Convention on the Rights of the Child
Distr.
GENERAL
CRC/C/15/Add.246
3 November 2004
Original: ENGLISH
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
Thirty-seventh session
CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES
UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE CONVENTION
Concluding observations: Angola
1. The Committee considered the initial report of Angola (CRC/C/3/Add.66) at
its 991st to 992nd meetings (see CRC/C/SR.991 and 992), held on 27 September
2004, and adopted at its 999th meeting (CRC/C/SR.999), held on 1 October 2004,
the following concluding observations.
A. Introduction
2. The Committee welcomes the submission of the State party’s initial
report, which follows the guidelines for reporting, but regrets that it was
submitted more than 10 years late. The Committee also welcomes the written replies
to its list of issues (CRC/C/Q/ANG/1) and the additional information provided
to it during the dialogue. It further notes with appreciation the open dialogue
with the high-level delegation of the State party, which included experts from
relevant State institutions.
B. Positive aspects
3. The Committee welcomes:
(a) The Peace Accord of Luena of 2002 ending 27 years of civil war;
(b) The efforts made by the State party to promote the reintegration of returning
refugees as well as the measures taken to regularize the status of refugee children
born in Angola;
(c) The commitments made to strengthen the protection of the rights of the young
child by the State party in the context of the first National Forum on Early
Childhood Care and Development, held in Luanda from 14 to 16 June 2004;
(d) The ratification in 2001 of the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and
the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182);
(e) The ratification of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the
Child in July 2003;
(f) The accession in July 2004 to the African Peer Review Mechanism under the
African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
programme.
C. Factors and difficulties impeding the implementation of the Convention
4. The Committee notes that the many years of armed conflict, which ended in
2002, have had a very negative impact on children in Angola and on the implementation
of their rights. In particular, it notes that as a consequence of the conflict
more than 4 million people were internally displaced; many children were separated
from their parents; schools, health services and the infrastructure of many
communities were destroyed or severely damaged; and children suffered serious
physical, psychological and other traumas.
D. Principal subjects of concern, suggestions and recommendations
1. General measures of implementation
Legislation and implementation
5. The Committee is concerned that the process of legislative reform to guarantee
the rights of the child and to ensure that domestic legislation is in full conformity
with the Convention has still not been completed. It is also concerned at the
lack of timely publication of laws and rules and regulations and the delayed
implementation of adopted laws, such as the Law on Juvenile Justice and related
rules and regulations.
6. The Committee urges the State party to accelerate the process of revising
its legislation, including the ongoing process of drafting a new constitution,
to bring it into conformity with the Convention. It further recommends that
the State party take the necessary measures to ensure the timely publication
of laws and rules and regulations and the efficient and effective implementation
of laws.
Independent monitoring structures
7. While noting the existence of a human rights office in the Ministry of Justice,
a human rights commission of the National Assembly and a number of human rights
commissions at the provincial level, the Committee regrets the lack of an independent
national human rights institution in the State party. It notes in this regard
that the Constitution allows for the establishment of such an institution.
8. The Committee recommends that the State party establish an independent human
rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles (General Assembly
resolution 48/134, annex) and the Committee’s General Comment No. 2 on
national human rights institutions. The Committee also recommends the establishment
of a national commission or ombudsperson for children, possibly as part of a
national human rights institution, with a mandate to monitor the implementation
of the Convention and deal with complaints from children in a child-sensitive
manner. Furthermore, the State party should ensure proper coordination between
these independent monitoring bodies and existing human rights offices and commissions.
Coordination
9. The Committee notes the existence of a number of national institutions and
bodies which in various ways are involved with the coordination and/or monitoring
of programmes and policies to strengthen the implementation of children’s
rights, such as the National Children’s Institute, the National Children’s
Office and the Inter-Ministerial Commission for the Coordination of Early Childhood
Activities. It also takes note of plans to establish a new State body, the National
Children’s Council, whose main function will be to help define the national
strategy for children and evaluate the performance of State institutions in
the implementation of policies concerning the rights of the child. The Committee
is, however, concerned at the lack of a mechanism to ensure effective coordination
between these institutions and bodies as well as between the national, regional
and local levels.
10. The Committee recommends that the State party create, for example, as suggested
during the dialogue, by establishing a single national council, an appropriate
national mechanism with a clear mandate and sufficient human and financial resources
to effectively coordinate all activities undertaken by the State party for the
implementation of children’s rights at the national, regional and local
levels. The State party is encouraged to seek technical assistance from, among
others, UNICEF in this regard.
