COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDForty-third session 11-29 September 2006

WRITTEN REPLIES BY THE GOVERNMENT OF KIRIBATI CONCERNING THE LIST OF ISSUES (CRC/C/KIR/Q/1) RECEIVED BY THE COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD RELATING TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE INITIAL REPORT OF KIRIBATI (CRC/C/KIR/1)

[Received on 23 August 2006]

_________________

* In accordance with the information transmitted to States parties regarding the processing of their reports, the present document was not formally edited before being sent to the United Nations translation services.

GE.06-44015

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Responses to the list of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the initial report of KIRIBATI (CRC/C/KIR/1)

RESPONSES OF THE GOVERNEMNT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI

Part I

A. Data and statistics, if available

1. Please provide disaggregated data (by sex, ethnic groups, urban and rural areas) covering the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 on the:

a) number and proportion of children under 18 living in the State party;

A census is conducted in Kiribati every five years, with the recent being held in November 2005, for which preliminary results have only recently become available. The Initial Report refers to data from the 2000 census.

Preliminary results from the 2005 census show that the total population of Kiribati was 92,533, up to 84,494 in 2000. There were 40,782 children under the age of 18 years in 2005, compared with 39,386 in 2000. Table 1 shows a breakdown of the numbers of children living in Kiribati, by age and gender, and as a percentage of the total population. Table 2 shows a breakdown by ethnicity of all persons aged under 20 years.

Due to a change of methodology, the breakdown of children living in urban and rural areas cannot easily be tabulated. However, at the time of the 2000 census there were 16,302 children aged under 18 years (41.4% of all children) living in urban areas, with 23,084 children (58.6%) in rural areas. According to the preliminary data from the 2005 census, there were 18,426 persons aged under 20 years (41.0%) living in urban areas, with 26,560 persons aged under 20 years (59%) living in rural areas.

Table 1 - Children in Kiribati

Age	2000	2005 (preliminary data)
Male	Female	Total (% of total population)	Male	Female	Total (% of total population)
<1	924	908	1832 (2.2%)	1235	1168	2403 (2.6%)
1	1255	1242	2497 (3.0%)	1114	1053	2167 (2.3%)
2	1272	1258	2530 (3.0%)	1035	970	2005 (2.2%)
3	1292	1319	2611 (3.1%)	1099	1027	2126 (2.3%)
4	1342	1168	2510 (3.0%)	1130	1086	2216 (2.4%)
5	1206	1200	2406 (2.8%)	1219	1253	2472 (2.7%)
6	1238	1132	2370 (2.8%)	1326	1315	2641 (2.9%)
7	1178	1063	2241 (2.7%)	1304	1227	2531 (2.7%)
8	1200	1094	2294 (2.7%)	1269	1194	2463 (2.7%)
9	1050	909	1959 (2.3%)	1197	1162	2359 (2.5%)
10	1089	1016	2105 (2.5%)	1199	1089	2288 (2.5%)
11	1258	1139	2397 (2.8%)	1045	1050	2095 (2.3%)
12	1005	907	1912 (2.3%	1169	1044	2213 (2.4%)
13	1063	973	2036 (2.4%)	1143	1058	2201 (2.4%)
14	1014	1058	2072 (2.5%)	1041	972	2013 (2.2%)
15	1033	1043	2076 (2.5%)	1121	1026	2147 (2.3%)
16	894	904	1798 (2.1%)	1198	1250	2448 (2.6%)
17	858	882	1740 (2.1%)	1015	979	1994 (2.2%)
Total	20,171	19,215	39,386 (46.6%)	20,859	19,923	40,782 (44.1%)

Table 1 - 2000 and 2005 census data - Children in Kiribati, by age, gender, and as a percentage of the total population (Source: Kiribati National Statistics Office)

Table 2 – Ethnicity of Children in Kiribati

Age	2000	2005 (preliminary data)
I-Kiribati	Mixed race	Non I ‑Kiribati	I-Kiribati	Mixed race	Non I ‑Kiribati
0-4	11,767	159	29	10,489	401	27
5-9	11,102	130	38	12,022	412	32
10-14	10,360	118	44	10,426	353	31
15-19	8770	119	40	10,405	367	21

Table 2 - 2000 and 2005 census data - Children in Kiribati, by ethnicity

(Source: Kiribati National Statistics Office)

b) number and proportion of children belonging to refugee and internally displaced groups.

There are no children belonging to refugee and internally displaced groups in Kiribati.

