COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDForty-fourth session15 January-2 February 2007

WRITTEN REPLIES BY THE GOVERNMENT OF MALI CONCERNING THE LIST OF ISSUES TO BE TAKEN UP IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONSIDERATION OF THE SECOND PERIODIC REPORT OF MALI (CRC/C/MLI/2)*

[Received on 10 January 2007]

Part I

Under this section the State party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if possible, before 24 November 2006.

A. Data and statistics, if available

1.Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age groups, urban and rural areas) covering the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 on the number and percentage of children under 18 living in Mali.

Table 1 Population distribution in Mali in 2005 by age, sex and urban and rural areas
Age	Urban areas	Rural areas	Total
	Men	%	Women	%	Total	%	Men	%	Women	%	Total	%	Men	%	Women	%	Total	%
00-04	304 206	16.4	295 468	16.0	599 675	16.2	876 318	22.2	843 655	20.7	1 719 974	21.4	1 180 524	20.3	1 139 123	19.2	2 319 647	19.8
05-09	267 270	14.4	268 626	14.5	535 896	14.5	667 679	16.9	641 429	15.7	1 309 108	16.3	934 949	16.1	910 055	15.4	1 845 004	15.7
10-14	281 916	15.2	282 358	15.3	564 274	15.2	533 716	13.5	492 258	12.1	1 025 974	12.8	815 632	14.0	774 616	13.1	1 590 248	13.6
15-15	38 916	2.1	43 839	2.4	82 755	2.2	112 241	2.8	103 589	2.5	215 830	5.8	156 080	2.7	147 428	2.5	303 508	8.2
16-16	34 987	1.9	39 915	2.2	74 902	2.0	82 098	2.1	84 620	2.1	166 718	4.5	122 013	2.1	124 535	2.1	246 548	6.7
17-17	31 485	1.7	35 838	1.9	67 323	1.8	69 193	1.8	74 671	1.8	143 864	3.9	105 031	1.8	110 509	1.9	215 540	5.8
00-17	958 780	51.7	966 044	52.2	1 924 825	51.9	2 341 245	59.2	2 240 222	55.0	4 581 468	64.7	3 314 229	57.1	3 206 266	54.1	6 520 495	69.7
18-18	40 519	2.2	46 931	2.5	87 450	2.4	90 497	2.3	108 987	2.7	199 484	5.4	137 428	2.4	155 918	2.6	293 346	7.9
19-19	26 051	1.4	26 009	1.4	52 060	1.4	47 503	1.2	51 934	1.3	99 437	2.7	73 512	1.3	77 943	1.3	151 455	4.1
15-19	217 384	11.7	227 205	12.3	444 589	12.0	351 100	8.9	310 262	7.6	661 362	8.2	568 484	9.8	537 467	9.1	1 105 951	9.4
20-24	171 514	9.2	144 078	7.8	315 592	8.5	245 962	6.2	272 192	6.7	518 154	6.5	417 476	7.2	416 270	7.0	833 746	7.1
25-29	128 448	6.9	131 658	7.1	260 106	7.0	198 059	5.0	263 077	6.5	461 136	5.7	326 507	5.6	394 735	6.7	721 242	6.1
30-34	100 733	5.4	114 697	6.2	215 431	5.8	166 112	4.2	236 302	5.8	402 414	5.0	266 845	4.6	350 999	5.9	617 844	5.3
35-39	91 314	4.9	95 129	5.1	186 442	5.0	150 995	3.8	202 816	5.0	353 811	4.4	242 309	4.2	297 945	5.0	540 254	4.6
40-44	75 637	4.1	74 579	4.0	150 216	4.1	140 324	3.6	175 326	4.3	315 650	3.9	215 961	3.7	249 905	4.2	465 866	4.0
45-49	57 658	3.1	54 984	3.0	112 642	3.0	131 312	3.3	148 485	3.6	279 796	3.5	188 970	3.3	203 469	3.4	392 439	3.3
50-54	45 704	2.5	47 806	2.6	93 509	2.5	117 447	3.0	118 584	2.9	236 031	2.9	163 151	2.8	166 390	2.8	329 541	2.8
55-59	34 493	1.9	32 243	1.7	66 736	1.8	103 575	2.6	103 820	2.5	207 395	2.6	138 068	2.4	136 063	2.3	274 131	2.3
60-64	26 592	1.4	27 479	1.5	54 071	1.5	85 747	2.2	81 503	2.0	167 249	2.1	112 339	1.9	108 982	1.8	221 321	1.9
65-69	20 462	1.1	19 576	1.1	40 038	1.1	74 829	1.9	73 654	1.8	148 483	1.9	95 291	1.6	93 230	1.6	188 521	1.6
70-74	17 221	0.9	17 395	0.9	34 616	0.9	50 979	1.3	50 048	1.2	101 027	1.3	68 200	1.2	67 443	1.1	135 643	1.2
75-79	9 403	0.5	11 090	0.6	20 492	0.6	30 102	0.8	30 755	0.8	60 857	0.8	39 505	0.7	41 845	0.7	81 350	0.7
80+	6 269	0.3	6 721	0.4	12 989	0.4	27 685	0.7	28 995	0.7	56 680	0.7	33 954	0.6	35 716	0.6	69 670	0.6
Total	1 856 224	100.0	1 851 091	100.0	3 707 315	100.0	3 951 943	100.0	4 073 160	100.0	8 025 103	100.0	5 808 167	100.0	5 924 251	100.0	11 732 418	100.0

Source : Forecast 1999-2024.

2.In the light of article 4 of the Convention, please provide disaggregated data on budget allocations and trends (in absolute figures and percentages of the national budget) for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 regarding 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 education as well as vocational training);

Table 2

Year 2004: Amounts in millions of CFA francs

Level	Budget allocations
Pre-primary	585
Primary	43 222
Secondary	13 275
Vocational training	7 999

Table 3

Year 2005: Amounts in millions of CFA francs

Level	Budget allocations
Pre-primary	420
Primary	50 116
Secondary	11 030
Vocational training	9 948

Source: CPS/Ministry of Education.

(b)Health care (different types of health services, i.e. primary health care, vaccination programmes, adolescent health care, HIV/AIDS and other health‑care services for children, including social insurance);

Trends in the primary health-care budget

Expenditure corresponds to construction, capital investment and provision of personnel recruited using HIPC funds for community health centres.

Budget trend (CFA francs):

2003: 550,573,868

2004: 1,817,286,054

2005: 1,653,845,094

Trends in the HIV/AIDS budget

Since 2006, following the establishment of the Executive Committee of the High National Council for Combating HIV/AIDS, the Directorate of Financial and Administrative Affairs (DAF) in the Ministry of Health no longer handles funds allocated to combat HIV/AIDS, which are made available directly to the Committee.

