COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Twenty-fourth session

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 628th MEETING

Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva,

on Tuesday, 23 May 2000, at 3 p.m.

Chairperson: Ms. OUEDRAOGO

CONTENTS

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF STATES PARTIES (continued)

Initial report of Kyrgyzstan (continued)

The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF STATES PARTIES (agenda item 4) (continued)

Initial report of Kyrgyzstan (continued) (CRC/C/41/Add.6; HRI/CORE/1/Add.101; CRC/C/Q/KYR/1; Written replies to the list of issues (document without a symbol, distributed in Russian; summarized in English and distributed under the symbol CRC/C/1(Future)8))

At the invitation of the Chairperson, the members of the delegation of Kyrgyzstan resumed places at the Committee table.

Ms. AITIKEEVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that the decline of the former health system had left only a few centralized health structures, such as the Scientific Research Institute for Obstetrics and Paediatrics. The system was being restored with new structures and more modern technology, and improvement was expected in the next few years.

The budget for health care was not falling. A Health Year had been declared in 1999, and families, homes, schools and communities had all been involved in a national effort to maintain a healthy way of life. There were several State programmes aimed specifically at preserving the health of young people, including a tuberculosis control programme that had been quite successful. Two of the six main themes of the State “Healthy Nation” programme related directly to children: family health and mother and child health. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) had been particularly active in providing support for teenage mothers at schools and training institutes. The Government was preparing a national programme known as Health 21, which was to comprise all major areas of health and medical services through the year 2010, and which gave high priority to children’s health. The share of the State budget earmarked for health care amounted to more than 15 per cent, and over 16 per cent had been allocated to housing and communal services. However, many other health-related expenses, including the maintenance of hospitals and health centres, fell under other budget items.

Ms. VINNIKOVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that the main challenge in ensuring the protection of children was the identification at the local level of those requiring State assistance. The child protection system had in previous times functioned well. While many of the components of that system were still in place, it was not currently performing as well as it should owing to lack of resources. Special guardianship and custodianship bodies were in operation in some regions, and the Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) were working to extend them to all regions.

Kyrgyz legislation did not restrict the rights of minors to address complaints to any agencies, whether State or local. Complaints were considered by the Inspectorates for Minors, a special service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in each region, or by the Commission for Minors. Some 400 inspectors were assigned to the Inspectorates for Minors. If a complaint alleged a criminal act, charges were brought against the perpetrator, and psychological assistance was provided for victims who needed it.

Under the Criminal Code, persons over the age of 16 bore legal responsibility for their actions, and in the event of extremely grave crimes such as murder, armed robbery, inflicting serious injury and rape, the age of legal responsibility was 14. Less serious cases such as petty theft or vagrancy, were considered by the Commission for Minors. While the courts had the right to place children in specialized institutions, the Commission for Minors was limited to imposing fines and administrative penalties on the parents. Representatives of NGOs were allowed to attend all Commission proceedings and in some regions actually sat on the Commission. Since the adoption of a law in 1999, cases involving children under the age of 14 could be heard by the aksakals, or local elders’ courts.

Ms. BEISHENALIEVA (Kyrgyzstan), referring to minors’ awareness of their right to lodge complaints with the authorities, said that while they might be unaware of the possibilities offered specifically by the Commissions for Minors and the Office of the Procurator, in practice complaints were filed with divisions of the Ministries of Justice and Education and with law enforcement agencies and the local authorities. Those bodies were required by law to forward complaints rapidly to the proper office. In addition, a Presidential Decree had been issued, under which commentary would be requested from NGOs and the local authorities with a view to improving the reporting system.

Aksakals were local bodies composed of traditional leaders and elders who commanded respect in their villages or communities. Proceedings in the aksakal courts had proved to be effective. Law enforcement services and the Commissions for Minors often referred cases to them so as to avoid bringing children before formal courts and establishing criminal records for petty offences.

Advisory offices on marriage and family matters existed in each district, and provided vital support and medical assistance to teenage girls. Much work was done by NGOs in the field of education. Education had advanced quickly in recent years, especially in the towns, with the development of computer skills among the young and the use of the Internet.