2. In light of Article 4 of the Convention, please provide additional disaggregated data for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006, on budget allocation and trends (in absolute figures and in percentages of the national and regional budgets or GDP) 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 education);

It should be noted at the outset that the manner in which budget data is presented does not make it possible to distinguish between funds allocated for the implementation of the Convention and funds allocated for general activities of Government. As such, only general data is presented here.The figures reflect recurrent expenditure only and do not include projects funded with donor assistance.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) has a total recurrent budget for 2006 of A$21,099,921 (25.4% of a total recurrent budget for Government totalling A$83,065,759). Relevant budgetary figures from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports are provided in Table 3. Free tuition is provided at primary and junior secondary level, while, at senior secondary level, a subsidy is provided in respect of those who meet academic criteria (A$300 per student per year for day scholars; A$600 per student per year for boarders). The subsidy is paid in the following circumstances:

for all students in Forms 4 and 5 (the first two years of senior secondary) who have passed the Junior Secondary Certificate examination, which students sit at the end of Form 3;

for all students in Form 6 who have passed the Kiribati National Certificate examination, which students sit at the end of Form 5 and

for all students in Form 7 who have passed the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate examination administered by the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment at the end of Form 6.

Table 3 - Education expenditure

Output	2004	2005	2006
Total recurrent budget	$18,349,523	$20,262,215	$21,099,921
Primary education services	$7,197,779	$5,683,890	$6,074,369
Junior secondary education	$4,159,458	$3,560,629	$3,801,272
Senior secondary education	$5,674,584	$5,131,425	$5,517,989

Table 3 - Extract of Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport budget data for 2004, 2005 and 2006

(Source: Ministry of Finance and Economic Development)

b) health care (different types of health services, i.e. primary health care, vaccination programmes, adolescent health care and other health care services for children);

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) has a total recurrent budget for 2006 of A$14,762,728 (17.8% of a total recurrent budget for Government totalling A$83,065,759). Relevant budgetary figures from the Ministry are provided in Table 4. It may be noted that there has been some reformation of the budget for 2006. For example, funds previously allocated under the output ‘Communicable diseases’ have now been incorporated under the ‘Public health’ output. The salaries for nursing staff had previously been allocated amongst the various heads, but for 2006 these were combined under the ‘Nursing services’ output. Information concerning specific funding for programmes relevant to the Convention is set out in Table 5.

This shows only funds provided under the recurrent budget, and does not include project funds that may be available from alternative sources.

Table 4 - Health expenditure

Output	2004	2005	2006
Total recurrent budget	$13,480,780	$13,179,840	$14,762,728
Public health	$1,876,032	$1,783,520	$761,874
Curative health	$5,680,961	$4,883,842	$2,575,462
Communicable diseases	$249,195	$150,388	-
Dental services	-	$182,185	$318,652
Nursing services	$600,245	$535,672	$3,962,546

Table 4 - Extract of Ministry of Health and Medical Services budget data for 2004, 2005 and 2006

(Source: Ministry of Finance and Economic Development)

Table 5 - Health programmes

Programme	2006 funding
Adolescent reproductive health	$19,247
Women’s health	$17,954
Safe motherhood	$19,648
Nutrition, diet and physical activity	$55,585
EPI (Immunisation)	$8956
Tuberculosis	$309,185
Acute respiratory infection/ Diarrhoeal disease control	$9128
HIV/AIDS	$7324
Environmental health	$108,803

Table 5 - 2006 programme funding (Source: Ministry of Health and Medical Services)

programmes and services for children with disabilities;

In October 2004, a rehabilitation unit was opened at the Tungaru Central Hospital on South Tarawa which offers prosthetic, orthotic and physiotherapy services. Aside from this, there are no formal Government programmes and services for children with disabilities. A School for the Disabled operates through private funds and donor assistance. The Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (MISA) has a small fund to assist non-Government organisations in the implementation of their programmes, which is available to those organisations assisting children with disabilities, such as Te Toa Matoa and the School for the Disabled. In addition, the Ministry has also provided assistance-in-kind to the School for the Disabled, through access to a telephone and photocopier.

d) support programmes for families;

The Government does not have any formal programmes in place to support families. It should be noted, however, that many of the Government’s activities and initiatives work to support families indirectly. For example:

all medical services (including pharmaceuticals) are provided free of charge;

education is free at primary and junior secondary levels, and subsidised at senior secondary level, as previously outlined;

a monthly pension of A$40 is paid to all persons aged over 70 years.

The strength of the extended family in Kiribati means that requests for direct assistance arise only rarely. With it’s limited budget, the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs will, however, assist families in need on a case-by-case basis, although the funds available for such assistance are limited.

e) support for children living below the poverty line;

Estimates vary as to the number of households in Kiribati living below the ‘poverty line’. Based on the 1996 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, the Asian Development bank has estimated that 50% of the population live below the national basic needs ‘poverty line’. At the same time, using the United Nations Development Program’s figure of US$1 per day, the figure is 38%. If ‘poverty’ is to be given its generally-understood meaning (ie. Starvation and destitution), then it is the position of Kiribati that there is little ‘poverty’ in the country. Some 80% of households lead what is essentially a subsistence lifestyle, and the support of the extended family and community acts as a significant safety net in times of hardship.