Expenditure prior to 2006 related to the State grant for the purchase of antiretrovirals and the operation of the National Anti-AIDS Unit.

Budget trend (CFA francs):

2003: 1,322,122,970

2004: 1,219,107,000

2005: 1,877,448,000

Trends in the vaccination budget

The funds made available to the National Immunization Centre are destined for operation of the Centre, the purchase of cold-chain equipment and related spare parts, and the purchase of vaccines.

Budget trend (CFA francs):

2003: 1,033,912,662

2004: 1,199,470,000

2005: 1,223,204,000

2006: 1,269,515,000

Source: DAF/Ministry of Health.

Note: The general observation on the following points, namely (c), (d), (e), (f), (g) and (h), is that there are no detailed data on budget allocations and trends (in absolute figures and percentages of the national budget in relation to the various types of education sought. For this reason there are no data on certain points, whereas for others, the data supplied are only fragmentary - in other words, they cover only one structure, programme or period.

(c)Programmes and services for children with disabilities;

2004: 256,079,000 CFA francs, including 175,285 CFA francs for the State (68.44 per cent) [sic]

2005: 793,605 CFA francs, including 294,042 CFA francs from the State budget (37.05 per cent)

NB: These data relate only to the National Directorate of Social Development (DNDS) [and] cover all budget posts (wages, capital investment, operations, activities, etc.). In 2005 DNDS performed its sovereign functions at a total cost of 137,404,201 CFA francs, of which 66.35 per cent was supplied from the State budget.

Sources: Presentation by the DNDS Technical Committee 2005 and report [of the] DNDS assessment workshop 2006.

(c) Support programmes for families (nothing to report);

(d) Support for children living below the poverty line (nothing to report);

(e) Protection of children who are in need of alternative care including the support of care institutions (nothing to report);

(f)Programmes and activities for the prevention of and protection from child abuse, child sexual exploitation and child labour;

(g) Programmes and services for abandoned children, including street children and especially garibou children; and

(h) Programmes for the recovery and reintegration of juvenile offenders.

For points (f), (g) and (h) taken together, the Government, under the 2003-2007 Mali‑UNICEF Cooperation Programme, supplies premises, personnel and funds to cover the local expenditure required for the implementation of the Programme. It also pays for the acquisition of the requisite equipment, except for that provided by UNICEF. It arranges for exemption from taxes and charges on all supplies, equipment, fuel and lubricants provided by UNICEF. It pays for all outgoings on fuel, spare parts and maintenance for vehicles supplied by UNICEF.

UNICEF contribution

The budget set out below is given in thousands of United States dollars. The budget line for programme support covers costs of management, operations and programme monitoring and evaluation, including staff costs.

Table 4

Project		2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	Total
Project 1	RR	85	85	85	85	85	425
	OR	250	250	250	250	250	1 250
	Total	335	335	335	335	335	1 675
Project 2	RR	150	150	150	150	150	750
	OR	250	250	250	250	250	1 250
	Total	400	400	400	400	400	2 000
Programme support	RR	180	180	180	180	180	900
	OR	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total	180	180	180	180	180	900
Total	RR	415	415	415	415	415	2 075
	OR	500	500	500	500	500	2 500
	Total	915	915	915	915	915	4 575

Table 5

Implementation of the programme budget

In 2004	2005	2006	Total
1 124 750	943 112 USD	597 716 USD	2 665 578

Source: Mali-UNICEF Cooperation Programme (2003-2007).

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

General observation: the contribution of the private sector to GDP was 2.5 per cent (2003), 4.6 per cent (2004), 4.1 per cent (2005).

Estimated expenditure on education by the private sector

Trend in the number of pupils from the public education sector holding the diploma of basic education (DEF) who moved to general secondary schools in the private sector

Table 6

Year in which DEF obtained	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Number of pupils who moved to the private sector	3 986	2 056	5 086	4 002	5 167	6 124

Source: National Directorate of General Secondary Education.

Trend in enrolment in general secondary schools in the public and private sectors, 1998/99 to 2004/05

Table 7

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Public sector	36 333	39 351	43 594	43 200	43 971	43 516	43 776
Private sector	10 312	13 236	21 144	23 579	23 462	25 409	26 735
Total	46 645	52 587	64 738	66 779	67 433	68 925	70 511

Share of public-sector and private-sector schools at the general secondary level

Table 8

	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05
Public sector	65%	63%	62%
Private sector	35%	37%	38%
Total	100%	100%	100%

Source: CPS/Ministry of Education.

Estimated expenditure on health by the private sector

2003: 89.2 billion, or 60 per cent

2004: 91 billion, or 55 per cent

Source: Mali, National Health Accounts 1999-2004, provisional report.

4.With reference to children deprived of a family environment and separated from parents, please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age groups, urban and rural areas) for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 on the number of children:

(a) Separated from their parents;

During the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, beginning in September 2002, 44,000 Malians were repatriated from Côte d'Ivoire, 370 refugees sought asylum in Mali and 6,100 persons of other nationalities crossed Mali on their way to their countries. In October 2004, the number of refugees did not increase significantly. Currently, there are few unaccompanied children, but there is no registration system which can distinguish between accompanied children, unaccompanied children and children not accompanied by their parents. The number of children who have returned from Cote d’Ivoire since the crisis is not yet known.

(b) Placed in institutions;

Table 9

YearSex	2003	2004	2005
Boys	97	51	70
Girls	85	66	33
Total	182	117	103

(c) Adopted domestically or through intercountry adoptions;

Table 10

YearSex	2003	2004	2005
Boys	89	36	42
Girls	73	51	51
Total	162	85	93

(d) Placed through kafalah (no data).

5.Please specify the number of children with disabilities, up to the age of 18, disaggregated by sex, age groups and urban and rural areas, covering the years 2003, 2004 and 2005:

(a) Living with their families;

(b) Living in institutions;

(c) Attending regular schools;

(d) Attending special schools;

(e) Not attending school.

Account of various achievements of DNDS and its local offices as regards disabled children

Table 11

	2003	2004	2005
Number of disabled children in school	644	1 782	811
Number of disabled children rehabilitated	503	316	133
Number of classrooms adapted for the disabled	12	17	10
Number of parents of disabled children provided with information	469	697	44

Sources: Presentation by the DNDS Technical Committee 2005 and report [of the] DNDS assessment workshop 2006.

6.Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age groups and urban and rural areas) covering the years 2003, 2004 and 2005:

(a) Rates of infant and child mortality;

Infant mortality rate: 113.4 per thousand (EDSMIII 1996-2000)

Neonatal mortality rate: 57.1 per thousand (EDSMIII 1996-2000)

(b) Rates of immunization;

Immunization: DTCP3

Trend in the number of children aged under 12 months fully vaccinated using DTCP3 by region, 2002-2005

Table 12

Region	Level at end of 2002	Level at end of 2003	Level at end of 2004	Level reached in 2005
Kayes	47	59	79	96
Koulikoro	63	72	83	94
Sikasso	91	91	116	92
Ségou	60	86	99	98
Mopti	71	80	79	88
Tombouctou	38	42	38	70
Gao	70	48	50	76
Kidal	56	18	38	63
Bamako	101	109	107	83
Total Mali	74	79	90%	91%

Source: Progress report and 2005 report of the Ministry of Health.

