Committee on the Rights of the Child

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 44 of the Convention

Combined third to fifth periodic reports of States parties due in 2015

Cameroon *

[Date received: 6 December 2015]

Contents

Page

Background information on Cameroon3

I.General implementation measures4

II.Definition of the child10

III.General principles10

IV.Civil rights and freedoms13

V.Family environment and alternative care16

VI.Disability, basic health and welfare19

VII.Education, leisures and cultural activities27

VIII.Special protection measures 31

IX.Ratification of international instruments on human rights41

X.Follow-up and dissemination42

Annexes43

1.Cameroon signed on 27 October 1990 and ratified on 11 January 1993, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989. It produced its Initial Reference Report CRC/C/28/Add-16, it was received in the Committee on the Rights of the Child on 4 April 2000 and examined during its 28th Session (737th, 738th and 749th Meetings) held in October 2001.

2.The second Periodic Report with Reference No. CRC/C/CMR/2, submitted to the Committee on 3 April 2008, was reviewed during its 53rd Session (1465th and 1466th Meetings), and adopted at its 1501st Meeting, held on 29 January 2010.

3.In accordance with Article 44 of the Convention, this Third Periodic Report contains information on the legislative, administrative, judicial and other measures taken to give effect to the provisions of the Convention. It also takes into account the concluding observations and recommendations, adopted at the end of the Second Review Report and which are contained in the Reference Document CRC/C/CMR/CO/2 of 29 January 2010.

4.This Report covers the period from 2010 to 2014 and is structured as follows:

•Background Information on Cameroon;

•General Implementation Measures;

•Definition of the Child;

•General Principles;

•Freedoms and Civil Rights;

•Family Environment and Protection of Alternative Care;

•Disability, Health and Basic Wellbeing;

•Education, Leisure and Cultural Activities;

•Special Protection Measures;

•Ratification of International Instruments on Human Rights;

•Follow-up and Dissemination.

Background information on Cameroon

5.Data on the geographical situation of Cameroon, its political structure, applied policies and programmes and the general legal framework for the protection of human rights contained in the previous Reports of the CRC, remain valid.

6.The new elements on the population, estimated in 2010 at 19,406,100 inhabitants, include 51% of women. 51.3% of the population of Cameroon is under the age of 18, with 25.6% of boys and 25.6% girls, (according to the results of the 3rd GPHC). 22.4% of this category lives in urban areas against 28.9% in rural areas.

7.With regard to the number of persons of foreign origin who live in Cameroon, it is estimated at 5,427,798. They live peacefully with the national population. This makes the country a hospitable country with respect to African traditions and practices. As an illustration, since January 2014, 122,915 new refugees were received, bringing the total number of refugees in Cameroon to 220,949, including 170,394 children (accounting for 67%). 64 015 refugees live in developed areas and 156,834 out of these areas, which makes the follow-up of the latter difficult. This influx of refugees from neighbouring countries (Nigeria, Central African Republic, Chad, etc.) increases over time, leading to a constant update of the data.

8.Politically, the major change that took place relates to the effectiveness of the bicameral nature of the Cameroonian Parliament, at the end of the Legislative and Senatorial Elections in April 2013. The Legislative Power is now exercised by the National Assembly, which has 180 members and the Senate which has 100 Senators.

9.Economically, the fight against poverty and malnutrition remains one of the major concerns of the Government. To ensure food self-sufficiency, public authorities opted for an “agricultural revolution”, referred to as 2nd Generation Agriculture, whose prior objective is the implementation of modern means of production.

10.To achieve the development goal, the Government has focused its strategy on sustainable and strong economic growth and the creation of thousands of decent jobs.

11.In fact, the issue of unemployment is a major challenge. The Government continues to affirm its commitment to reduce youth unemployment, especially with the recruitment of 25 000 young graduates into Public Service in 2011, as well as the creation of more than 150 000 jobs in various sectors of activities between 2013 and 2014. Within the context of major development projects, a plan to promote national jobs and technology transfer was drawn up in partnership with company managers. These measures added to those started some ten years ago had the combined effect of improving the employment rate of young persons.

I.General implementation measures

12.The general implementation measures are on the following eight areas of actions: legislation, coordination, national plan of action, independent follow-up, allocation of resources, data collection, dissemination, training and raising awareness.

1.Legislation

13.In accordance with the recommendation of paragraph 10 of the Report of Observations of the 53rd Session, the Civil Code which is being drafted includes, in a harmonized way, the essential elements of the draft Child Protection Code and Persons and the Family Code.

14.Other texts that take into account the specific concerns of the protection of certain specific rights of the child had been adopted such as:

•Law No. 2011/011 of 6 May 2011 to amend and supplement certain provisions of the 1981 Ordinance on Civil Status, which extends the deadline for the declaration of births and gives other alternatives if necessary;

•Law No. 2011/024 of 14 December 2011, on combating the smuggling and trafficking of persons in Cameroon which includes all the components of the family;

•Decree No. 2010/0243/PM of 26 February 2010, to lay down the procedures for the exercise of certain powers transferred by the State to councils in the area of granting assistance and relief to the poor and needy;

•Decree No. 268/2012 11 June 2012, on the organisation of the Ministry of Basic Education (MINEDUB) which contains a provision on supervision and monitoring of the activities of Governments and the Children’s Parliament;

•Decree No. 2013/031 of 13 February 2013 on the Organization and Functioning of the National Civil Status Bureau (BUNEC);

•Order No. 012/CAB/PM of 31 January 2013 on the setting up, organization and functioning of the Committee for the Coordination and Monitoring of Strategies to Combat Trafficking in Human Organs and Ritual Crimes;

•Order No. 087/PM of 27 August 2014, on the establishment of the Inter-sector Committee to Combat Child Labour;

•Resolution No. A/C3/67/21/Rev of the United Nations General Assembly on Stepping up the fight against Female Genital Mutilations (2013).

15.In addition, studies were conducted on the ratification of ILO Conventions No. 102 on social security, No. 189 on domestic workers and No. 142 on human resources development.

16.With regard to human resources, training sessions organized since 2011 for stakeholders in the child protection chain (judges, police, social workers, etc.) have gradually enabled professionals to become more skilful in handling issues of child protection.

17.On the whole, it should be noted that Cameroon has made significant strides in the protection of the child. This involves especially enlarging the chain of government stakeholders in this area.

18.The implementation of the recommendations in the field of legislation in favour of the child is hindered by the following:

•The lukewarm application of many laws governing the rights of the child in Cameroon;

•The poor perception of the need for a legal instrument specific to the child and/or family;

•The absence of instruments of implementation of the Law of 2011 on smuggling and trafficking in persons in Cameroon.

19.The ongoing drafting of training modules in police, gendarmerie and magistracy schools, as well as training sessions organized for judicial personnel on the rights of the child will contribute to promote a proper implementation of instruments on the protection of the child.

2.Coordination

20.In the light of the recommendation in paragraph 12, the main coordination actions that marked the efforts of Cameroon during this period are:

•The setting up on 2 November 2010 of an Inter-ministerial Committee for supervision of the prevention and the fight against trafficking in human beings;

•The setting up in 2011 of an Inter-ministerial Committee for monitoring the implementation of recommendations/decisions taken by the Monitoring Organs of Treaties in the Prime Minister’s Office;

•The drafting, validation and official presentation of a Management Guide of Vulnerable Children;

•The enactment into law of the texts on Decentralization, which gives local authorities powers, human and financial resources necessary for the protection and catering of vulnerable children.

21.Thus, considerable efforts were made within the context of compliance with the recommendations made through the establishment of coordination mechanisms between the different stakeholders involved in child protection.

22.With regard to the above mentioned efforts, it is worth mentioning that some Government Departments responsible for the promotion and protection of children (Basic Education, Secondary Education, Youth and Civic Education...) were omitted in the instruments implementing the coordination mechanisms. However, the structures and departments concerned are systematically involved in some related work.

23.Furthermore, an appraisal of the process of decentralization carried out by the Permanent Decentralization Secretariat, reveals that a small proportion of key players are aware of this mechanism. To overcome this, the Government regularly organizes, with the support of development partners, capacity-building sessions for council executives.

3.National Plan of Action

24.Referring to the recommendation in paragraph 14 in its various subparagraphs, the National Action Plan for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (NAPPPHR) was drawn up and validated technically in March 2014 through a participatory process involving Government Services, autonomous state administrative structures and parastatals, as well as Civil Society Organizations, to better take into account the needs and aspirations of all social strata. It incorporates the concerns regarding the rights of the child in terms of protection and combating violence and abuse they may be victims of on a daily basis. Its implementation covers the period 2015-2019 and provides, for inclusion in the budget of the various administrations, forecasts for action in favour of children.

25.Since 2010, texts and programmes drawn up and adopted demonstrate the commitment of Cameroon in the promotion and protection of human rights in general and the rights of the child in particular. However, in order to avoid the adoption of a wide range of texts that may fall within the same Code, the option to draft a single legal text was taken.

4.Independent Follow-up

26.In response to the recommendation of paragraph 16, significant actions were taken concerning the status and the functioning of the National Commission on Human Rights Freedoms (NCHRF), in terms of allocation of human, technical and financial resources.

27.In 2010, the 2004 Law creating the NCHRF was amended. This made the Institution to be re-evaluated and given the “A” status by the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Right Institutions (ICCNHRIs).

28.To ensure its independence, the Commission itself recruits its staff. It has experienced a budget increase from 700 million to 720 million between 2011 and 2014 under the operating budget, and 400 to 500 million in the same time interval for the investment budget. The overall budget allocated for the year 2015 is 1.220 billion.

29.For increased protection of the rights of the child, the NCHRF has a Sub-committee responsible specifically for vulnerable groups and made up of professionals in issues of child protection. Children can directly contact the Commission services which are represented in seven Regions of the country.

30.It receives regularly from development partners especially the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, the Commonwealth and la Francophonie, technical support and capacity-building sessions for its members and staff.

31.Improving the status of the NCHRF, increasing its staff and ongoing initiatives for the construction of its headquarters building and the second amendment of the law organizing it, is testimony of Government’s efforts to comply with the Paris Principles relating to the status and functioning of NHRIs.

32.The main difficulty lies in the procedure for releasing funds involving automatic control which does not take account of the specificity of the treatment of cases of violation of human rights that require urgent and complete support. Moreover, the insufficient financial resources allocated to the NCHRF limits its actions.

33.In view of this, a new amendment of the 2004 Law which sets up the NCHRF has been recommended and an increase in its budget to better sustain the institution so that it can improve the situation of human rights. In addition, for a NHRI to comply with the Paris Principles, a greater involvement in the promotion of human rights is necessary, which will enable the institution to assist the Government in implementing its commitments towards the international community.

5.Allocation of Resources

34.The resources earmarked for the promotion and protection of children are included in the overall budgets of the ministries concerned. These allocations experienced a significant increase between 2011 and 2014 in MINAS, MINPROFF, MINEDUB, MINESEC and MINSANTE.

35.With regard to the Ministry of Social Affairs, it received respectively from 2011 to 2015 the following allocations: 4.329 billion (2011), 4.705 billion (2012), 5.624 billion (2013), 5.966 billion (2014) and 6.210 billion (2015).

36.With regard to the budget of the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, it experienced a relative increase from 2012 to 2015 as follows: 3.686 billion (2012); 4.453 billion (2013); 4.573 billion (2014) and 5.008 billion (2015).

37.As regards the budgets allocated to the social ministries in charge of education, in this case MINEDUB and MINESEC for the specified time period, there was an increase in these budgets, with more emphasis laid on the construction, maintenance of infrastructure especially classrooms, water points, hand washing points, separate latrines for girls and boys, sports facilities, etc. From 2011 to 2014, the investment budget of the Ministry of Basic Education rose from 12.2 in 2011 to 20.6 billion in 2014. This increase of more than 75% enabled the provision of schools with health infrastructure, especially in the northern Regions of the country where the lack of health infrastructure is one of the causes the low enrolment of girls, the spread of water-borne diseases and non-observance of hygienic rules. The overall budget for 2015 stood at 188.583 billion, giving an increase of slightly more than 14 billion as compared to 2014.

38.With regard to the Ministry of Secondary Education, its investment budget increased from 15.6 in 2011 to 20.7 billion in 2014, an increase of nearly 5 billion and an increase in the investment budget of 33.3% since 2011. The overall budget allocated to this Ministry for 2015 stands at 251,478,000,000, giving an increase of 29 billion with respect to 2014, of which 24.500 billion is for investment.

39.The budget allocated to the Ministry of Public Health between 2011 and 2014 rose from 74.6 billion to 91.4 billion CFAF for operating budget. On the other hand, the investment budget witnessed a slight drop during the same period, decreasing from 77.1 billion to 74.5 billion CFAF. The budget for 2015 has experienced a significant increase, standing at 207.066 billion.