The United Nation’s definition of living below the poverty line of $1.00 US a day is not a proper measure to determine the poverty line in Kiribati. With a semi-subsistence economy, people in the outer islands and for some on South Tarawa are able to survive and satisfy their basic needs without any means of cash merely by living on fish, shell-fish, crops and coconuts. The support of the extended family remains a safety net for the majority of I-Kiribati people.

While there are no formal programmes of support for children living in hardship, the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs administers a scheme to provide financial assistance to any child who qualifies to attend senior secondary school whose father is deceased, disabled or imprisoned. Funding for this scheme comes from the ‘Community development’ output of the Ministry’s budget (see Table 6). Under this scheme, 146 students in 2004 and 175 students in 2005 had the balance of their school fees paid.

Table 6 - Community development expenditure

Output	2004	2005	2006
Total recurrent budget	$2,202,765	$2,382,596	$2,659,024
Community development	$541,875	$439,876	$613,779

Table 6 - Extract of Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs budget data for 2004, 2005 and 2006

(Source: Ministry of Finance and Economic Development)

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

The Government makes no financial provision under this category. The strength of the extended family and availability of wider community support means that the need for intervention arises only rarely. No alternative care institutions exist in Kiribati. The Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs will, however assist families in need on a case-by-case basis. This may involve the informal placement of a child with other members of the extended family. Funding for this activity comes from the ‘Community development’ output of the Ministry’s budget (see Table 6).

g) programmes and activities for the prevention of and protection from child abuse, child sexual exploitation and child labour;

While there is no specific allocation for these activities, the lead agencies are the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs and the Kiribati Police Service. Funding for the Ministry’s activities in this area comes from the ‘Community development’ output of the Ministry’s budget (see Table 6). The Ministry’s Community Development division provides advice, assistance and counselling where and when appropriate, and has on occasion conducted workshops to educate the wider community on these issues. It should be noted, however, that there is no legal provision for formal intervention of for removal of a child from a situation of alleged abuse. Where the family is willing, assistance may be offered to place a child with other members of the extended family.

Funding for the Police Service’s activities comes from the allocation for ‘Maintenance of law and order’ (see Table 7).

Table 7 - Police expenditure

Output	2004	2005	2006
Total recurrent budget	$5,363,864	$5,808,001	$6,634,656
Maintenance of law and order	$2,314,717	$2,048,202	$2,336,064

Table 7 - Extract of KPS budget data for 2004, 2005 and 2006

(Source: Ministry of Finance and Economic Development)

h) programmes and services for street children and abandoned children;

As this is not considered a problem in Kiribati, there is no budget allocation for such activities.

i) juvenile justice.

While there is no specific allocation for these activities, the lead agencies are the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs, the Kiribati Police Service and the Judiciary. Funding for the Ministry’s activities in this area comes from the ‘Community development’ output of the Ministry’s budget (see Table 6). Funding for the Police Service’s activities comes from the allocation for ‘Maintenance of law and order’ (see Table 7). The Judiciary’s activities are funded under the ‘Magisterial services’ output (see Table 8).

Table 8 - Judiciary expenditure

Output	2004	2005	2006
Total recurrent budget	$1,235,699	$1,245,854	$1,351,074
Magisterial services	$561,202	$496,154	$577,644

Table 8 - Extract of Kiribati Judiciary budget data for 2004, 2005 and 2006. (Source: Ministry of Finance and Economic Development)

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

No data is available to permit a response. It should be noted that, at present, all health services are provided by the public sector, and no health professionals are practising in a private capacity. Similarly, all primary and junior secondary education is provided exclusively by the Government, with private schools active only in the senior secondary sector.

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

a) separated from their parents;

Due to the strength of the extended family in Kiribati, there are no children that could be considered as having been deprived of a family environment and separated from their parents.

b) placed in institutions;

There are no institutions of this kind in Kiribati.

c) placed with foster families;

This is not a practice followed in Kiribati.

d) adopted domestically or through inter-country adoptions;

There is no data concerning the adoption of I-Kiribati by I-Kiribati (customary adoption) as there is no formal record or system of recognition. The practice however is widespread. In the past three years, there have been three cases of inter-country adoptions.

4. Please specify the number of children with disabilities, disaggregated by sex and age, covering the years 2004 and 2005:

a) living with their families;

b) in institutions;

c) attending regular schools;

d) attending special schools;

e) not attending any school.

There are no institutions for persons with disabilities in Kiribati and, as a consequence, all children with disabilities in Kiribati are in the care of their families. A national survey was conducted in May 2005 which, for the first time, provided data concerning the numbers of those with disabilities in Kiribati, and the nature of their disabilities. Table 9 sets out relevant information concerning the numbers of children and young people with disabilities.

There is at present only one school which caters specifically for the needs of children with disabilities, the Kiribati School for the Disabled. At the time of writing, the enrolment stands at 60 students, aged between 4 and 26 years. Of these students, 52 are aged than 18 years. In 2004, 48 children were enrolled at the School for the Disabled, and in 2005, 57 children were enrolled.