In 2005, the national average DTCP3 coverage rate (91 per cent) exceeded the figure of 80 per cent initially set by the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). This rate would prevent epidemics. However, the target set from 2005 to 2009 under PRODESS II (2005-2009) is to maintain the rate obtained in 2004 at 90 per cent.

(c) Rates of malnutrition;

Chronic malnutrition according to EDSMIII 1996-2000 affects 39 per cent of boys as against 37 per cent of girls.

It stands at 43 per cent in rural areas as against 24 per cent in urban areas.

(d) In the area of adolescent health, the rate of early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), drug use, and alcohol and tobacco abuse, suicide and other mental health problems and accidents.

(Rate of early pregnancy)

According to EDSMIII 1996-2000, 8 per cent of adolescent girls aged 15 have had a child.

(Rate of sexually transmitted infections)

Again according to EDSMIII, the rate of STIs among women is 7 per cent. It is 12 per cent in urban areas as against 4.7 per cent in rural areas.

Among men, it is 3.3 per cent. In urban areas it is 3.1 per cent as against 3.4 per cent in rural areas.

7.With reference to child abuse, please provide disaggregated data (by age, sex and types of child abuse reported) covering the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 on:

(a) The number of reported child abuse cases;

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

(c)The number and proportion of child victims who have received counselling and assistance in recovery.

The phenomenon of abuse is real, and its manifestations are visible (child beggars, trafficked children, street children, etc.), but most cases are handled within the family and are not brought to the attention of the authorities.

8.Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age groups, urban and rural areas) on the number of children:

(a) Infected by HIV/AIDS (no data);

(b) Affected by HIV/AIDS;

Table 13

AgeYear	0-11 months	1-4 years	5-14 years	Total
Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
2003	7	9	18	17	38	46	63	72
2004	36	12	77	34	143	125	256	171
2005	6	10	15	13	14	24	35	47

Source: DNSI, Statistical yearbook 2005.

(c) Leading households because of HIV/AIDS;

(d) Orphans because of HIV/AIDS living in extended families or institutions.

9.With reference to the right to education, please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age groups and urban and rural areas) covering the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 in percentage of the relevant age group on:

(a)Rates of literacy, below and over 18 years. The literacy rates are: in 2002, 29.6 per cent for persons aged over 12 (DNSI, analysis of schools and literacy July 2002); in 2003, 24 per cent for the population as a whole, including 32.7 per cent for men and 15.9 per cent for women;

Source: Human Development Report 2005, Ministry of Planning.

(b)Enrolment and completion rates in percentage of the relevant groups in pre‑primary schools, primary schools, secondary schools, vocational training and informal education;

Table 14

Gross enrolment rate

School year	Boys (%)	Girls (%)	Total (%)
2004/05	85.0	63.5	74.0

Table 15

Gross enrolment rate in 2003/04, first cycle (ages 7-12)

Region	Boys	Girls	Total
	%	%	%
Kayes	81.3	49.6	65.0
Koulikoro	92.0	61.4	76.5
Sikasso	73.3	51.1	62.0
Ségou	76.7	52.6	64.4
Mopti	54.6	45.8	50.1
Tombouctou	66.9	53.5	60.1
Gao	88.1	68.4	78.1
Kidal	42.0	28.2	35.4
Bamako	128.0	126.1	127.0
Mali	81.3	59.9	70.5

Table 16

Gross enrolment rate in 2003/04, second cycle (ages 13-15)

Region	Boys	Girls	Total
	%	%	%
Kayes	30.4	11.8	20.9
Koulikoro	50.6	25.0	37.6
Sikasso	40.3	20.3	30.2
Ségou	35.2	18.9	26.9
Mopti	23.3	11.8	17.4
Tombouctou	23.4	11.3	17.2
Gao	35.6	18.2	26.7
Kidal	26.3	12.9	19.9
Bamako	95.6	82.7	89.2
Mali	43.7	25.4	34.4

Table 17

Gross enrolment rate in 2004/05, first cycle (ages 7-12)

Region	Boys	Girls	Total
	%	%	%
Kayes	91.7	56.2	73.5
Koulikoro	96.0	64.9	80.3
Sikasso	75.3	53.2	64.1
Ségou	80.8	55.8	68.1
Mopti	55.1	41.1	51.5
Tombouctou	69.7	57.3	63.4
Gao	91.7	73.7	82.5
Kidal	42.2	34.0	41.9
Bamako	127.4	127.2	127.3
Mali	85.0	63.4	74.0

Table 18

Gross enrolment rate in 2004/05, second cycle (ages 13-15)

Region	Boys	Girls	Total
	%	%	%
Kayes	35.4	14.0	24.4
Koulikoro	56.3	28.3	42.1
Sikasso	43.4	22.7	32.9
Ségou	41.4	22.7	31.9
Mopti	25.8	14.0	19.8
Tombouctou	25.2	12.9	18.9
Gao	38.6	18.1	28.2
Kidal	26.7	13.2	20.3
Bamako	96.1	87.4	91.8
Mali	47.7	28.5	38.0

Table 19

School coverage (GSER, per cent) by level of education

Year	Pre-primary	Basic - first cycle	Basic - second cycle	General secondary	Technical and vocational	Higher education
	Age group in the reference population for the GSER	Number of pupils per 100 000 inhabitants	Number of students per 100 000 inhabitants
Age 3-6	Age 7-12	Age 13-15	Age 16-18
2003/04	2.0	69.0	35.0	10.0 (17.1)*	348	286

* GSER obtained by adding general, technical and vocational education and teacher training, measured for the population aged 16-18.