40.Among the difficulties one can mention the absence of a mechanism for following up the actions of child protection and the non-existence of a Special Support Fund for the promotion of the rights of the child. To remedy this, two main actions have been implemented. This involves, on the one hand, the entry into force in 2013 of the new financial regime of the State adopted by the Finance Law of 2007/006 of 26 December 2007, which established the programme budget, which will enable a better control of the costs of actions to be carried out for children, and on the other hand, the revitalization of a platform for coordination of follow-up and budgetary control mechanisms.

6.Data Collection

41.Referring to the recommendation in paragraph 20 sub-paragraphs a, b and c, the resources made available by the State for the implementation of the National Statistics Development Strategy enabled, in recent years, the collection of data nationwide so as to get socio-demographic and economic information on the situation of all categories of children. This involves inter alia:

•The conduct in 2010 of a pilot study on the sexual exploitation of children for commercial purposes;

•Production in 2011 of the Report on Children in Need of Special Protection Measures (CNSPM) which contains statistical data on the different categories of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC);

•The realization in 2011 of the Demographic and Health Survey and the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (EDS-MICS);

•The conduct in 2012 of an assessment of progress made in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);

•The production of Statistical Directories of MINAS (2012) and MINPROFF (2013);

•The drawing up in 2013 of the health map of MINSANTE;

•The investigation and advocacy on children’s perception of the realization of the rights of the girl child (IDAY and Plan Cameroon 2013);

•Mapping and analysis of the child protection system in Cameroon (2012-2013).

42.Furthermore, the carrying out of these activities received technical and financial support from development partners, like the European Union (EU), the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank (WB), the World Health Organization (WHO).

43.The progress made in this area is based on the set up of services responsible for Statistics in Government Services. However, the human resources assigned to carry out this task are not sufficiently trained in techniques of collection and processing of data.

44.To this end, efforts are being made towards building the capacity of human resources and the deployment of statisticians in all Government Services.

7.Dissemination, Training and Raising Awareness

45.With reference to the recommendation in paragraph 22, efforts are being made by Government, development partners, the NCHRF and the Civil Society Organization to disseminate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is in this regard that the following actions were carried out:

•The organization in 2013 and 2014, as part of the celebration of the Day of the African Child, two symposia on the promotion and protection of the rights of the child involving community leaders, religious authorities, representatives of parents, children parliamentarians and civil society officials;

•The organization of radio and television broadcasts on the rights of the child;

•The organization of awareness campaigns through commercials to combat child labour;

•The holding of educative talks on the rights of children for parents, educators and children;

•Capacity building of the officials of the Central and External Services of MINPROFF, on international legal instruments relating to the rights of the child;

•The training of municipal councillors on planning and budgeting based on the rights of the child;

•Dissemination of the simplified version of the CRC for reading by children in communities;

•The training in April 2012, of journalists of the national and international press on the rights of the child, with emphasis on the CRC, in view of disseminating messages of awareness on this legal instrument, culminating in the setting up of a Network of Journalists Friends of Children (REJAE), which has 150 members representing 50 media organs.

46.In addition, in continuation of the implementation of the national education programme on human rights introduced in Cameroon since 2008, the modules and handbook on training of learners in primary and secondary schools include elements on the rights of the child.

47.The main difficulty is the lack of technical and financial resources for the dissemination of the CRC, especially translating it into the main local languages of Cameroon.

48.In view of this, funds are being mobilized for the translation of the CRC into local languages, for better dissemination.

8.Cooperation with the Civil Society

49.In the light of the recommendation in paragraph 22, collaboration with Civil Society has resulted in the participation of the latter in various activities organized by Government Services and the NCHRF in the fields of education, training, awareness and advocacy. It has always been brought in during the drafting of the reports of implementation of legal instruments for the protection of the rights of the child.

50.In the same vein, the State provides financial and technical support to CSOs for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child.

51.In addition, MINATD disseminates the legislative and regulatory instruments to raise the awareness of CSOs for the granting of NGO status. However, this Ministry is encouraged to further convene the Commissions for granting this status.

52.Generally, there is a marked improvement in collaboration between Government Services and CSOs for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. This collaboration is expected to grow with the gradual implementation of the platform for collaboration of all stakeholders in this area.

II.Definition of the child

53.This line of action only deals with the definition of the child with reference to the draft Child Protection Code and Code of Persons and the Family. Thus, the child is defined as “every human being below the age of 18 years unless, under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”.

54.In response to the recommendation in paragraph 26, the draft Child Protection Code and the draft Code for Persons and the Family that was merged to produce the draft Civil Code, harmonized the legal age for marriage according to the requirements of the CRC, that is 18 years for both sexes.

55.The main difficulty lies in the complex nature of the current legal framework, where the provisions on the protection of the child are dispersed in various texts.

56.Pending the adoption of the draft texts, awareness campaigns and advocacy activities have been intensified among families and communities, for them to aware of the need to protect the child against harmful socio-cultural practices (early and/or forced marriages, female genital mutilation).

III.General principles

57.The general principles are divided into three areas:

•Non-discrimination;

•The best interest of the child;

•The respect of the child’s views.

1.Non-discrimination

58.Following the recommendations of paragraph 28, the following actions have been undertaken by the Government and its partners:

•The introduction of free primary education and the simple treatment of malaria for children from 0-5 years;

•Information and raising awareness among men and women on the inheritance rights of girls and women;

•Strengthening support and expanding the Associations of Mothers of Students (AMS) so as to encourage the access and retention of girls in school, especially in Priority Education Zones (PEZ) in the North and East of the country, where the enrolment rate of girls is less than 50%;

•The drawing up of inclusive educational programmes, taking into account all categories of vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

59.Other measures have been taken in favour of certain categories of children, in particular children with disabilities and those from vulnerable groups. Such measures have been developed in the parts of the Report dealing with these children.

60.On analysis, there is a marked increase in the management, promotion and protection of the social rights of the child in general, especially those of the girl child and vulnerable children. However, some socio-cultural constraints impede the effective implementation of these measures. We can also mention, on the one hand, the persistence of corruption in some schools and hospitals that are struggling to comply with the principles of free primary education and the treatment of uncomplicated malaria for children from 0-5 years, and on the other hand, the inadequate resources allocated to the Ministries responsible for the promotion and protection of the child.

61.In order to overcome the difficulties mentioned above, the Government plans to strengthen the strategies which consist of:

•Improving the capacity of the different stakeholders, in order to eliminate the discriminatory and dehumanizing practices against girls;

•Stepping up the fight against corruption in schools and hospital services;

•Educating, raising awareness and informing families, educators, and communities, on the need to respect children’s rights;

•Allocating additional resources to the Ministries responsible for the promotion and protection of the child;

•Intensifying inclusive educational programmes by allocating more resources;

•Organizing paid holiday classes for children of school age, particularly girls;

•Awarding scholarships to the successful candidates in official examinations;

•Intensifying advocacy and awareness campaigns for Education for All (EFA).

2.Best Interest of the Child

62.According to the recommendation in paragraph 30, Cameroon has taken important administrative and judicial measures to protect the best interests of the child, especially:

•The setting up of social welfare services in police stations, courts, health services, prison institutions, village communities, bringing such services to about 125 throughout the country;

•Taking into account the point of view of the assessors during hearings involving minors in conflict with the law;

•Free legal assistance to minors in conflict with the law.

63.Efforts are being made for the protection of the best interests of the child, by building institutional capacities for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child.

64.However, the mismatch between the tasks assigned to the above-mentioned structures for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, and human, financial and material resources hinders the achievement of the desired goals.

65.The non-assistance of minors facing the law by psychologists, the non-systematic consideration of the best interests of the child in some court decisions concerning children in conflict with the law, victims or witnesses of crimes, the shortage of lawyers and assessors in courts, does not give room for a maximum protection of minors in conflict with the law. Cameroon therefore envisages:

•Psychological assistance for minors facing the law;

•Development of capacity-building programmes for stakeholders of justice.

3.Respect of the Views of the Child

66.In response to the recommendation in paragraph 32:

•Families, educators, communities and civil society organizations are regularly educated by public officials in charge of the promotion and protection of the rights of the child on the respect of children’s views;

•Regular organization of sessions of the Children’s Parliament (five sessions from 2010 to 2014 involving, in every session, 180 Junior Members of Parliament), enables them to express the views of children of all social strata, through discussions with Members of Government, in the form of oral questions on concerns related to the promotion and protection of the rights of the child in all areas;

•Children are increasingly receiving legal assistance thanks to the automatic appointment of defence lawyers, and the provision of adequate support by social workers.

67.As a prelude to the institutionalization of the Children’s Parliament, a study was conducted by Government, with the technical and financial support of UNICEF, to assess the achievements of this institution, in view of improving it.

68.Furthermore, the following activities should be noted:

•The production of a guide for supervisors and two handbooks for members of the Children’s Government for a better appropriation of the rights of the child;

•The building of the capacities of the members of the Children’s Government;

•The signing of Decree No. 2012/268 of 11 June 2012 on the reorganization of the Ministry of Basic Education, which assigns to this Ministry the organization and monitoring of the activities of the Children’s Parliament and Government.

69.Finally, regarding the instruments through which children express themselves, Children’s municipal councils were set up by the Government with technical and financial support from UNICEF. These organs are in the experimentation phase. Such is also the case with the pilot experiment of children’s forums, set up since 2008 in some localities in the Centre Region, with the support of Plan Cameroon.

70.The difficulties encountered while implementing the above-mentioned recommendation relate to delays in the institutionalization of the Children’s Parliament and Children’s Municipal Councils; the shortage of resources necessary for implementation, nationally, of Children’s Governments and Children’s Municipal Councils; the virtual absence of parents-children inter- generational consultations platforms.

71.To remedy this, the following activities have been earmarked for the coming years:

•The institutionalization of the Children’s Parliament and the Children’s Municipal Councils by enacting a law;

•The allocation of the resources necessary for implementation, nationally, of the Children’s Governments and the Children’s Municipal Councils;

•The setting up of inter-generational consultations (parents-children) platforms and children’s forums in communities;

•The conduct of the impact assessment study on the setting up of Children’s Parliament and Governments.

IV.Civil rights and freedoms

72.The civil rights and freedoms which constitute the fundamental human rights fall into four areas:

•Registration of births;

•Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishments;

•Corporal punishment;

•Response to the United Nations Study on Violence against Children.

1.Registration of Births

73.In response to recommendations in paragraph 34 sub-paragraphs a, b, and c on the registration of births, the Government, together with its development partners, has carried out the following actions:

•Adoption of Law No. 2011-011 of 6 May 2011 to amend and supplement certain provisions of Ordinance No. 81/02 of 29 June 1981 on the Organization of the Civil Status, which extends the deadlines and revamps the institutional framework for establishing civil status documents;

•The setting up of the National Civil Status Bureau (BUNEC) by Decree No. 2013/031 of 13 February 2013 of the Head of State and the reorganization of Civil Status Centres;

•Increased considerably the principal and secondary Civil Status Centres;

•Increased the number of mobile court hearings for the establishment of birth certificates in remote and/or isolated communities;

•Identified children with no birth certificates, so as to establish them, with technical and financial support from partners, especially Plan Cameroon and UNICEF;

•Raised awareness among communities on the need for birth registration.

74.The actions taken so far have contributed to improving the coverage rate of birth registration. In fact, the reorganization of Civil Status Centres, with the primary goal of facilitating access for everyone to the Civil Status, has helped to bring civil status centres nearer to the citizens. Presently, there are four hundred and nineteen (419) main Civil Status Centres, that is forty-five (45) within Diplomatic Missions, fourteen (14) in Urban Councils and three hundred and sixty (360) in Regional and Local Communities. As of now, the number of secondary Civil Status Centres attached to the main Centres is about two thousand three hundred (2300). In 2014, 42 State Civil Centres were set up.

75.It should however be noted that efforts are still needed considering the strong demand recorded in the field. Furthermore, the isolation of some communities, the lack of resources and the socio-cultural constraints impede the implementation of the above-mentioned recommendations.

76.In view of this, the Government is considering measures such as disseminating Law No. 2011-011 of 6 May 2011 and making the National Civil Status Bureau (BUNEC) go operational so that the registration of births become effective throughout the national territory. The Government is also encouraging supplementary judgments for children whose birth certificates have not been established within the legal time limit.

2.Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

77.Concerning torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, subjects of Recommendation No. 36 sub-paragraphs a, b, c and d, Cameroon and its partners took important steps, in particular:

•The signing of Decree No. 2010/347 of 19 November 2010 to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;

•Upgrading the level of social workers on the techniques of intervention;

•The organization of continuous education by the UNCHRD in collaboration with the UNHCR and NCHRF, of judicial police officers on human rights;

•The organization of six training sessions for defence and security forces on compliance with international standards on human rights concerning arrest and detention;

•Following-up by human rights defence organizations of children who are victims of acts of torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

78.Actions taken to combat torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment have strengthened the right of individuals in general and children in particular, not to be subjected to such acts. In this regard, significant actions were conducted in the area of promotion and protection of the rights of the child, in particular improving the institutional framework, building the capabilities of defence and security forces and strengthening social actions for victims.

