve the systems at community level to monitor child growth and undertake relevant nutrition interventions through basic health centres in order to detect and address acute and chronic malnutrition. In addition, the Committee urges to expand and strengthen preventive programmes against malaria with a particular focus on protecting mothers and children and strengthen programs to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS with a particular focus on adolescents and prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Madagascar should also ensure access to adequate maternity health-care services and access to emergency obstetric care to all pregnant women, particularly those living in rural and remote areas, and ensure that such centres are provided with adequate human, technical and financial resources.

The Committee notes the lack of information on any regulatory framework regarding social and environmental responsibility of business corporations and industries to prevent possible negative impact of their activities on children.

The Committee is concerned that exploitation of natural resources, including through the mining sector, extractive and forestry industries and the tourism sector, does not always benefit the local community, including its children, and brings such harmful effects to families and children as economic exploitation of children and sex tourism, resettlement of communities without appropriate services and harm to the environment and wildlife.
The Committee recommends that the State party establish and implement regulations to ensure that the business sector complies with international and domestic standards on corporate social responsibility. In doing so, the Committee encourages the State party to focus on the protection of the rights of the child and to investigate and provide remedies in reported cases of abuse by corporations and their executives.

The Committee urges the State party to establish special jurisdiction for children, including child-friendly courts and other procedures as well as ensure that children and adults are separated in prison. Madagascar should also ensure that the judiciary apply child-friendly procedures to protect and respect the best interest of the child as well as that judiciary, prosecutors and other relevant professionals receive systematic and specialized training in juvenile justice. In addition, the Committee urges Madagascar to ensure that children in prison are provided with appropriate nutrition, health services and access to education and to establish a programme of reintegration of children after release from prison or institutions.

The Committee notes the programmes by the State party to protect twins, particularly in the region of Mananjary, against ill-treatment and discrimination. However, the Committee remains seriously concerned about persistent traditional beliefs that twins bring bad luck, and the continued practice of ill-treatment, rejection and abandonment of twins in the Mananjary region, leading, in some cases, to the death of children. The Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to stop the ill-treatment, rejection and abandonment of twins, including through legislation and increased awareness-raising in the society at large, which should involve traditional leaders. In addition, the Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to ensure that the placement in institutions of twins must be a measure of last resort.

Namibia suffers greatly from climate change and poverty in the country. Children are abandoned due to unwanted pregnancies and refugee children and children with disabilities do not have the same access to health services and education.

The Committee expresses grave concern at the abandonment of new-born children (or “baby-dumping”) and infanticide in the State party, often resulting from the high number of teenage pregnancies, child rape and inadequate access to sexual and reproductive health care and information.
Namibia should address the root causes of teenage pregnancies, strengthen support for pregnant adolescents and provide them with adequate sexual and reproductive health services.

The Committee urges the State party to adopt a human rights-based approach to disability and specifically recommends that it ensure that all legislation on children include a specific prohibition of discrimination on the ground of disability, and develop holistic and coordinated programmes across ministries on the rights of children with disabilities. It further recommends to ensure that children with disabilities are able to exercise their right to education, and provide for their inclusion in the mainstream education system to the greatest extent possible, including by providing teachers with special training, by increasing facilities for children with disabilities and by making schools more accessible.
Namibia should also provide effective remedies in cases of violations of the rights of children with disabilities, and ensure that those remedies are easily accessible to all children with disabilities. In addition, the Committee recommends that Namibia strengthen efforts to ensure that necessary professional and financial resources are available, especially at the local level, and promote and expand community-based health services programmes.

The Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to ensure that all children enjoy the same access to and quality of health services. It further urges the State party to address socioeconomic disadvantages and other root causes for the existing health deficits. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party strengthen efforts to address, as matter of urgency, the high rates of malnutrition of children, and develop educational programmes, including campaigns to inform parents about basic child health and nutrition, hygiene and environmental sanitation and reproductive health. In addition, Namibia should improve access to maternal care services, particularly in rural areas, by improving health infrastructure and increasing the availability and accessibility to emergency obstetric and neonatal care and skilled birth attendants at lower- and district-level health facilities. The Committee further recommends that the State Party take special measures to ensure that pregnant adolescents have easy access to sexual and reproductive health care.

The Committee is alarmed by the high levels of suicides among children in the State party. The Committee notes with grave concern the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ assessment that the suicide rate among youth has increased in recent years. The Committee is also concerned at the lack of data on mental health problems, the inadequate availability of trained mental health practitioners in schools and rural areas, and the limited awareness among professionals working with children on the importance of identifying and addressing mental health concerns.

The Committee takes note of the fact that the State party is one of the countries most affected by climate change and the increasing impact of natural hazards, such as floods, storms and drought, leading to changes in the disease patterns, reduced agricultural outputs and food insecurity.

The Committee notes the State party’s information that as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has complied with its international obligations to guarantee the safety of uranium activities. However, it is concerned that multinational and national companies in the country, notably the mining and uranium-producing industries, are operating in the absence of clear regulatory frameworks to ensure that international human rights, environmental and other standards, especially relating to child and women’s rights, are adhered to, in order to protect natural resources such as land, air and water and the persons, families and communities affected by high levels of radioactive toxicity and pollution. In addition, the Committee notes with concern that the Environmental Management Act, which has important safeguards relating to environmental impact assessments prior to licensing and monitoring compliance with the law, has also not entered into force. It also notes with concern that issues relating to the environmental and health impact of uranium mining are neither discussed nor communicated to the persons concerned or disclosed to the public.

The Committee urges the State party to establish children’s courts in all regions of the State party and to provide all professionals working in the juvenile justice system with
training on the Convention and other relevant international standards.
The Committee further urges Namibia to protect the rights of children deprived of their liberty and improve their conditions of detention and imprisonment, in particular by establishing special prisons for children with conditions suited to their age and needs, and ensuring the provision of social services in all detention centres in the country, and, in the meantime, guarantee separation of children from adults in all prisons and pretrial detention centres throughout the country. Namibia should also gather information on the number and legal situation of children in detention, their conditions of detention and cases of children who have been provided with legal assistance, and to make such information publicly available.

The Committee welcomes the State party’s countrywide campaign to raise awareness of children in street situations and integrate them back into schools. The Committee, however, is concerned at reports that children in street situations are regularly subject to exploitation, abuse, discrimination and stigmatization, as well as to arrest and detention by police. In addition, the Committee is concerned at the institutionalization of children in street situations in the State party.

Concluding observations on the second and third periodic reports released on 16 October 2012.
More information about education:
Namibian Constitution