Success rate in the end-of cycle examination (per cent)

Table 20

Basic 1	Basic 2
Average	Average
58	55

(c)Number and percentage of dropouts and repetitions;

Table 21

Repeaters, first cycle

Year	Number	Percentage	Total
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	%
2003/04	148 273	116 525	18.7	19.3	19.0
2004/05	156 433	123 422	18.4	18.9	18.6

Table 22

Repeaters, second cycle

Year	Number	Percentage	Total
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	%
2003/04	148 273	116 525	23.1	25.5	24.0
2004/05	45 320	30 539	23.1	25.3	23.9

Table 23

Dropouts, first cycle

Year	Percentage
	Boys	Girls
	%	%
2003/04	2.6	8.7
2004/05	2.6	8.7

Table 24

Description of the first cycle of basic education, trends between 1996/97 and 2004/05

	1996/97	1997/98	1998/99	1999/00	2000/01	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05
F1	Total numbers	183 572	198 662	213 548	203 452	231 574	247 198	269 647	290 347	304 585
	Repeaters	20 811	23 841	28 216	22 420	24 678	28 952	34 236	36 111	38 645
	New arrivals	162 761	174 821	185 331	181 032	206 896	218 246	235 411	254 236	265 940
F2	Total numbers	153 605	180 714	198 761	191 780	204 378	230 121	241 058	256 393	274 503
	Repeaters	17 573	19 755	25 509	22 330	25 443	29 551	32 506	31 206	33 348
	New arrivals	136 031	160 959	173 252	169 450	178 935	200 570	208 552	225 187	241 155
F3	Total numbers	141 098	154 099	182 133	192 535	201 812	209 708	235 194	255 280	270 295
	Repeaters	21 549	24 227	29 040	31 823	37 670	40 577	45 927	47 676	48 929
	New arrivals	119 549	129 873	153 093	160 712	164 142	169 131	189 267	207 604	221 366
F4	Total numbers	122 860	136 773	152 090	166 710	188 077	201 781	199 901	228 095	250 026
	Repeaters	19 135	24 586	31 017	31 448	39 476	46 024	47 377	48 904	51 846
	New arrivals	103 725	112 187	121 073	135 262	148 601	155 757	152 524	179 191	198 180
F5	Total numbers	100 402	117 806	131 707	142 356	162 595	181 200	191 638	199 548	225 344
	Repeaters	15 867	24 991	33 053	34 225	42 850	49 005	52 493	56 552	57 426
	New arrivals	84 535	92 815	98 654	108 131	119 745	132 195	139 145	142 996	167 918
F6	Total numbers	83 658	99 730	110 596	118 756	137 858	144 781	157 234	167 128	181 150
	Repeaters	23 412	29 446	34 893	34 718	41 640	42 460	43 350	44 349	49 850
	New arrivals	60 246	70 284	75 703	84 038	96 218	102 321	113 884	122 779	131 300
Total primary	785 195	887 784	988 835	1 015 589	1 126 294	1 214 789	1 294 672	1 396 791	1 505 903
Population aged 7	309 840	319 228	328 901	338 866	349 134	359 713	370 612	381 842	393 411
Gross rate of access	52.5%	54.8%	56.3%	53.4%	59.3%	60.7%	63.5%	66.6%	67.6%
Population aged 12	239 740	247 004	254 489	262 200	270 144	278 330	286 763	295 452	304 404
Completion rate	25.1%	28.5%	29.7%	32.1%	35.6%	36.8%	39.7%	41.6%	43.1%
Population aged 7-12	1 641 556	1 691 295	1 742 542	1 795 341	1 849 739	1 905 786	1 963 532	2 023 027	2 084 325
Gross rate of enrolment	47.8%	52.5%	56.7%	56.6%	60.9%	63.7%	65.9%	69.0%	72.2%
Zig zag retention rate		65.9%	63.0%	57.0%	69.7%	66.1%	62.6%	74.6%	76.6%
Longitudinal retention rate							65.1%	66.2%	72.5%
Repeater rate	15.1%	16.5%	18.4%	17.4%	18.8%	19.5%	19.8%	19.0%	18.6%

Table 25

Description of the second cycle of basic education, trends between 1996/97 and 2004/05

		1996/97	1997/98	1998/99	2000/00	2000/01	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05
F7	Total numbers	39 862	49 752	59 493	69 722	77 066	86 694	98 816	120 139	128 980
	Repeaters	4 314	5 707	7 498	10 637	15 918	18 366	20 346	26 301	33 253
	New arrivals	35 548	44 045	51 995	59 085	61 148	68 328	78 470	93 838	95 727
F8	Total numbers	32 829	37 115	43 879	53 490	59 516	64 856	70 466	80 808	97 798
	Repeaters	5 748	5 285	5 758	7 331	10 709	13 036	12 676	15 123	16 186
	New arrivals	27 081	31 830	38 121	46 159	48 807	51 820	57 790	65 685	81 612
F9	Total numbers	35 425	38 072	38 482	43 869	55 845	62 070	68 016	78 877	90 231
	Repeaters	10 499	11 817	8 883	8 074	15 106	18 806	20 406	25 680	26 420
	New arrivals	24 926	26 256	29 599	35 795	40 739	43 264	47 610	53 197	63 811
Transition rate	108 115	124 940	141 853	167 081	192 427	213 620	237 298	279 824	317 009
Transition rate primary-college		73.1%	74.0%	78.0%	72.8%	71.0%	76.7%	82.4%	78.0%
Population aged 13	227 752	234 653	241 762	249 088	256 635	264 411	272 423	280 677	289 182
Gross rate of access	15.6%	18.8%	21.5%	23.7%	23.8%	25.8%	28.8%	33.4%	33.1%
Population aged 15	205 543	211 771	218 188	224 799	231 610	238 628	245 858	253 308	260 983
Completion rate	12.1%	12.4%	13.6%	15.9%	17.6%	18.1%	19.4%	21.0%	24.5%
Population aged 13-15	649 657	669 342	689 623	710 519	732 047	754 228	777 081	800 627	824 886
Gross rate of enrolment	16.6%	18.7%	20.6%	23.5%	26.3%	28.3%	30.5%	35.0%	38.4%
Zig zag retention rate		87.0%	80.0%	83.0%	73.0%	75.0%	78.0%	77.0%	84.0%
Longitudinal retention rate			83.0%	81.0%	78.0%	73.0%	78.0%	78.0%	81.0%
Repeater rate	19.0%	18.3%	15.6%	15.6%	21.7%	23.5%	22.5%	24.0%	23.9%

Table 26

Description of general secondary education between 2002/03 and 2004/05

	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05
F10	Total numbers	26 605	26 400	27 106
	Repeaters	6 602	6 108	6 437
	New arrivals	20 003	20 292	20 669
F11	Total numbers	17 884	18 597	20 052
	Repeaters	4 478	3 227	4 286
	New arrivals	13 406	15 369	15 765
F12	Total numbers	22 944	23 928	23 353
	Repeaters	11 977	10 659	11 603
	New arrivals	10 968	13 269	11 749
Total lycée	67 433	68 925	70 510
Transition rate college	46.2%	42.6%	38.8%
Population aged 16	233 564	240 641	247 932
Gross rate of access	8.6%	8.4%	8.3%
Population aged 18	210 789	217 176	223 756
Completion rate	5.2%	6.1%	5.3%
Population aged 16-18	666 237	686 424	707 222
Gross rate of enrolment	10.1%	10.0%	9.9%
Zig zag retention rate		76.6%	59.9%
Longitudinal retention rate
Repeater rate	34.2%	29.0%	31.4%