Table 10 details data received from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports concerning the reported numbers of students with disabilities enrolled in regular schools in 2005. At this time there is no data to indicate how many children with disabilities were not attending school at all during 2004 or 2005. It should be noted that differing definitions of disability adopted for the National Disability Survey may account for any disparities in the data.

Table 9 - Children and young persons with disabilities

Nature of disability	Age group	Total
0-5	6-14	15-20
Blind/vision impaired 1	29	69	44	142
Deaf/hearing impaired	29	179	94	302
Intellectually disabled 2	25	140	66	231
Physically disabled 3	61	108	57	226
Mentally ill 4	0	7	9	16
Epileptic	14	46	31	91
Speech/language impaired	0	3	0	3
Multiple disabilities	2	11	2	15
Total	160	563	303	1026

Notes:

1includes cataracts

2includes Down Syndrome, hydrocephaly, microcephaly and some specific learning disorders

3includes paraplegia, tetraplegia, hemiplegia, kyphosis, amputees, torticollis, talipes, scoliosis, cerebral palsy, filariasis, cleft palate and general weakness

4includes behavioural and emotional difficulties

Table 9 - Number of persons with disabilities under 20 years of age, by age group and nature of disability (Source: Kiribati National Disability Survey, May 2005)

Table 10 – Enrolled student with disabilities

Education level	2005
Rural	Urban	Total	Percentage of total enrolment
Primary	218	308	526	3.57%
Junior secondary	35	306	341	5.10%
Senior secondary	153	39	192	5.43%

Table 10 - Enrolled students with disabilities, by location and education level, for 2005

(Source: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports)

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

a) number of individual complaints received per year in the last three years;

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

Limited data is available to address these requests, however, anecdotal information from the Kiribati Police Service and the Judiciary suggests that there are, on average, perhaps fewer than 10 reports of child abuse per year. According to the Police Service, in 2005, there were nine complaints concerning the alleged commission of sexual offences committed against children: four of rape, three of attempted rape and two of indecent assault. Data concerning the outcome of these cases is not available. The Community Development division of the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs received one complaint of child abuse in 2004, and three complaints of child abuse in 2005.

6. Please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age groups, urban, rural and remote areas) for the years 2004 and 2005 on:

a) the enrolment and completion rates in percentages of the relevant group in pre-primary schools, in primary schools and secondary schools;

Table 11 - Enrolment by gender

Education level	2004 enrolment	2005 enrolment
Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
Pre-primary	na *	na *	4141	2069	2020	4089
Primary	7872	7739	15,611	8167	7966	16,133
Junior secondary	3561	3652	7213	3502	3519	7021
Senior secondary	1901	2467	4368	1973	2337	4310

* na - not available

Table 11 - Enrolment figures, by gender and education level, for 2004 and 2005

(Source: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports)

Table 12 - Enrolment by location, with percentage completion

Education level	2004	2005
Number enrolled	Percentage completion	Number enrolled	Percentage completion
Urban	Rural	Urban	Rural	Urban	Rural	Urban	Rural
Primary	Male	3038	4834	84.60%	78.41%	3234	4933	81.91%	80.01%
Female	3169	4570	82.99%	80.31%	3244	4722	79.01%	80.70%
Total	6207	9404	83.78%	79.32%	6478	9655	80.47%	80.34%
Junior secondary	Male	1565	1996	87.52%	102.65 %	1444	2058	na*	92.81%
Female	1701	1951	91.09%	96.53%	1611	1908	na*	111.84%
Total	3266	3947	89.38%	99.63%	3055	3966	na*	102.08%
Senior secondary	Male	1041	860	95.05%	100.84%	999	974	na*	na*
Female	1340	1127	107.11%	77.53%	1280	1057	na*	na*
Total	2381	1987	101.53%	86.67%	2279	2031	na*	na*

* na - not available

Table 12 - Enrolment figures and percentage completion, by gender, location and education level, for 2004 and 2005 (Source: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports)

b) number and percentage of drop-outs and repetitions;

Table 13 - Drop-outs and repetitions

Education level	2004	2005
Percentage drop‑outs	Percentage repetitions	Percentage drop‑outs	Percentage repetitions
Urban	Rural	Urban	Rural	Urban	Rural	Urban	Rural
Primary	Male	14.06%	17.04%	1.35%	4.55%	14.11%	18.01%	3.99%	1.98%
Female	16.09%	16.64%	0.92%	3.05%	19.04%	17.79%	1.94%	1.50%
Total	15.10%	16.85%	1.13%	3.83%	16.56%	17.91%	2.97%	1.75%
Junior secondary	Male	8.67%	-4.28%	3.81%	1.63%	na*	6.25%	na*	0.94%
Femal e	5.47%	2.43%	3.44%	1.04%	na*	-12.17%	na*	0.33%
Total	7.00%	-0.97%	3.62%	1.34%	na*	-2.72%	na*	0.64%
Senior secondary	Male	3.85%	-1.68%	1.10%	0.84%	na*	na*	na*	na*
Fema le	-9.00%	20.58%	1.90%	1.89%	na*	na*	na*	na*
Total	-3.05%	10.58%	1.53%	1.42%	na*	na*	na*	na*

* na - not available

Table 13 - Percentage drop-outs and repetitions, by gender, location and education level, for 2004 and 2005 (Source: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports)

c) number and percentage of children not attending school at all;

Data relating to the number of children not attending school is provided in Table 14. The target ages for pre-primary are three to five years of age; for primary, six to twelve years of age; for junior secondary, 13 to 16 years of age; and for senior secondary, 17 to 21 years of age.

