Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Pre-session al working group
22–26 November 2010
Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
List of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the combined second and third periodic reports of Cameroon concerning articles 1 to 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/CMR/2-3)
I.General information
1.Please provide an update on legislative and institutional developments relevant to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights in the State party, including the status of the following draft laws mentioned in various parts of the State party report (E/C.12/CMR/2-3):
(a)The draft acton the repression of gender-based violence and discrimination, including as to whether sexual harassment in the workplace is prohibited by the draft act;
(b)The draft code of persons and the family;
(c)The draft act on the protection of persons with disabilities;
(d)The draft act on child protection;
(e)The draft amendment of the 1998 law on the right of access to clean water;
(f)The various draft acts relating to the reform of the social security system.
2.Please provide recent data, disaggregated on the basis of the prohibited grounds of discrimination, on a yearly comparative basis, on the implementation of the rights enshrined in the Covenant.
3.Please provide examples of cases where the Covenant has been invoked before the courts. Please also provide information on legislative amendments made in order to incorporate penalties for acts prohibited under the Covenant.
II.Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1–5)
Article 1 – Self-determination and free disposal of natural wealth and resources
4.Please provide detailed information on how the rights of indigenous people in the Fako Division are safeguarded during and following the privatization of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) plantations.
Article 2, paragraph 1 ‑ Maximum available resources
5.Please inform the Committee whether the debt relief of 2008 under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative has enabled the State party to allocate additional resources to priorities such as reducing child mortality, maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS prevalence and underweight among children.
Article 2, paragraph 2 ‑ Non-discrimination
6.Please also provide detailed information on concrete results of measures taken by the institutions indicated in paragraph 417 of the State party report (E/C.12/CMR/2-3). Please provide information on results achieved in improving physical access for persons with disabilities in pursuance of the outcome of the consultation of 2006 between the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Public Works.
7.In view of the significant size of marginalized communities in the State party and the short-term nature of projects funded by international donors providing assistance to them, please inform the Committee if there is a national long-term strategy to address the problems mentioned in paragraph 193 of the State party report. Please also provide detailed information on the number of persons who are affected by the problems of lack of identity documents and of access to land ownership among indigenous people, as well as on measures taken by the State party to address these issues.
8.Please comment on reports that the privatization of public lands in the southern part of the country has negatively affected the right of those living on those lands to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights without discrimination.
Article 3 ‑ Equal rights of men and women
9.Please provide detailed information on legislative amendments adopted in order to abrogate provisions that discriminate against women, as recommended in the Committee’s previous concluding observations (E/C.12/1/Add.40, para. 32). Moreover, in view of the constitutional guarantee of non-discrimination, please explain the limitations imposed by the law and the marriage contract on women’s legal capacity as stipulated by article 16 of the Civil Code.
10.In view of the fact that access to and ownership of land remains difficult for women, as stated in paragraph 113 of the State party report, please provide detailed information on the impacts of measures taken by the State party to combat customary practices that impede women’s ownership of land, and on mechanisms that the State party has put into place to facilitate their access to land.
III.Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6-15)
Article 6 ‑ Right to work
11.In view of job insecurity and difficult conditions of work in the informal economy, which is of significant size in the State party, please indicate the impacts of measures taken by the State party to address the situation. Please also explain the objective of the integrated support project for participants in the informal sector (PIAASI) mentioned in paragraph 333 of the State party report and to what extent it has helped protect the rights of workers in the informal economy.
Articles 7 and 8 – Right to just and favourable conditions of work and trade union rights
12.Please provide detailed information on how the amount of the minimum wage is established in the State party and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that its level enables workers and their families to have an adequate standard of living.
13.Please inform the Committee of the framework that the State party intends to put in place to address the situation of workers in plantations in rural areas, as indicated in paragraph 127 of the report. Please also provide detailed information on actions taken by the State party to encourage plantations workers to unionize as well as the number of such unions and whether they have been successful in negotiating just and favourable conditions of work.
14.In view of the violation of workers’ rights as described in paragraph 317 of the State party report, please inform the Committee of practical measures taken to address the situation, including the existence of effective mechanisms and avenues of recourse available and to what extent workers have resorted to them.
Article 9 – Right to social security
15.Please inform the Committee of progress achieved in the modernization of the social security system of the State party and as to whether the envisioned reforms enable the State party to meet its obligations under the Covenant as specified in the Committee’s general comment No. 19 (2008) on the right to social security, in particular as regards universal coverage and minimum benefit amounts.