Table 27

Proportion of repeaters in general education, by class, 1996-2004 (percentage)

	1996/97	1997/98	1998/99	1999/00	2000/01	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05
Basic 1	15.1	16.5	18.4	17.4	18.8	19.5	19.8	19.0	18.6
First year	11.3	12.0	13.2	11.0	10.7	11.7	12.7	12.4	12.7
Second year	11.4	10.9	12.8	11.6	12.4	12.8	13.5	12.2	12.2
Third year	15.3	15.7	15.9	16.5	18.7	19.3	19.5	18.7	18.1
Fourth year	15.6	18.0	20.4	18.9	21.0	22.8	23.7	21.4	20.7
Fifth year	15.8	21.2	25.1	24.0	26.4	27.0	27.4	28.3	25.5
Sixth year	28.0	29.5	31.5	29.2	30.2	29.3	27.6	26.5	27.5
Basic 2	19.0	18.3	15.6	15.6	21.7	23.5	22.5	24.0	24.0
Seventh year	10.8	11.5	12.6	15.3	20.7	21.2	20.6	21.9	25.8
Eighth year	17.5	14.2	13.1	13.7	18.0	20.1	18.0	18.7	16.6
Ninth year	29.6	31.0	23.1	18.4	27.0	30.3	30.0	32.6	29.3
General Secondary							34.2	29.0
Seconde							24.8	23.1
Première							25.0	17.4
Terminale							52.2	44.5

(d) Pupil/teacher ratio and number of children per class;

Table 28

Pupil/teacher ratio

Year	First cycle	Second cycle
2003/04	57	41
2004/05	54	38

(e) Number of children attending Koranic schools.

Figures on the number of children attending Koranic schools are not available from the Ministry of Education Centre for Planning and Statistics.

Table 29

Year	First cycle	Second cycle
2003/04	140 194	12 911
2004/05	166 015	16 729

Source: Ministry of Education Centre for Planning and Statistics.

10. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (including by sex, age and type of crime) covering the years 2003, 2004 and 2005, in particular on the number of:

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

Table 30

Children in conflict with the law in interrogation and detention facilities by sex

Year	Number	Percentage
Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total
2003	232	73	305	76.07	23.93	100.00
2004	286	106	392	72.96	27.04	100.00
2005	483	222	705	68.51	31.49	100.00
Total	1 001	401	1 402	71.40	28.60	100.00

Source: CNDIFE, survey report on women in difficult situations, including women in conflict with the law (2005).

(b)Persons under 18 who have been charged with a crime and, of these, the number sentenced and the type of punishment or sanction related to offences, including length of deprivation of liberty;

Table 31

Number of children currently or previously in detention

Year	Boys	Girls	Girls and boys	Boys (%)	Girls (%)
2003	86	37	123	69.92	30.08
2004	168	33	201	83.58	16.44
2005	216	114	330	65.45	34.55
Total	470	184	654	71.87	28.13

Percentage of children currently or previously in detention as compared with children in conflict with the law over three years: 654/1402*100 = 46.65 per cent;

Percentage of boys currently or previously in detention: 470/654*100 = 71.87 per cent;

Percentage of girls currently or previously in detention: 184/654*100 = 28.13 per cent.

Source: CNDIFE, survey report on children in difficult situations, including children in conflict with the law (2005).

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

The Bollé Detention and Rehabilitation Centre, which has a capacity of 64 inmates, is the only specialized centre for juveniles. The adult detention facilities in three of the eight provincial capitals have sections for juveniles, with a capacity ranging from three to five detainees.

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

Table 32

Category	Number of women	Number of men	Total
Detainees	116women	4 232men	4 487
	19girls	120boys

Source: DNAPES, October 2006.

(e) Persons under 18 held in pretrial detention and average length of detention;

The legal limit of pretrial detention is three months in the case of misdemeanours and one year in the case of crimes. However, these limits are not always observed in practice. For example, a survey conducted in 2006 in the Bollé centre produced the following findings:

Table 33

Report of the Bollé Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Centre

Offence	Number of cases	Length of pretrial detention
Theft	16	1-16months
Paedophilia	2	1-20months
Murder	1	13months
Accomplice to rape	1	8months
Disposal of stolen property	1
Wilful assault	1	10months
Manslaughter	1	19months
Burglary and attempted robbery	1	6months
Assault and battery	1	1month
Rape, accomplice to rape	2
Aggravated theft	2
Use of narcotic drugs, death threats	1
Aggravated theft and murder	1	19months
Gambling, damage to property	1	1month
Theft and disturbing the peace	1	9months
Total	33

Source: Extract from the 2005 annual report.

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

Nothing to report.

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

Nothing to report.

11. With reference to special protection measures, please provide statistical data (including by sex, age and urban and rural areas) for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 on the number of children:

(a)Involved in sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography and trafficking, and the number of children provided with access to recovery and other assistance;

The Ministry of Internal Security and Civil Protection, in its letter No. 1017/MSIPC-SG of 21 June 2005 addressed to the Minister for the Advancement of Women, Children and the Family, drew attention to the increase in the number of immoral acts committed in Bamako District. From 1 January to 31 March 2005 the following incidents were reported:

Paedophilia involving 3 children under the age of 13;

Paedophilia involving 6 children under the age of 13;

Rape involving 5 girls under the age of 15;

Gang rape of 2 girls under the age of 15;

Lewd acts involving 10 girls under the age of 15.

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

(c) Involved in child labour, indicating type of work;

Table 34

Children aged 5 to 17 years, by sex, type of activity and place of residence

Sex	Activity	Urban	Rural	Total
%	No.	%	No.	%	No.
Boys	Working onlya	29.8	211 347	49.3	791 733	43.3	1 003 080
Studying onlyb	33.5	237 915	11.5	185 238	18.3	423 153
Working and studyingc	26.5	188 205	24.9	399 327	25.4	587 532
Total working*	56.3	399 553	74.2	1 191 060	68.7	1 590 613
Total studying**	60.0	426 121	36.4	584 564	43.6	1 010 685
Idle	10.2	72 401	14.3	229 440	13.0	301 841
Girls	Working onlya	35.9	256 435	48.3	676 523	44.1	932 958
Studying onlyb	21.9	156 328	9.7	136 392	13.8	292 720
Working and studyingc	32.7	233 868	19.3	270 604	23.8	504 472
Total working*	68.6	490 302	67.6	947 128	68.0	1 437 430
Total studying**	54.6	390 196	29.1	406 997	37.7	797 193
Idle	9.6	68 315	22.6	316 761	18.2	385 076
Total	Working onlya	32.8	467 782	48.8	1 468 256	43.7	1 936 038
Studying onlyb	27.7	394 244	10.7	321 630	16.2	715 874
Working and studyingc	29.6	422 073	22.3	669 931	24.6	1 092 004
Total working*	62.5	889 855	71.1	2 138 188	68.3	3 028 043
Total studying**	57.3	816 317	33.0	991 561	40.8	1 807 878
Idle	9.9	140 716	18.2	546 202	15.5	686 918

Source: ENTE - Mali 2005.

