Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

List of issues in connection with the consideration of the combined second to fourth periodic reports of Rwanda (E/C.12/RWA/2-4), adopted by the pre-sessional working group for the fiftieth session of the Committee (3-7 December 2012)

I.General information

1.Please inform the Committee of the place of the Covenant within the legal system of the State party and whether the rights contained in the Covenant can be invoked by its citizens directly or indirectly.

2.Please provide information on case law of courts on the rights contained in the Covenant and on measures taken to raise awareness among the judiciary of these rights.

3.Please provide information on legislative and other measures taken to combat corruption.

4.Please clarify the position of the national human rights institution (Commission nationale des Droits de la Personne) and provide information on the level of independence in its functioning, in line with the principles relating to the status of national institutions (Paris Principles).

II.Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1-5)

Article 2, paragraph 2 - Non-discrimination

5.Please provide information on measures taken to combat discrimination against persons with disabilities, in particular in employment. Please also provide information on the number of children with disabilities in the State party, aswell as steps taken to ensure that they do not suffer from social exclusion or abandonment.

6.Please provide information on measures taken to combat discrimination against members of the Batwa community, in all policy areas related to the rights in the Covenant. Please also specify whether steps have been taken to raise public awareness on and combat stigma against the Batwa community.

Article 3 - Equal rights of men and women

7.Please provide updated information on measures steps taken to promote the access of women to gainful employment, especially in local public administration and managerial posts in the private sector.

8.Please provide information on measures taken to address deeply rooted, traditional patriarchal stereotypes regarding the role and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in the wider community.

III.Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6-15)

Article 6 - The right to work

9.Please provide updated information on the unemployment rate, as well as steps taken to reduce unemployment, in particular among the youth. Please also provide information on steps taken to regularize workers employed in the informal sector.

Article 7 - The right to just and favourable conditions of work

10.Please indicate whether the State party intends to adopt a national minimum wage, with a view to providing workers and their families with a decent standard of living.

11.Please provide information on the enforcement of rules governing occupational safety and health, and on the monitoring system and sanctions that are in place.

Article 8 - Trade union rights

12.Please clarify which steps have been taken to address interference by local government officials and employers with the right to form or join trade unions by employees, as well as to ensure that employees are protected from retaliatory action following union involvement. Please also provide information on collective bargaining mechanisms in place in the State party.

13.Please provide information on restrictions in law and in practice on the right of employees to conduct strikes.

Article 9 - The right to social security

14.Please provide information on steps taken, to ensure universal social security coverage, in particular for old age as well as for health care, and on their impact. Please clarify whether there are legally established and periodically reviewed minimum amounts of benefits, and whether the 2009 National Social Security Policy also guarantees non-contributory social assistance allowances for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and families who are not covered by the contributory schemes.

Article 10 - Protection of the family, mothers and children

15.Please provide information on measures taken to combat and prevent domestic violence. Please provide updated information, on an annual basis, on the number of complaints of domestic violence, as well as the number of convictions, and the remedies made available to victims, including compensation.

16.Please provide information on measures taken to combat child labour, in particular the worst forms of child labour, including in the agricultural sector, domestic work, and extractive industries, and on their impact.

17.Please provide information on the implementation and the results of the 2005 strategic plan for street children.

18.Please provide information on the status of the draft Law on the Rights and Protection of the Child, and clarify whether it explicitly prohibits corporal punishment of children in all settings, including as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions, as well as in schools, alternative care settings, and the home.

19.Please provide updated information on the number of children who are placed in care outside of their home, particularly in institutional care. Please also provide information on reported plans to close alternative care institutions, and guarantees in place to ensure continued care and protection of children who are not placed in foster families.

Article 11 - The right to an adequate standard of living

20.Please provide information on measures taken to provide support to families living in poverty, in particular households headed by single women as well as those headed by orphaned children.

21.Please provide updated information on the extent of malnourishment of children under the age of 5, especially among disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including the Batwa community, and indicate the impact of measures taken to combat malnourishment, particularly in rural areas, as well as food insecurity in general.

22.Please indicate which steps have been taken to improve the access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, and combat and prevent water-related diseases, especially among disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including the Batwa community.

23.Please clarify whether the State party has adopted since 2009 a comprehensive national housing legislation, including legislation on rent control. Please specify whether the State party has promoted affordable rental housing and invested in social housing, especially among disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including the Batwa community. Please also provide information on steps taken to prevent forced evictions and to provide adequate compensation or alternative accommodation to those persons forcibly evicted from their homes, including those occurring as part of housing programmes.

Article 12 - The right to physical and mental health

24.Please provide information on steps taken to improve the access to health care, especially in rural areas and for disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including the Batwa community. Please provide information on steps taken to improve the quality of health care and the availability of quality medical equipment, as well as to increase the number of qualified medical personnel. Please also provide information on measures taken to improve the quality of and access to maternal care, including prenatal health services and skilled attendance at birth.

25.Please also provide information on steps taken to ensure access to comprehensive family planning services and to raise public awareness and education on sexual and reproductive health.

26.Please provide updated information on the results of the programmes aimed at combating and preventing of HIV/AIDS.

Articles 13 and 14 - The right to education

27.Please provide information on measures taken to prevent the levying of unofficial fees in primary education to support basic school operations, in accordance with the Covenant’s requirement that primary education be made free and compulsory.

28.Please explain how the so-called bonus scheme in schools affects the enjoyment of the right to education.

29.Please provide updated information on the impact of steps taken to improve the literacy rates, including amongst the Batwa community. Please also indicate which measures are taken to increase the number of qualified teaching personnel, to address the shortage of school materials, to reduce the size of classes in primary education, as well as steps taken to address the high dropout rates in primary and secondary education.

30.Please provide information on steps taken to ensure an inclusive education for children with disabilities in the primary and secondary education levels. Please also provide information on steps taken to ensure that children of migrant workers in an irregular situation, as well as children of the Batwa community, have access to free primary education, as well as to secondary education.

Article 15 - Cultural rights

31.Please inform the Committee of the recognition of various minority groups and indigenous peoples in the State party and measures taken aimed at respect for and protection of their cultural rights.

32.Please provide information on steps taken to protect and promote cultural heritage and diversity. Please also provide information on the status of the draft Bill on scientific research.