National plan of action
11. The Committee notes the adoption of a number of specific national policies
and plans of action, such as the National Policy for Orphans and Vulnerable
Children, and acknowledges the need for a variety of short-term actions and
programmes to address the immediate consequences of the armed conflict. It is,
however, concerned at the lack of a comprehensive mid- and long term national
plan of action for all children in the State party.
12. The Committee strongly recommends that the State party, in consultation
and cooperation with relevant partners, including civil society, adopt and implement,
a national plan of action for children with mid- and long-term targets, which
covers all areas of the Convention and takes into account the outcome document
of the 2002 special session of the General Assembly on children, “A world
fit for children”, and provides for adequate follow-up mechanisms. The
State party is encouraged to seek international assistance from bi- and multilateral
donors, including UNICEF, in this respect.
Allocation of budgetary resources
13. The Committee welcomes the information that the scheduled budgetary allocations
for education have been increased for 2004. However, it notes that the overall
level of allocations to the social sector remains very low. While acknowledging
the many needs of the State party in rebuilding and reconstructing its infrastructure,
the Committee notes that the State party has a very considerable wealth of natural
resources and expresses its concern that the State party is not meeting its
obligations under article 4 of the Convention. It also notes with concern in
this regard reports, including from the International Monetary Fund, indicating
deficiencies in fiscal information and weak monitoring and control of public
expenditure.
14. The Committee recommends that the State party continue and strengthen its
efforts to increase budgetary allocations for the realization of children’s
rights, especially to basic services in the areas of health, education and protection
(including recovery and reintegration of child victims of war), to the “maximum
extent … of available resources”. In this regard, the Committee
recommends that the State party increase budgetary allocations for the social
sector and make sure that revenues from oil and other sources is handled in
a transparent manner in order to prevent embezzlement and corruption. The State
party is encouraged, in this regard, to ratify the United Nations Convention
against Corruption which it signed in December 2003. Furthermore, the Committee
encourages the State party to continue its efforts to reduce its external debt
and to ensure that the social sector benefits from such reduction.
Data collection
15. The Committee appreciates the efforts undertaken by the State party to improve
data collection. However, it expresses concern at the lack of adequately disaggregated
data (by age, sex, urban and rural areas, etc.) and insufficient data in some
areas covered by the Convention, including on disabled children.
16. The Committee recommends that the State party continue and strengthen its
efforts, including training of relevant personnel, to develop a system for the
comprehensive collection of comparative and disaggregated data on the implementation
of the rights of the child. The data should cover all children below the age
of 18 years and be disaggregated, inter alia, by age group, gender and groups
of children in need of special protection. The State party should also develop
indicators to effectively monitor and evaluate progress achieved in the implementation
of the Convention and assess the impact of policies that affect children. The
Committee recommends that the State party continue its cooperation with UNICEF
in this regard.
Training/dissemination of the Convention
17. The Committee is concerned that awareness of the Convention among professionals
working with and for children and among the general public, especially children
themselves, remains low.
18. The Committee encourages the State party:
(a) To strengthen and expand its ongoing programme of dissemination of information
on the Convention and its implementation among children and parents, civil society,
and all sectors and levels of Government;
(b) To develop systematic and ongoing training programmes on human rights, including
children’s rights, for all persons working for and with children (e.g.
judges, lawyers, law enforcement officials, civil servants, local government
officials, teachers, health personnel) and especially for children themselves;
(c) To translate the Convention into the main local languages.
Cooperation with NGOs
19. The Committee welcomes the cooperation between State institutions and civil
society institutions in the implementation of projects related to children’s
rights. However, it also notes the information that there is a need to further
improve this cooperation.
20. The Committee encourages the State party to strengthen its cooperation with
NGOs and involve NGOs and other sectors of civil society working with and for
children more systematically throughout all stages of the implementation of
the Convention.
2. General principles
Non-discrimination
21. The Committee is concerned at the discrimination faced by children with
disabilities, girls, and children belonging to the San communities in the State
party.
22. The Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary legislative
measures to explicitly prohibit all forms of discrimination, in accordance with
article 2 of the Convention. In this regard, it encourages the State party to
include “disability” as a legally unacceptable ground for discrimination
in the new constitution currently under consideration. The Committee also recommends
that the State party undertake the necessary actions, including awareness-raising
and educational campaigns, to reduce and prevent discrimination in practice,
particularly against girls.