* “Total working” refers to children who work only and those who work and go to school (a+c).

** “Total studying” refers to children who go to school only and those who work and go to school (b+d).

Table 34

Children’s activity status by sex and age group

Activity status	5-9 years	10-14 years	15-17 years
Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total
No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No .	%
Working only	418 965	39.5	389 337	39.3	808 302	39.4	339 842	41.2	336 531	42.7	676 373	41.9	244 274	56.9	207 089	61.4	451 363	58.9
Studying only	198 327	18.7	149 372	15.1	347 699	16.9	155 998	18.9	122 478	15.6	278 476	17.3	68 828	16.0	20 871	6.2	89 699	11.7
Working and studying	200 203	18.9	175 610	17.7	375 813	18.3	287 391	34.8	248 395	31.5	535 786	33.2	99 939	23.3	80 467	23.9	180 406	23.5
Idle	243 194	22.9	276 499	27.9	519 693	25.3	42 157	5.1	79 940	10.2	122 097	7.6	16 491	3.8	28 637	8.5	45 128	5.9
Total working	619 167	58.4	564 947	57.0	1 184 114	57.7	627 233	76.0	584 926	74.3	1 212 159	75.2	344 213	80.1	287 557	85.3	631 770	82.4
Total studying	398 530	37.6	324 981	32.8	723 511	35.3	443 389	53.7	370 873	47.1	814 262	50.5	168 766	39.3	101 338	30.1	270 104	35.2

Source: ENTE - Mali 2005.

Table 35

Number and percentage of children aged 5-17 years engaged in hazardous work, by sex, age and activity sector

	Total harmful work	Dangerous work
Number	Percentage
Boys	5-9	619 167	382 639	61.8
10-14	574 807	399 088	69.4
15-17	115 025	83 204	72.3
Total	1 308 999	864 931	66.1
Girls	5-9	564 947	348 504	61.7
10-14	493 568	332 320	67.3
15-17	83 215	62 026	74.5
Total	1 141 730	742 850	65.1
Combined	5-9	1 184 114	731 143	61.7
10-14	1 068 376	731 408	68.5
15-17	198 239	145 229	73.3
Total	2 450 729	1 607 780	65.6

Table 36

Activity sector
Agriculture, hunting, forestry	1 435 311	1 002 599	69.9
Fishing, fish farming, aquaculture	9 826	6 376	64.9
Mining	547	547	100.0
Manufacturing	46 140	34 769	75.4
Construction	11 271	11 271	100.0
Trade, automotive and equipment repair	29 704	22 014	74.1
Transport, activities related to public transport	6 603	6 270	95.0
Real estate, business rentals and services	2 084	469	22.5
Education	22 566	3 133	13.9
Health and social work	789	350	44.4
Trade union or syndicates	1 945	1 394	71.7
Professional housekeeping activities	845 955	502 801	59.4

Source:National Survey on Child Labour in Mali (ENTE, 2005).

(d)Children working and/or living in the street and child beggars.

Table 37

Number and percentage of children aged 15 to 17 engaged in harmful work by place of employment, sex, age and residential environment

		Place of employment
		Family home	Employer’s home	Office	Industry/ factory	Plantation/ field/garden	Construction site/quarry	Shop/market/ kiosk	Various (mobile employment)	Street
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Boys	5-9	158 898	26.6	1 145	0.2	9 203	1.5	328	0.1	38 1 915	64	1 018	0.2	3 385	0.6	38 002	6.4	2 717	0.5
10-14	61 137	10.8	2 748	0.5	10 917	1.9	0	0	439 384	77.9	328	0.1	5 632	1	39 394	7	4 243	0.8
15-17	7 867	6.8	884	0.8	1 221	1.1	0	0	86 143	74.9	0	0	4 112	3.6	11 334	9.9	3 464	3
Total	227 902	17.9	4 777	0.4	21 341	1.7	328	0	907 442	71.1	1 346	0.1	13 129	1	88 730	7	10 424	0.8
Girls	5-9	317 558	57.5	1 435	0.3	7 566	1.4			213 022	38.6	0	0	1 077	0.2	9 090	1.6	2 232	0.4
10-14	218 043	45.1	8 599	1.8	7 210	1.5			236 017	48.8	333	0.1	4 054	0.8	7 240	1.5	1 958	0.4
15-17	29 920	36	13 908	16.7	0	0			33 495	40.3	547	0.7	1 781	2.1	2 577	3.1	988	1.2
Total	565 521	50.6	23 942	2.1	14 776	1.3			482 534	43.1	880	0.1	6 912	0.6	18 907	1.7	5 178	0.5
Combined	5-9	476 456	41.5	2 580	0.2	16 769	1.5	328	0	594 937	51.8	1 018	0.1	4 463	0.4	47 092	4.1	4 950	0.4
10-14	279 180	26.7	11 347	1.1	18 127	1.7	0	0	675 402	64.5	661	0.1	9 685	0.9	46 634	4.5	6 201	0.6
15-17	37 787	19.1	14 792	7.5	1 221	0.6	0	0	119 638	60.3	547	0.3	5 893	3	13 911	7	4 452	2.2
Total	793 423	33.1	28 719	1.2	36 117	1.5	328	0	1 389 977	58.1	2 226	0.1	20 041	0.8	107 637	4.5	15 603	0.7
Residential environment	Urban	298 674	48	23 962	3.8	13 470	2.2	328	0.1	245 646	39.4	748	0.1	10 449	1.7	19 065	3.1	10 515	1.7
Rural	494 749	27.9	4 757	0.3	22 647	1.3	0	0	1 144 331	64.6	1 477	0.1	9 591	0.5	88 572	5	5 087	0.3
Total	793 423	33.1	28 719	1.2	36 117	1.5	328	0	1 389 977	58.1	2 225	0.1	20 040	0.8	107 637	4.5	15 602	0.7

Source:National Survey on Child Labour in Mali (ENTE 2005).

Table 38

Child beggars, classified by reason for begging, age and sex

Reason for begging	Age bracket
	Under 7	7-12 years	13-15 years	16-18 years	Total
Disability	Boys	35	140	93	104
Girls	31	242	153	112
Total	66	242	153	112
Poverty	Boys	31	295	451	389
Girls	9	261	55	419
Total	40	556	500	792
Orphaned	Boys	187	422	287	207
Girls	94	345	194	226
Total	281	787	478	428
Social disease	Boys	156	65	155	215
Girls	59	106	155	84
Total	215	171	310	299
Talibé	Boys	889	3 415	2 071	692
Girls	20	108	101	81
Total	909	3 523	2 135	773
Other	Boys	4 627	4 322	1 550	514
Girls	41	106	82	446
Total	4 668	4 428	1 632	961
Total	Boys
Girls
Total

Source:2005 statistical survey (Social Information System).

