Author: Jette Nietzard

Children who are 10 years and older shall be heard in court and courts may hear younger children. But this mostly does not happen. There are youth centres and youth councils, but participation can be enlarged. Estonia is trying to improve the child right’s situation, but due to insufficiency of the measures, they do not reach the youth, so that their living conditions are getting worse. Russian children are discriminated, because the Russian language is prohibited in many contexts, which means a massive disadvantage for Russian-Estonian children. Juvenile offenders face violations of their rights and are not supported by countries acts.

The prevalence of sexual abuse of children in Estonia is high, while the level of detection is low and the existence and accessibility of support services is insufficient.

The Committee is concerned at insufficient protection against discrimination for children with disabilities. Public Institutions have physical barriers and local authorities do not guarantee all children with disabilities places in kindergarten and schools. The Committee recommends, among other things, to take immediate measures to ensure that all children with disabilities have access to health care, including early detection and intervention programmes.

Drug abuse among children and adolescents is on increase. The Committee recommends to adopt regulations concerning the organization of rehabilitation institutions for children and the activities carried out in them, including in relation to the restriction of freedom of movement and other fundamental rights of children.

The suicide rate doubled in the age group of 15 to 19 from 2013 to 2014. The Committee is also concerned that primary level psychological assistance is insufficient owing to the shortage of child psychiatrists.

The Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and implement, as soon as possible, its proposals to promote alternative measures to detention. Estonia should also ensure that detention conditions are compliant with international standards, including with regard to access to education and health services.

The Committee is concerned that it is not possible for foreigners to apply for a residence permit if they have a minor child living in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit or a child who is an Estonian citizen living in Estonia.

Favourable attitudes towards corporal punishment are still dominant and 22 per cent of schoolchildren in the State party have been victims of bullying.

The Committee is concerned that the school drop-out rate remains high, especially among boys, and that the language policy in secondary education often prevents Russian-speaking students from acquiring mastery in core subjects, because they are taught only in Estonian.

Venezuela's report is very comprehensive, although they cannot provide detailed data on many topics. This fact is also repeatedly criticized in the report. The topic of juvenile justice is listed in detail as well, specifically in relation to the fact that with the new law reform, children in prisons and under suspicion of crime are not provided with dignified accommodation and legal aid.

The Committee is particularly concerned at the persistent patriarchal attitudes and gender stereotypes that discriminate against girls and the lack of adequate measures to address this situation. To improve the situation for girls, the Committee recommends to eliminate patriarchal attitudes and gender stereotypes that discriminate against girls, including through the implementation of educational and awareness raising programmes.

The Committee recommends to review the State party’s legislation on abortion and provide for additional exceptions, such as in cases of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, when the pregnancy poses a risk to the health of the adolescent or when abortion is in the best interests of the pregnant adolescent in order to prevent her from resorting to unsafe abortion. The State party should ensure, in law and in practice, that the views of the child are always heard and respected in abortion decisions.

The Committee welcomes the various initiatives taken to address the specific needs of children with disabilities, in particular in the areas of health and education. However, it regrets the absence of information on a comprehensive strategy to ensure coherency among all the initiatives and the full protection of the rights of children with disabilities. The Committee is also concerned about the lack of disaggregated data in this area. It is further concerned at reports that a large percentage of children with disabilities do not attend school, in particular in rural areas, and that there are no special programmes to ensure future employment opportunities for adolescents with disabilities.

The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to reduce under-five mortality and increase vaccination coverage. However, the Committee is deeply concerned at the high rates of maternal mortality and the lack of information on the measures taken to reduce it. It is further concerned about reports that some important medical services and/or medical staff and/or medicines are not available for children in some hospitals. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends Venezuela to collect disaggregated data on children’s health-related issues, in particular child mortality, including under-five mortality, maternal mortality, vaccination coverage, nutrition and breastfeeding and allocate adequate human, technical and financial resources to the national public health system.

Concerning adolescent health, the Committee is deeply concerned that the State party has one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancies in the region and that many of those pregnancies result in maternal deaths. It is also concerned about the lack of access to safe abortion procedures, due to the restrictive law on abortion, and the lack of information on the actual impact of the programmes in reducing adolescent pregnancies.

The Committee regrets the lack of public policy on mental health in relation to children in the State party. The Committee is also concerned about reports about the reduction in the coverage and quality of mental health-care centres.
The Committee recommends that the State party collect disaggregated data on mental health-related issues in relation to children. The Committee further recommends the development of a national strategy to address mental health issues of children, including the provision of mental health-care services with adequate human, technical and financial resources.

In the light of the information provided by the Ministry of Environment that air pollution exceeds the permitted standards in some cities, such as Barcelona, Puerto La Cruz and Maracaibo, the Committee is concerned that excessive air pollution results in cases of pneumonia in children under five years of age.

The Committee notes that the rate of child labour has reportedly decreased in the last decade in the State party. However, the Committee remains concerned about the prevalence of child labour. The Committee regrets the lack of information on the extent and forms of child labour, including the worst forms of child labour.

The Committee is concerned that mechanisms to monitor children’s rights in police detention centres have not been established and children and adults deprived of liberty are not systematically separated, in particular in pretrial detention.
Also, conditions in juvenile detention facilities and the socio-educational programmes in place, including the use of military training, do not comply with international standards and frequently lead to riots and children being injured.
In addition to that, the State party has not yet established a specialized police force, with officers trained to deal with children.
To solve these problems, the Committee urges the State party to expedite the adoption of a law reform on juvenile justice, in accordance with international standards, including raising the age of criminal responsibility, unify the juvenile justice system throughout the country, provide facilities and services with adequate human, technical and financial resources. Furthermore, the Committee urges the State party to ensure, in cases where detention is unavoidable, 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.