23. The Committee requests that specific information be included in the next
periodic report on the measures and programmes relevant to the Convention undertaken
by the State party to follow up on the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
adopted at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia
and Related Intolerance, held in 2001, taking account of the Committee’s
General Comment No. 1 on the aims of education.
Respect for the views of the child
24. The Committee affirms that children have the right to be heard in court
proceedings and administrative procedures. However, it notes with concern that
traditional norms in the State party do not encourage children to express their
views in the family, in schools, in other institutions and in the community.
25. In light of article 12 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that
the State party strengthen its efforts to promote, within the family, schools
and other institutions, respect for the views of children, especially of girls,
and facilitate children’s participation in all matters affecting them.
The State party should undertake national awareness-raising campaigns to change
traditional adult-centred attitudes which hinder children’s right to express
their views freely in all matters that affect them.
3. Civil rights and freedoms
Birth registration
26. While welcoming the efforts undertaken by the State party in cooperation
with civil society groups to ensure that children are registered and provided
with birth certificates, including the National Campaign for Free Registration
of Children, the Committee remains concerned about the unacceptably high number
of unregistered children in the State party and the consequences of non-registration
on children’s access to education and other services.
27. In light of article 7 of the Convention, the Committee strongly recommends
that the State party undertake all necessary measures (e.g. by using mobile
birth registration units) to ensure that all children are registered at birth,
including by providing such registration free of charge, in line with the commitments
made by the Government at the National Forum on Early Childhood Care and Development
in June 2004. Meanwhile, children whose births have not been registered should
be allowed to access basic services, such as health and education, while waiting
to be properly registered.
Freedoms of expression, thought, conscience and religion; freedom of association;
protection of privacy; access to appropriate information
28. The Committee expresses its concern at reports of the lack of respect for
the privacy of children in the media and at the very little information provided
by the State party on the de facto implementation of articles 13 to 17 of the
Convention, including, inter alia, freedom of expression in schools.
29. The Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary measures
to ensure respect for the child’s right to privacy, particularly by the
media, and to ensure that children are allowed to express their thoughts and
opinions. The State party is requested to provide information in its next report
on the de facto implementation of articles 13 to 17 of the Convention.
Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
30. The Committee expresses its deep concern at the re-emergence of the persecution
of children accused of witchcraft and the very negative consequences of such
accusations, including cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and even murder.
31. The Committee urges the State party to take immediate action to eliminate
the mistreatment of children accused of witchcraft, including by prosecuting
the perpetrators of this mistreatment and intensive education campaigns that
involve local leaders.
Corporal punishment
32. The Committee is concerned at the common use of corporal punishment in families
and in schools and other institutions for children.
33. The Committee recommends that the State party take effective measures to
enforce the ban on corporal punishment in schools and other institutions; to
prohibit the use of violence against children, including corporal punishment,
by parents and other caregivers; and to undertake campaigns to educate families,
teachers, and other professionals working with and for children on alternative
ways of disciplining children.
4. Family environment and alternative care
Children deprived of a family environment/alternative care; adoption; and periodic
review of placement
34. The Committee expresses its concern that the care of children deprived of
their family in the State party is insufficient. Although children’s placement
in foster families is given priority, many children are placed in homes that
are poorly equipped and understaffed, as there is a lack of foster care and
family-based alternative care. The inadequate monitoring and follow-up of placements
in institutions is also a cause of concern.
35. The Committee recommends that the State party take effective measures to
develop and promote an effective and extended system of foster care and other
family-based alternative care. The State party should also take measures to
ensure that the situation of children living in institutions, both public and
private, is regularly monitored.
Abuse and neglect
36. The Committee is concerned about the growing number of cases of abuse and
violence against children, including sexual abuse in their homes, in schools
and in other institutions.
37. The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen current efforts
to address the problem of child abuse, including by ensuring that:
(a) Child-sensitive mechanisms to receive and investigate complaints regarding
ill-treatment and abuse are established;
(b) Public education campaigns about the negative consequences of ill-treatment
and preventive programmes, including family development programmes, promoting
positive, non-violent forms of discipline are conducted;
(c) Counselling and assistance with recovery and reintegration are provided
to all victims of violence;
(d) Adequate protection to child victims of abuse in their homes is provided;
(e) The national plan of action to combat sexual abuse of minors is effectively
implemented.
Recovery of maintenance
38. While the Family Code obliges parents to provide for the maintenance of
their children, the Committee is concerned that in practice it is difficult
to recover this maintenance and often it is the parent who has custody who carries
the full financial costs of bringing up the child.
39. The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen measures to ensure
that both parents contribute to the maintenance of their children.
