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