Article 10 – Protection of the family, mothers and children
16.Please provide an estimation of the extent of child labour in the State party and on targeted measures taken to address its root causes. Please provide data, disaggregated by year, sex and region, on the number of children who have benefited from the services of the reception centres referred to in paragraph 174 of the State party report and from other initiatives undertaken by the State party.
17.Please inform the Committee of the impact of measures taken by the State party to eliminate the practice of polygamy and forced marriage, as recommended in the Committee’s previous concluding observations (E/C.12/1/Add.40, para. 33).
18.Please inform the Committee of the impact of measures to combat domestic violence, including against women and children with disabilities.
19.Please inform the Committee of the impact of measures taken to eradicate harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and breast ironing and of treatment available to overcome their negative consequences on victims’ sexual and reproductive health.
20.Please inform the Committee of obstacles faced by the State party in combating trafficking in women, children and adolescents as well as child prostitution and sex tourism.
Article 11 – Right to an adequate standard of living
21.In view of the extent and depth of poverty among workers in the informal economy and their families, please inform the Committee of the impact of measures, policies and programmes in place to address this issue.
22.Please provide information on progress made in defining housing policy as mentioned in paragraph 230 of the State party report. Please inform the Committee as to whether the number of housing units made available through the construction projects listed in paragraphs 225, 226 and 228 meets the demand for social housing. Please also provide information on the existence of other social housing programmes.
23.Please inform the Committee of the impact of Decree No. 2008/0738/PM of 23 April 2008 on the organization of procedures and modalities of land settlement (aménagement foncier), and of any other relevant legislation as regards forced evictions, including alternative accommodation or other compensation. Further, in view of the fact that the majority of urban residents, particularly slum dwellers, live in houses without land title, please inform the Committee of the impact of measures taken to ensure the housing rights of those living in illegal dwellings being, or at risk of being, demolished as part of urbanization processes.
24.Please inform the Committee of measures taken by the State party to ensure that the rights of persons affected by the privatization of State-owned companies are protected, including the right to live and earn their livelihood on the lands where they are settled.
25.Please inform the Committee of the impact of measures taken by the State party to ensure that the rights to water and sanitation, including availability, accessibility, affordability and quality, remain ensured despite the privatization of the National Water Supply Company of Cameroon (SNEC) and the creation of the Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation (CAMWATER). Further, since CAMWATER provides water in urban and peri-urban areas, please inform the Committee of the existence of a strategy as well as of targeted policies and programmes for the provision of water, sanitation and electricity in rural areas.
26.In view of the high incidence of poverty among older persons and the low number of older persons covered by the State party’s social security system, please inform the Committee of measures taken by the State party to alleviate poverty among older persons, and the number of persons benefiting from these measures. Please indicate the geographic coverage of, and the number of persons/households benefiting from, the bergeries villageoises and greniers de solidarité established in the State party as well as other mechanisms in place to extend assistance to older persons.
Article 12 – Right to health
27.Please inform the Committee of the impact of the Health Sector Strategy adopted in October 2001, in particular regarding the achievement of the following targets by 2010:
(a)Reducing morbidity among the most vulnerable by one third;
(b)Ensuring that 90 per cent of the population is covered by the minimum health package.
28.Please inform the Committee about the availability and affordability of sexual and reproductive health services, including for adolescents. Moreover, please provide information on sexual and reproductive health education programmes in school. Please also provide detailed information about the incidence of abortion and early pregnancy among adolescents, as referred to in paragraph 170 of the State party report.
29.Please provide detailed information, including statistical data, about tobacco smoking, substance abuse and alcohol consumption among adolescents. Please provide information on available treatment and assistance extended to adolescents.
Articles 13 and 14 – Right to education
30.Please provide information on the impact of measures undertaken by the State party to eliminate the impediments to girls’ access to formal education
31.Please provide information on the impact of measures taken by the State party following the annual reports on the situation of children with disabilities in school, including in terms of infrastructure, educational support and allocation of financial resources.
Article 15 – Cultural rights
32.Please indicate the impact of measures taken to enable those living in the State party, in particular the most disadvantaged and marginalized, to have access to and enjoy the right to take part in cultural life.
33.Please inform the Committee of measures taken by the State to guarantee the protection of the cultural heritage of the various ethnic groups in the State party. Please also provide information on how the cultural heritage is reflected in the school curriculum and in the cultural events and activities in the State party.