Table 14 - Children not in school

Education level	2004	2005
Number not attending school	Percentage of target population	Number not attending school	Percentage of target population
Pre-primary	Male	na *	na *	1977	49.46%
Female	na *	na *	1974	48.83%
Total	3662	46.93%	3951	49.14%
Primary	Male	379	4.94%	328	4.21%
Female	109	1.49%	159	2.12%
Total	488	3.26%	487	3.18%
Junior secondary	Male	709	20.71%	709	20.02%
Female	356	11.41%	398	12.47%
Total	1067	16.27%	1107	16.44%
Senior secondary	Male	3818	69.05%	3829	68.05%
Female	2937	56.19%	3074	58.53%
Total	6755	62.80%	6903	63.45%

na - not available

Table 14 - Number and percentage of those not attending school, by gender and education level, for 2004 and 2005 (Source: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports)

d) ratio teacher per children

Table 15 - Teacher/pupil ratios

Education level	2004	2005
Pupils	Teachers	Ratio	Pupils	Teachers	Ratio
Primary	Urban	6207	229	27.10	6478	237	27.33
Rural	9404	404	23.28	8275	417	19.84
Total	15,611	633	24.66	14,753	654	22.56
Junior secondary	Urban	3014	112	26.91	2858	151	18.93
Rural	3842	200	19.21	3605	223	16.17
Total	6856	312	21.97	6463	374	17.28
Senior secondary	Urban	748	46	16.26	1644	117	14.05
Rural	1475	120	12.29	1429	135	10.59
Total	2223	166	13.39	3073	252	12.19

Table 15 - Teacher/pupil ratio, by location and education level, for 2004 and 2005

(Source: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports)

7. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age groups, urban, rural and remote areas) on infant and child mortality and malnutrition, early pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), mental health, suicide, drug use, and alcohol and tobacco abuse for the years 2004 and 2005. Please also provide numbers of health professionals working in the health care services for children.

Table 16 sets out data from 2004 and 2005 concerning infant mortality (death before reaching 12 months of age), child mortality (death before reaching 5 years of age) and early pregnancies (becoming pregnant before reaching 20 years of age). Table 17 provides information, broken down by gender and location, concerning a number of other matters on which information is sought. There is no available data concerning drug use, and alcohol and tobacco abuse by children in Kiribati. There are presently two specialist paediatricians and around 90 child health nurses working in Kiribati.

Table 16 - Child and infant mortality, and early pregnancies

	2004	2005
Urban	Rural	Total	Urban	Rural	Total
Infant mortality	1	47	48	2	57	59
Child mortality	1	67	68	2	75	77
Early pregnancy	88	40	128	115	87	202

Table 16 - Incidences of infant and child mortality, and numbers of early pregnancies, by location, for 2004 and 2005 (Source: Ministry of Health and Medical Services)

Table 17 - Other health issues for children

	2004	2005
Urban	Rural	Total	Urban	Rural	Total
Malnutrition	Male	14	95	109	13	142	155
Female	10	61	71	24	132	156
Total	24	156	180	37	274	311
Sexually-transmitted infections	Male	3	3	6	1	3	4
Female	2	2	4	1	7	8
Total	5	5	10	2	10	12
Mental illness	Male	0	0	0	0	0	0
Female	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0
Suicide	Male	0	0	0	0	1	1
Female	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	1	1

Table 17 - Incidences of other health issues for children, by location and gender, for 2004 and 2005 (Source: Ministry of Health and Medical Services)

Please provide disaggregated statistical data (including by sex, age groups, urban, rural and remote areas) on children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Since the first case of HIV was detected in Kiribati in 1991, there have been approximately 50 persons diagnosed with the disease. Of these, seven infants were infected by mother to child transmission, all of whom have since died. One female child in the 10 to 14 year age group was diagnosed with the disease in 2003, and she has since died. One child, aged nine years, was diagnosed with HIV in 2005, and is presently the only child in Kiribati known to be infected with HIV/AIDS.

9. Please provide appropriate disaggregated data (including by sex, age and type of crime) for the years 2004 and 2005, in particular on the number of:

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

Some data exists in respect of alleged juvenile offending in 2005, the details of which, is set out in Table 18. Analysis of the data is not complete, and the numbers should be treated with caution.