79.However, the socio-cultural context and conflicting perceptions of the concepts within this area, the lack of specialized executive officers to assist victims, the persistence of numerous cases of domestic violence and the lack of material and financial resources are impediments to the implementation of measures relating to the rights of the child.

80.To overcome these difficulties, the State of Cameroon intends, with the support of development partners, to increase the financial resources for carrying out the tasks of child protection. Furthermore, the reopening of the National Institute of Social Work has been programmed with new fields to meet the specific needs of the target populations.

3.Corporal Punishment

81.In order to implement recommendation No. 38, sub-paragraphs a, b, c concerning this area, the Penal Code under revision contains provisions that punish offences against the physical integrity of children (Section 350 and others). In addition, a mechanism for the integrated management of victims of corporal punishment in the localities of the Far North Region was set up with the support of partners. Awareness-raising campaigns are also organized in families, communities and educative centres.

82.Consequently, corporal punishments on children are less and less observed in schools and police stations. Children are now more aware of their rights and claim these rights.

83.However, the implementation of the provisions laid down by the laws in force faces, inter alia, socio-cultural constraints and the persistence of reprehensible behaviours of some parents and educators.

84.It has been planned in the short term, measures to educate, raise awareness and build the capacity of parents and educators to respect the rights of children (community schools, parent-child dialogue, active listening, peer education, training of trainers) and on the penalties incurred in the event of their violation.

4.Response to the United Nations Study on Violence Against Children

85.The implementation of recommendation No. 40 sub-paragraphs a, b, c, d, resulted in:

•The organization in the ten Regions of the country of awareness-raising campaigns on combating trafficking and sexual exploitation of children;

•The establishment in December 2013 of concerted action by the Cameroonian Coalition of CSOs for the Rights of the Child (COCADE) with support from the NCHRF, Plan Cameroon and the National Advisory Council for Children and Women (ECEJ-VAC), aimed at mobilizing children and young people to raise awareness and combat violence against children;

•The production of various radio programmes which enabled the population to re-appropriate the different legal instruments on the protection of the rights of children;

•The production and the dissemination of communication aids on topics covering the rights of the child, including a guide for community volunteers;

•The training of officials of fifteen (15) community and local radio stations on the production and broadcast of programmes on combating violence against women and children;

•The organization of workshops and forums on ways of reducing the worst forms of maltreatment of children, stimulated a reflection on the renovation of the regulatory provision on the rights of the child in Cameroon;

•The establishment of human rights clubs in some secondary schools in order to instil in the youths the concepts of human rights;

•The strengthening of partnership with civil society organizations by signing with some, platforms for collaboration for a concerted fight against all forms of violations of the rights of women and girls;

•The strengthening of institutional mechanisms for managing children victims of violence for their rehabilitation and social reintegration, like Social Centres, Reception Centres for Children in Distress, Counselling, Reception and Reintegration Centres for Street Children;

•The systematic integration of statistics on violence against children in national surveys conducted by the NIS.

86.Since 2010, the State, in a dynamic action, has been implementing innovative strategies for greater education of the populations in combating violence against children. There is therefore a sharp decline, publicly and privately, of this phenomenon.

87.However, the constraints linked to the shortage in human, financial and material resources remain a barrier to Government’s action.

88.Despite these constraints, the Government envisages an increase in the budgetary allocation of the Ministries in charge of children and the implementation of the National Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, in particular its protection component of the rights of the child.

89.Furthermore, there are plans to set up a National Experimental Unit for Detection, Counselling and Psychosocial Support for Children in Distress, to better respond to problems of supervision, assistance and catering for children victims of violence.

V.Family environment and alternative care

90.The family is considered to be the ideal place for the protection of children. The family environment and alternative care aspects developed in this Report concern the following areas: family environment, recovery of maintenance allowance for the child, children deprived of a family environment, adoption, child abuse and abandonment.

1.Family Environment

91.In accordance with the recommendations contained in paragraph 42, the Government, with support from Technical and Financial Partners and Civil Society Organizations, drew up a premarital, marital, and family education programme that takes into account the specific needs of families facing social problems. Thus, various aids were granted to low-income families to send their children to school, carry out income-generating activities, increase the production capacity of heads of poor families by providing them with inputs. Furthermore, with regard to the education of the children, a handbook for community schools was drafted and validated in 2013.

92.It should be noted that efforts have been made to increase the support given to families, through the implementation of support programmes and the setting up of a support fund for the education of children from the poorest families. However, human, technical and financial resources are still insufficient to effectively support programmes of assistance to parents for them to perform their responsibilities. One can for example, mention the temporary stoppage of the training of social workers which impedes the drawing up population catering programmes.

93.To overcome these difficulties, the further training of social workers has been envisaged, as well as the strengthening of advocacy actions in view of increasing the financial resources allocated to the social sector in support of families.

2.Recovery of Maintenance Allowance for the Child

94.With respect to the recommendations in paragraph 44, the Government, in order to facilitate the access of all citizens to justice, has envisaged, under the programme of consolidating the rule of law being conducted by the Ministry of Justice, reducing the fees for the submission, reproduction and registration of files, the setting up of reception offices in courts and the organization of open doors for Courts.

95.With support from technical and financial partners and Civil Society Organizations, the State has been organizing information sessions for parents, including women, on the procedures of collection of maintenance allowance for children. In addition, there is legal and social assistance for poor mothers, with respect to the procedure of collection of maintenance allowance. In this regard, a legal assistance programme known as “Legal Clinics” set up by the civil society in three regions (Centre, Littoral and East), assists low-income parents in the recovery of maintenance allowance.

96.The mixed progress made in this area reveals the limited scope of the actions carried out, confronted by difficulties related to the implementation of the 2009 Law on legal aid and the cumbersome procedure required to get such aid. Data on legal aid from 2010 to 2012 shows and an up and down evolution.

97.To remedy this, arrangements have been made to include in the Civil Code (under revision), concerns on the collection of maintenance allowance for the child which did not find satisfactory answers in existing texts, in particular easing the procedure for receiving legal aid.

3.Children deprived of a family environment

98.Considering the recommendations made in paragraph 46, the Government, through the Ministries of Social Affairs and Women’s Empowerment and the Family, has produced a directory for families that can temporarily accommodate children deprived of parental care.

99.Concerning OVC in particular, MINAS drew up a strategic plan, as well as guide for their support. A tool for data collection on OVC is being developed for its experiment in three priority areas (East, North and Far North). Its final assessment will imply scaling up which is dependent on appropriation by stakeholders. Furthermore, health, school and psycho-social management activities of these OVC were carried out in the 10 Regions with the support of UNICEF. We can also mention the organization in 2013 and 2014 of two interregional workshops for building the capacities of providers on the family-centred approach for the benefit of OVC.

100.Averagely, 9,500 OVC have been catered for per year since 2011, through various supports programmes (educational, nutritional, health, psycho-social) in the 10 Regions of Cameroon: 1,000 in Adamawa, 1,200 in the Centre, 1,500 East, 600 in the Far North, 1,000 in the Littoral, 400 in the North, 700 in the North West, 1,200 in the West, 1,000 in the South and 900 in the South West.

101.The measures implemented led to the gradual improvement of the living conditions of OVC and children deprived of parental care. We can however deplore the fact that these actions focused only on the care for OVC, while building the capacities of staff in reception facilities on the rights of the child and standardization of existing structures did not follow. In the same vein, the lack of the necessary human, technical and financial resources is a major obstacle to the provision of comprehensive care of children deprived of a family environment.

102.There are plans to carry out a national data collection exercise on OVC, in particular those being taken care of in institutions, and an assessment of such child care institutions. The setting up of the Project “Key Interventions to Develop Systems and Services for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (KIDSS)”, signed on 13 June 2014 between the United States Development Agency (USAID) and Catholic Relief Services - (CRS) and launched on 12 November 2014, will from now till 2019 provide various forms of support to 70,000 additional OVC, in seven urban and peri-urban areas in the cities of Yaounde, Douala and Bamenda. This project will also build the capacity of 14,000 households, train 60 community health workers (ASC), 20 social workers, 75 CSO staff, 135 front-line officials and 57 at the regional level so as to create an effective model for holistic care and improvement of the continuum of health care to be provided to OVC.

4.Adoption

103.To response to the recommendations contained in paragraph 48, the concerns on adoption have been taken into account in the draft Civil Code currently being finalized. With regard to inter-country adoption, during its passage before the Human Rights Council, for the Universal Periodic Review in 2013, Cameroon rejected the recommendation thereto related, while considering, nonetheless, the possibility of ratifying the Hague Convention No. 33 (1993) on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Inter-country Adoption, after assessment of the process of implementation of the current system.

104.The draft Civil Code being finalized, after its adoption, will be the unique system of adoption. The consent of the adoptee shall be required if he/she is an adult or is more than 16 years. In 2014, the Government adopted the Handbook on Procedures on the child adoption chain in Cameroon. This document provides procedures for the temporary placement of a child.

105.Other measures have been recommended along the lines of placement of children in approved centres; intervention by Counsels (lawyers) in adoption procedures; conducting an integrated study on the current state of adoption in Cameroon; updating and annual publication of the statistics file of adopted children; systematic control of registers in orphanages and reception centres; raising the awareness among the populations on adoption and the phenomena of trafficking of children and the setting up of measures against fraudulent adoptions.

5.Child Abuse and Abandonment

106.In response to the recommendations in paragraph 50, the Government through the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, drew up a premarital, marital, and family education programme, and produced a Handbook for Community Schools, which constitute important tools for the prevention of cases of child abuse and abandonment, on the one hand, and guiding the actions of social workers on the field, on the other hand.

107.The themes on gender-based violence were included in the Handbook on premarital, marital, and family education. Trainings were organised in 2012 for judicial staff of each corps (judges, law enforcement and judicial police officers) on the rights of the child. Worthy of note is also the development, in 2014, with the support of UNICEF, of modules for the teaching of the Rights of the Child in Police, Gendarmerie and Magistracy Schools in Cameroon.

108.As regards the training of professionals working with children, it should be mentioned that in 2013, there was the capacity-building of 150 officials of Central and External Services of the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family and Civil Society Organizations on the international, national and regional legal instruments on child protection.

109.Concerning the reporting of cases of child abuse and abandonment, although there is no formal early warning system, there are other informal warning mechanisms. Documents, like the Statistical Directories of MINAS (2012) and MINPROFF (2013), EDS-MICS (2012) and other surveys conducted by the NIS, contain retrospective data thereto related.

110.The development of several educational tools for the education of parents and some professionals involved in child protection and the special education programmes relating to the responsibilities of parents, have helped raise awareness of the importance of taking care of children victims of abuse and abandonment.

111.However, also needs highlighting is the lack of trained staff and effective mechanisms for reporting and managing cases of child abuse and abandonment.

112.In order to overcome these difficulties, measures have been envisaged to disseminate the “Third Age University”approach consisting, for couples over 50 years old, of sharing best practices of caring for children with young couples; reactivating the hotlines of MINPROFF and MINAS for reporting of cases of child abandonment and abuse; exploring opportunities for collaboration with health districts for early warning on cases entrusted to them, using mobile phones (rapid sms).

VI.Disability, basic health and welfare

1.Children with Disabilities

113.The implementation of the recommendations of paragraphs 51 and 52 resulted in the realization of specific actions.

114.Concerning legislation, the measures taken concern the adoption of Law No. 2010/002 of 13 April 2010 on the promotion and protection of persons with disabilities. This Law amends that of 1983 and takes into account the concerns of the disabled child in a holistic way (education, health, leisure...). In fact, it provides a certain number of measures of positive discrimination in favour of disabled children, such as the State’s contribution to cover the expenses for education and initial vocational training of pupils and students with disabilities, total or partial exemption from payment of tuition or academic fees and the granting of scholarships to children of disabled parents.

115.Note should also be taken of the continued implementation of the joint Circular Letters of MINAS/MINESEC No. 34/06/LC/MINESEC/MINAS of 2 August 2006 and No. 283/07/LC/MINESEC/MINAS of 14 August 2007 and MINAS/MINESUP No. 08/0006/LC/MINESUP/MINAS of 9 July 2008 relating, on the one hand, to free admission into public institutions of secondary education of disabled children and those born to parents with disabilities, their participation in official examinations and, on the other hand, to the improvement of the conditions of reception and caring for students with disabilities in State Universities of Cameroon.