The Government was in the process of setting up a legal information centre which would gather all enactments, directives, regulations, proposed legislation and case law for the inclusion in a database. The database would be a valuable resource enabling not only minors, but also lawyers and court personnel, to keep track of the legislation in force at a time when the legal system was undergoing profound change.

The Act on the fundamental principles of State youth policy related to people between the ages of 18 and 35. The Act on the protection and defence of the rights of minors which governed policy concerning people up to the age of 18, had been drawn up over a period of two years, from 1997 to 1999. It had been the subject of extensive debate in Parliament, which testified to the complexity of the subject and the seriousness with which the legislators had addressed it. They had clearly wished to ensure that the new Act would not be merely declaratory, but would have a concrete effect. The Act, which had recently entered into force, provided benefit entitlements for minors, which had had far-reaching financial implications. It also clarified the obligations of the respective public authorities towards minors.

The legal age at which people were allowed to join associations was the age of majority, or 18. Under Kyrgyz legislation, family names could be changed with the consent of all relative concerned. For example, a divorced woman who remarried could change the family name of her children with the consent of their father, her new husband, and the children themselves if they were over 10 years old. Family names could also be taken from one of the grandparents.

Ms. RILANTONO said that enrolment in pre-school education had apparently declined from 32 per cent to 3 per cent. Had efforts been made to restore the pre-school education system? There was a high incidence of infant mortality. Some 32 per cent of women reportedly gave birth to weak and sickly newborns because of high-risk pregnancies. In 1994 antenatal clinics had been established to avoid such complications during pregnancy and childbirth. What had been the results of that programme?

The incidence of venereal disease had reportedly doubled, and cases of congenital syphilis had been recorded. What measures had the Government taken to prevent venereal disease? Were the legal and standardized procedures for abortion sufficient, or were women being forced to turn to illicit practices? Because of insufficient diet, 70 per cent of children suffered from development impairments. Had a policy been adopted to combat that phenomenon, and if so, what results had been achieved?

Mr. DOEK, referring to paragraph 129 of the report, asked whether parents who had been deprived of their parental rights still bore responsibility for their children. Apart from the termination of parental rights, were there other protective measures such as supervision orders? Children whose parents’ rights had been terminated were the responsibility of the child welfare authority. What were that authority’s powers? Did it decide what sort of contact the children maintained with their parents and whether they were placed in foster care, adopted or sent to an institution? When children were placed in foster care or sent to institutions, who carried out the periodic review of such placement? Abandonment appeared to be a serious problem, in particular for disabled children. Some were placed in orphanages, where the Committee had learned that there were serious problems in maintaining a reasonable level of care. Was the Government considering any action in that regard?

The number of children adopted in Kyrgyzstan appeared to be remarkably high: nearly 10,000 in 1996, in a country with a population of just over 4 million. What rules governed adoptions? Were all adoptions “strong adoptions” in which the ties between the children and their biological parents were entirely severed and the children were fully integrated into the adoptive family? Paragraph 159 of the report referred to family-type children’s homes which accommodated 5 to 10 children. Was that a form of foster care? Were such homes supervised by foster parents?

The Committee had received information attesting to a steady increase in child abuse and neglect in Kyrgyzstan. The report mentioned hotlines and shelters which were made available to women and children who were victims of violence. Had the Government adopted a comprehensive plan, including preventive measures, reporting procedures and methods to address incidents, in order to deal with child abuse and neglect, as stipulated in article 19 of the Convention?

With regard to the aksakal courts, he asked whether allegations by Amnesty International of illegal detention and treatment and harsh punishment being meted out, including whipping and stoning, were well-founded. If so, he would like to know how the Government was tackling the situation.

Ms. KARP asked why the family protection system had been restructured, as the old system had apparently worked well. Who had replaced the local authorities, and did adequate financial and human resources exist at the local level?

How were prevention policies integrated into projects and plans of action? Prevention was more effective than attempting to remedy already existing situations. She wondered whether corporal punishment existed in the family and in schools and whether any studies had been carried out in that regard. If corporal punishment existed, did the Government envisage prohibiting it? She would also like to know whether complaints had been lodged against teachers who administered corporal punishment and what measures had been taken as a result.