Table 18 - Reported juvenile offending in 2005

Alleged offence	Number of reports
Aged under 17 years	Aged 18 – 20 years
Breach of court order	11	5
Brach of Council bye-laws	105	50
Drinking underage	242	239
Driving while under the influence of alcohol	6	4
Public drunkenness	198	227
Escaping from lawful custody	3	4
Unlawful fighting	28	21
Possession of a weapon while under the influence of alcohol	6	8
Affray/Going armed in public	3	0
Riot/Unlawful assembly	1	1
Making a false statement	4	0
Public nuisance	56	13
Loitering	82	18
Throwing objects	36	6
Minor traffic offences	344	253
Careless driving	9	2
Dangerious driving causing death	1	0
Rape/Attempted rape	12	5
Incest	1	0
Arson	12	1
Burglary/Housebreaking	54	8
Criminal trespass	205	66
Damaging Property	97	22
Theft	105	20
Conversion	2	0
Forgery/Uttering	7	1
Fraud	11	0
Other dishonesty offences	1	0
Assault	131	29
Attempted murder	1	2
Causing grievous harm	4	1
Unlawful wounding	16	3
Homicide	2	0

Table 18 - Reported juvenile offending, by offence, for 2005

(Source: Kiribati Police Service)

b) persons below 18 who have been sentenced and type of punishment or sanctions related to offences including length of deprivation of liberty;

Insufficient data exists to provide a breakdown of penalties imposed on children convicted of offences, however, no child was sentenced to a period of imprisonment during 2004 or 2005. Limited sentencing options exist for dealing with juvenile offenders, and by far the most common penalty imposed upon a child convicted of a crime is a fine in the vicinity of A$10 to A$20.

c) detention facilities for persons under 18 and their capacity;

There are no detention facilities in Kiribati specifically catering for children.

d) persons below 18 detained in these facilities and persons below 18 detained in adult facilities;

No child was detained in any facility during 2004 or 2005.

e) persons below 18 kept in pre-trial detention and the average length of their detention;

No child was kept in pre-trial detention during 2004 or 2005.

f) reported cases of abuse and maltreatment of persons below 18 occurred during their arrest and detention.

There are no reported cases of abuse or maltreatment of children during their arrest or detention during 2004 or 2005.

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

a) the number of street children and children involved in sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography and trafficking;

No data is available to address this request, however, there is anecdotal evidence of a relatively small number of children being involved in instances of sexual exploitation, mostly connected with the arrival of foreign fishing vessels in port.

b) the number of children involved in sexual exploitation who received recovery treatments and social reintegration assistance;

No children have received recovery treatments and social reintegration assistance during the period concerned.

c) the number of children involved in child labour (formal and informal sectors);

There is no data available to respond to this request, however, anecdotal evidence exists of children being involved in the informal labour sector, mostly involving the itinerant selling of locally-made products (brooms, combs and floral garlands) in offices, restaurants and night-clubs.

d) the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children;

There are no unaccompanied asylum-seeking or refugee children in Kiribati.

e) the number of children living in prisons with their parents.

During the period in question, there were no children living in prison with their parents.

B. General Measures of Implementation

1. Please provide information on the status of the Convention in domestic law and the measures undertaken to withdraw the reservations.

To date no steps have been taken to formally incorporate the Convention into domestic law. However, as an international convention to which Kiribati is a party, the courts in Kiribati are able to take the provisions of the Convention into account in interpreting ambiguities in domestic legislation.

Recently UNICEF Pacific have undertaken a review of Kiribati legislation with the aim of identifying areas where domestic legislation may conflict with the obligations of Kiribati under the Convention. The report has only just been received. The relevant Ministries, together with the Office of the Attorney-General, will now consider the report’s recommendations, with a view to requesting Cabinet’s approval for the preparation of amending legislation. It is hoped that assistance may also be forthcoming in future from UNICEF Pacific to assist in the preparation of any amendments.

As regards reservations to the Convention, the previous government had decided to withdraw the reservations against Articles 24 and 28 of the Convention, but steps were not taken to formalise the withdrawal prior to the change of government in mid-2003. The present government is yet to consider the question of withdrawal of the reservation to the Convention.

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

To date the Convention has not been invoked in any case before the courts of Kiribati.

3. Please provide information on the existence and content of a National Plan of Action for Children, and on other sectoral Plans of Action and measures to implement these plans.

A workshop held in April 2006, attended by members of the National Advisory Committee on Children (KNACC) and youth representatives, resulted in the development of a two- year National Plan of Action (2006-2008) and a revision of the KNACC Constitution. A copy of the National Plan of Action is provided for reference.

4. Please provide updated information on the budget allocated to the National Advisory Committee on Children (KNACC) and its mandate to coordinate policies and programmes on children’s rights, including services for children, between the central and local levels.

Since its establishment in 1995, the KNACC has not had a direct budget provision within the recurrent budget. The administration, organisation and implementation of KNACC activities have been undertaken utilising the general funds of the then Ministry of Social and Environmental Development and the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs.