116.In addition, the technical platform of Cardinal Paul Emile Leger National Centre for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (CNRPH-CPEL) has been improved on. Other actions were carried out to provide MINAS and Centres specialized in caring for the disabled, specialized human resources recruited under operation “25,000 young graduates into the Public Service” launched in 2011; the launch by the CNRPH-CPEL of community action for the prevention of disability and referring the disabled; the organization of social action days for persons with disabilities and stakeholders of the sector.

117.Similarly, the formation of the National Association of Disabled Teachers (CNEH), contributes to the promotion of inclusive education. Actions carried out within this framework involved the organization of educative talks with parents of children with disabilities to facilitate their integration into the formal education system, facilitate school examinations for children with disabilities by providing attendants, advocacy for the integration of persons with disabilities into FENASSCO games.

118.The Community-based Rehabilitation Programme (CBR) being experimented in Cameroon promotes, through networks put in place, the orientation of persons with disabilities to reference structures for specific actions and to nearby structures.

119.On the other hand, fostering networking in Cameroon among structures that cater for persons with disabilities promotes the pooling of resources. In this regard, and with the assistance of the NGO, Sightsavers, the Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) had set up in 2012 the inclusive platform “Society for Persons with Disabilities”, which aims to bring together the efforts of the OPD and serve as an interface with the various administrations for the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities (70 Associations are affiliated to it).

120.Furthermore, the inclusion of the disability approach in the construction of school infrastructures in Cameroon and in the curricula for teacher training, helps to implement the concept of inclusive education. It is reflected, among other things, in the training of teachers specialized in this area, the waiving of age limit for some examinations and competitive entrance examinations, exemption from the payment of contributions, official examination fees and the construction of schools taking into account the concerns of disabled pupils and students.

121.The granting of subsidies to private institutions responsible for special education (hearing, mentally and visually impaired children) is aimed at strengthening their technical, material and financial capacities. Cameroon has several schools specializing in inclusive education and 140 private centres that cater for persons with disabilities, including children.

122.It should be noted that considerable efforts have been made in the promotion and protection of children with disabilities. The programmes drawn up together with the platforms of cooperation with stakeholders from public and private sectors contribute to improving the well-being of this social category.

123.However, the delays in the adoption of the Decree of implementation of the 2010 Law hinder the taking into account of the specific needs of children with disabilities. In terms of prospects and pending the implementation of instruments on the special protection of disabled children, the Government is planning to train more skilled professionals and make the National Institute of Social Labour go operational, so as to have a larger number of social workers who would better take care of the special needs of this category of children.

2.Health and Health Services

124.In accordance with the recommendations in paragraphs 53 and 54, the improvement of the health status of children is effective, through measures such as:

•Increasing children’s health services;

•Enlarging the health map by opening up new health centres (in 2015, there are 1,801 public integrated health centres and 898 private health facilities, 181 Sub-divisional Medical Centres , 8 Central/General hospitals, 12 Regional hospitals, 189 health districts);

•Developing a multi-sector strategy for the fight against malnutrition;

•The screening campaign for malnutrition through SASNIM (2 times/year);

•The opening of catering centres for malnourished children;

•The administration of vitamin A twice per year, in households, to all children from 0 to 5 years and all the women who have just given birth (0 to 8 weeks);

•Improving hygiene conditions through the implementation of the WASH Project);

•Increasing resources for the fight against malnutrition;

•Revising the PPAC (2015-2019);

•Controlling poliomyelitis epidemic (preventive and response campaigns: National Immunization Days (NIDs) and Local Immunization Days (LIDs);)

•Controlling preventable diseases through immunization (Poliomyelitis, measles, yellow fever, neonatal tetanus …);

•Support by RSS/GAVI directed to EPI;

•Strengthening the health system;

•Extending the implementation of the Minimum Package of Activities (MPA) and the Complementary Package of Activities (CPA) in the health district;

•Setting up a functioning referral system;

•Strengthening partnership in the health sector.

125.To these actions should be added those relating to the immunization of children, with the following results (measles: 70.66%), polio 3: 69.8%, DTCOQ3: 68.4% and BCG: 87.1% (see table below); the introduction of new vaccines in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) (Pneumo 13: vaccine against pneumonia, Rotarix: vaccine against rotavirus diarrhoea); Cameroon has reached the neonatal tetanus elimination status; deworming intestinal worms in 7.528.000 children of school-going age and in households, by giving anthelminthic and schistosomiasis drugs.

126.Regarding malaria control, actions focused on the Management of Simple Malaria at Home (PECADOM); free management of simple and serious malaria in children of 0 to 5 years; free chemeo prevention of malaria in children of 0 to 5 years in targeted areas; the free distribution of LLINS (to 80% of households) and as a routine to pregnant women and the intensification of the administration of the IPT (Intermittent Preventive Treatment) against malaria. The following results were obtained:

•80% of children below 5 years sleep under long lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets;

•80% of community volunteers implement the package of community management of malaria in at least 4/5 of each district health areas;

•60% of health units apply norms and standards of management of malaria in at least 4/5 of health districts in each Region.

127.Other measures relate to the evolution of the budget allocated to the Ministry of Public Health between 2011 and 2014. It shows a net increase in recurrent budget for the period under consideration, from 74.6 billion to 91.4 billion CFAF. On the other hand, the investment budget saw a slight decrease during the same period, from 77.1 billion to 74.5 billion CFAF (see table in annex).

128.An analysis of the budget allocated to the Ministry of Public Health shows that it had dropped from 5.9% to 4.41% of the national budget between 2011 and 2013. In the absence of data on health budgets of related sectors of health care providers, it is difficult to assess the actual rate of resources allocated by the State to the health sector. However, it should be stated that Cameroon is still very far from the Abuja Declaration which recommends that 15% of the national budget be allocated to the health sector.

129.With regard to mother’s health, actions taken focused on:

•Intensifying CARMMA by integrating the community dimension and inaugurating the National Programme for the control of maternal, neonatal and infant mortality;

•Implementing the strategy of pre-positioning of obstetric kits;

•Providing free care during surgical repair of obstetric fistula (2010-2013: 300 women were repaired);

•Psycho-social support and socio-economic reintegration of affected women and women whose obstetric fistula were repaired;

•Training of MINPROFF staff and community volunteers in psycho-social care and reintegration of women with obstetric fistula and the production of a Handbook on Obstetric Fistula Management;

•The training of health care providers in EONC/PMTCT/FP, which increased the number of skilled providers in reproductive health; 

•The training of providers for the Active Management of Third Phase of Delivery (GATPA).

130.All these actions have contributed to improve the rate of childbirth assisted by a train attendant (63.6%).

131.As part of training, we can mention the introduction of the educational software programme, ICATT since 2012, in the implementation of the Integrated Management of Children’s Diseases (IMCD); the training of providers in IMCD clinic and community health workers in community IMCD; the reopening in 2011 of 8 Midwifery schools (200 midwives in training); increasing the number of trained gynaecologists and paediatricians; the introduction of the IMCD module in the training of physicians.

132.Health is promoted in three different ways:

•Integrated communication through health programmes;

•Health, nutrition and the environment;

•Primary prevention of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases.

133.Despite all the efforts made to improve the health situation of children, some obstacles still persist, notably:

•The low number of children actually sleeping under insecticide treated mosquito nets (28.2%), making malaria the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children below 5 years;

•The resurgence of epidemics (measles and polio) linked to the fact that 4.5% of children of 11 to 23 months are living without having received any vaccine;

•The implementation of malnutrition control activities primarily through specific programmes of MINSANTE, with the support of development partners and lack of trained professionals in the field;

•The still high rate of deaths resulting from childbirth (782 women out of 100,000 live births against 669 out of 100,000 live births in 2004) as well as delivery at home (37.3%);

•Insufficient funding of needs resulting from the extent of the problem, the weakness of the health care system including lack of qualified personnel;

•The low appropriation by communities of the importance of immunization and low immunization coverage in very remote areas.

134.To remedy this situation, the Government intends to:

•Introduce in 2015, the type A meningitis vaccine, strengthen the routine administration of the EPI, strengthen advocacy among opinion leaders, pursue massive awareness raising campaigns;

•Consolidate the campaign for the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets in 2015;

•Complete the process of implementation of the National Programme to Control Maternal, Neonatal and Infant Mortality;

•Develop a new strategy for reducing maternal, neonatal and infant mortality from 2013-2020;

•Invest, with the support of technical and financial partners, in the field of health, with special attention on youths and women, as well as guiding and taking care of vulnerable social groups.

3.Breastfeeding

135.The implementation of the recommendations in paragraphs 55 and 56 led to the following actions: promotion of breastfeeding through national campaigns to raise awareness in families; the celebration in Cameroon of the International Day of Breastfeeding; including breastfeeding in the budget lines allocated to MINSANTE; the organization of awareness campaigns among leaders, traditional chiefs and families; dissemination and the effective implementation of the National Code on the marketing of breast milk substitutes. IDAY and Plan Cameroon are two NGOs associated with the Breastfeeding Programme of the Ministry of Public Health.

136.Despite the various measures taken, in particular the adoption of the National Code and the different actions taken, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding remains low (21.2%).

137.The main difficulties encountered relate to the low appropriation by the community, of actions to promote exclusive breastfeeding, low level of breastfeeding knowledge and limited access to the National Code on the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes is due, in particular, to the fact that it is not available in local languages.

138.The measures recommended are the translation of the National Code on the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes into local languages; intensifying communication on exclusive breastfeeding.

4.Adolescent Health

139.In order to follow up the recommendations in paragraphs 57 and 58, several strategies were used throughout the national territory to improve the health of adolescents starting with the overall development policy guidelines. It also involved the drawing up of the National Strategic Plan for Adolescent and Youths Health, which defines the major strategic areas, objectives and priority actions to be carried out to ensure the well-being of adolescents and youths, and provide them with essential life skills.

140.In the area of family planning, the measures focus on:

•Intensifying the national family planning policy by organizing educative talks, campaigns to disseminate family planning methods and raise awareness on the dangers of early pregnancy;

•Reducing the price of contraceptive inputs;

•Organising campaigns for the free distribution of contraceptives;

•Training providers in Adolescent Reproductive Health and Family Planning.

141.Regarding the reproductive health of adolescents, note should be taken of the following:

•The execution of projects in several areas related to this aspect, by getting traditional and religious leaders involved;

•The setting up of socio-sanitary services for youths and adolescents (two centres have gone operational in Yaounde and Douala);

•The training of peer educators and volunteers of community-based services;

•Raising children’s awareness in school and out of school;

•Raising the awareness among the targets mentioned above against early marriages and pregnancies;

•The signing in 2013 of a Partnership Agreement between MINESEC and the Cameroonian League for Development (CAM LEAD-NGO) for the stoppage of early marriages and pregnancies in schools.

142.With regard to family life education, measures focused on the continued implementation of the curricula of education on population and HIV/AIDS in training and learning programmes at the primary, secondary and higher education levels.

143.The ongoing experimentation with the textbook «vivre ensemble» (Living Together) intended for pupils of SIL to Upper Sixth students which includes the IEC/CCC/SRA component, the implementation of the premarital, marital and family education programme, collaboration with the Civil Society (Cameroon Society of Paediatricians) for the setting up of clinics and counselling centres for adolescents, are other initiatives aimed at providing adolescents with social assistance services and rehabilitation and reintegration assistance.

144.Concerning combating the consumption of drugs and alcohol by adolescents, appropriate measures were taken to protect children from the illicit use of narcotic and psychotropic substances and prevent the use of children in the production and trafficking of such substances.

145.In order to make these measures go operational, law enforcement services in Cameroon have since 2011, carried out 89 seizure operations of narcotic drugs in urban areas, with over 6,000 kg of cannabis, 159 kg of cocaine seized at airports and 2 kg of heroines in a hotel in Douala.

146.Thanks to these actions, the various stakeholders in the chain of protection of the rights of the child were able to acquire a wide knowledge on issues relating to drugs. However, the measures taken have encountered a number of obstacles like the case of the large consumption of tramadol, also called Tramol, by the people of the northern part of Cameroon and especially the youths, with the adverse consequences arising therefrom, especially road accidents.

147.Measures envisaged to overcome these difficulties include:

•The National Campaign for the Control of Smoking and Drugs, with the slogan “Holidays Free of Tobacco and Drugs, which should lead to the adoption of an antismoking law;

•Involving the media with professionalism, perseverance, responsibility and vigilance in combating drug consumption in order to raise awareness among youths who are most exposed to this ill;

•The management of drug addicts;

•The organisation, by the International Cooperation Sub-committee of the National Drug Control Committee (CNLD), of educative talks with students in Yaounde on the harmful effects of the consumption of tobacco and drugs on health, as well as criminal sanctions thereto related.

148.With regard to the evaluation of the area of concern, it should be noted that the study to assess the scope of adolescent health problems has not been carried out. Nevertheless some initiatives were taken to improve the health of adolescents from the general policy development guidelines.