Ms. MOKHUANE said she would appreciate additional information about the survey conducted on the health needs of young people. There were apparently clinics to treat sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but only for sex workers. Were clinics accessible to other population groups, in particular teenagers? It had been said that contraceptives were made available to all women of childbearing age; did they include teenagers? She wondered whether there was mandatory reporting of child abuse.

In its written reply to question 9 the Kyrgyz Republic indicated that it was establishing a network of social workers to deal with such issues as child abuse. In the absence of psychosocial rehabilitation programmes, therefore, was there sufficient staff to tackle the problems of sexual abuse and violence against children?

Mr. RABAH, referring to recovery of maintenance, welcomed the statement in paragraph 147 of the report (CRC/C/41/Add.6) that in the event of loss of the breadwinner children were guaranteed social security coverage by the State. However, he would like to know whether “loss” referred to death, imprisonment or detention. Why were children increasingly being deprived of parental support?

Turning to the issue of children in conflict with the law, he noted that a section of the new Penal Code was devoted to the criminal responsibility of minors and asked whether there was no act dealing specifically with that issue. Did procedures differ from those applied to adults, were judges specialized in juvenile justice and was social assistance available to minors?

No figures had been provided on specific aspects such as the kinds of crimes committed by minors and the nationalities of offenders. He wondered whether the Government intended to cooperate with United Nations agencies, especially the United Nations Office at Vienna, and NGOs in the area of juvenile delinquency. It was unfortunate that a number of female juvenile offenders were detained along with adult female detainees. He wondered whether the Government was satisfied with the administration of justice as it stood in the country.

Ms. BEISHENALIEVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that pre-trial investigation was conducted by judicial bodies, sub-divisions of which dealt specifically with juvenile delinquency. For juvenile courts to be established it was necessary to amend the constitution, which could be a lengthy process. However, discussions on the subject had begun.

Regarding Mr. Doek’s question about allegations of illegal detentions and treatment in the aksakal courts, there has been one case in which an aksakal judge had sentenced an offender to stoning. However, as a result of that sentence the aksakal court system had been restructured and limited to cases involving property, marriage, and other Civil Code concerns. Certain severe punishments which had been handed down for theft, for example, no longer existed.

The meeting was suspended at 4 p.m. and resumed at 4.10 p.m.

Ms. BEISHENALIEVA (Kyrgyzstan) acknowledged that eight girls were being detained with convicted women and that lengthy discussions had been held to seek a solution to the problem. Under the new Penal Code, separate facilities would be established for girls.

Ms. AITIKEEVA (Kyrgyzstan), replying to a question on infant and maternal mortality, said that the Government had based its mortality rate calculations on World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Discrepancies might be detected, however, as a result of the transition from the old system.

At one point outbreaks of infectious diseases had taken on crisis proportions, and diseases which had long been under control had reappeared with the worsening economic situation. However, the situation had since improved. The number of deaths resulting from diseases such as hepatitis, diphtheria and poliomyelitis had decreased, and thanks to the new tuberculosis programme, the incidence of infant mortality due to tuberculosis had decreased by 52 per cent over the past three years.

The main cause of death was anaemia, which affected well over half the total number of nursing and pregnant mothers, followed by iodine deficiency and poor food quality. A survey conducted on the causes of infant and maternal mortality had focused on diarrhoeal diseases, measles and infectious diseases. Efforts were being made to combat respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases among children under 5 years of age. As the Government could not afford to increase health budget allocations, it had been necessary to seek additional funds through mandatory health insurance.

The family physician programme established in cooperation with the World Bank had been reformed with successful results. New methods had also been introduced on maternity wards to reduce maternal mortality, leading to improved indicators. A new approach to the promotion of breastfeeding had resulted in an 88 per cent increase in breastfeeding, also partly attributable to the food shortage, especially in the mountainous regions. Significant progress had been made in tuberculosis (TB) control and a special programme for the rehabilitation of TB patients had produced remarkable results. Prophylactic measures had also been introduced among the population, in particular young people and children of pre-school and school age.

Despite the measures introduced, it had not been possible to reduce the incidence of venereal disease. Syphilis had long been on the increase, but the situation was now somewhat under control. With regard to contraception, despite opposition and the obstacle of traditional views, the Government had managed to introduce special school programmes on the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS.