The Committee notes the efforts made by the State party to improve the standard of living of children, including their access to drinking water. However, the Committee is concerned about reports that drinking water is not of adequate quality in some areas of the State party, resulting in numerous cases of infant deaths associated with infections and diarrhoea.

The Committee is also concerned at reports that a number of children had been arrested in the framework of the demonstrations in early 2014 in the State party.

Concluding observations on the third to fifth periodic reports released on 13 October 2014.More information about education in Venezuela: https://www.bq-portal.de

The plan for Action lacks of information on specific targets and timelines, particularly concerning children in street situations and children with disabilities. Brazil has no established mechanism at inter-ministerial level with a clear mandate and sufficient authority to coordinate and monitor all activities related to the cross-sectoral implementation of the Convention at all federal levels.

Death threats, physical attacks, disappearances and killings carried out against journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists are not investigated and convicted enough. Children’s participation in school councils is low, children do not regularly participate in decisions that affect them and their views are seldom taken into account.

Strategies aimed at eliminating discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation and race have been removed from the education plans of several states. Patriarchal attitudes and gender stereotypes underpin discrimination against girls and women. Despite the prohibition, high levels of sexual abuse of, and sexual violence against children in schools, institutions, and the family are reported, as well as this occurring in police stations and places of detention. There is a high prevalence of child marriage in the State party, even under the age of 16.

Children with disabilities are segregated in special education in several states and additional special schools are established. Widespread sexual violence, abuse and exploitation against girls with disabilities are common in institutional settings. There is a widespread presumption of children with disabilities that they lack credibility, so that they often have difficulties in accessing recourse.

Brazil has insufficient health service in rural and marginalized areas. Also, indigenous children continue to have inadequate access to medical services and sanitation, in overcrowded settlements, and continue to be subjected to contaminated water and food. There is a high prevalence of drug and substance abuse among children in street situations and an insufficient number of specialized rehabilitation facilities for children. Meanwhile, the Committee takes note of the State party’s initiatives for combatting drug abuse among children.

The Committee is concerned about high rates of suicide among indigenous children, particularly Guaraní children.

The Committee recommends to improve water supply infrastructure and guarantee access to safe drinking water, particularly for communities living adjacent to contaminated water canals used for the irrigation of farms. Also, the Committee recommends that the State party expeditiously end illegal mining activities, particularly in the Tapajós-Xingu area, and design and implement measures to mitigate the negative effects of these activities and those related to the construction of the Belo Monte dam on the rights of indigenous children and their families. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party conduct a comprehensive assessment of the effects of polluted air, water and soil on children’s health and use it as a basis for developing and implementing a strategy to remedy the situation, and monitor the levels of air, water and soil pollutants and of pesticide residues in the food chain.

The Committee is deeply concerned that activities of the mining and construction sectors, as well as of agribusinesses, food corporations and large-scale sporting and/or entertainment events, frequently result in the resettlement of communities without compensation or appropriate services, the contamination of water resources and food, unhealthy diets due to misleading advertisements, and environmental degradation. The Committee is also concerned about the lack of regulatory frameworks covering the social and environmental responsibility of business corporations and industries.

The Committee is concerned about reports of widespread torture and ill-treatment of children in police stations and juvenile detention facilities. Juvenile offenders should get regular trainings on children’s rights. There are reports of gang violence in prisons, which has led to the death of children, and of poor health and sanitary conditions. Brazil has an inadequate number of juvenile courts and specialized juvenile judges. Children are detained together with adults.
A very high number of extrajudicial executions of children by the military police and the widespread violence of police officers against children in favelas or street situations are violations of children’s rights.

Brazil has a low level of birth registration and birth certificates are not everywhere available for free.

It is alarming that children and families were evicted for the building of infrastructural projects for the 2016 Olympic games and the 2014 World Cup. That worsened their living conditions and caused severe disruption and hindrance to access to health services and education. Indigenous communities are also evicted from their land as a result of land grabbing by ranchers, the development of extractive industries, illegal logging or other industrial projects, which severely undermine indigenous children’s right to an adequate standard of living, health and a healthy environment.

In Micronesia, children's rights have not yet been sufficiently implemented. This includes the sectors of health care, but also of education and child labour. The outer islands are always particularly affected. Micronesia is also one of the island states most affected by the consequences of climate change, but children are not included in the planning for the future.

The Committee notes with appreciation the measures taken by the State party to address substance abuse among adolescents, including awareness-raising programmes. However, it is concerned about the high rate of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among adolescents and the criminalization of abortion in all cases except where the life of the pregnant girl is at risk. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned at the limited access to safe reproductive and sexual health-care services, education and contraceptives, especially in the outer islands, due to the limited supply, cultural attitudes and fear of stigmatization. It is further concerned about the prevalence of substance abuse among adolescents, due to the lack of law enforcement of alcohol sales to children and the lack of a legal framework for the sale of sakau.