149.The difficulties encountered in the implementation of these recommendations concern essentially the shortage of financial and human resources.

150.The measures envisaged to overcome these difficulties involve the continued setting up of youth-friendly centres, validation of the National Strategy Paper on Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) and the intensification of the training health providers in ARH.

5.Harmful traditional practices

151.In order to follow up the recommendations made in paragraphs 59 and 60, the Government took a number of measures.

152.With regard to legislation, the provisions of the draft law on the punishment of sexual violence against women were taken into account in the Penal Code under revision. Thus, the notion of serious injury was expanded with the inclusion of two sub-paragraphs dealing with punishment to life imprisonment when serious injuries consist of genital mutilation and when mutilation resulted to the death of the victim or that the author usually carries out this practice.

153.The Penal Code also punishes the traditional practice of breasts ironing through the offence of interfering with the growth of an organ.

154.The implementation of the National Action Plan to combat female genital mutilation resulted in the following actions:

At the level of research:

•Conducting a study on female genital mutilation in the Adamawa Region;

•Conducting a study on early marriage in Akwaya in the South West Region in 2014.

At the level of raising awareness:

•Commissioning of local committees to combat female genital mutilation in the South West Region (Manyu), the Centre (Briqueterie Neighbourhood in Yaounde) and the Far North (Mayo Sava, Logone and Chari);

•The signing on 25 June 2013 of a collaboration platform between MINPROFF and the Council of Imams and Muslim Dignitaries of Cameroon (CIDIMUC) to combat female genital mutilation, forced or early marriages and other forms of violence;

•The organization of advocacy sessions with parliamentarians and religious and traditional leaders of the areas concerned;

•Raising awareness among families and communities on FGM during commemoration on 6 February of each year of the Day “Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation” (statistics number of people affected DSPF);

•Entering into partnership with community radio stations to broadcast programmes on the rights of the child, combating harmful cultural practices and FGM;

•Implementing BIAAG Programmes (Because I Am A Girl) and LWF (Learn Without Fear) for the promotion of the education of girls and combating gender-based violence in schools.

At the level of medical, psychological and social care:

•Setting up of centres to take care of women victims of violence and other harmful traditional practices (two public centres operational in Yaounde and Douala);

•Providing funding and other production materials to male and female excision practitioners to enable them carry out income-generating activities and be retrained for other jobs;

•Psycho-social and socio-economic care of adolescents victims of early marriages in Women’s Empowerment Centres and the Social Centres (1,151 cases assisted in 2012).

155.As outcome of the awareness that was raised, Imams and Muslim Dignitaries together with the religious and traditional leaders of the South West issued a Statement on community’s awareness of the measures taken. The support for the retraining of male and female excision practitioners through income-generating activities led to the symbolic handover of the knives used for excision.

156.The difficulties identified relate, in particular, to the persistence of early and forced marriages (because 8.7% of girls aged 15-19 had their first union before 15 years); the inadequacy of the FGM routine data collection; the tracking of interventions in combating female genital mutilation; inadequate human and financial resources in combating the GBV and HCP; inadequate programmes for reintegration of children victims of HCP and FGM.

157.To remedy this, the measures envisaged involve: the development of the strategy for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child; the exploitation of the results of the anthropological study on harmful cultural practices that undermine the rights of the child for the establishment of an integrated plan of communication aimed at eliminating these practices; integration into the nation-wide surveys (EDS, MICS, ECAM) of harmful traditional practices.

6.HIV/AIDS

158.In order to implement the recommendations in paragraphs 61 and 62, the actions carried out in this area include the:

•Adoption and implementation of the 3rd National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS Control (2011-2015) with emphasis on prevention of new infections;

•Dissemination of the use of male and female condoms;

•Routine screening of pregnant women during Prenatal Consultation;

•Routine intrapartum screening, free antiretroviral treatment;

•Dissemination of non-risky sexual practices;

•Free Prevention of Mother to Children Transmission of HIV/AIDS (PMTCT);

•Start of the transition to Option B+ of the PMTCT;

•Organization of voluntary screening for HIV/AIDS campaigns;

•Drawing up and implementation of the Sector Plan Women-Family against AIDS and STIs with focus on prevention among vulnerable groups;

•Social and community mobilization of women of childbearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers, families and communities for promotion of PMTCT;

•Continuing the training of peer educators in schools and out of schools on HIV/AIDS as well as the training of providers in PMTCT;

•Psycho-social and nutritional support for 20,000 OVC;

•The organization of educative talks and awareness campaigns on the rights of PLWHA.

159.Significant progress has been made in controlling HIV/AIDS. Cameroon has set up a system for controlling HIV/AIDS and medical and psychosocial care programmes have be drawn up which provide patients with free access to ARVS and certain drugs at reduced prices. Awareness-raising among communities on the prevention and management of this pandemic, the organization of free screening campaigns have contributed to the reduction of the prevalence rate. Despite this remarkable progress, there are still new infections and the sustainable management of ARVS remains questionable.

160.The difficulties are mainly the low mobilization of funds allocated for the purchase of ARVS, the management system of the stock of these ARV and the still insufficient number of the Management Units of HIV.

161.To overcome these difficulties, there are plans to upgrade the holistic care of OVC, continue mobilizing funds for the provision of ARVS to the greatest number of patients, carry out a continuous and speedy implementation of the B+ option of PMTCT and pursue the routine screening for HIV in pregnant women, even in the labour room.

7.Standard of Living

162.In order to carry out the recommendations in paragraphs 63 and 64, in addition to the actions undertaken under the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper consisting of executing major projects that will significantly reduce poverty, specific experimental measures have been taken on the realization of the “Social Safety Net” programme, which makes social transfers to the poorest families in the North West (Ndop) and Far North (Soulede Roua) Regions and taking into account, in the sector policies, the specific needs of children. This involves the transfer to the previously identified vulnerable classes of allocations or goods that will enable them to meet their basic needs.

163.Concrete actions have been taken to implement the recommendations. Although many families received support, many are still living in poverty (39.9%). This proportion remains higher in rural (55.0%) and urban (12.2%) areas.

164.However, progress towards attaining the average growth rate objective of 5.5% was not satisfactory because of certain macroeconomic pressures. The standard of living of the populations thus remained stagnant during the period under reference.

165.The measures envisaged to overcome these difficulties include boosting growth rate by fully executing major projects and increasing energy production, especially in rural areas so as to facilitate the expansion of ICTs and income-generating activities.

VII.Education, leisures and cultural activities

166.This section analyses the progress made in education including training and professional guidance of children between 2010 and 2014, following the recommendations in paragraph 66.

167.Information concerning the budgets allocated to MINEDUB and MINESEC is also found in the Section of the Report on General Implementation Measures, more specifically the point on the allocation of resources.

168.With regard to the provision of education and training, it is worth mentioning that enrolment in the nursery and primary school level has increased. As an illustration, enrolment in nursery school increased from 388,585 pupils in 2011-2012, to 467,237 pupils in 2013-2014, on the one hand, and in the primary level, from 3,848,611 pupils in 2011-2012, to 4,136,912 pupils in 2013-2014, on the other hand.

169.There has therefore been a significant increase in the indicators of schooling in the primary cycle since the 2009-2010 academic year. Thus, the raw enrolment rate increased from 116% in the 2011-2012 academic year, to 118% in the 2013-2014 academic year.

170.Concerning teaching staff, the number of identified staff shows an increase, both in the nursery and primary education cycle. As such, it should be noted that at the primary school level, the number rose from 56,026 teachers during the 2011-2012 academic year, to 60,357 teachers in the 2013-2014 academic year.

171.Actions also focused on the:

•Opening of many more secondary and primary schools;

•Training, recruitment and assignment of teachers even in most remote areas of the country through the special recruitment exercise of “25,000 graduates of the State” and the project of absorption of 37,200 teachers using the national budget, funds from C2D/AFD (Development and Debt Relief Contract /French Development Agency) and the Catalytic Fund of the World Bank;

•Abolition of fees in primary schools in Cameroon which led to a considerable increase in the attendance rate;

•Organization, since 2010, by MINEDUB through its Anti-Corruption Unit, of a fierce crusade against Head Teachers of Government schools who set as conditions for entering the school the payment of charges for uniforms, photocopies, identification cards, catch-up classes, or even levies called Parent Teachers Associations levies. During the reopening of the 2014-2015 academic year, the Anti-Corruption Unit deployed its members on the field, and covered 31.10%, or 1,861 schools out of the 5,982 Government primary schools targeted, where no cases of deviancy were caught;

•Ongoing recruitment of 9,000 teachers that were under parents teachers associations;

•Increasing funding for basic education through the systematic and annual provision of the minimum package intended for the functioning of primary schools;

•Giving, since 2010, of the first Optional Exams in ICT in all official examinations of the primary cycle, in the Francophone and Anglophone sections.

•Transfer of certain powers to the RLA to implement the free educational policy, especially the construction, equipping and maintenance of schools, acquisition of school equipment and supplies, recruitment and management of support staff;

•Increasing the number of GTTCs and GTTTCs (there are 61 GTTCs and 6 GTTTCs for more than 60,000 graduates) and the revision of the curricula ensured the quality training of teachers;

•Increasing the number of Centres for the Empowerment of the Woman and the Family (CPFF) which assist young girls who have dropped out from school to have tailor-made or short duration vocational trainings;

•Opening of professional schools (in tourism, hotel business, agriculture) and revamping of SAR/SM (Handicraft and Rural Development Section /Domestic Science Section) ;

•Signing in 2013 of a Partnership Agreement on vocational training and integration of youths between the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training and the Inter-professional Council of Sanitation Companies in the CEMAC zone;

•Transfer of certain powers to RLA to implement the free educational policy, in particular the construction, equipping and maintenance of schools, acquisition of equipment and school supplies, recruitment and management of support staff;

•Negotiation of a funding agreement for Cameroon under the Global Partnership for Education;

•Review and validation of the National Education Sector Strategy in 2012;

•Validation of the National Policy on Textbooks and other Educational Materials in December 2012;

•Production and validation in 2013 of the reference tool for civic education and national integration;

•Organisation in 2012 of an international symposium on the assessment of the achievements of the various ministries in civic education and national integration;

•Opening of Jobs Training Centres (JTC, providing training in non-agricultural activities, to rural youths through CD2 funding.

172.With regard to the education of vulnerable children, the Government with the support of technical and financial partners, including UNICEF, UNESCO, ISESCO, WFP, the Chantal BIYA Foundation, Plan Cameroon, and the NGO Counterpart among others, assist the Government through various forms of support and specific programmes in this targeted approach, with the assistance of the media.

173.Measures have focused mainly on:

•Raising awareness by organising the Community Week for the education of girls, which was held in 2011;

•Combating malnutrition and encouraging the education of the girl-child with the help of the NGO Counterpart, in 150 schools in the North Region. This involves mainly providing school canteens, distributing dry rations to girls in classes CE2, CM1 and CM2. In addition, 146 schools received agricultural inputs, as well as the necessary training in the creation of school gardens ranging in size between 1 and 2 hectares;

•Implementing the Project “School Friend of Children, Friend of Girls” which, as part of the collective promotion system, is being carried out in priority education zones to reduce repetition and cases of dropout of boys and girls. The strategy is to make the school environment attractive, through the construction of water points and the beautification of the area;

•The promotion of female teachers in rural schools to serve as models for girls;

•The construction of separate latrines for girls and boys, providing hand-washing basins, and other amenities;

•The distribution of teaching, learning materials, basic school supplies, educational, recreational and hygiene kits in schools in priority education zones;

•The construction in 2014 of 10 blocks of 2 apartments for teachers, 7 of which are in the remote areas of Lake Chad and Bakassi, and 3 in islands and areas with accessibility problems like Mouanko, Manoka and Vélé;

•The acquisition of 5 motorized canoes for remote areas and islands like Bamusso, Kombo-Abedimo, Idabato, Mouanko and Mahendra; Manoka;

•Educating families on the importance of birth registration of their children;

•Providing assistance in registration and financial support through holiday jobs and bonuses for excellence awarded to the most deserving girls in schools;

•The support from Plan France in the establishment of Village Associations for Savings and Loans, which enable parents to save and get micro-loans to finance the education of their children, and women to be trained in income-generating activities so that they can better educate their children;

•The implementation since 2012 of a pilot inter-cultural and multilingual education project referred to as “Rights and Dignity of the Bakas”.

