Committee on the Rights of the Child
Sixty- ninth session
25 May–12 June 2015
Item 4 of the provisional agenda
Consideration of reports of States parties
List of issues relating to the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of Honduras
The State party is requested to submit additional, updated information in writing, if possible by 15 March 2015 (no more than 10,700 words).
The Committee may take up any aspect of children’s rights covered in the Convention during the dialogue with the State party.
Part I
In this section the State party is requested to submit replies to the following questions.
1.With reference to paragraphs 64 to 66 of the State party’s report, please provide information on the results of the Opportunities Plan for Children and Adolescents, the budget for its implementation, and the monitoring and evaluation process. Please also provide information on the coordination of all other schemes and programmes adopted by the State party which may affect children.
2.Please provide information on the institutional reform process that led to the dissolution of the Honduran Institute for Children and the Family and the establishment of the Directorate for Children, Adolescents and Families. Please indicate what the Directorate’s responsibilities are and what human, financial and technical resources have been allocated to it. Please also describe the terms of reference of the commission that was temporarily established pursuant to Executive Decree No. PCM-26-2014.
3.Please provide additional, updated information on the way in which the State party determines the budget allocations for activities relating to children and adolescents and what steps it has taken to reduce poverty and inequality among children and adolescents by ensuring that the distribution of funds among the various regions is balanced. Please also specify whether the State has mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating how effectively and efficiently these resources, including international cooperation funds, are used.
4.With reference to paragraph 62 (b) of the State party’s report, please provide detailed information on the status of the bill on the Office of the Children’s Advocate. Please also provide information on the steps taken to ensure that this institution operates in accordance with the Paris Principles, is accessible and child- and adolescent-friendly and has the authority to receive and take action on complaints submitted by private individuals regarding children’s rights violations.
5.Please provide additional, updated information on how the Convention is publicized among children and adolescents and whether it has been incorporated into school curricula. Please also indicate whether the Convention has been integrated into training programmes for all professionals working with and for children and adolescents (particularly those working in the administration of justice, the education system, medical services and protection services) and, if so, explain how this was achieved.
6.Please provide information on the measures taken to combat persistent discrimination against girls, gender stereotyping and patriarchal attitudes that impede the full realization of girls’ rights. Please also provide information on the measures taken to combat persistent discrimination against girls with disabilities as well as discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
7.Please provide detailed information on the measures adopted and the mechanisms put in place for the prevention and investigation of murders of children and adolescents, the punishment of those responsible and the full protection, rehabilitation and compensation of victims. Please also indicate what steps have been taken to implement the Comprehensive Policy on Citizen Coexistence and Security.
8.Please explain whether the application of the Act on the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment has been assessed and indicate what measures have been put in place to prevent children and adolescents from falling prey to such acts. Please also provide information on the steps taken in every case to investigate allegations of mistreatment and abuse at the hands of law enforcement officials and to prosecute and punish the perpetrators.
9.Please provide information on the specific measures undertaken to prevent and eradicate gender-based violence, including femicide, domestic violence and school bullying, and on the results of the National Policy on the Prevention of Violence against Children and Youth. Please also provide information on the steps taken to prosecute perpetrators of violence and to compensate and rehabilitate their victims and on the mechanisms available to those who seek advice or counselling.
10.Please provide further information on the measures adopted to provide appropriate support services for families at risk or in vulnerable situations with a view to avoiding the removal of children and adolescents from their family environment. Please also provide detailed information on the measures taken to promote deinstitutionalization and to support and provide training to foster families.
11.Please provide more information on the progress achieved in the protection of the rights of children and adolescents with disabilities, particularly in the areas of inclusive education, health, public services and accessibility, and in the implementation of the National Universal Accessibility Plan. Please also provide information on the current status of the National Council for Children with Disabilities (CONAMED).
12.Please describe the steps taken to ensure that all households have access to sanitation and safe drinking water, particularly in indigenous communities and in rural or remote areas.
13.Please provide further information on the impact and assessment of the various programmes described in the section of the State party’s report on living standards.
14.Please provide information on the measures that are to be adopted in order to receive children and adolescents at risk of deportation from the United States of America and ensure that they are returned under humane and safe conditions. Please specify what institution is responsible for protecting and receiving migrant children and adolescents.
15.Please provide information on prevention measures and the physical and psychological rehabilitation and social reintegration services available to children and adolescents who have been recruited or used by armed groups (including gangs) in the State party.
16.Please describe any actions taken to effectively implement the regulations regarding restorative measures and the use of custodial sentences as a last resort. Please provide information on the amendment of article 332 of the Criminal Code to prevent children and adolescents from being arbitrarily arrested or detained. Please also provide further information on any measures that have been taken to improve the living conditions of adolescents deprived of their liberty and to prevent violence in detention centres. Lastly, please provide information on any measures designed to protect child and adolescent victims or witnesses during legal proceedings.
