Committee on the Rights of the Child

Fifty-seventh session

30 May – 17 June 2011

Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

List of issues concerning additional and updated information related to the second and third periodic reports of Singapore (CRC/C/SGP/2-3)

The State party is requested to submit additional, updated information in writing, and not exceeding 30 pages, if possible before 19 November 2010.

The Committee may take up all aspects of children’s rights contained in the Convention during the dialogue with the State party.

Part I

1.Please provide updated information on the outcome of the review of the Children and Young Persons Act. To what extent have civil society organizations and children taken part in the public consultations on the amendments of the Act?

2.Please provide further details on the progress in strengthening the mandate and function of the Inter-Ministry Committee on the Convention and in developing a national plan of action for children in pursuit of the full implementation of the Convention.

3.Please give details of any steps taken with respect to a centralized mechanism for the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data on children as well as global outcome indicators for children.

4.Please indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure effective cooperation with civil society regarding the formulation of policies on children’s rights and the implementation of the Convention.

5.Please inform the Committee on measures being taken by the State party to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility in accordance with international standards and the minimum age of employment to 15 years as well as to extend the Children and Young Persons Act to cover all persons under the age of 18 (CRC/C/15/Add.220, para. 22).

6.Please provide updated information on the legislative measures taken to guarantee the rights of persons under the age of 18 to form their own associations and to express their views freely in all matters affecting them, including judicial proceedings.

7.Please provide information on the concrete measures taken to improve assistance for parents in their child-rearing responsibilities and to support the communication and relationships between children and their parents and teachers. What efforts have been made to avoid institutionalization of children as result of the procedures of the “Beyond Parental Control” system?

8.Please inform the Committee of the progress towards achieving full respect of children’s right to protection from all forms of violence, especially corporal punishment. Please include information on specialized training for teachers and personnel working in institutions and youth detention centres on non-violent forms of discipline.

9.Please provide detailed information on the progress in developing inclusive education for children with disabilities and extending the Compulsory Education Act to include special schools.

10.Please provide information on measures taken to extend the Compulsory Education Act to non-citizen children within the State party.

11.Please provide information on any existing national strategy, programme or plan in the area of child mental health with emphasis on prevention, in particular of suicides among children.

12.Please provide information on the effectiveness of actions launched as part of the “Teach Less, Learn More” programme and other measures with a view to reducing school-related stress and the competitiveness of the educational system.

13.Please give details on the measures taken to protect all children from sexual abuse and exploitation and to effectively combat child sex tourism-related offences. Please provide information on the shelters and trained professionals available throughout the State party to meet the recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration needs of child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.

14.Please indicate the measures taken to prohibit the use of corporal punishment, including caning, and solitary confinement in all detention institutions for juvenile offenders.

Part II

In this section the Committee invites the State party to briefly (three pages maximum) update the information provided in its report with regard to:

(a)New bills or laws, and their respective regulations;

(b) New institutions (and their mandates) or institutional reforms;

(c)Recently introduced policies, programmes and action plans and their scope and financing;

(d)Recent ratifications of human rights instruments and any steps taken toward such ratifications, in particular with regard to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Part III

Data, statistics and other information, if available

1.Please provide, if available, statistical data (disaggregated by nationality, age, sex, ethnic origin, geographic location, and socio-economic status) for the period 2007-2009 on:

(a)The budgetary allocations for programmes aimed at implementing the Convention or otherwise for the benefit of children;

(b)The number of children deprived of a family environment and the budgetary allocations for residential care institutions, foster homes and other forms of alternative care for children;

(c)The number of children who are placed in institutions under the “Beyond Parental Control” system;

(d)The number of suicides of children;

(e)The enrolment rates at primary and secondary school levels for non-citizen children, including stateless children;

(f)The total number of children with disabilities and the percentage of those among them attending regular school;

(g)The number of child victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking, as well as related prosecutions, convictions and sentences pronounced;

(h)The number of migrant workers below the age of 18; and

(i)The number of juvenile offenders tried by the High Court and subjected to judicial caning.

2. In addition, the State party may list areas affecting children that it considers to be important with regard to the implementation of the Convention.