COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDFifty first session25 May - 12 June 2009

OPTIONAL PROTOCOL ON THE INVOLVEMENT OF CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT

List of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the initial report of OMAN (CRC/C/OPAC/OMN/1)

The State party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if possible, before 6 April 2009

With reference to the report under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict and paragraph 453 of the second periodic report under the Convention (CRC/C/OMN/2), please clarify the minimum age of voluntary recruitment in Oman and when it was raised to 18 years.

Please inform the Committee whether members of the Omani armed forces receive training on the provisions of the Optional Protocol.

The Committee notes the provisions in article 14, paragraph 2 of the Basic Law of the State. The Committee requests the State party to clarify whether specific provisions cover child recruitment in the Omani Criminal Code and which sanctions can be applied for such violations.

Please provide information whether the State party can assume extraterritorial jurisdiction over the war crime of recruiting children under the age of 15 into armed forces or groups.

Please provide disaggregated data (including by sex, age and country of origin) covering the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 on the number of asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant (including unaccompanied) children coming to Oman from areas affected by armed conflict. Furthermore,

GE.09-41007

please provide information on the procedures available to identify children who have been involved in armed conflict, in order to provide them with physical and psychological recovery measures.

Please inform the Committee whether national legislation prohibits the sale and export ofarms when the final destination is a country where children are known to be, or maypotentially be, recruited or used in hostilities. If not, whether the State party has given consideration to the possibility of adopting such legislation.

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