Part II
In this section, the Committee invites the State party to provide a brief update (no more than three pages) on the information presented in its report regarding:
(a)New bills or enacted legislation and any accompanying regulations;
(b)New institutions, their mandates and funding;
(c)Recently adopted and implemented policies and programmes and their scope;
(d)Recently ratified human rights instruments.
Part III
Statistical and other information, if available
1.Please provide information on the consolidated budget, disaggregated by budget item, covering the past three years, in terms of resources allocated for children and adolescents. In addition, please indicate what percentage of the total national budget and of the State party’s gross domestic product each budget item represents. If available, please provide budgetary data disaggregated by age, sex, disability, ethnic origin, rural or urban place of residence and geographical location.
2.Please provide data (disaggregated by age, sex, disability, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, rural or urban place of residence and geographical location) for the past four years on the number of children and adolescents:
(a)Who have died as a result of domestic violence, ordinary crime, gang violence, easily preventable diseases and workplace accidents. Please also indicate the number of legal cases falling into each of those categories that have been opened, convictions and instances in which compensation has been awarded. Where possible, please provide data on the offenders, specifying whether they were law enforcement officers, relatives, heads of institutions (hospitals, secondary schools and shelters) or others;
(b)Who have suffered abuse and/or violence, including all forms of corporal punishment, specifying the type of assistance provided to them, the compensation received and any follow-up, including the prosecution and punishment of the perpetrators. Wherever possible, please provide data on the perpetrators (using the categories referred to in subparagraph (a) above);
(c)Who have suffered sexual violence, specifying the outcome of prosecutions, including the penalties imposed on the perpetrators and the reparation and compensation awarded to victims. Wherever possible, please provide data on the perpetrators (using the categories referred to in subparagraph (a) above);
3.Please provide data (disaggregated by age, sex, disability, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, rural or urban place of residence and geographical location) for the past four years on:
(a)Infant mortality (disaggregated by cause of death);
(b)Maternal mortality (disaggregated by cause of death), including information on the number of lawsuits for medical negligence that have been filed;
(c)Malnutrition;
(d)Children and adolescents infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS (specifying cases of mother-child transmission);
(e)Mental illness;
(f)Vaccination coverage;
(g)Child and adolescent pregnancies;
(h)The scope of social security coverage for children and adolescents;
(i)The actual coverage of drinking water and sanitation facilities.
4.Please provide data (disaggregated by age, sex, disability, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, rural or urban place of residence and geographical location) for the past four years on the number of children and adolescents who:
(a)Have been abandoned;
(b)Have been separated from their parents;
(c)Are living in institutions (specifying the type of institution);
(d)Are living with foster families;
(e)Have been adopted in-country or internationally.
5.Please provide the following information (disaggregated by age, sex, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, rural or urban place of residence and geographical location) for the past four years on children and adolescents with disabilities:
(a)Total number;
(b)Total number disaggregated by disability;
(c)Number living with their families;
(d)Number living in institutions;
(e)Number attending ordinary primary schools;
(f)Number attending ordinary secondary schools;
(g)Number attending special schools.
6.Please provide the following information (disaggregated by age, sex, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, rural or urban place of residence and geographical location) for the past four years:
(a)Enrolment and completion rates in percentage terms for each relevant age group in preschool establishments and primary and secondary schools;
(b)The number and percentage of dropouts and repeaters;
(c)The teacher-pupil ratio.
7.Please provide data (disaggregated by age, sex, disability, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, rural or urban place of residence and geographical location) for the past four years on the number of children and adolescents who are:
(a)Involved in child labour (specifying the type of work, including hazardous work);
(b)Living in the street.
8.Please provide data (disaggregated by age, sex, disability, ethnic origin, rural or urban place of residence, geographical location and type of offence) for the past three years on the number of:
(a)Children and adolescents alleged to have committed an offence that was reported to the police;
(b)Adolescents who have been convicted (specifying the type of penalty or punishment corresponding to the offence, including the duration of any deprivation of liberty);
(c)Detention centres for minors in conflict with the law and their capacity;
(d)Children and adolescents held in such facilities and those held in adult facilities;
(e)Children and adolescents in pretrial detention and the average length of such detention;
(f)Cases of abuse and ill-treatment of children or adolescents occurring during arrest and detention.
9.Please update any information contained in the report that is out of date and provide the Committee with information on any other new developments.
10.In addition, the State party may wish to provide the Committee with a list of the issues relating to children and adolescents that it views as having priority in terms of the implementation of the Convention.