The revised KNACC Constitution provides the mandate for the KNACC to act as an advisory body on policies directly related to children between the central and local levels. The KNACC is a venue for inter-sectoral co-ordination and collaboration in planning, undertaking programmes and monitoring the situation of children in Kiribati.

5. Please provide further information on the existing practice, structures and/or agreements regarding cooperation between the Government and non-governmental organisations involved with the promotion and protection of children’s rights.

While there is no non-governmental organisation in Kiribati specifically focused on the rights of children, the Government works closely with organisations such as Aia Maea Ainen Kiribati (AMAK – the nation’s peak women’s body), the Kiribati Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (KANGO), and the churches, to develop initiatives in this area. AMAK, the Kiribati Red Cross Society, and the Protestant and Catholic churches are represented on the KNACC.

A close working relationship has been established between the Government and the UNICEF office in Kiribati, which has resulted in a number of initiatives being pursued. In February this year, the Judiciary and UNICEF jointly conducted a workshop covering child and youth justice and protection issues. There has also been considerable work undertaken between the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs, the Peace Corps and UNI EF to develop a life-skills program for young people.

6. 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.

The Government accepts that much still needs to be done for the children and young people of Kiribati, particularly in the areas of health and education. Considerable improvement is required in the areas of infant, child and maternal health, and there is a need to realign the health budget to ensure a greater emphasis on public health and preventive measures, as opposed to the current focus on curative health.

In the education sector, efforts to increase retention rates and to deal with unacceptably high levels of truancy require urgent attention, and care must be taken to ensure that educational facilities do not suffer further deterioration.

Other steps which require urgent attention are the need for specific legislation dealing with the rights of children, together with formal measures for child protection. Collation of the information required for this response has also demonstrated the need for consideration

improvement in the area of statistics and data collection.

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.

The official languages of Kiribati are the Kiribati language and English. An electronic copy of the Convention in the Kiribati language will be provided to the Committee.

Part III

Under this section, the State party is to briefly update the information provided in its report with regard to:

- new bills or enacted legislation;

Since the preparation of the initial report, the following legislative developments have occurred:

The Marriage Ordinance (Cap.54) was amended with effect from 30 October 2002 to increase the age at which a person may legally marry from 16 years to 18 years. Section 5 of the Ordinance now reads as follows:

5.Marriage of persons under 18

A marriage solemnised between persons either of whom is underthe age of 18 shall be void.

The Evidence Act 2003 (which entered into force on 19 December 2003) makes special provision for the giving of evidence by persons under the age of 14 years. Section 3 provides as follows:

3.Evidence of children

(1)Where, in any legal proceedings, any child under the age of fourteen years called as a witness does not in the opinion of the court understand the nature of an oath or affirmation, his or her evidence may be received, though not given upon oath or affirmation, if, in the opinion of the court, that witness is possessed of sufficient intelligence to justify the reception of the evidence, and understands the duty of speaking the truth.

(2)If any child whose evidence is received by virtue of this section gives false evidence in such circumstances that he would, if the evidence had been given on oath, have been guilty of perjury he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour offence.

On 6 February 2006 the Minister for Education, Youth and Sports issued an order providing for the compulsory education of all children between the ages of six and 14 years, pursuant to section 29 of the Education Ordinance (Cap.29). This order also repealed an order made in 1980, which applied only to the 1981 school year.

A Bill to replace the Liquor Ordinance (Cap.50) is being developed, under the auspices of the Pacific Action for Health Project of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Special attention will be focussed on effective provisions dealing with the consumption of alcohol by those under 21 years of age. It is envisaged that the Bill will be presented to the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) later this year, with a view to it entering into force sometimes in 2007.

- new institutions;

A new peak body for non-governmental organisations in Kiribati was established in 2005. The Kiribati Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (KANGO) has as its main function the task of fostering and assisting the development of non-governmental organisations in the country. In January 2006, KANGO conducted a workshop for its members on the Convention, with the aim of promoting the Convention’s aims and objectives at the grass-roots level in Kiribati.

The Kiribati Police Service has established a Family Assistance and Sexual Offences unit, in order to better respond to complaints of family violence and sexual offences. The unit also conducts community awareness campaigns on issues such as sexual exploitation, child abuse and excessive consumption of alcohol.

- newly implemented policies;

The Government is currently implementing the National Development Strategies (NDS) for the 2004-2007 quadrennium, which have as their central theme “Enhancing growth and ensuring equitable distribution”. The NDS 2004 – 2007 have six key policy areas: economic growth; fair distribution; public sector performance; equipping people to manage change; conservation of physical assets; and sustainable use of financial reserves. The following are some of the initiatives under the NDS 2004 – 2007 relevant to children and young people:

Improve health service management and staffing;

Increase efforts on family planning and HIV/AIDS, together with other lifestyle diseases;

Increase the number of health centres on the outer islands;

Expand and improve accommodation and facilities at existing hospitals on South Tarawa and Kiritimati;

Construct an additional hospital for the Southern Gilberts group;

Improve the sanitation problems on South Tarawa;

Improve public health services;

Review school syllabus to cater for changing economic environment;

Strengthen and increase support to informal education;

Increase support to non-government schools;

Improve the quality of education in pre-school, primary and senior secondary schools;

Strengthen Government collaboration with NGOs and churches on youth issues;

Increase consultation with the community on issues concerning youth;

Mobilise the potential of women and youth for self-development and participation in national development process;

Greater involvement of the community in policing;

Introduction of cash allowances for the elderly;

Promotion and maintenance of traditional skills and values;

Increase extension services support to the outer islands.