174.Concerning the prevention and combating of sexual violence, abuses and trafficking of children for sexual exploitation, measures have focused on:

•The carrying out, since 2011, of a sexual violence prevention project known as “Creation of a protective environment for the prevention of sexual abuses and trafficking of children for sexual exploitation and gender discrimination of children in Cameroon”, by KinderrechteAfrika, in partnership with the NGOs: “Cercle International pour la Promotion de la Création-Cameroun” (CIPCRE Cameroun) and Local Action for a community-centred and Self-reliant Development (ALDEPA);

•The capacity building of journalists and radio presenters in the promotion of the rights of the child;

•The organisation of media campaigns;

•The celebration of all the days dedicated to the child, with emphasis on his/her education;

•The education of students in schools and parents of students on sexual abuse;

•The implementation of the national campaign against trafficking and sexual exploitation of children by MINAS with the support of the Association “School, Instrument of Peace (EIP-Cameroon) and UNICEF;

•The holding in February 2014 of a symposium on sexual harassment in schools and universities.

175.On the whole, considerable efforts have been made to improve on the provision of education and increase the number of teachers, both in the primary and secondary school level. The increase in the number of schools, vocational training centres, professional high schools and SAR/SM has enabled the integration of a large number of children and particularly girls and young mothers who are in a situation of dropping out from school. The inclusion in the curricula of modules on the rights of the child, combating all forms of violence against children in school and current life skills have enabled children to acquire better reflexes of self-protection against some of these scourges. In addition, the realization of many projects involving drinking water supply and sanitation in schools has helped raise awareness among children on the right actions to take to prevent diseases such as malaria, cholera and other water-borne diseases.

176.Furthermore, since the issuance of Decree No. 2010/0247/PM of 26 February 2010 laying down the conditions for exercising some of the powers devolved by the State to Councils under Basic Education, together with those of Order No. 2010/246/B1/1464/MINEDUB/CAB of 31 December 2010 on the Specification Sheet detailing the conditions and technical terms for exercising the powers devolved by the State to Councils, the Ministry of Basic Education devolved to Councils in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, financial powers and financial resources for the construction of school infrastructure, on the one hand, and for school supplies, on the other hand (see Annex). The achievements made through the powers and resources transferred to Councils cover all ten (10) Regions of the country and resulted in the construction and rehabilitation of latrines and classrooms, the construction of water points and fences, maintenance and equipping of schools and the distribution of school supplies under the Minimum package programme.

177.However, the actions carried out still faced a number of difficulties such as the high cost of textbooks; the non-dissemination of the national integration training aids; inadequate budgets allocated to the needs of the social ministries, especially Health, Employment and Vocational Training, Social Affairs, Women Empowerment and the Family, the Youth and Civic Education; the pupil/teacher ratio still high; lack of coordination and visibility in the many projects being carried out in the field by partners to encourage access to education; stopping or under-funding of some projects in priority zones by the development partners (the WFP decided to reduce the number of schools in the North and Far North Regions where it was distributing foodstuff to female pupils to 84 in 2014, out of a total of 19,459 pupils); absenteeism of some teachers transferred to remote areas; sluggish nature of the process of provision of the minimum package because of the complexity of the contract award procedures relating thereto, exacerbated by the denial of responsibility by some municipal authorities, making it difficult for schools to function; limitation of outreach activities to certain schools and regions; the non-provision to all the caretakers of children of materials on the rights of the child.

178.To overcome these difficulties, several actions have been planned, namely:

•Pursuing training in quality and quantity of teachers;

•Increasing the budget allocated to the education sector, as well as pleading to partners to increase their support for Government actions;

•Better coordination of projects on the field that promote access to education;

•Organizing awareness activities among the populations on the importance of quality education and extending these activities throughout the national territory;

•Improving the procedure for the provision of the minimum package to beneficiaries;

•Multiplying and equipping centres for training children who cannot cope with the classical educational system;

•Training persons in the Central Services and teachers on how to appropriate Information and Communication Technologies;

•Reproducing 19,000 copies of the curriculum on Information and Communication Technologies.

VIII.Special protection measures

179.The special protection measures focus on nine specific areas covering, inter alia, children asylum seekers and refugee children; economic exploitation, including child labour; street children; sexual exploitation and abuse; the smuggling, trafficking and abduction of children; the hotline; the administration of juvenile justice; the protection of witnesses and victims of crime, and children belonging to indigenous groups.

1.Children Asylum Seekers and Refugee Children

180.With regard to children seeking asylum and refugee children, Cameroon has taken measures to protect these groups of children, in accordance with the recommendations contained in paragraph 68. At the legal level, the following texts have been adopted:

•Decree No. 2011/389 of 28 November 2011 on the organization and functioning of the management bodies of refugees (Commission for Eligibility to the Status of Refugees, the Refugee Appeals Board);

•Orders No. 0013/DIPL/CAB and No. 0014/DIPN/CAB of 6 August 2012 on the composition and appointment of the members of these Commissions;

•Order No. 269 of 13 March 2014, on the establishment of an Ad hoc Inter-Ministerial Committee responsible for the management of emergencies concerning refugees in Cameroon.

181.Other actions were also carried out, namely:

•Developing the strategic plan for humanitarian response in Cameroon launched by the United Nations System in Cameroon which aims at raising 48.5 million Dollars between 2014 and 2016;

•Implementing the programme of direct assistance to refugees on the field in the East and Adamaoua Regions, in the areas of health, education, protection, sanitation and water;

•Developing a Programme of emergency assistance to refugees from Central African Republic and Nigeria with the assistance of Plan Cameroon, UNICEF, WHO, HCR and ICRC, to strengthen the protection of refugee children and asylum-seekers;

•Developing the programme of assistance limited to vulnerable cases among the urban refugees of Douala and Yaounde;

•Improving the process of establishment of birth certificates for refugee children and systematic registration of new-born babies, following Law No. 2011/011 of 6 May 2011 to amend and supplement certain provisions of Order No. 81/002 of 29 June 1981 on the Organization of the Civil Status and various provisions on the status of individuals;

•The establishment from 2010-2013, of 6000 birth certificates through the procedure of supplementary judgments, for refugee children in the East, Adamawa, Centre and Littoral Regions of the Regions;

•The construction from 2010-2013, of 13 blocks of two classrooms, 158 water points and 516 latrines;

•The establishment of mechanisms for verification and authentication of civil status documents drawn up for refugees, with the support of UNHCR;

•The development by the Government of five resettlement sites, in response to the massive influx of Central African refugees, with the setting up of child protection measures;

•The establishment, in collaboration with UNHCR, the Panel of Determination of the Best Interest of refugee children;

•Building the capacities of children to avoid risky situations, report cases of abuse for which they are victims;

•The identification, orientation and systematic follow-up by all stakeholders of the cases of abuse against refugee children;

•The implementation of the national strategy against gender-oriented violence which includes the protection of refugee children ;

•The drafting of the Handbook on Psycho-social Support of Children in Difficult Circumstances;

•The study conducted in 2013 on the living conditions and risks of protection of refugees in urban areas;

•The ongoing development of a database on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) including refugees (pilot experience covering the Littoral, East and Far North Regions);

•The development of an interface for collecting data on the situation of refugees between UNHCR and UNICEF to monitor emergencies;

•The organization in October 2014 of a workshop to build the technical capacities of representatives of Government departments (MINEPAT, MINATD, MINAS, MINPROFF, MINJUSTICE), NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (IMC, ALDEPA, ASSEJA) operating in the area of child protection, from the Adamawa, East, North, and Far North Regions, for child protection in humanitarian emergency situations.

182.The analysis of the ongoing implementation from the period when the recommendations were made, shows an improvement and a strengthening of the legal framework specific to refugees. In fact, before 2010, Law No. 2005/6 of 27 July 2005 on the management of the status of refugees in Cameroon was hardly enforceable because there was no instrument of implementation. This difficulty was overcome thanks to the above-mentioned texts created that ensure better protection of children asylum-seekers and refugee children. In addition, programmes developed with the support of international partners and civil society organizations helped to better meet the specific needs of this category of children.

183.However, several difficulties have hindered the implementation of recommendations, among which are:

•The break-up of regional and local refugee management bodies;

•The low appropriation by local communities of the problem of refugees;

•The lack of material, financial and human resources to cope with the ever-increasing influx of refugees from Nigeria and the Central African Republic;

•The lack of assistance to refugees with regard to the needs and environmental requirements;

•Insufficient mastery by certain public players of standards of protection of the rights of refugees;

•The inability of the bodies set up to manage of the status of refugees to function.

184.In order to overcome the difficulties mentioned above, it is recommended to complete the process of transfer of the roles determining the status of refugees from the UNHCR to the Government, render operational the management bodies of refugees, create regional branches of these bodies by providing a constant running budget.

2.Economic Exploitation including Child Labour

185.In the area of economic exploitation, including child labour, Cameroon has set up measures and programmes to respond to the recommendations made in paragraph 70.

186.These measures focused, inter alia, on:

•The conduct in 2010 by the NIS, with the support of ILO, of a pilot study on the commercial sexual exploitation of children, which enabled a better understanding of the magnitude of the phenomenon;

•The conduct in 2012 by the NIS of a study on child labour and youth employment in Cameroon;

•The inclusion in the 2012-2014 programme budget of the WACAP – LUTRENA Project, following the evaluation of the pilot phase;

•The building in 2013 by the NGO International Day of the African Child and Youths (IDAY Cameroun), of the capacities of children in reporting the abuses and violence suffered by exploited children;

•Validation in March 2014 of the National Action Plan to combat the worst forms of child labour;

•Delivery of start-up kits to some of the children doing apprenticeship in some trades (plumbing, tailoring, motor mechanics, carpentry, hairdressing, etc.) in the pilot phase of the project to combat the smuggling and trafficking of children to do cocoa-farming and commercial agriculture in the Centre, South West, North West Regions (WACAP-LUTRENA);

•The intensification of literacy programmes and vocational training to meet the specific needs of children from urban and rural areas (PAJER-U, PIAASI);

•The establishment of 430 Multifunctional Centres for Youth Empowerment (MCYE), aimed at social inclusion, economic empowerment, healthy and educational entertainment;

•Identification, referencing and follow-up of cases of forced labour of children;

•Provision of technical and financial support for the implementation of the ILO Conventions ratified by Cameroon;

•Adoption of the national policy of full development of the young child;

•Organization in October 2014 of a multi-sector workshop on the domestic work of children;

•Organization of several campaigns and multi-sector workshops on problems of trafficking in children which culminated with a Government communication on the topic in October 2014.

187.Conducting studies on forced labour and economic exploitation of children led to a better grasp of the phenomenon. Actions for raising awareness, reintegration and re-adaptation of children who are victims of such practices helped to provide solutions to some of the concerns of this target group.

188.However, the implementation of these recommendations is hampered by a number of obstacles, prominent among which are the low level of reporting of the authors, the poor perception of child labour by the society, ignorance of legal instruments related to child labour by local communities and some stakeholders involved in child protection, insufficient budget resources to implement the National Action Plan to Combat the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

189.In order to remedy this situation, the following actions are envisaged:

•Implementing the Train My Generation Programme, put in place by Heads of CEMAC member-States in 2013, which will help to address the various issues related to poverty and set up fruitful initiatives for youths;

•Enhancing education, information and awareness among families and communities on the rights of the child;

•Building institutional capacities for taking care of children;

•Pursuing sanctions against perpetrators of forced labour and other forms of economic exploitation of children.

3.Street Children

190.In order to implement the recommendations contained in Paragraph 72, the actions carried out by Cameroon in favour of street children revolve around:

•Pursuing the implementation of the project to fight against the street children phenomenon;

•The setting up of two pilot regional multi-sector mobile brigades to combat the street children phenomenon in Yaounde and Douala;

•The annual capacities building campaigns in favour of social stakeholders in providing care to street children;

•The organization of actions to bring back 855 former street children to their homes; of which 585 went back to the classical educational system and received educational support;

•The systematic going back to school of children placed in foster institutions and the social and vocational training in view of greater empowerment;

•The strengthening of the inter-sector coordination mechanism for the fight against the street children phenomenon;

•The implementation of the pre-marital, matrimonial and family education programme that takes into consideration the prevention of the street children phenomenon;

•The validation of a handbook for community schools as a didactic tool intended for stakeholders on the field;

•The institutional placement of street children in reception and rehabilitation centres for minors.

191.As concerns collaboration with the Civil Society, partnerships were developed with certain stakeholders who support Government actions. Such is the case with the Chantal BIYA Foundation that contributes by building the capacities of both street children and AGR; the Rotary Club that intervenes in the field of education, a case in point being the award, in 2010, of scholarships and stationery; and the Lions Club Paradise which, in 2012, offered 100 scholarships to street children.

192.Actions taken in favour of street children raised the global awareness of the responsibility of the community, especially that of parents and families in the process of fighting against the street children phenomenon. However, some difficulties were identified, among which are:

•Inadequate financial and material resources to cater for street children;

•Insufficient qualitative and quantitative human resources;

•The complexity of the street children phenomenon, with multi-dimensional aspects that are not all taken into consideration when providing responses.

