COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDForty-sixth session 17 September – 5 October 2007

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTIONON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

List of issues to be taken up in connection with the considerationof the second periodic report of VENEZUELA (CRC/C/VEN/2)

PART I

Under this section the State party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if possible, before 6 August 2007.

Data and statistics, if available

1.Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age group, ethnic group, urban and rural areas) covering the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 on the number and percentage of children under 18 living in the State party.

2.In the light of article 4 of the Convention, please provide disaggregated data on budget allocations for children and trends (in absolute figures and percentages of the national budgets) for both public and private expenditure at the national, regional and local levels for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 regarding the implementation of the Convention with particular reference to:

(a)Education;

(b)Health care;

(c)Programmes and services for children with disabilities, indigenous children and afrodescendants, children in need of alternative care, children in institutions and children living on the streets;

(d)Support programmes for families;

(e)Programmes and activities for the prevention of and protection from child abuse, trafficking in children, child sexual exploitation, child pornography and child labour;

(f)The administration of juvenile justice and programmes of alternative measures.

3.Please provide information about how the above-mentioned budgets have been spent and what mechanisms are in place for monitoring that expenditure.

4.Please explain the level of funding of the “missions” and indicate how it is targeted towards children.

5.With reference to children deprived of a family environment and separated from parents, please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age group, ethnic group, urban and rural areas) for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 on the number of children:

(a)Placed in institutions;

(b)Placed with foster families;

(c)Adopted domestically or through inter-country adoptions.

6.Please specify the number of children with disabilities, up to the age of 18, disaggregated by sex, age group and, if possible, ethnic group, urban and rural areas, covering the years 2004, 2005 and 2006:

(a)Living with their families;

(b)Living in institutions;

(c)Placed in foster care;

(d)Adopted;

(e)Attending regular schools;

(f)Attending special schools;

(g)Not attending school.

7.With reference to health services, please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age group, ethnic group, urban and rural areas) covering the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 regarding:

(a)Rates of infant and child mortality;

(b)Rates of immunization

(c)Rates of malnutrition;

(d)Children infected with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS;

(e)Children infected with malaria and dengue;

In the area of adolescent health:

(f)Rates of early pregnancy;

(g)Sexually transmitted infections (STIs);

(h)Drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse;

(i)Suicide and other mental health problems.

8.With reference to child abuse and sexual exploitation, please provide disaggregated data (by sex, ethnic group, types of child abuse reported and geographical area) covering the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 on the following:

(a)Number of reported child abuse cases and measures taken;

(b)Number and percentage of reports which have resulted in either a court decision or other types of follow-up;

(c)Number and proportion of child victims that have received counselling and assistance in recovery;

(d) Coverage of existing State programmes including those undertaken by social and non-governmental organizations.

9.Please specify the criteria for ‘poverty’ and indicate the number of children living below the poverty line.

10.With reference to the right to education, please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age group, if possible ethnic group, urban and rural areas, refugees/displaced and immigrant children) covering the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 on the following:

(a)Rates of literacy, below and over 18 years;

(b)Enrolment in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools and in vocational training;

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

(d)Number and percentage of dropouts and repetitions, and related programmes;

(e)Ratio of teachers to children and number of children per class.

11.With reference to juvenile justice, please provide disaggregated statistical data (including by sex, age and type of crime) covering the years 2004, 2005 and 2006, in particular on the number of:

(a)Persons below 18, who have allegedly committed a crime reported to the police;

(b)Persons below 18 who have been charged with a crime and of them those who are sentenced, and the type of punishment or sanction;

(c)Persons below 18 kept in pre-trial detention and the average length of this detention;

(d)Persons under 18 with social educational measures applied as an alternative to deprivation of liberty;

(e)Persons under 18 deprived of liberty including length of this deprivation of liberty;

(f)Detention facilities for persons below 18 in conflict with the law and their capacity;

(g)Persons under 18 detained in facilities where they are serving time alongside adults;

(h)Reported cases of abuse and maltreatment of persons below 18 which occurred during their arrest and/or detention;

(i)Persons under 18 tried and sentenced as adults.

Please indicate the minimum age of criminal responsibility.

12.With reference to special protection measures, please provide statistical data (including by sex, age, if possible ethnic group, urban and rural areas) for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 for the following:

(a)Number of children involved in sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography and trafficking;

(b)Number of such children who received recovery and/or reintegration support;

(c)How many of the perpetrators were prosecuted;

(d)Number of unaccompanied children and asylum-seeking and refugee children, as well as the number of children awaiting expulsion;

(e)Number of children under 16 involved in labour, indicating the type of work;

(f)Number of children living or working on the streets and the type of assistance given to them.

General measures of implementation

1.Please indicate the government body responsible for coordination of the implementation of the Convention and what steps have been taken to elaborate a national plan for children.

2.Please indicate what programmes have been developed by the National Council for the Right of the Child and the Adolescent.

3.Please indicate how the sectoral and local Plans of Action are coordinated, specifically with regard to children.

4.Please indicate the role of non-governmental organisations in the implementation of the Convention and the national protection system for children.

5.Please provide information about the results of the efforts made at all levels of the National System for the Protection and Integral Development of Children and Adolescents.

6.Please provide further updated information on the implementation and results of efforts and programmes to combat economic and sexual exploitation.

7.The Organic Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents (LOPNA) is in the process of being reformed. What specific changes are being proposed? Has there been an evaluation undertaken of the implementation of LOPNA identifying its achievements and what should be amended?

8.What indicators have been developed for monitoring the implementation of policies and programmes for children? Is such information readily accessible for all actors and social organizations?

9.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 languages or dialects of the State party other than the official language, including indigenous languages when available. If possible, please also submit these texts in electronic form.

PART III

Under this section, the State party is to briefly (3 pages maximum) update the information provided in its report with regard to:

New bills or enacted legislation;

Law projects related to children’s rights;

New institutions.

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.

1.Deaths of children allegedly in the hands of officials of law enforcement agencies, measures to investigate and sanction those responsible.

2.Violence against children, including domestic violence, corporal punishment in the family, schools, the workplace, childcare and other institutions.

3.Institutional care and adoption.

4.The educational system and its reform, including equal access to education for all children and efforts to improve quality of education.

5.Standard of living and regional disparities in this regard.

6.Different forms of exploitation, including economic exploitation, child labour, in particular children working in the informal sector, sexual exploitation and child pornography, trafficking in children. Results and evaluation of government initiatives and programmes, including recovery and reintegration for victims.

7.Refugee/displaced/migrant children.

8.Indigenous groups.

9.Age of recruitment for military service and recruitment of children into the armed forces.

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