The Committee is concerned about the limited access of children with disabilities to inclusive education, transportation, public spaces, rehabilitation and service delivery in all areas, and about the lack of funding and technical support provided to service providers for children with disabilities or the parents of such children.
The Committee recommends that the State party adopt a national policy on disability aimed at strengthening health-care services for children with disabilities and ensuring that all children with all types of disabilities enjoy inclusive education. Also, Micronesia should increase the budget for and expenditure on children with disabilities and improve access for children with disabilities to all public and private buildings, spaces, service delivery and transportation, in all areas, especially in the outer islands. The Committee further recommends to ensure that all schools have specialized teachers and professionals providing individual support and that teaching staff are adequately trained.

To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends that the State party increase efforts to improve access to basic health-care services for all children, in particular in the outer islands and remote villages, and provide resources for the establishment of mobile clinics. Also, Micronesia should strengthen measures to reduce mortality rates among infants and children under 5 years of age due to preventable causes and to prevent and treat anaemia, tuberculosis and the stunting, wasting and undernourishment of children.
Also, the Committee recommends to scale up immunization, in particular in the outer islands, and provide sufficient investment in suitable technologies, such as drone delivery, and human resource capacities for the delivery of immunization services.

The Committee is seriously concerned about the lack of a legal framework or policy on mental health and the insufficient attention given to the mental health of children, as well as the absence of child psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers and other specialized personnel.
To improve the situation, the Committee recommends that Micronesia promote the development of mental health legislation and a mental health policy for children that are adequately resourced. It further recommends to establish mental health services and programmes for children and ensure that qualified personnel, including child psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers and other specialized personnel, are available in all states.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure access for children to appropriate information from a diversity of sources, including the Internet, and that children are adequately protected from information and material harmful to their well-being.

The Committee is concerned that there is no legislation prohibiting child labour or establishing the minimum age for admission to hazardous and non-hazardous work and no programmes to prevent child labour or support children involved in the practice.
To improve the situation, the Committee recommends that the State party establish a minimum age for admission to employment or work, with clear regulations on working hours, and develop and adopt a policy on child labour and explicitly prohibit the employment of children in harmful or hazardous work and develop a list of hazardous work explicitly prohibited for children. It also recommends to ensure that no child engages in hazardous work and put into place social programmes aimed at the elimination of or prevention of child labour, especially the worst forms.
Micronesia should also determine the conditions in which light work may be permitted and the number of hours during which such employment of children may be undertaken, ensuring that children have sufficient leisure time and do not miss school.

The Committee notes with appreciation that the Federal Code and state codes set out a number of provisions on child justice which provide for “flexible” procedures for legal proceedings involving children accused of criminal offences, including informal hearings in closed sessions and legal representation for such children. To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to bring its child justice system fully into line with the Convention, to designate specialized judges for children and to ensure that such judges, as well as prosecutors, police officers and other professionals, receive training on the provisions of the Convention. Also, Micronesia should avoid the use and limit the duration of pretrial detention by ensuring that children arrested and deprived of their liberty are promptly brought before a competent authority to examine the legality of the deprivation of liberty or its continuation and expedite trials involving children. The Committee further recommends to ensure that, in cases where detention is unavoidable, children are not detained together with adults and that the conditions of detention comply with international standards, including with regard to access to education and health-care services.

The Committee welcomes the fact that the State party has undertaken successful measures to ensure that most children are registered at birth in health facilities, but it is concerned about children who are not yet registered, in particular those in the outer islands, and the cases in which inadequate information provided at birth leads to cases of non-registration.

The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to fully protect the right of the child to privacy by amending legislation to explicitly protect children from interference with their right to privacy by private individuals or entities and developing guidelines for parents, teachers and professionals working with and for children to ensure that they understand and respect the right of the child to privacy.

Concluding observations on the second periodic report released on 3 April 2020. More information about education in Micronesia: http://national.doe.fm

The Committee notes that the effects of the sanctions are reflected in the difficult economic and social situation prevailing in the country, which has had repercussions on children’s enjoyment of their rights, in particular in the socioeconomic field, and has impeded the full implementation of the Convention.

The report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Iran criticizes the fact that children are only recognized as such until the age of 9 or 15 and are no longer protected by the convention after this age. A lot of information is also given about LBGT, but their situation in Iran is bad, because there is no acceptance for same-sex couples. The juvenile justice system is also strongly criticized, the committee "strongly urges the State party, as a matter of priority" to improve it, thus choosing a very strong formulation.

The Committee expresses grave concern about the persistent discrimination against girls in the State party’s legislation, and in practice in many aspects of life. The Committee is also concerned that gender stereotypes and patriarchal values place severe limitations on girls’ enjoyment of their rights under the Convention.
The Committee is further concerned that early pregnancies of girls below the age of 15 years have resulted in high rates of maternal and infant mortality. It is also concerned about the Bill on the Comprehensive Population and Family Excellence Plan, which places significant restrictions on accessing contraceptives and criminalizes abortion-related medical services. The Committee therefore recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to prevent early pregnancies by prohibiting child marriages and providing access to contraceptives and to safe abortion, and to post-abortion care services, throughout the country. It also recommends that the State party decriminalize abortions in all circumstances and ensure that the views of the pregnant girl are always heard and respected in abortion decisions.

