COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Forty-eighth session

19 May – 6 June 2008

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION

ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

List of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the

second periodic report of Bulgaria (CRC/C/BGR/2)

The State party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if possible before 31 March 2008

PART I

A. Data and statistics, if available

Please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age, ethnic group, urban and rural area) covering the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 on the number and proportion of children under 18 living in the State party, as well as belonging to minority groups, including the Roma children.

In the light of article 4 of the Convention, please provide disaggregated data for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008 on budget allocations and trends (in absolute figures and in percentages of the national budget or gross domestic product) allocated to the implementation of the Convention, evaluating also the priorities for budgetary expenditures given to the following:

(a)Education (different types of education, i.e. pre-primary, primary and secondary and non-formal or complementary education for children out of school);

(b)Health care (different types of health services, i.e. primary health care, immunization programmes, HIV/AIDS programmes, adolescent health care, including mental health care, and other health-care services for children);

(c)Programmes and services for children with disabilities;

(d)Support programmes for families including families from minority groups;

(e)Support for children living below the poverty line;

(f)Protection of children who are in need of alternative care including the support of care institutions;

(g)Programmes and activities for the prevention of and protection from sexual violence against children, child abuse and economic exploitation, including child labour;

(h)Programmes and services for orphans, abandoned children and street children;

(i)Juvenile justice, juvenile crime prevention and social reintegration.

Please also indicate the estimated expenses of the private sector, in particular for health and education.

With reference to children deprived of a family environment and separated from parents, please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age group, urban and rural area) for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 on the number of children:

(a)Separated from their parents;

(b)Placed in institutions, and the number of institutions in the country;

(c)Placed with foster families;

(d)Adopted domestically or through intercountry adoptions.

Please specify the number of children with disabilities, up to the age of 18, disaggregated by sex, geographical location and age covering the years 2005, 2006 and 2007:

(a)Living with their families;

(b)Living in institutions;

(c)Placed in foster care;

(d)Attending regular schools;

(e)Attending special schools;

(f)Not attending school.

Please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age group, and - if possible - urban and rural area) covering the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 on the following:

(a)Rates of neonatal, infant and child mortality as well as rates of maternal mortality;

(b)Rates of immunization;

Rates of malnutrition.

In the area of adolescent health, please provide data (by sex, age group, and – if possible – urban and rural area) on the rates of early pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, drug, alcohol, tobacco, and other substance abuse, suicides and other mental health problems.

With reference to child abuse, please provide disaggregated data (by age, sex, and types of violation reported) for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 on the following:

(a)Number of reported cases of child abuse;

(b)Number and percentage of reports that resulted in either a court decision or other types of follow-up, including prosecution;

(c)Number and proportion of child victims who received counseling and assistance in recovery.

Please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age group, and urban and rural area) on the number of children who are:

(a) Infected by HIV/AIDS;

(b) Affected by HIV/AIDS.

Please specify the criteria for determining the poverty line and indicate the number of children living below that threshold. In particular, please provide such information relating to minority groups, especially Roma and people living in remote areas.

With reference to the right to education, please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age group, urban and rural area, children belonging to minority groups) for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007, in percentage of the relevant age group, on:

(a)Rates of literacy under and over 18 years;

(b)Rate of enrolment in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools and in non-formal or complementary education programmes;

(c)Percentage of children completing primary and secondary education;

(d)Number and percentage of dropouts and repetitions;

(e)Teacher/children ratio and number of children per class.

Please provide disaggregated data (including by sex, age and type of crime) for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007, in particular on the number of:

(a)Persons under 18 who allegedly committed a crime and were reported to the police;

(b)Persons under 18 who were charged with a crime and those who were sentenced, and the type of punishment or sanctions related to offences, including length of deprivation of liberty;

(c)Detention facilities for persons under 18, and the capacity of these facilities;

(d)Persons under 18 detained in these facilities and in adult facilities;

(e)Persons under 18 kept in pre-trial detention and the average length of their detention;

(f)Reported cases of abuse and maltreatment of persons under 18 that occurred during their arrest and detention;

(g)Persons under 18 who were tried and sentenced as adults.

12.Please provide disaggregated data (including by sex, age, minority and ethnic group) on the number of refugee children living in Bulgaria.

With reference to special protection measures, please provide disaggregated data (including by sex, age, urban and rural area) for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 on the number of children who are:

(a)Victims of sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography and trafficking (including children in transit), and the number of them who received recovery and/or reintegration support;

(b)Involved in substance abuse, and the number who received treatment, recovery and reintegration assistance;

(c)Involved in child labour, formal and informal sectors (indicating the type of work);

(d)Living and/or working in the street.

B. General measures of implementation

The Committee would appreciate information on action taken in response to recommendations made in its previous concluding observations on the initial report of Bulgaria (CRC/C/15/Add.66) which have not yet been fully implemented, in particular in relation to: independent body to monitor the observance of the rights of the child, abandonment of children, children belonging to minority groups – especially Roma, working and/or living in the streets, ill-treatment of children in institutions and the lack of psychosocial recovery and juvenile justice.

Please provide information on cases, if any, where the Convention has been directly invoked in domestic courts, and provide examples of such cases.

Does the State party envisage establishing a specific governmental body coordinating the activities and evaluating the implementation of the Convention?

Please provide information on the National Strategy for Children recently adopted by the Government.

Please provide information on any measures taken to improve the system for collecting specific statistical data which allows for disaggregation, including on children belonging to minority groups such as the Roma.

Please provide information on efforts to carry out training programmes or awareness-raising campaigns on the Convention and other related issues for children, parents, minority communities, and the general public including awareness campaigns to overcome negative stereotypes in society regarding the Roma community and other minority groups.

Please indicate the issues affecting children that the State party considers to be priorities requiring the most urgent attention with regard to the implementation of the Convention.

PART II

Please provide the Committee with copies of the text of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the official language of the State party, as well as in any other languages or dialects, if available. If possible, please submit these texts in electronic form.

PART III

The State party should briefly (three pages maximum) update the information provided in its report with regard to:

New bills or enacted legislation;

New institutions;

Newly implemented policies;

Newly implemented programmes and projects and their scope.

PART IV

The following is a preliminary list of major issues (that does not contain issues already covered in Part I) that the Committee may take up during the dialogue with the State Party. They do not require written answers . This list is not exhaustive as other issues might be raised in the course of the dialogue

Compliance of domestic legislation with the Convention;

Non-discrimination in general and in particular discrimination against Roma children, girls, children with disabilities, children living in poverty, children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, children in conflict with the law and children living in rural and remote areas;

Programmes, services and support provided to families;

Domestic violence, abuse and ill-treatment, including corporal punishment;

Access to health care and education, including by children belonging to minority groups;

The right to education, including aims of education and leisure;

Rights of children with disabilities;

Standard of living;

Children working and living in the streets;

Sexual exploitation and trafficking;

Administration of juvenile justice, including diversion options, conditions in juvenile detention facilities, follow-up for recovery and social integration.

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