Action had been taken to iodize salt in order to combat iodine deficiency, with the assistance of international organizations. Providing specific figures on the incidence of certain diseases, she said that one girl in four had problems thought to be related to iodine deficiency and each year up to 50 cases of venereal disease were recorded. Ten persons had been registered as HIV-positive to date. Extensive information on AIDS had been disseminated to the population. Human reproduction centres had been established in four universities with a section devoted to teenage girls. The process had only just begun and was expected to continue. The claim that the incidence of venereal disease had doubled was incorrect.

Under a reproduction act passed in 1999, abortion was permitted if birth defects were detected at an early stage of the pregnancy.

The number of abandoned children was neither increasing nor decreasing. The rural exodus into the cities, especially to the capital, led to culture shock, unplanned pregnancies, and the resulting abandonment of children. Measures had been taken to sensitize the public in that regard. The traditional view of society that it was preferable to place an abandoned child in a State institution was changing, but there were still a number of such children in State boarding schools.

The Government welcomed adoptions provided the best interests of the child were respected. “Family-type” homes were an improvement over boarding schools as they more closely resembled real family environments. The children in such homes were well-integrated into society and attended ordinary State-run schools along with other children. The homes were inspected by the local authorities. There were also SOS Villages, or settlements consisting of family-type homes run by a “mother” with up to 10 children. However, those homes had been criticized for the lack of male participation. It was clear that “family-type” homes were only a partial solution.

Generally speaking, the Government had managed to introduce successful reforms in the health sector, and despite lingering problems child health was improving. The written replies provided detailed information on specific health programmes.

Ms. VINNIKOVA (Kyrgyzstan) said it was expected that a current foster-care experiment in which five children per home were placed with foster families would soon become widespread. It involved children in orphanages, who accounted for 12 per cent of all children in institutions. The remainder were children whose parents were either in prison or had lost their parental rights. With one parent’s loss of parental rights, the other parent required State assistance, one form of which was placement of children in a care institution. A parent could be deprived of parental control only by a court of law. The State exercised caution in removing parental rights. Only 32 families had lost such rights in 1998, and 16 in 1999. All relevant material concerning minors was immediately transmitted to the authorities for investigation. Abusive teachers or parents were investigated and appropriate action was taken. Such cases were rare, however, as everyone was aware that violence against minors was a criminal offence. 

Offences by minors were governed by the Penal Code, and prevention was practised at all levels - executive, inter-ministerial and inter-institutional - through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Office of the Procurator-General, in particular. Preventive measures were aimed exclusively at minors displaying a tendency to break the law, who were taken in charge, educated and monitored. Law-breakers were personally monitored by the appropriate department of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs. Those who returned home were monitored by the Commission for Minors. Any violation established was investigated, reported in the press and taken into consideration in work done with those minors. Reforms of preventive measures were also under way.

Ms. BEISHENALIEVA (Kyrgyzstan) said the provisions of the new Family Code would directly reflect the provision of article 21 of the Convention that the best interests of the child should be the paramount consideration in cases of adoption.

The CHAIRPERSON invited Committee members to put follow-up questions to the delegation.

Ms. MOKHUANE asked whether mother-tongue education also pertained to Afghan children, who she had been told were obliged to learn two or three different languages. She also asked whether the number of days a child must attend school was stipulated by law. She had heard reports that some schools closed during the cotton- and tobacco-harvesting periods. She also wished to know why no education below the sixth grade was provided for over-aged children at primary level. With the high rates of poverty and iodine deficiency, she feared that children might be undernourished, with the resultant decline in school performance. Were there existing or planned school-meal schemes?

Mr. FULCI asked what measures were being taken to curb the alarming infant mortality rate which, at 73 per 1,000 live births, was among the highest in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In the light of a report by the United States Department of State, he would also like to know what measures were planned to address the increasing number of street children who left home because of abusive or alcoholic parents.