The Committee welcomes the information provided by the State party that it is in the process of including children with disabilities in mainstream schools and assessing the effects of its legislation in this regard. However, it regrets the lack of information on the extent of such inclusion and on measures taken to provide human, technical and financial support for the process. It also regrets the lack of information on the access of children with disabilities to health-care facilities and the support and assistance available to families with children with disabilities.
To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to set up a comprehensive strategy for the inclusion of children with disabilities and collect data on children with disabilities and develop an efficient system for diagnosing disability, which is necessary for putting in place appropriate policies and programmes for children with disabilities. Also, Iran should set up comprehensive measures to develop inclusive education and ensure that inclusive education is given priority over the placement of children in specialized institutions and classes and take immediate measures to ensure that children with disabilities have access to health care, including early detection and intervention programmes.

The Committee is concerned that insufficient investment has been made by the State party in the health clinics and other facilities in remote rural areas. The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to increase the allocation of public funds to improve the health situation of inhabitants of remote areas, focusing in particular on the health infrastructure.

The Committee is concerned about the adverse environmental effects of the river diversion programme, sugar-cane farming and industrial pollution in Khuzestan province and about the negative impact that this has on the enjoyment by Ahwazi Arabs of their rights to an adequate standard of living and health. The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent steps to counter the impact of river diversions and industrial activity in Khuzestan on agriculture and human health, which includes environmental pollution and water shortages.

The Committee notes the information provided by the State party about the work of labour inspectors in the country, but is seriously concerned about the large number of children employed under hazardous conditions, such as in garbage collection, brick kilns and industrial workshops, without protective clothing and for very low pay. The Committee is particularly concerned about the 2003 law that exempts workshops with fewer than 10 employees from labour regulations, which increases the risks of economic exploitation of children.
The Committee urges the State party to prohibit the employment of children below the age of 18 years in hazardous conditions that jeopardize physical, mental or moral health and the safety of children and ensure that all forms of enterprises and workshops remain within the domain of labour regulations and are systematically monitored and controlled by labour inspectors for potential violations of the rights of child workers.

The Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and other relevant standards. In particular, the Committee strongly urges the State party, as a matter of priority, to expeditiously implement the establishment of specialized juvenile courts and procedures with adequate human, technical and financial resources for all cases involving children, including those charged with the most serious crimes, designate specialized judges for children and ensure that such specialized judges receive appropriate education and training. Also, Iran should ensure the provision of qualified and independent legal aid to children in conflict with the law, if possible, by the choice of the child defendant, at an early stage of the procedure and throughout the legal proceedings, 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.
The Committee also urges Iran to ensure procedural guarantees to preserve the privacy of children in conflict with the law throughout the investigation and trial proceedings and ensure that the 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.

The Committee is concerned that a number of children have been killed or wounded due to landmines placed during the Iran-Iraq war, in Western Azerbaijan, Ilam, Kurdistan, Kermanshah and Khuzestan. Therefore, the Committee urges the State party to clear its entire territory from landmines and all remnants of the war as soon as possible, with the support of international organizations.

The Committee is further concerned at the reports that content-based offences such as “propaganda against the State” or “insulting Islam” are not clearly defined and interpreted, and can incur prison terms, flogging, and even death sentences, thus limiting the right of children to freedom of expression. It is also concerned about the broad interpretation of offences such as “membership in an illegal organization” and “participation in an illegal gathering” infringing the right of children to freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
The Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary measures to ensure full respect for the right of children to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and that those rights not be subjected to undue and vague limitations but that restrictions to those rights comply with international standards. The Committee urges the State party to review its legislation in order to ensure that children under the age of 18 years are exempt from criminal responsibility for such content-based offences.

Concluding observations on the third and fourth periodic reports released on 14 March 2016. Iran has the following reservation on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: "If the text of the Convention is or becomes incompatible with the domestic laws and Islamic standards at any time or in any case, the Government of the Islamic Republic shall not abide by it."
More information about education in Iran: https://wenr.wes.org

The report from Tanzania is very detailed. Weaknesses in the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are particularly evident in the area of violence. Forced marriage and sexual exploitation by teachers and confidants are commonplace, as is abuse in the form of burnings. Children with albinism are persecuted and the homes that are supposed to offer protection are completely overcrowded and have few sanitation facilities.

The Committee is deeply concerned about the persistence of forced and early marriages of girls, and to lesser extent of boys, in the State party, sometimes even before they reach puberty. Such early marriages tend to occur particularly in poor areas and are reportedly due to religious and customary laws.

The Committee is further concerned that female Genital Mutilation remains prevalent, especially in rural and traditional communities, and that women and girls have little understanding of the related risks. The Committee is particularly concerned about reports that female Genital Mutilation is increasingly performed at a very young age, including on babies.

The Committee notes with appreciation the laws and policies to protect the rights of children with disabilities, including efforts to promote the enrolment of children with disabilities into mainstream education. However, the Committee notes with concern that throughout the country, children with disabilities are subjected to greater abuse, violence, stigma and exclusion, particularly in rural areas, and especially those children with intellectual and psychosocial impairments. Also, infrastructure in public places is not suitable for children with disabilities and access to inclusive education and well-trained teachers is limited.
To improve the situation for children with disabilities, the Committee recommends to expedite the establishment of the necessary infrastructure in public places to accommodate children with different disabilities and strengthen the implementation of laws and policies relating to children with disabilities.

To guarantee every child the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends Tanzania to improve access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities as well as establish more child and maternal health clinics and safe delivery services in order to reduce the distances mothers and pregnant women have to travel, and ensure their availability.

