Committee on the Rights of the Child

Sixty-seventh session

1–19 September 2014

Item 4 of the provisional agenda

Consideration of reports of States parties

List of issues in relation to the report submitted by Singapore under article 8, paragraph 1, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict

The State party is requested to submit in writing additional, updated information (15 pages maximum), if possible before 15 June 2014.

The Committee may take up any aspects of the children’s rights set out in the Optional Protocol during the dialogue with the State party.

In the light of the information provided in paragraph 13 of the State party’s report (CRC/C/OPAC/SGP/1) that the minimum age for registration for compulsory enlistment into the Singapore Armed Forces is set at 16 years and 6 months to allow for sufficient time to carry out administrative procedures, please explain how the State party ensures compliance with the requirements under article 3 of the Optional Protocol, including the independent verification of the age of recruits, the informed consent of parents or legal guardians and the voluntary nature of the enlistment. Please also indicate the number of children under 18 years registered for compulsory recruitment over the past three years.

Please indicate whether there is a complaints mechanism accessible by children in the Ministry of Defence (or if there are other mechanisms for monitoring children’s welfare and investigating complaints by children who are registered or who wish to be enlisted under the Voluntary Early Enlistment Scheme.

Please explain whether children under 18 years registered through the Voluntary Early Enlistment Schemeundergo military training before they officially begin serving in the National Service (NS) and, if that is the case, please clarify whether their status is military or civilian and whether they have a right to leave at any time if they wish. If so, please indicate whether these principles are codified and how they are enforced.

Please inform the Committee about any public awareness programmes, including campaigns conducted by the State party, to ensure that the public in general, and children in particular, are adequately informed about the provisions of the Optional Protocol, including the minimum age for voluntary enlistment of children into the Singapore Armed Forces.

Please state whether the legislation of the State party prohibits and fully criminalizes the recruitment and use of children in hostilities by State and non-State armed groups both in time of war and of peace. Please also indicate the penalties for this type of crime.

Please provide information on the procedures used to identify as quickly as possible any child refugees, asylum seekers or migrants who have been or are at risk of being recruited or used in armed conflicts abroad. Please also provide information on action taken to provide for their physical and psychological recovery and rehabilitation and to promote their reintegration into society.

In the light of the information that the State party is an exporter of arms, please indicate whether it has adopted any legislation to prohibit the trade and export of arms, including small arms and light weapons, to countries where children are or may be recruited or used in an armed conflict. With reference to paragraph 29 of the report, please state whether the State party has banned the export of any type of weapon to countries that use children in hostilities and, if so, please indicate the number of countries in which a ban of this type has been introduced under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Act.