5. Basic health and welfare
Children with disabilities
40. The Committee welcomes the efforts to elaborate a strategy to support children
with disabilities, in conjunction with UNICEF. However, the Committee regrets
the lack of official data on the number of children with disabilities and the
lack of care facilities for these children, especially in rural areas, and the
fact that a large number of children with disabilities do not attend any form
of education.
41. In light of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for
Persons with Disabilities (General Assembly resolution 48/96, annex) and the
recommendations adopted by the Committee at its day of general discussion on
the rights of children with disabilities (see CRC/C/69), the Committee recommends
that the State party take all necessary measures:
(a) To address all issues of discrimination, including social discrimination,
in particular against children with disabilities living in rural areas;
(b) To collect accurate statistical data on children with disabilities;
(c) To provide equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities,
including by providing the necessary support and ensuring that teachers are
trained to educate children with disabilities in regular schools;
(d) To ensure equal access to health services;
(e) To continue and strengthen cooperation with UNICEF.
Health and health services
42. The Committee expresses its deep concern at the alarming levels of mortality
among children, with 25 per cent of children dying before they reach the age
of 5. It notes that the main causes of child mortality are related to malaria,
diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases.
The Committee is also concerned about the fact that a majority of children do
not have access to adequate heath services, the high level of malnutrition among
children, the lack of access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation, and
inadequate breastfeeding practices among women.
43. The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to improve
the health situation of children in the State party, including through:
(a) A continuation and strengthening of its efforts to ensure that all children
have access to basic health-care services;
(b) Strengthening vaccination programmes;
(c) Improving the nutritional status of children;
(d) Active promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for six months after birth,
with the addition of appropriate infant diet thereafter.
Adolescent health
44. The Committee is concerned at the lack of adolescent health services and
the large number of teenage pregnancies.
45. The Committee recommends that the State party pay close attention to adolescent
health, taking into account the Committee’s General Comment No. 4 on adolescent
health and development. In particular, the State party should strengthen sexual
and reproductive health education for adolescents, including family planning
measures, especially in schools and out-of-school programmes, with a view to
reducing the incidence of teenage pregnancy, and provide pregnant teenage girls
with the necessary assistance and access to health care and education. It is
also recommended that a comprehensive study be undertaken to assess the scope
and nature of adolescent health problems, including the prevalence and negative
impact of STIs and HIV/AIDS.
Harmful traditional practices
46. The Committee notes with concern the customary practice of early marriage.
47. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure the effective enforcement
of the minimum age for contracting marriage stipulated in the Family Code. Such
measures should be accompanied by awareness-raising campaigns to prevent early
marriages.
HIV/AIDS
48. The Committee expresses its concern about the high and growing incidence
of HIV/AIDS in the State party and the high number of children who are infected
with HIV or have become AIDS orphans.
49. The Committee refers the State party to its General Comment No. 3 on HIV/AIDS
and the rights of the child and recommends that the State party reinforce its
efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, including by:
(a) Accelerating the adoption and implementation of a national plan of action
for orphans, vulnerable children and children affected by HIV/AIDS, as envisaged
in the 2004 National Forum on Early Childhood Care and Development;
(b) Continuing and strengthening measures taken under the National Programme
to Combat HIV/AIDS;
(c) Developing youth-sensitive and confidential counselling, care and rehabilitation
facilities that are accessible without parental consent when this is in the
best interests of the child;
(d) Seeking technical cooperation from, among others, UNAIDS.
Social security and childcare services and facilities/standard of living
50. The Committee expresses its concern at the high and increasing number of
children living in poverty and extreme poverty in the State party, especially
in rural areas. It notes with particular concern the very poor living conditions
of many internally displaced children and children living in so-called informal
settlements.
51. The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to
provide acceptable living conditions for children and their families, in particular
in view of the child’s right to protection, health and education. Such
efforts should include target measures to improve the living conditions of those
children and families most in need.
6. Education, leisure and cultural activities
Education, including vocational training and guidance
52. The Committee notes with appreciation a number of initiatives, including
the National Plan on Education for All, to rebuild the educational infrastructure
and expand the educational system so as to enrol more children and improve pre-school
education. The Committee notes with concern, however, the very low enrolment
of children in pre-school and primary school and the even lower enrolment in
secondary school, in particular of girls. It is also concerned about the marked
disparities in enrolment between rural and urban areas, the high rates of non
attendance and repetition, overcrowded classrooms and teaching in two or three
shifts, fees and extra payments charged in many schools, the low quality of
education, the large number of untrained teachers, the insufficient in-service
training and low salaries of teachers. The Committee is also concerned about
the lack of facilities for vocational training, leaving many adolescents without
preparation for skilled labour. Furthermore, the Committee notes that the entire
educational system is extremely underfinanced, which endangers the implementation
of the above-mentioned plans to rehabilitate and expand the educational system.