Concerning adolescent health, the Committee is concerned that adolescents who become pregnant as a result of sexual violence have limited options and often resort to unsafe abortions, resulting in their death. The Committee is further concerned at the lack of information about modern contraceptives and adolescent-friendly health services, particularly in rural areas. To improve the situation for adolescents, the Committee urges the State party to adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education policy for adolescents, including sex education, inter alia making health education part of the school curriculum, and improve knowledge of and the availability of reproductive health-care services with a view to reducing teenage pregnancies and preventing HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. Furthermore, Tanzania should take urgent measures to reduce maternal deaths relating to teenage abortions and ensure by law and in practice that the views of the child are always listened to and respected in abortion decisions.

The Committee notes with appreciation the efforts undertaken by the State party to combat child labour. However, the Committee notes with concern that enforcement of the existing legal framework and policies is weak and that children remain exposed to hazardous labour, especially in agriculture, artisanal mines and stone quarries, and to exploitation in domestic work. The Committee is also concerned about the limited availability of data on child labour, including in the informal sector.
Therefore, the Committee urges the State party to take measures to address the socioeconomic factors contributing to child labour and work together with international organisations on the implementation of the National Action Plan.

The Committee remains concerned that children and their parents/guardians are often unaware of their rights and how to engage in court proceedings. In particular, the Committee is concerned about the lack of adequate legal-aid services for children in conflict with the law and the insufficient number of professionals with specialized training on juvenile Justice. The Committee encourages the State party to immediately remove children from adult detention facilities and ensure that their detention conditions are compliant with international standards, including with regard to access to education and health services. Also, Tanzania should abolish corporal punishment as a judicial sanction.

The Committee is concerned at the low number of births registered, especially in rural areas. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends to provide birth registration and issue birth certificates free of charge for children under 5 years of age.

The Committee is also concerned over the high prevalence of child abuse and neglect, including severe forms of abuse, such as burning with fire. The Committee also expresses its concern over the reduced allocation of resources to protection against abuse and neglect, the limited numbers of social welfare officers, and the low levels of reporting of abuse, in particular in rural and remote areas.

The report from Ghana makes it clear that the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is still a long way off, especially regarding girls and disabled children. There are also major regional disparities in the implementation of children's rights. For example, many children do not have access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation. Girls and children with disabilities are exposed to violent rituals and in many cases do not participate equally in life. However, Ghana's overall success in reducing poverty is commendable.

The Committee is deeply concerned about the prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM), especially in rural and traditional communities, despite the positive actions taken by the State party criminalizing harmful practices and the cultural practice of accusing some girls of being witches, thereby subjecting them to violence and confining them in ‘witch camps.’ The Committee urges Ghana to raise awareness and sensitization of families, traditional and religious leaders, teachers and the public in general on the negative consequences of child marriage and FGM and the importance of education. Furthermore, the Committee urges Ghana to disseminate the law criminalizing FGM among all relevant ministries, police officers, law enforcement officials, teachers, traditional and religious leaders, and the general public, particularly in rural communities. Ghana should also ensure that cases of FGM are promptly investigated and prosecuted. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party ensure the closure of all the witch camps and raise awareness and sensitization of families, traditional and religious leaders, teachers and the public in general in the negative consequences of confining girls believed to be witches in witch camps.

The Committee welcomes the creation of the District Assembly Common Fund for Persons with Disabilities in 2010 and the efforts of the State party to promote inclusive education and accessibility for children with disabilities. However, the Committee notes with deep concern that children with disabilities, especially those with mental disabilities, are victims to a higher extent of abuse, violence, stigma and exclusion, particularly in traditional communities. The Committee is also concerned about children with disabilities confined in psychiatric institutions and the so-called “prayer camps” where they are being subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment due to cultural and traditional beliefs. Also, there is limited access to inclusive education and well-trained teachers.

To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to prohibit the admission and treatment of children with disabilities in prayer camps and investigate and prosecute perpetrators of acts of inhumane and degrading treatment against children with disabilities, including in prayer camps but also in psychiatric institutions. In addition to that, Ghana should develop and implement awareness-raising campaigns against superstitious beliefs concerning children (and adults) with disabilities.

The Committee welcomes the decline of under-five mortality and of the stunting rate of children under-five due to the State party interventions, the successful nationwide bed net distribution and campaign to prevent malaria (2011-2012). However, the Committee is concerned about the insufficient funding allocated to the health sector, despite its increase, and the insufficient number of qualified and experienced healthcare provider staff as well as an inequitable distribution nationwide causing regional disparities in the provision of health services.
It is further concerned that neonatal mortality accounts for 60 percent of infants’ deaths in the State party as well as the high numbers of malnourished and severely stunted children, particularly in rural areas, and the persistent high maternal mortality rates, including pregnant teenagers and adolescent mothers.

Concerning adolescent health, the Committee recommends to address the incidence of drug use by children and adolescents by, inter alia, providing children and adolescents with accurate and objective information as well as life skills education on preventing substance abuse, including tobacco and alcohol, and develop accessible and youth-friendly drug dependence treatment and harm reduction services.

The Committee is concerned that the enforcement of the existing legal framework and policies is inadequate, the national Action Plan is not effectively implemented and children remain exposed to hazardous labour, mainly affecting their education and health, especially in fisheries, mining, quarrying and in the so-called “prayer camps”, ritual servitude (Trokosi), commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, portering of heavy loads, agriculture and street begging.
The Committee recommends that Ghana should establish protective mechanisms and services to safeguard children at risk of being subject to child labour, including hazardous child labour, and ensure that child victims of these practices have access to social, medical, psychological and rehabilitative services and legal redress.