193.To curb these difficulties, the Government plans to:

•Pursue actions geared towards promoting the return of street children to families;

•Intensify educative sessions in families on the street children phenomenon.

4.Sexual Exploitation and Violence

194.Combating sexual exploitation of children as well as related violence, is a major concern for the State of Cameroon. Also, efforts were undertaken to intensify this fight, in accordance with the recommendations of paragraph 74.

195.In this regard, several actions were undertaken by the Government, NGOs as well as technical and financial partners, especially:

•Building the capacities of stakeholders in the child protection chain (security forces, lawyers, magistrates and social workers) on the specific rights of children who are victims of smuggling and/or exploitation;

•Punishing culprits (in Bamenda, in the North West Region, for instance, 3 perpetrators of rape were respectively sentenced to 18 years, 1 year and six months of imprisonment, a child ritual practitioner received a 5-year prison sentence and 3 perpetrators of rape are currently awaiting trial);

•A pilot study conducted by the NIS in 2010, on the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Cameroon, that led to a better grasp of the phenomenon affecting children aged between 11 and 17;

•The organization of training sessions for administrative, traditional and religious authorities as well as children’s parliament, characterized by the dissemination of national and international legal instruments on the fight against discriminations, sexual abuses and smuggling in children;

•The implementation of the national strategy on the fight against gender-based violence, taking into consideration sexual violence targeting young girls, through the following:

•Setting up local awareness and surveillance committees to prevent genital mutilation cases in homes (Logone & Chari, Manyu, Briqueterie, etc.);

•The celebration, each year, of 16 days of activism against violence against women and young girls;

•The organization by the NCHRF of public hearings on sexual abuses on minors in order to trigger exemplary punishment of the perpetrators of such abuses;

•The organization of sessions of pre-marital, matrimonial and family education targeting close to 100,000 families paying particular attention to the appropriation of children’s rights by families;

•The implementation, with the support of Plan Cameroon, of a psycho-social support programme intended for children who are victims of sexual abuses in the North West Region, with close to 3,000 girls and boys targeted;

•The socio-professional training of the victims in Centres for the Empowerment of Women and the Girl Child and their reintegration in view of their empowerment (10393 young girls trained from 2012 to 2014).

196.Actions undertaken in the area of violence against children enabled a better appropriation by the various stakeholders involved in the protection of the rights of the child.

197.However, these measures were hampered by a number of stumbling blocks, including:

•Socio-cultural constraints;

•Insufficient financial and material resources;

•The silence of victims and families;

•The low level of reporting of perpetrators;

•Difficulties in the production of evidence.

198.Measures earmarked to overcome these difficulties relate to:

•Facilitating the setting up of vigilance committees in targeted municipalities, training members of these Committees in the identification, councelling, orientation and monitoring of children victims;

•Identifying and assessing existing structures in charge of assisting children who are victims of sexual violence;

•Building the capacities of social stakeholders as regards the referencing of victims.

5.Sale, Smuggling, and Abduction of Children

199.The implementation of the recommendations outlined in Paragraph 76 was materialized by the several actions.

200.As concerns legislation, the adoption of Law No. 2011/024 of 14 December 2011 pertaining to the fight against trafficking and smuggling in persons, to amend Law No. 2005/015 of 29 December 2005, that extended the scope of application of the fight against smuggling in persons to all categories of victims. This Law was enforced as can be seen in the cases below:

•The People vs. BELINGA EYENDEA, MANGA ITOUNGUE Martin and EBOA NJOKE: The High Court of Nkambe in the North West Region, on 7 July 2011, found the first two accused, guilty of abduction of minors and sentenced each of them to three years of imprisonment, with a suspended sentence for three years;

•In The People vs. Lucia NGWE MBUNSON (child trafficking) case: in 2013, the accused, a teacher and principal of Government High School Nkambe, was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment, a 1.5 million CFA fine, disqualifications from Article 30 of the Penal Code (the disqualification consists in prevention from exercising any profession in relation with children);

•In the Vanessa TCHATCHOU and the Prosecution vs ALABI NGBWA Jocelyne case. On 18 October 2012, the High Court of Mfoundi ruled that ALABI NGBWA Jocelyne, the main accused person in the case, charged with the abduction of a minor leading to the death of the latter, was guilty and she was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Her alleged accomplices: Ndjandja Pamen Cyrano, Abialina Charles and Zoa Martin, the first accused of collaboration in the abduction of a child and the two others of complicity in abduction, the first two were each sentenced to 20 years in prison. Zoa Martin was acquitted.

201.As concerns raising awareness, the fight against the sexual exploitation of children falls within the framework of a vast awareness-raising programme initiated by MINAS since 2011 and focusing on the smuggling in, and sexual exploitation of, children. This campaign to combat the smuggling in and exploitation of children organized in partnership with the international NGO École Instrument de Paix (School Instrument of Peace, EIP), helped to carry out awareness-raising activities in 9 Regional Headquarters and activities for the tenth Region, the Centre, are underway. These actions had a clear impact with significant outcomes such as:

•The awareness of 8,400 children raised through educative talks (schools, organized groups, boarding schools, training centres, NGOs/Associations, Neighbourhoods and villages, etc.);

•5,000 children participated in the official launching ceremonies of the campaigns;

•Over 1,000 motorbike taxi riders were mobilized and educated;

•Educative talks were carried out by 60 trained awareness-raising agents;

•800 artistic expressions realized by children on the theme combating smuggling in, and sexual exploitation of children;

•Over 25,000 education tools were used and distributed (Banners, Posters, T-shirts, polo shirts, face caps, Handbooks for Community Schools, special exercise books, folders);

•Over 42 national and international media groups mobilized.

202.At the end of the campaign, the following commitments were made by:

•Over 500 administrative, religious and traditional authorities to combat smuggling in, and exploitation of children, through immediate resolutions taken by some targeted groups;

•Some stakeholders, through testimonies that helped to denounce several cases of violation of children’s rights before judicial and administrative authorities.

203.As concerns the taking care of victims, actions dealt with:

•Setting up operating standards and a national referencing system in the fight against smuggling and trafficking in persons;

•Training stakeholders on the use of the operational standards and the referencing system;

•Organizing, in collaboration with the International Migration Organisation (IMO), of training sessions on the referencing of victims of sale, smuggling and trafficking of human beings.

204.Since 2013, in a bid to pursue these actions geared towards combating trafficking in persons, Cameroon embarked on implementing the support project for the fight against the trafficking in persons in the Gulf of Guinea countries, in partnership with French Cooperation.

205.These measures helped to strengthen the institutional framework of the fight against the smuggling in persons, develop and disseminate standard operating procedures for the referencing of cases of smuggling and trafficking in persons.

206.Despite these breakthroughs, the phenomenon remains, due to the absence of a warning system in case of child abduction and the poor appropriation by the stakeholders in the protection chain and the legislation on the smuggling in persons.

207.In order to overcome these difficulties, the measures planned by Government are geared towards intensifying actions to build the capacities of the judicial chain, those of reception and transit centres, Civil Society Organizations in the smuggling and trafficking domains.

6.Hot Line

208.In order to implement the recommendations made in paragraph 78, the Government put in place a Hot Line No. 116 for reporting cases of abuse and violence against children. This implies being aware of the need to have a telephone hot line.

209.However, the absence of a legal and institutional framework to materialize this hot line, the inadequate structures to respond to cases of abuse and violence against children and the lack of qualified human resources, are among the factors hampering the implementation of the recommended phone assistance line.

210.Actions envisaged to overcome these difficulties deal with improving the legal and institutional framework, training qualified staff in the management of children victims of reported cases of abuse and violence and multiplying operational structures across the national territory.

7.Administration of Juvenile Justice

211.In order to implement the recommendations made in paragraph 80 concerning the administration of juvenile justice, several actions were taken.

212.As concerns the age of criminal responsibility, the information provided in the previous report is still relevant.

213.With regard to the prevention of juvenile delinquency, actions taken by MINAS, MINPROFF and MINJEC relate to awareness-raising amongst families and communities on catering for children.

214.With respect to specialisation of Courts, it should be noted that there are no special courts for children. Nonetheless, there is a functional specialisation within courts that gives room for these courts to have specific composition to deal with matters of juvenile delinquency. In this regard, apart from the professional judge, two assessors appointed from amongst persons with recognized interest in issues of childhood complete the composition of the court in matters involving minors.

215.In order to ensure the training of such personnel, some teaching modules on human rights and international humanitarian law were thus introduced in the curricula of schools and training centres of the National Gendarmerie and the National School of Administration and Magistracy. The introduction of a specific module on the rights of the child has also been envisaged. In view of this, training packages intended for trainers on the rights of the child are being developed with support from some of our international partners (UNICEF, CNUDHD-AC). In addition, as part of continuous training on human rights in prisons, for the stakeholders in the judicial system and the prison administration staff, focus has been on the rights of the child.

216.Concerning alternatives to detention, the Criminal Procedure Code provides for measures such as handing the child over to his family, putting him in a specialised institution and on probation, who will be assisted by delegates appointed by the judge.

217.With regard to healthcare for children under custody, (cf. response to the recommendation relating to the right to healthcare). Apart from healthcare, note should be taken of the regular organisation of visits to prisons by the NCHRF, civil society organisations and charity organisations, for the sake of meeting some identified needs.

218.Regarding the effective separation of minors from adults, in 2013, 78 of the 88 prisons that the country had were functional. Although all were not intended to accommodate minors, 36 amongst them had sections for minors while 15 had other premises for minors.

219.In order to improve on the accommodating standards relating to the building of prisons, a civil engineering branch was opened in the competitive entrance examination for the recruitment of prison administrators. With respect to police and gendarmerie stations, the architectural configuration does not always allow for any strict compliance with this principle. However, in view of providing specific care for minors facing the law in police units, Decree No. 2012/540 of 19 November 2012 to organise the General Delegation for National Security, provides for social affairs services in some police units to handle the protection of the family and vulnerable groups.

220.With respect to the allocation of human, technical and financial resources, the mobilisation of such resources remains a challenge for the optimal implementation of alternative measures to detention.

221.The system of administration of juvenile justice gradually internalises the relevant provisions of international instruments on the protection of and assistance to children facing the law. The existence of statistical data, on minors in prisons from 2010 to 2013 (cf. Annex), gives room for measuring the efforts needed to reduce the number of minors incarcerated in prisons and opt for alternative methods of detention for minors.

222.Nevertheless, the shortage of specialised structures for placement and care of incarcerated minors, lack of a framework to regulate the functions of assessors and probation officers, insufficient human and financial resources adequate to support alternatives to the detention of minors are all obstacles to the proper administration of juvenile justice.

223.To address this, some efforts will be made for the adoption of a code of conduct for the prison staff, redeployment of probation officers in courts, effective implementation of alternatives to the detention of minors, rehabilitation and/or construction of institutions for the placement of minors.

8.Protection of Witnesses and Victims of Crimes

224.The dimension of protection of victims and witnesses of crimes has not yet been incorporated into the domestic legislation.

9.Children Belonging to Indigenous Groups

225.The measures taken by the Government to implement the recommendations made in paragraph 83, in relation to children of indigenous peoples, focus mainly on:

•The adoption in 2014 of a National Action Plan for Indigenous Peoples;

•Setting up an Inter-sector Follow-up Committee for the Projects and Programmes of the Vulnerable Indigenous Peoples (CISPAV), whose role is to create some synergy of actions and resources to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of contributions for vulnerable indigenous peoples;

•The lending of support in equipment, agricultural tools, fishery and other means of production, worth 32 million CFAF to the Pygmy communities of the Centre, South and East Regions, on the occasion of the 6th International Day of Indigenous Peoples;

•The creation within the framework of the Pygmy Peoples Development Programme (PPDP)/National Community-centred Development Programme (NCDP) of 31 Social Action Services in the Centre, East and South Regions inhabited by the Indigenous Peoples (SASPAV) with the assigned role, among other things, to support social representation, participation in decision-making in areas of interest for them, access to basic social services, access to civil status documents. In the same sense, and in terms of support to the issuance of birth certificates, actions taken are aimed at negotiating lower costs for supplementary rulings. In this regard, it may be noted for instance the establishment of birth certificates by the NGOs: VSO and Plan Cameroon;

•Establishing an inter-sector collaboration platform whose main objective is to conduct activities related to the economic empowerment, civic training, and national integration of young socially vulnerable persons. As such, for 2013, 1,000 vulnerable youths were trained as part of this partnership, including Pygmies and Bororos;

•Establishing partnerships with some NGOs like the Centre for Environment and Development (CED); Cameroon Living Earth Foundation (CLEF); BAKA Biosphere and MBOSCUDA;

•Organizing on 5 and 6 August 2014 in Yaounde, a workshop on “Strategies and Methods of Adapting Education to the Culture and Way of life of Indigenous Peoples”;

•Implementing an intercultural and multilingual education pilot project, with support from Plan Cameroon and UNICEF, in the East Region of Cameroon, and aimed at experimenting teaching in the Baka-Pygmy Language in eight pilot schools, for an enrolment of 734 children at the start of the 2013-2014 school year as part of the project known as the “Right and Dignity of the Baka People”, with the goal of improving on the level of education of Baka children, while maintaining them rooted in their culture;

•Producing, in this light by the Summer Institute of Linguistics, SIL, of 421 handbooks on spelling and mathematics, thereby including Baka cultural values, 421 arm-boards with the Baka alphabet on the back of the arm-board, eight reading scales, 321 school kits distributed to 321 class one pupils, each made up of an arm-board, a schoolbag, a spelling book, a mathematics book, two double-lined exercise books, a dozen pencils and a sharpener; and

•Constructing, for the Bororo people, of 256 classrooms, 30 water points, 55 latrine blocks, a nursery school for Sambo, Batouri, East Region and then equipping it, rehabilitating 58 classrooms, granting 1,290 scholarships to students admitted into form one, as well as the training of 2,350 members of Parents-Teachers Associations.