53. The Committee urges the State party to take all necessary measures:
(a) To increase budgetary allocations to education;
(b) To rehabilitate the infrastructure of the educational system in the entire
country;
(c) To reduce shifts of classes;
(d) To meet the target set at the 2004 National Forum on Early Childhood Care
and Development to guarantee at least 30 per cent of children access to pre-school
education by 2008;
(e) To increase enrolment rates and reduce repetition and dropout rates and
ensure that all children have effective access to primary education free of
charge;
(f) To prevent and eliminate gender and urban-rural disparities in school attendance
and completion rates;
(g) To undertake campaigns to instil awareness among parents of the importance
of sending their children, particularly girls, to school;
(h) To adequately equip existing and new classrooms and schools with books and
sufficient and appropriate teaching and learning materials;
(i) To improve teaching and learning methods focusing on a child-centred curriculum
and instruction;
(j) To expand the facilities of vocational training at the secondary school
level and for adolescents who have never attended school or dropped out before
completing school;
(k) To ensure that recruited teachers are qualified and expand and improve both
pre-service and in-service teacher training, and provide adequate salaries for
teachers;
(l) To improve efficiency in the management of education programmes.
Aims of education
54. The Committee notes the absence of human rights education in the school
curricula in the State party.
55. The Committee recommends that the State party adopt and implement a national
plan for integrating education on human rights in general and children’s
rights in particular in the primary and secondary school curricula, taking into
account the Committee’s General Comment No. 1 on the aims of education.
Leisure, recreation and cultural activities
56. The Committee notes with concern children’s general lack of access
to leisure and cultural facilities.
57. The Committee recommends that the State party give priority to improving
children’s access to, and the quality of, sports facilities, cultural
institutions and other leisure facilities.
7. Special protection measures
Refugee and internally displaced children
58. The Committee notes with appreciation the many efforts undertaken by the
State party to address the various problems resulting from massive internal
and cross-border displacements. Despite the good results achieved in returning
people to their places of origin, the Committee is concerned about the vulnerable
situation of internally displaced and refugee families and children in the State
party. It is also concerned that the returnees are facing many problems, particularly
due to the lack of basic services, and that many children have still not been
reunited with their parents.
59. The Committee urges the State party to give priority attention to the vulnerable
situation of displaced families and children and ensure that adequate support
is given to the reintegration of families and children who have returned to
their places of origin after the end of the armed conflict. The State party
should, in this regard, ensure compliance with the Norms on the Resettlement
of Displaced Populations (Decree 1/01 of 5 January 2001) which provides, inter
alia, for the voluntary nature of resettlement, the security of resettlement
sites, the allocation of adequate land and the provision of certain basic amenities
and services, such as water, sanitation, schools and health facilities.
Armed conflict
60. While welcoming the actions undertaken for the disarmament, demobilization
and reintegration of combatants, the Committee is deeply concerned that inadequate
attention is given to the plight of former child soldiers, in particular girls.
The Committee is also concerned about the situation of children in the enclave
of Cabinda, which is still affected by violent conflict.
61. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that special attention
is given to former child soldiers and children, in particular girls, who were
domestic workers, porters, etc. All children who participated in military groups
should be eligible for
rehabilitation programmes. These programmes should include psychosocial rehabilitation
and programmes for community integration. Furthermore, the State party should
take all necessary measures to provide adequate protection for children in the
enclave of Cabinda.
62. The Committee notes with deep concern the large number of landmines which
remain spread out across the country, causing many deaths and injuries every
year and posing a threat to the life, survival and development of children in
the State party.
63. The Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures
to protect children against landmines, including by continuing and strengthening
its mine clearance programmes and programmes for mine awareness and physical
rehabilitation of child victims.
Economic exploitation
64. While welcoming the State party’s ratification of ILO Conventions
Nos. 138 and 182 in 2001, the Committee is concerned that many children below
the legal age for employment work in the State party, mostly in family farms
and in the informal sector, and that the work of these children is not monitored,
although it is known that children are vulnerable to exploitation in employment.
65. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Strengthen its efforts to prevent children under the legal age for employment
from working;
(b) Seek innovative strategies whereby children who have completed their primary
education who choose to work can combine working with continued education;
(c) Establish an inspection system in order to ensure that work performed by
children is light work and not exploitative;
(d) Develop targeted programmes to protect the rights of children separated
from their parents and working in the streets;
(e) Seek technical assistance from ILO/IPEC.
Sexual exploitation and trafficking
66. The Committee is concerned about the extent of the problem of sexual exploitation
of and trafficking in children in the State party and notes that internally
displaced and street children are particularly vulnerable to such abuse.
67. The Committee recommends that the State party further strengthen its efforts
to identify, prevent and combat trafficking in children for sexual and other
exploitative purposes, including by finalizing the national plan of action in
this area and providing the appropriate legal framework and sufficient human
and financial resources for its implementation. The Committee also encourages
the State party to define “trafficking” as a special criminal offence
under the Penal Code.
Street children
68. The Committee expresses its concern at the increasing number of street children
in the State party. It also notes with concern the generalized use of intoxicating
substances among street children.
69. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Conduct a comprehensive study to assess the situation of street children;
(b) Take measures to prevent and reduce this phenomenon by addressing its root
causes;
(c) Ensure that street children are provided with adequate nutrition, clothing,
housing, health care and educational opportunities, including vocational and
life-skills training, in order to support their full development;
(d) Ensure that these children are provided with recovery and reintegration
services for physical, sexual and substance abuse and services for reconciliation
with their families.
Administration of juvenile justice
70. The Committee welcomes the establishment of a specific juvenile justice
system under the Law on Juvenile Justice of 19 April 1996. It expresses concern,
however, at the failure to implement the law and the fact that the rules and
regulations governing this law have still to be published.
71. In light of articles 37, 39 and 40 and other relevant international standards,
the Committee recommends that the State party ensure the full implementation
of juvenile justice standards in conformity with those articles of the Convention,
as well as with other United Nations standards in this field, in particular
the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile
Justice (the Beijing Rules) and the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention
of Juvenile Delinquency (the Riyadh Guidelines). In particular, the Committee
recommends that the State party:
(a) Allocate adequate human and financial resources to ensure the implementation
of the Law on Juvenile Justice throughout the State party, including the creation
of juvenile courts and the official publication of rules and regulations concerning
that law;
(b) Provide adequate training to those responsible for administering juvenile
justice;
(c) Ensure that all offenders under the age of 18 are tried under the juvenile
justice system;
(d) Consider deprivation of liberty only as a measure of last resort and for
the shortest possible period of time and encourage the use of alternative measures
to the deprivation of liberty;
(e) Seek assistance from, inter alia, OHCHR and UNICEF.
8. Ratification of the Optional Protocols
72. The Committee notes the information provided by the State party about the
approval by Parliament of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the
sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and on the involvement
of children in armed conflict in 2002. However, the Committee notes that the
instruments of ratification have not yet been deposited with the Secretary-General,
and urges the State party to take immediate action in this regard.
9. Follow-up and dissemination
Follow-up
73. The Committee recommends that the State party take all appropriate measures
to ensure full implementation of the present recommendations, inter alia by
transmitting them to the members of the Council of Ministers or the Cabinet
or similar body, the Parliament, and to provincial or State governments and
parliaments, when applicable, for appropriate consideration and further action.
Dissemination
74. The Committee further recommends that the initial report and written replies
submitted by the State party and the related recommendations (concluding observations)
it adopted be made widely available, including (but not exclusively) through
the Internet, to the public at large, civil society organizations, youth groups,
professional groups and children in order to generate debate and awareness of
the Convention, its implementation and monitoring.
10. Next report
75. The Committee underlines the importance of a reporting practice that is
in full compliance with the provisions of article 44 of the Convention. An important
aspect of States parties’ responsibilities to children under the Convention
includes ensuring that the Committee on the Rights of the Child has regular
opportunities to examine the progress made in the Convention’s implementation.
In this regard, regular and timely reporting by States parties is crucial. The
Committee recognizes that some States parties experience difficulties in reporting
in a timely and regular manner. As an exceptional measure, in order to help
the State party catch up with its reporting obligations so as to be in full
compliance with the Convention, the Committee invites the State party to submit
its next periodic reports by 3 January 2008, due date of the fourth periodic
report. This report, which will combine the second, third and fourth periodic
reports, should not exceed 120 pages (see CRC/C/118), and the Committee expects
the State party to report every five years thereafter, as foreseen by the Convention.