The Committee is concerned about the evident gap between law and practice, particularly between law and community approaches, dealing with child justice issues and the lack of specialized juvenile court facilities and procedures. It is also concerned about children being detained in adult detention facilities. 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. Ghana should also ensure that the 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.

The Committee is concerned that nationality at birth is not granted to children born on the territory of the State party who would otherwise be stateless.

Although the practice of Trokosi has been criminalized in the State party since 1998, the Committee is deeply concerned about the prevalence of this practice, especially in rural and traditional communities, and the fact that no single case has been reported and investigated.
The Committee urges the State party to take all necessary measures without delay, including human and financial resources, to prevent and eliminate the practice of Trokosi, in particular to ensure the immediate release of children that are subjected to this practice.

Concluding observations on the third to fifth periodic reports released on 9 June 2015. More information about education in Ghana:
Education strategic plan

The report from Cabo Verde shows that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has already been implemented to a relatively large extent in some areas, such as health. On the other hand, girls in particular are exposed to violence and sexual abuse. The report covers many areas, but disaggregated data is lacking for some, such as mental health. Poverty is another problem, with nearly half of families in rural areas and a third in urban areas living below the absolute poverty line.

The Committee is seriously concerned about the extent of child sexual abuse, which was the most reported sexual crime during the 2016/17 judicial year, and the fact that offenders are usually family members or known to the family and that child sexual abuse also takes place in schools. Also concerning is the lack of a prohibition of the use of children between the ages of 16 and 18 for prostitution or pornographic purposes.

The Committee is further concerned about gender-based violence against girls and women, including in the domestic sphere, and the negative impact that this form of violence has on children’s well-being and development.

The Committee is also concerned about the high number of pregnancies among girls and the discrepancy in access to sexual and reproductive health services between urban and rural areas.

The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to promote the rights of children with disabilities, including the establishment of the Centre for Special Education and Educational Inclusion within the Ministry of Education and the integration of children with disabilities through sports. The Committee, inter alia, recommends that the State party organize the collection of data on children with disabilities and develop an efficient system for the early identification of disability, which is necessary for putting in place appropriate policies and programmes for children with disabilities. Also, Cabo Verde should ensure that children with disabilities have access to health care, including early detection and intervention programmes.

The Committee welcomes the allocation of public resources to the health sector and the significant reduction in the child and maternal mortality rates. However, the Committee is concerned about health issues affecting young children, such as perinatal infections. To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends that the State party maintain continued and sustained efforts to address the main health issues affecting young children, such as perinatal infections, acute respiratory infection, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, goitre and poliomyelitis, and provide quality care to mothers and new-borns, paying attention to all islands.

Concerning adolescent health, the Committee notes the training, education and awareness-raising activities to prevent the use of harmful drugs by children but remains concerned about their use by adolescents, with some starting to use drugs before the age of 15. The Committee therefore recommends to strengthen Cabo Verde’s efforts to prevent and address the harmful use of drugs by children.

The Committee is concerned about the lack of information on children’s mental health and insufficient attention to the incidence of suicide among children during adolescence.
The Committee recommends that the State party establish a mental health programme dedicated to children, and conduct a study to identify the root causes of suicide and suicidal thoughts among children, and provide information in that regard in its next periodic report.

The Committee is concerned about the lack of information on the impact of climate change on the rights of the child, given that the State party is already experiencing a shortage of freshwater, an increase in sea level, changes in rainfall patterns, desertification and an increase in temperatures.
The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that the special vulnerabilities and needs of children, as well as their views, are taken into account in developing policies and programmes addressing the issues of climate change and disaster risk management. Also, Cabo Verde should collect disaggregated data identifying the types of risk faced by children to the occurrence of a variety of disasters to formulate responses accordingly as well as increase children’s awareness and preparedness for climate change and natural disasters by incorporating the subject into the school curriculum and teachers’ training programmes.

The Committee is seriously concerned about the high number of children working and the fact that most of them are engaged in hazardous activities, such as agriculture, fisheries and domestic work, particularly in the rural areas, and the lack of information on monitoring and law enforcement activities to combat child labour and measures to assist child victims, as well as the lack of updated data.
The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to eliminate child labour for children under the age of 15 and the worst forms of child labour for children under the age of 18, paying attention to the employment of children in agriculture, fisheries and domestic work, particularly in rural areas. Furthermore, the Committee urges the State party to ensure that monitoring and enforcement activities are carried out by labour authorities, paying attention to the informal sector. In addition, Cabo Verde should collect data on the incidence of child labour on a regular basis and use that information to adjust policies and actions accordingly and ensure that child victims of forced labour receive the necessary support and services for their recuperation and rehabilitation.

The Committee is concerned about complaints of police brutality against children, particularly children in street situations, as a form of extrajudicial punishment, and the absence of measures to duly record and investigate such complaints, prosecute and sanction perpetrators and provide redress to child victims.
The Committee recommends that the State party provide police with special training on child-friendly techniques for dealing with children, including children in street situations, and introduce guidelines and protocols specific to children as victims and witnesses and in situations of conflict with the law. Also, Cabo Verde should investigate and prosecute all allegations of torture and ill-treatment of children by the police and ensure that perpetrators are duly sanctioned and that child victims receive remedies.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that children aged between 16 and 18 years are treated as children and not adults in judicial proceedings and increase the age for the application of socio-educational measures. Cabo Verde should also ensure the provision of legal aid to children in conflict with the law at an early stage of the procedure and throughout the legal proceedings and ensure children’s access to confidential and child-friendly complaint mechanisms.