- newly implemented programmes and projects and their scope.

In 2005, 23 new Assistant Social Welfare Officers were recruited and trained on all areas of social welfare issues, including the rights of the child. The training lasted for one year. From the end of 2005, an Assistant Social Welfare officer has been stationed on each outer island to assist with the implementation of measures designed to help families. These officers have been trained in a range of areas, including counselling, family violence, the rights of the child, life-skills, and other social welfare issues that concern the family. Funding for the officers’ training was jointly provided by the Kiribati Government, the United Nations Development Program, UNICEF, the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT), and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’.

The Government is currently working closely with the heads of recognised churches to identify appropriate youth programs to receive government funding. A Heads of Church Committee was established with an overall role to develop a comprehensive program of assistance for youth in Kiribati. The Government will provide funds to churches for development projects targeting youth.

Strengthening Decentralisation Governance in Kiribati (SDGIK) is a new project targeting the outer islands of Kiribati. The project will address, among other matters, civic and human rights issues, embracing the needs of children and young people.

A National Leadership Convention was convened in May 2005. The Convention brought together key people from all sectors, including NGOs, churches and the wider community to share ideas, identify concerns and propose options for addressing community concerns. A major national issue raised during the convention was problems facing young people. A committee was established to develop strategies for the implementation of the Convention’s outcomes. Among other things, the participants at the Convention discussed the need for: strengthening parenting programs; strengthening virtue programs; revitalisation of the Government’s youth policies; promotion of open dialogue in the family; promotion of cultural values, with a focus on peace and harmony in the community; promotion of Christian values; greater public awareness on the problems of excessive alcohol consumption and smoking; assistance to the Alcoholics Anonymous Family Recovery Program; and restricting the sale of alcohol from shops. The second National Leadership Convention for the Line Islands group is presently in session on Christmas Island.

An initiative is currently underway, with assistance from New Zealand and RRRT, to address the issue of family violence. Technical assistance is being provided to the Police Service to improve efforts in this respect. Several community activities are also in development under the auspices of this initiative.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services’ Adolescent Reproductive Health project has been working closely with youth in areas concerning sexual health, including HIV/AIDS. The project involves the collection and compilation of data and at the same time seeks to engage young people in sports and other activities that will provide them with healthful recreational opportunities and help to divert them from risk-taking and anti-social behaviour.

The Ministry of Health has also been implementing the Kiribati components of the Pacific Action for Health project. The focus of the project has been on combating non-communicable diseases, and in Kiribati the main emphasis was on addressing smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, particularly among young people.

In response to declining rates of childhood immunisation, an initiative was launched in early 20065 to rejuvenate the Ministry of Health and Medical Services’ immunisation program, with assistance from UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, the Japanese and Australian governments. The project had a special emphasis on immunisation against measles and rubella. In addition to an intensive public health education campaign, the project involved replacement of vaccine refrigerators and overall improvement of cold-chain facilities and equipment. The Ministry has also been working to address worm infestation amongst children and to provide iron supplementation for young women. Other initiatives pursued by the Ministry include working with traditional birth attendants to improve infant health, and partnering with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports on a ‘Healthy Schools’ project to build general public health awareness and upgrade school toilet facilities.

In the education sector a number of projects are being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, with assistance from various development partners. Much work has been done to develop an education management database (the Kiribati Education Management Information System – KEMIS) to give Ministry staff a better understanding of student numbers, school resources and educational facilities. This should greatly assist in the Ministry’s planning for future need. Significant progress has been made in recent years to improve curriculum materials. Other activities include strengthening of the Kiribati Teachers’ College and better provision of in-service teacher training and refresher courses. Under the auspices of the PRIDE project (Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of basic Education) a comprehensive five-year strategic plan for the education sector has been developed, and moves are underway to establish an Early Childhood Education unit within the Ministry and develop an Early Childhood Education policy.

Every two years the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports co-ordinates a National Games (Te Runga) which sees teams from all islands of Kiribati compete in a wide range of sports (including traditional sports). The next Runga will commence in late August. In this way the Government seeks to demonstrate to young people the benefits of a healthy active lifestyle. The development of sport in Kiribati is evidenced by the acceptance of Kiribati into the Olympic movement in July 2003, and the participation for the first time of Kiribati in the Athens Olympics in 2004.