226.All the measures taken in the interest of indigenous peoples led to improvement of strategic coordination of actions intended for the target peoples and their greater involvement in programmes and projects meant for them as beneficiaries. However, there are still some challenges, particularly:

•Poor ownership by the beneficiaries of the actions taken in their favour;

•Absence of an institutional definition of the concept of indigenous peoples.

227.The finalisation of the study on indigenous peoples in Cameroon and the implementation of the National Action Plan for indigenous peoples will provide a better response to the rights of the targeted peoples.

IX.Ratification of international instruments on human rights

228.In response to the recommendations of paragraphs 84 and 85, Cameroon signed three Conventions on the rights of persons with disabilities and its Optional Protocol on the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families and the International Convention on the protection of persons against forced disappearances. Their ratification is not yet effective.

229.In the absence of ratification of the signed legal instruments, some important steps were taken by the Government of Cameroon. This was thus the case with those on the civil and political rights of persons with disabilities, an administrative circular on construction standards for public buildings taking into account the handicap approach based on the principle of accessibility in all human dignity.

230.The Government intends to continue with the ratification process of such instruments in order to give an international legal scope to already taken national legislative and social measures.

X.Follow-up and dissemination

1.Follow-up

231.In response to the recommendation of paragraph 86, the recommendations made by the Children’s Rights Committee were formally notified to all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Children’s Rights for review and action.

232.It should be noted that all members of the inter-ministerial committee, expanded to technical and financial partners and civil society organizations, are actively involved in preparing the report on the implementation of the CRC. This participatory process is not only intended to share information amongst the different stakeholders, but also to allow them take ownership of the recommendations so far made as well as assess the level of implementation of the recommendations.

233.To facilitate follow-up by the chain of stakeholders, it is therefore planned that after each session of Periodic Report defence by Cameroon, there should be a national workshop on ownership of the recommendations of that session, involving all stakeholders.

2.Dissemination

234.Following the recommendation on paragraph 87, an Inter-Ministerial Committee was set up, bringing together ministries, technical and financial partners as well as civil society organisations involved in child protection. Meetings of this Committee helped to disseminate, within the above-mentioned structures, the various reports produced by Cameroon within the framework of implementation of the CRC.

235.Activities carried out in collaboration with the Network of Journalists Friends of Children (REJAE) and CSOs helped to raise public awareness on the provisions of the CRC and the role of different stakeholders in the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. Youth movements, professional groups and children themselves are increasingly being informed about the CRC.

236.However, these actions do not go far enough so as to touch all the targets, especially those in the remotest areas. In order to solve this difficulty, the Government intends to raise funds, with the assistance of its development partners, for the translation of the CRC into local languages as well as increased awareness-raising among families and communities to respect the rights of children of all social categories.

Annexes

Specific instruments adopted within the framework of child protection from 2011 to 2014

Tables

I.Statistics of minors in prison (2011-2013)

Table 1Situation of Minors in Prisons as at 31 December 2011

Regions	Accused	Convicted	Total
Adamawa	37	8	45
Centre	274	40	314
East	31	0	31
Far north	97	19	116
Littoral	76	9	85
North	85	17	102
North west	37	2	39
West	77	1	78
South	42	10	52
South west	45	9	54
Overall total	801	115	916

Source : DAPEN/MINJUSTICE .

Table 2Situation of Minors as at 31 December 2012

Regions	Accused	Convicted	Total
Adamawa	27	20	47
Centre	217	69	286
East	35	1	36
Far north	61	9	70
Littoral	76	9	85
North	91	14	105
North west	24	4	25
West	109	9	118
South	42	7	49
South west	35	9	44
Cameroon	714	125	865

Source : Dapen / Minjustice .

Table 3Number of Minors in Prison as at 31 December 2013

Regions	Accused	Convicted	Total
Adamawa	41	10	51
Centre	226	23	249
East	39	12	51
Far north	71	37	108
Littoral	71	07	78
North	47	12	59
North west	30	19	49
West	94	15	109
South	41	09	50
South west	39	18	57
Overall total	699	162	861

Source : DAPEN/MINJUSTICE .

II.Health statistics (2011-2013)

Table 1Evolution of the Immunization Rate of Children Aged from 0 to 5

Antigen	Year 2011	Objectives (%)	Year 2012	Objectives (%)	Year 2013	Objectives (%)
BCG	80.31	86	81.49	88	82.14	90
Polio 3	80.29	88	84.96	90		90
Penta 3	82.19	88	85.19	90	88.59	90
Yellow Fever	75.38	83	80.07	85	82.78	87
Measles	76.01	83	81.76	85	83.17	87
Vat 2+	76.29	84	72.6	86	76.03	88

Source : PPAC (2015-2019) .

Table 2Evolution of the State budget allocated to MINSANTE (in Million CFA F)

Years	2011	2012	2013
State budget	2 571	2 800	3 733.65
MINSANTE budget	151.81	151.42	164.747
Percentage	5.9	5.4	4.41

Source : Finance Law, 2011, 2012 and 2013 Financial Years .

III.Statistics on basic education (2011-2013)

Table 1Statistics on official examinations for the 2014 session

Examination	2014 Session
Registered	Sat	Passed	% Pass
CEP	268 073	262 134	152 843	75.63
FSLC	93 699	92 998	81 281	80.90
CE	78 852	78 339	61 547	77.24
Total	440 624	433 471	295 671	77.92

Source : MINEDUB’s work .

Table 2Evolution of enrolment indicators

Enrolment indicators	Academic years
2011-2012	2013-2014
Raw Enrolment Rate	116%	118%
Admission Rate	127%	130%
Primary School Completion Rate for Girls	69.%	70.3%
Primary School Completion Rate	73.7%	74.2%
Completion Rate in Priority Education Zone	59.0%	63.6%
Raw Nursery Enrolment Rate	30.0%	34.4%

Source : MINEDUB’s work .

Table 3Number of pupils in nursery and primary schools during the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 academic years

Sub-System	Number Of Pupils
Nursery	Primary
Girls	Girls and Boys	Girls	Girls and Boys
Anglophone	2011-2012	63 766	125 886	402 431	816 687
2013-2014	80 457	159 431	447 641	904 364
Francophone	2011-2012	131 622	262 699	1 381 737	3 031 924
2013-2014	153 814	307 806	1 486 795	3 232 548

Source : MINEDUB’s work .

Table 4Presentation of the Number of Teachers in public Nursery and Primary Schools during the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 academic years

Public sector teachers	Academic years
2011-2012	2013-2014
Nursery	Paid by the State	5 429	6 633
Paid by parents	1 177	2 265
Total	6 606	8 898
Primary	Paid by the State	46 083	42 703
Paid by parents	9 943	17 651
Total	56 026	60 354

Source: MINEDUB’s work .

Table 5Presentation of infrastructure during the 2013-2014 academic year

	Francophone	Anglophone	Public	Private	Parent + CPC	Total
Nursery	Schools	3 623	1 848	3 439	4 530	298	8 267
Classrooms	8 753	5 827	4 364	10 084	132	14 580
Primary	Schools	10 881	3 831	11 906	5 561	668	18 135
Classrooms	58 097	23 916	51 229	29 698	1 086	82 013

Source : MINEDUB proceedings .

Table 6Evolution of the Funding of the Basic Education Sector since 2012

Year	Budget of the Ministry in CFA F	Increment
In Absolute Value	In Relative Value
2012	160 830 000 000	//	//
2013	171 818 000 000	10 988 000 000	6.39%
2014	174 580 000 000	2 762 000 000	1.58%
2015	188 583 000 000	14 003 000 000	7.42%

Table 7Distribution of Internal Budgetary Resources in 2014

Allocation	Amount in CFA F	Proportion in Relation to the Internal Resources of the Ministry
Payroll	132 953 000 000	79.86%
Running Budget	21 017 000 000	12.62%
Investment Budget	12 510 000 000	7.51%

Source : MINEDUB proceedings .

Table 8Summary of Allocations Granted to Councils under Infrastructure Development and Acquisition of School Needs

Year	Amount allocated for the construction, rehabilitation, maintenance equipment of schools (in CFA F)	Amount allocated for the acquisition of school needs under the Minimum Package (in CFA F)	Accrued Total for Infrastructure Development and Acquisition of School Needs	Overall Budget of the Ministry Excluding Salaries (in CFA F)	Proportion in Relation to the Overall Budget of the Ministry Excluding Salaries
2010	13 064 050 000	2 072 704 000	15 136 754 000	60 048 000 000	25.21%
2011	6 636 479 000	1 958 629 000	8 595 108 000	35 213 000 000	24.41%
2012	8 139 755 984	2 067 939 000	10 207 694 984	42 225 000 000	24.17%
2013	8 265 341 000	2 085 553 000	10 350 894 000	43 880 000 000	23.59%
2014	9 000 600 000	2 085 553 000	11 086 153 000	41 627 000 000	26.63%
Total	45 106 225 984	10 270 378 000	55 376 603 984	222 993 000 000	24.83%

Source : MINEDUB proceedings .

Table 9Number of Schools and Pupils Assisted by the WFP in 2014

Regions	Number of Schools	Number of Students
North	35	7 684
Far north	49	11 775
Total	84	19 459

Source : Central Coordination Unit of the WFP/MINEDUB Project .

Table 10Situation of Products Distributed by the WFP in 2014 in the Far North and North Regions

Foodstuffs in tons	Regions
North	Far north
Rice	82 950	127 200
Beans	20 750	32 000
Oil	6 989	11 120
Salt	2 360	3 540
Maize	36 650	49 750
Total	149 699	223 610

Source : Central Coordination Unit of the WFP/MINEDUB Project .

Table 11Distribution of Functional Literacy Centres (FLCs) and Non-Formal Basic Education Centres (NFBECs)

Regions	Number of FLCs	Number of NFBECs
Adamawa	218	28
Centre	49	00
East	31	00
Far north	108	00
Littoral	63	00
North	149	00
North west	28	00
West	98	00
South	01	00
South west	125	00
Total	821	28

Source : MINEDUB proceedings .

Table 12Distribution of Pilot Schools

Regions	National Languages Being Experimented	Number of pilot schools
Centre	Ewondo	10
Far-north	Fufuldé	11
Littoral	Bassa	08
West	Ghomala’a	06
Total	35

Source : MINEDUB proceedings .

Table 13Number of Indigenous Pupils in 2014

Regions	Number of Enrolled Indigenous Pupils	Total Number of Enrolled Children	Percentage
Adamawa	9 398	190 000	4.94%
East	12 782	228 087	5.6%
North west	23 111	280 166	8.24%
South	1 884	146 766	1.25%
Total	47 175	845 019	5.58%

Source : MINEDUB proceedings .

Table 14Presentation of the Results of Indigenous Pupils in the CEP Examinations of 2013 and 2014 in the East Region

No.	Indigenous Pupils	CEP 2013	CEP 2014
Sat	Passed	% Pass	Sat	Passed	% Pass
	Bakas	15	10	66.7%	20	11	55%
	Mbororos	60	39	65%	75	39	52%
Total	75	49	65.3%	95	50	53.5%

Source : MINEDUB proceedings .

Table 15Number of Certificates Printed per Session and per Examination

Sessions	Examination	Number of Certificates Printed
2007	CEP	191 978
FSLC	97 811
CAPIEMP	3 315
2008	CEP	192 878
FSLC	66 553
CAPIEMP	2 982
2009	CEP	189 526
FSLC	62 027
CAPIEMP	5 831
2010	CEP	211 544
FSLC	66 639
CAPIEMP	9 801
2011	CEP	203 324
FSLC	74 750
CAPIEMP	12 578
2012	CEP	219 320
FSLC	79 057
Total		1 689 914

Source : MINEDUB proceedings .