B. General measures of implementation

1. The Committee would appreciate receiving information on activities meant to implement recommendations contained in the Committee’s previous concluding observations on the initial report of Mali ( CRC/C/ 3 /Add. 53 ) which have not yet been fully implemented, in particular regarding : measures taken to ensure the effective enjoyment of the fundamental rights and protection of any form of discrimination against certain vulnerable groups of children, including children with disabilities and garibou children; birth registration, corporal punishment and ill ‑treatment; neglect and abuse of children; female genital mutilation and early and forced marriages; economic exploitation and the reform of the juvenile justice system.

The implementation of these recommendations remains inadequate despite sporadic efforts. These include:

Numerous measures taken for the rehabilitation of disabled children;

Table 39

	2003	2004	2005
Number of disabled children   enrolled in school	644	1 782	811
Number of disabled children   receiving physical therapy	503	316	133
Number of classrooms   adapted to accommodate   disabled persons	12	17	10
Number of parents of disabled children receiving special training and education	469	697	44 regional and local community rehabilitation (RBC) committees set up

Source:2005 statistical survey (Social Information System).

Training activities for child beggars with a view to reintegrating them in society (in 2005 the National Directorate for Social Development placed 100 children with master craftsmen; 98 of these placements were successful);

Registration of births: the Government of Mali adopted Act No. 06-024 of 28 June 2006, governing civil status in Mali, which provides for the issuance of free birth certificates. In 2006, court decisions authorizing the birth registration of more than 10,000 children were handed down;

Ongoing activities to address violence against children (corporal punishment and abuse; abandonment and ill-treatment; female genital mutilation and early and forced marriage; economic exploitation). Awareness and advocacy campaigns have been conducted in all regions of the country and in Bamako District during observance of the Day of the African Child, the theme of which was violence against children.

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

To date, officers of the justice system (magistrates and lawyers) seldom invoke the Convention in the courts. However, they do refer to the Child Protection Code, which addresses most of the measures called for by the Convention.

3. Please provide information on the mandate, the independent status and the activities of the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l’homme and the Ombudsman ( médiateur ) and indicate whether it has been established by law. Particularly provide information on activities related to the implementation of the Convention and, in case this falls within its mandate, the number of individual complaints on alleged violation of the rights of the child and actions taken on these complaints.

The National Commission on Human Rights was established by Decree No. 06‑117/P‑RM of 16 March 2006. Article 1 of this Decree makes the Commission a body for consultation and prevention, and places it under the Ministry of Justice. Article 2 stipulates that “the National Commission on Human Rights shall be charged with helping to promote and protect human rights and preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment”.

The Commission’s tasks include:

Making recommendations, in an advisory capacity, to the Government or any other competent authority on all human rights-related issues;

Drawing the attention of the public authorities to any decisions or actions that may promote or protect human rights;

Recommending to the Government decisions or actions to promote or protect human rights;

Encouraging the harmonization of national legislation with international human rights instruments;

Making public opinion and the administration aware, through information, education, communication and all other appropriate means, of human rights issues;

Contributing, as necessary, to the preparation of reports that the Government is required to submit to international human rights treaty bodies;

Preparing an annual report to the Government on the status of human rights;

Carrying out information and awareness campaigns to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment;

Making regular visits to places of detention and informing the Government of the situation of detainees.

Article 12 of the Decree also stipulates that “the Commission shall function independently. It shall consider any questions falling within its competence and may request the ministries concerned to provide information relating to an issue falling within their particular competence”.

A newly established (16 March 2006) body, the Commission’s bureau was set up in November 2006. Its programme of activities for 2007 includes the carrying out of a study on the status of implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Maputo Protocol, a study on the status of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, dissemination of the Child Protection Code, etc.

The post of Médiateur de la République (Ombudsman) was created by Act No. 97‑022 of 14 March 1977.

Article 1 of this Act is quite clear as to the Ombudsman’s independence and mandate. “There shall be established a Médiateur de la République (Ombudsman), an independent authority who shall receive, under conditions to be determined by this Act, claims relating to the functioning of the administrations of the State, local communities, public institutions and any body having public service as its mission, in their interaction with citizens.

“In the exercise of his or her functions, the Ombudsman may not receive instructions from any other authority.”

Article 2 also stipulates that the Ombudsman shall be appointed for a seven-year term and may not conclude his or her work until the end of that period unless the Supreme Court determines the existence of an impediment or serious misconduct.

4.Please provide further information on coordination between the different governmental institutions working for the implementation of the Convention.

There exists an advisory body known as the Inter-ministerial Committee which consists of a representative from each ministerial department and is chaired by the Minister for the Advancement of Women, the Child and the Family. It has the following responsibilities:

Studying and giving its opinion on all cases submitted to it by the Minister for the Advancement of Women, the Child and the Family;

Monitoring and evaluating the implementation by departments of recommendations and measures relating to women, children and the family;

Monitoring and evaluating the actions and initiatives of associations and NGOs working with women, children and the family.

The horizontal nature of the activities of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, the Child and the Family and the inadequate extension of basic activities for the advancement of women and child welfare mean that many of the activities undertaken in the context of various plans and programmes go unnoticed.

The lack of effectiveness indicators and of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms within programmes are some of the reasons that it is often impossible to make an objective assessment of efforts to promote the advancement of women and child welfare.

There continues to be insufficient collaboration between the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, the Child and the Family and other partners, i.e. ministerial departments and civil society organizations. This is due to the fact that the evaluations conducted by other departments do not always address the qualitative aspect of sectoral results.

5. Please provide information on the content and the implementation of the National Plan of Action, and whether it covers all areas of the Convention and takes into account the objectives and goals of the outcome document entitled “A world fit for children” of the General Assembly special session on children held in 2002.

Mali still does not have a national plan of action for child survival, development, protection and participation. However, a National Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women, Children and the Family as well as sectoral programmes in the areas covered by the Convention do exist.

6.Please give information on procedures for, and on the bodies effectively involved in, data collection.

The National Directorate of Statistics and Information Technology is responsible for centralizing all data collected (by censuses or surveys), either by itself or through other entities involved with planning, statistical, information and documentation.

7.Please provide updated information on efforts to disseminate the Convention, the State party report and the previous concluding observations of the Committee (CRC/C/15/Add.113).