Some 700 children of school age were allegedly working in Bishkek instead of attending school. Child labour, including heavy and harmful work and begging were apparently widespread in Kyrgyzstan. In rural areas also, as Ms. Mokhuane had observed, children were engaged in agricultural work with no training in the precautions to be taken when working with toxic materials. What legislative steps were envisaged to protect children working in the informal sector? Had any studies been conducted of the nature and extent of child labour? Lastly, he asked whether the country planned to ratify ILO Convention No. 182 on Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

Ms. KARP suggested that, rather than create special courts, one way of making the juvenile justice system more child-friendly might be to select regular court judges for training in child psychology and other aspects of childhood. She understood that, although minors too young to be prosecuted were taken in charge by the social welfare system, their original offence was taken into account in connection with any subsequent offence, although they had not been convicted of the original offence. Did the delegation not consider that procedure unjust?

Mr. DOEK, endorsing Mr. Fulci’s remarks, asked the status of the ILO International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) in Kyrgyzstan. He also inquired about the fate of the 4,749 children who had not been convicted but turned over to Ministry of Internal Affairs institutions. He would also appreciate confirmation that the confidentiality of the adoption procedure denied adopted children the right to know the identity of their biological parents.

Ms. RILANTONO said that the statistics in the report on venereal disease and abortion among girls, were alarming; she urged the authorities to undertake an evaluation of the practice of abortion, as she was convinced that it was used for other than medical purposes.

Mr. RABAH requested more detailed information on the extent of the phenomenon of street children in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Ms. BEISHENALIEVA (Kyrgyzstan), referring to Ms. Karp’s proposal, said that the courts did practise specialization. In all urban and most district courts with three or more judges judicial work was divided into criminal and civil matters, which were further subdivided into specializations such as marriage and divorce, minors’ issues and so on. The court system had adapted to the actual conditions of life. While she agreed that greater reliance should be placed on special legislation, that would take time. Specialization also had budgetary implications for the recruitment and training of additional staff. However, the authorities were aware of the existing lacunae in comparison with other countries.

Acknowledging Ms. Rilantono’s suggestion, she said that while abortion without parental consent was prohibited in principle, medical personnel did try to help a girl who wished to conceal a pregnancy from her family.

Ms. AITIKEEVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that mother-tongue education did not pose a problem in her country, which comprised three major ethnic groups - Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Russian and was renowned for its tolerance. Russian- and even English-language education had become fashionable in the cities. Children in areas bordering Uzbekistan could attend different schools depending on their motivation. On the other hand, refugee children’s access to education was problematical. Kyrgyzstan had been one of the first of the former Soviet republics to accept refugees and grant them rights. While they were assured of an education, mother-tongue education was available only in large communities and to a limited extent.

Turning to child labour, she said that the number of days of compulsory school attendance was the same in rural and urban areas and strictly controlled. Although schools might be closed in winter in some very cold regions, the time had to be made up subsequently. The authorities were making every effort to combat absenteeism for purposes of work, and any person found responsible could lose his or her job. Only in 5 per cent of cases had leave been granted for a child to engage in seasonal work.

Educational standards were extremely rigid. Efforts were being made to provide psychological support for children who failed to be promoted to a higher grade, but the number of repeaters was not high. The problem of food had been more or less resolved in the cities, where the Education Fund organized school meals. It was still problematical, however, in rural areas, but even there meals were sometimes organized by the community. She agreed that the problem warranted attention, although children were able to eat at home during the school recess.

The employment of children for tobacco harvesting was a significant problem. There was an anti-tobacco organization in Kyrgyzstan which reported cases of child labour in the tobacco industry; local authorities bore responsibility for taking action in such cases.

Four or five years previously, there had been a large number of street children in Kyrgyzstan. The situation had improved dramatically since then; there were currently 166 children on the streets. Efforts were made to ensure that they attended school, but it was difficult to prevent them from dropping out again, particularly when they had been on the streets for a long time. Greater success had been achieved in assisting children who had only recently found themselves on the streets, for example as a result of conflicts. The problem of street children was a relatively new one which had surfaced since the period of transition to a market economy had begun, and Kyrgyzstan had therefore had little practice in addressing it. However, substantial assistance had been received from NGOs in that regard, as the State was not in a position to work with every child individually. One centre provided food and other assistance to children working in the market in Bishkek. Another centre for the rehabilitation of street children was being built in Bishkek in cooperation with the Government of Norway. Studies had also been conducted to discover the reasons why children ended up on the streets and to propose measures to resolve the problem.