The Committee welcomes the State party’s efforts resulting in almost universal birth registration but is concerned about children not yet registered and the difference in the registration rate between rural and urban areas. The Committee is also concerned about stateless children in the State party.
While welcoming the measures taken by the State party to identify the fathers of children, the Committee is concerned about the persistent high number of child paternity investigations pending with the Public Prosecution Service due to the absence of the father’s name on birth certificates.

Furthermore, the Committee is concerned about the prevalence of discrimination against girls rooted in patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes concerning the roles of women and men. The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its measures to promote equality among girls and boys.

Concluding observations on the second periodic report released on 27 June 2019.
More information about education:
Plano estratégico da educação Cabo Verde

The report from Guinea shows clearly that the Ebola outbreak from 2013 to 2016 still has after-effects that hinder the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In addition, the report unfortunately contains little information on children with disabilities and migrant/asylum-seeking/refugee children. The improvements in education with free preschool and primary school are positive. The next step should be to make secondary education free of charge.

The Committee welcomes the efforts of the State party to prevent female genital mutilation and child marriage, including through official statements by government officials and religious leaders. Furthermore, it notes as positive the prevention of 15 cases of child marriage in the first half of 2018 and the work on a new strategy against child marriage. The Committee is, however, seriously concerned about the still high prevalence and reported increase of female genital mutilation and the high number of child marriages and the insufficient protection schemes available to children, particularly girls, who are victims of or at risk of becoming victims of female genital mutilation and/or child marriage.
The Committee therefore urges the State party to take active measures to put an end to female genital mutilation and child marriage, and to substantially strengthen comprehensive awareness-raising programmes on the various negative effects of such harmful practices.

The Committee is also deeply concerned that the prevalence of gender-based violence against girls, including rape, remains high and recommends to take all measures necessary to prevent and combat the sexual abuse of girls. Furthermore, the Committee recommends to develop and implement the standardized protocols necessary for health workers and for law enforcement entities to ensure that cases of child rape are promptly recorded, investigated and prosecuted and that perpetrators are duly sanctioned, with no recourse to community mediation.

The Committee recommends that the State party adopt a human rights-based approach to disability and set up a comprehensive strategy for the inclusion of children with disabilities. It urges the State party to ensure inclusive education, access to health services and reasonable accommodation in all spheres of life for all children with disabilities, including children with sensory disabilities, and to develop awareness-raising programmes to combat the stigmatization of children with disabilities.

To guarantee every child the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the Committee recommends that the State party continue to invest in measures to decrease maternal mortality and preventable deaths of new-borns and of children under 5 years of age, particularly avoidable deaths related to malaria, acute respiratory illness, neonatal infections, diarrhoea, inadequate prenatal care, the lack of professional assistance during childbirth, low immunization coverage and the prevalence of malnutrition. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party strengthen the measures taken to decrease the disparity in access to health services, to drinking water and to adequate sanitation between urban and rural areas – particularly access to antenatal and postnatal care, emergency obstetric care and skilled birth attendants in rural areas, and ensure access to health care for children who are survivors of Ebola.

Concerning adolescent health, the Committee recommends to strengthen Guineas measures to address drug abuse, including tobacco and alcohol abuse, and develop accessible and youth-friendly drug dependence treatment and harm-reduction services and to strengthen efforts to curb the sale of pharmaceutical “street drugs”, including by adopting and implementing a national policy and strategy.

The Committee recommends that Guinea ensure that all children have access to mental health services and counselling.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that the special vulnerabilities and needs of children, as well as their views, are taken into account in disaster risk management and in developing policies or programmes addressing issues of climate change, particularly droughts, and that it strengthens reforestation measures.

The Committee is deeply concerned about the negative impact of legal and illegal mining operations on the living conditions of children, such as the high prevalence of child labour including the worst forms of child labour, sexual abuse and prostitution, high dropout rates from school, the expropriation of land, exposure to harmful substances and other health hazards, environmental degradation and deforestation, and forcing children to walk long distances to find clean drinking water. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to expeditiously remove children of all ages from hazardous work situations, reintegrate such children into school and ensure that the mine operators responsible for such exploitation are promptly prosecuted with commensurate sanctions. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to require companies to undertake periodic child-rights impact assessments, establish regulations on the procedure for, and scope of, compensation for dispossessed families, and strengthen child protection measures, including against sexual exploitation.

The Committee is seriously concerned that the State party has no general legal aid scheme and that deprivation of liberty is the most common sentence for children in conflict with the law, including for minor offences. Further, the State party does not have specific detention and rehabilitation centres for convicted children, and detention conditions are characterized by overcrowding and poor nutrition, and by a lack of adequate health care, of adequate sanitation, and of education and training opportunities. In addition to that, programmes for the protection of children in conflict with the law, including for their social reintegration, are rare.

The Committee is deeply concerned about low levels of birth registration reported by the State party, including levels as low as 14 per cent in at least one prefecture and 5 per cent in at least one municipality, and the limited awareness of the population of the importance of birth registration and related procedures, particularly among parents who are illiterate.