In order to disseminate the Convention the Government has sought to develop and implement training, information and sensitization programmes. Two corps of trainers in the areas of the Convention and juvenile justice have been set up, each comprising 40 staff from various public agencies (social, justice, security, NGOs). Training manuals have been prepared. This has made it possible to carry out dissemination activities reaching down to the local level. In 2004 some 77 members of modern and traditional information organizations were trained.

In addition, posters and signs have been created and artistic and cultural works have been produced and presented on the rights of the child in general and on the Convention in particular.

The State party’s report and the Committee’s previous concluding observations have been reprinted and widely disseminated. They have also been used as teaching aids in handbooks for trainers.

8. Please provide updated information on efforts made to provide training and awareness ‑raising on the Convention and on human rights in general, for children, parents, teachers, social workers and other professionals working with and for children.

9 . Please provide updated information on the cooperation between the State party and the international community, including non-governmental organizations, in the efforts to implement the Convention.

Cooperation in the area of child protection has always been a priority in the activities of the Government of Mali. That is why Mali has become a party to the Convention’s additional or optional instruments. Mali regularly participates in and organizes international meetings. It monitors the implementation of the decisions taken at these meetings.

In the context of its collaboration with NGOs, a Joint Commission involving the Government and associations and NGOs that work with women, children and the family has been established. The Joint Commission is responsible for:

Coordinating strategies and activities of associations and NGOs in the area of women’s advancement and child and family welfare;

Making recommendations and advising on Government policy to ensure that the interests of women and children are taken into account in national development projects and programmes.

10.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.

Despite the efforts made, there are persistent problems affecting children that need to be addressed:

(a)In the legal sphere;

There are major constraints in the legal sphere insofar as children are concerned:

Significant lacunae exist in the law with regard to certain forms of abuse;

The population and professionals do not know enough about children’s rights, legislation relating to children and legal and social remedies;

Opportunities for intervention by the juvenile justice system are few, owing chiefly to a lack of juvenile court judges, which reduces children’s access to the justice system;

The capacity of child welfare facilities and services remains low.

(b)Where specific rights are concerned;

Given the current situation, the State party needs to strengthen its activities in the following priority areas:

Girls’ education;

Services for disabled children;

The practice of excision;

Child begging;

Trafficking in children;

Juvenile justice.

(c)In the area of strategy.

In the context of data collection, effective decision-making for the most vulnerable is also hampered by the lack of quantitative and qualitative data on children. Efforts are being made to improve information, but they remain limited, and studies on certain groups of children are being conducted, but the findings are not disseminated nationwide; the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, the Child and the Family are taking the first steps towards developing an information system, but their efforts are not coordinated; in addition, data on vulnerable children are not yet systematically collected or centralized, and thus remain largely unknown. In addition to the fact that there are no effective State information systems for identifying cases of child victims of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect (VAEN), cases of abuse are not reported to the competent authorities and the data obtained from the statistical information systems that do work properly, such as those in the areas of health and education, are not widely or regularly available.

The dominating factor where child welfare services are concerned has been service providers’ low level of education, information and awareness of children’s needs. This is often related in part to a lack of opportunities for families to obtain the information needed to ensure that children’s needs are met within the context of the family and also to the lack - and inadequate use - of child protection services. There are also insufficient mechanisms for assessing the impact of the physical, psychological and social rehabilitation carried out by child welfare services for children victims of VAEN.

In the area of coordination, a genuine synergy between the various partners does exist, but its effectiveness is undermined by operational constraints (procedures, consultation and dialogue, etc.), and the articulation of activities about the Millennium Development Goals so that human rights become a driving force for the protection of children and women is still in the earliest phases.

PART II

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

PART III

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

New bills or enacted legislation;

New institutions;

Newly implemented policies; and

Newly implemented programmes and projects and their scope.

New bills or enacted legislation:

Draft Personal and Family Status Code;

Act No. 06-024 of 28 June 2006 governing civil status in Mali;

Act No. 06-028 of 29 June 2006 establishing rules for the prevention, treatment and monitoring of HIV/AIDS;

Decree No. 05-350/P-RM of 4 August 2005 on the provision of caesarean deliveries free of charge;

Decree No. 05-147/P-RM of 31 March 2005 on the free provision of antiretroviral medications;

Decree No. 06-118/P-RM of 16 March 2006 setting out a detailed description of the functions of the Child Protection Delegate;

Decree No. 06-282/P-RM of 11 July 2006 on the establishment, composition and functioning of the National Family Council;

Decree No. 06-006/P-RM of 11 January 2006 on the organization and operation of the Reception and Family Placement Centre;

Order No. 06-1940/MPFEF-SG of 8 September 2006 establishing the National Committee to Monitor Programmes to Combat Trafficking in Children in Mali.

New institutions: the following new private shelter and placement agencies have been created for children up to the age of 5:

Association for Child Survival in Mali (ASE Mali);

Association for Maternal and Child Survival (Assurem Rue Mali); Falatow Jigiya so, Gospel Ministries; Jekaabara, Mond’Action and the Zankèye Ladabo Henna Association;

New community reception centres: Kati, Association for the Legal and Economic Advancement of Women and Children (PROMODEF), the Association Zankèye Faaba, the Association for Youth and Development in Mali (AJDM), the Association Faso Nietaa Wale, etc.

Newly implemented policies:

National policy for orphans and those made vulnerable by AIDS.

Newly implemented programmes and projects and their scope:

National Civic Education Programme;

Project for the creation and strengthening of local vigilance committees (CLV) to combat trafficking in children in Kangaba, Nara et Dioïla circles and in Koulikoro region (PA4);

Project for the establishment of a monitoring system for vulnerable children in schools in Kolondiéba circle;

PA5: Support for formal and non-formal education of children at risk and victims of trafficking in San and Koutiala circles (Gardem NGO) by ILO/LUTRENA in collaboration with the State and NGOs;

Sectoral Investment in Education Programme (PISE II).

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. This list is not exhaustive, as other issues may be raised in course of the dialogue.

1. Non-discrimination in general and in particular discrimination against girls, children with disabilities, street children, child beggars, children born out of wedlock, children in conflict with the law and children living in rural areas.

2.The Mali Poverty Reduction Strategy.

3.Social security and standard of living, in particular high levels of poverty.

4.Respect for the views of the child, especially within the family, schools, care institutions, the community and in administrative and judicial proceedings.

5.Legal provisions regulating national and intercountry adoption and family reunification as well as information on kafalah.

6.Corporal punishment in the family, schools and other institutions.

7.Child abuse, neglect and domestic violence.

8.Harmful traditional practices, especially female genital mutilation and early and forced marriages.

9.HIV/AIDS - preventive measures and assistance to AIDS orphans.

10.Quality of education, in particular levels of illiteracy and number of trained teachers.

11.Street children and child beggars.

12.Economic exploitation, including child labour.

13.Sexual exploitation and prostitution.

14.Administration of juvenile justice, including alternatives to deprivation of liberty.

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