Ms. VINNIKOVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that most children who found themselves on the streets were runaways. Action was taken regularly by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the cooperation of teachers and parents, in order to take children off the streets and to assess the extent of problems such as AIDS and drugs. Such children were sent to a special rehabilitation centre while their parents were traced and were then delivered back to their parents. The child’s school was informed of the situation and was expected to monitor the child to prevent him or her from running away again.

Efforts were under way to improve the juvenile justice system. There were judges and investigative bodies that specialized in minors’ affairs, and in every procurator’s office there was a special procurator responsible for monitoring the implementation of laws concerning children. Children who committed minor offences were not usually taken to court; instead, they were placed on a register and were kept under special observation at school. If they were convicted of a more serious offence, they could be punished by deprivation of liberty and efforts were then made to rehabilitate them. The number of children placed on the register after committing minor offences had fallen in recent years and the law provided that children should not be kept on the register for excessive periods of time. A child’s name could be removed from the register at the request of the school, the Commission for Minors or the Ministry of Internal Affairs body responsible for the supervision of the child. In some cases, it was necessary to keep children under ongoing observation because of the risk of organized crime among some groups of minors. However, even those children were not usually kept on the register for more than two years.

Ms. BEISHENALIEVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that no formal legal decision had been taken to suspend intercountry adoption. However, the number of such adoptions had fallen because the agencies dealing with them had become more cautious following a number of cases in which children adopted in Russia had subsequently become untraceable. It was therefore out of concern for the welfare of potential adoptees that the rate of intercountry adoption had been slowed down. In addition, provisions existed to protect the confidentiality of adoption.

Ms. KARP, referring to table 25 in annex I of the report, asked why the number of children handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were not in employment and not attending school or another educational institution had increased from 272 in 1995 to 2,352 in 1997.

Mr. DOEK, noting that the views of children aged 10 and over were taken into account in adoption cases, requested further information on the procedure for hearing the child’s views in such cases.

Ms. BEISHENALIEVA (Kyrgyzstan), replying to Ms. Karp, said that the number of children in the category mentioned had actually decreased and that the figure given for 1997 appeared to be a typing error. Other apparent discrepancies in statistics could be explained by the fact that statistics compiled during the Soviet period had been inaccurate or incomplete, whereas recent figures were more comprehensive.

Ms. VINNIKOVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that the confidentiality of adoption was protected under the Marriage and Family Code. If a child aged 10 or over was to be adopted, his or her agreement had to be obtained in order for the adoption to proceed. Most children who were adopted were under one year old: they were either newborn or had been abandoned at a young age. In such cases, the identity of the child’s natural parents was kept secret and it was an offence to reveal it.

The CHAIRPERSON invited Ms. Rilantono, Country Rapporteur, to present preliminary conclusions on the discussion with the delegation of Kyrgyzstan.

Ms. RILANTONO (Country Rapporteur) expressed appreciation for the constructive dialogue conducted with the delegation and the information provided about the State party’s efforts to improve the situation of children. Much progress had been made in terms of adopting legislation; the main task for the future was to ensure that the legislation was properly implemented, particularly through the allocation of sufficient budgetary resources. The Committee recommended that the State party should cooperate with international agencies and NGOs in that regard and continue its efforts to raise awareness of the provisions of the Convention. It also recommended the establishment of a system for collecting disaggregated data on persons under 18 and the establishment of an independent monitoring mechanism.

Particular attention should be paid to services for the disabled, health care for teenagers and the reduction of child mortality. Family strengthening programmes would help prevent the disintegration of families and reduce the need for alternative care. Sustained efforts were required to ensure that the alternative care provided was of a high standard. The Committee further recommended that programmes for the rehabilitation and reintegration of abused or exploited children should be enhanced, in cooperation with relevant organizations such as ILO and UNICEF.

She wished the Government of Kyrgyzstan every success in its efforts to further the rights of the child and wished the children of Kyrgyzstan all the best.

Ms. BEISHENALIEVA (Kyrgyzstan) thanked the Committee for its active interest in the issue of children’s rights in Kyrgyzstan and the positive spirit in which the dialogue had been conducted. The discussion had been very useful and would provide a fresh impetus to the Government’s efforts to enhance the rights of the child. The Government would make full use of the expertise of the relevant international organizations in order to pursue those efforts.

The meeting rose at 5.55 p.m.