Concluding observations on the third to sixth periodic reports released on 28 February 2019.More information about education in Guinea: Equatorial Guinea Education Sector Diagnostic

Senegal's report reveals major problems in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Almost half of the country's children live in income-poor families, education is not free and public institutions depend heavily on international aid organizations.

The Committee is concerned about the increasing number of girls, particularly from other West African countries, who are subjected to domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation, including for sex tourism.
The Committee welcomes criminalization of female genital mutilation. The Committee is concerned, however, about the slow progress in the abandonment of this practice, which remains highly prevalent in certain regions. It is also concerned about the high rate of child and forced marriage, particularly in rural areas. To improve the situation, the Committee recommends to establish protective mechanisms and services to safeguard children, especially girls, at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation, and ensure that all victims of this practice have access to social, medical, psychological and rehabilitative services and legal redress.

The Committee urges the State party to set up comprehensive measures to develop inclusive education, including by training and assigning specialized teachers and professionals, and creating school environments appropriate for children with disabilities. The State party should also investigate and prosecute perpetrators of acts of inhumane and degrading treatment against children with disabilities. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party develop and implement awareness-raising programmes, including campaigns, aimed at government officials, the public and families, to combat the stigmatization against children with disabilities and promote a positive image of such children. Further, health-care and social and rehabilitation services for children with disabilities need to be improved by ensuring the necessary human, technical and financial resources and adequate infrastructure.

The Committee welcomes the decline in the under-five mortality rate and the expanded coverage of immunization programmes, as well as the relative decline in maternal mortality and the establishment of universal health care.
However, the Committee remains concerned about the insufficient overall funding allocated to the health-care sector and the insufficient number of qualified and experienced health-care providers and their inequitable distribution across the country, causing regional disparities in health services provision. It is also concerned about the high numbers of malnourished and severely stunted children, particularly in rural areas.

Concerning drug and substance abuse, the Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to address the incidence of drug use by children and adolescents by, inter alia, providing children and adolescents with accurate and objective information as well as life skills education on preventing drug and substance abuse. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party develop accessible and youth-friendly drug dependence treatment and harm reduction services.

There are inadequate mental health services for adolescents. Therefore, the Committee recommends to strengthen adolescent-sensitive mental health counselling services and make them known and accessible to adolescents.

The Committee is concerned about the lack of measures taken to protect children from violations of their rights arising from tourism activities. It is also concerned that private investment, particularly in the mining and fishing industries, does not necessarily benefit local communities and may bring harmful consequences for families and children, such as the use of child labour and exposure to harmful substances. The Committee also notes the lack of information on any regulatory framework to address the social and environmental responsibility of business corporations and industries, both national and international, that could prevent possible negative impacts from their activities on children.

The Committee recommends that the State party undertake awareness-raising campaigns with the tourism industry and the public at large on the prevention of child sex tourism and widely disseminate the World Tourism Organization global code of ethics for tourism among travel agents and in the tourism industry. Also, the State party should also establish clear regulations and a nationwide legislative framework, including through the adoption of agreements between private enterprises and the State party at the local level, requiring companies operating in the State party to adopt measures to prevent and mitigate the adverse impact on child rights of their operations in the country.

The Committee notes the establishment of 14 juvenile courts throughout the country, as well as the efforts to revise the Penal Code and the Penal Procedure Code which will provide the opportunity for children aged 13 to 18 who are in conflict with the law to receive assistance and protection and to benefit from defined alternative measures to detention. However, the Committee remains concerned that the existing Penal Code lacks specificity on the social and protection measures for children in conflict with the law, as well as on clear mechanisms to support children and the family so that they can benefit from such measures. Further, juvenile courts lack specialized juvenile judges, and the number of adequately trained social educators is limited. The Committee is also concerned that deprivation of liberty is not used as a last resort and children have been detained in adult prisons.
To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to, inter alia, ensure the provision of qualified and independent legal aid to children in conflict with the law at an early stage of the procedure and throughout the legal proceedings and to establish specialized juvenile court facilities throughout the country with adequate human, technical and financial resources, and continue to provide training on relevant international standards to those responsible for administrating the juvenile justice system. In cases where detention is unavoidable, Senegal should ensure that the children are not detained together with adults and that the detention conditions are compliant with international standards, including with regard to access to education and to health services. In addition to that, Senegal should ensure that both sentenced and released persons below 18 years of age are provided with educational opportunities, including vocational and life-skills training, and recovery and social reintegration services.

The Committee welcomes the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance in April 2014 and the subsequent improvement of the security situation in Casamance. The Committee notes with appreciation the establishment of the National Agency to Revive Economic and Social Activity in Casamance, as well as the measures taken to protect children affected by the armed conflict, including by improving the prevention of accidents caused by landmines and by providing child landmine victims with psychosocial and material assistance. However, the Committee remains concerned that physical, psychological and social needs of children living in the area are not being addressed sufficiently and that landmines from the conflict are still a threat.
The Committee recommends that the State party take all appropriate measures, including through international cooperation, to further address the physical, psychological and social reintegration needs of children affected by the conflict and to pursue its efforts to demine former conflict areas, including by ensuring effective implementation of the humanitarian demining programme and providing adequate human, technical and financial resources to the National Anti-Mine Centre of Senegal.

Concluding observations on the third to fifth periodic reports released on 7 March 2016. More information about education in Senegal: https://www.hrw.org