Committee on the Rights of the Child

Sixty-sixth session

26 May–13 June 2014

Item 4 of the provisional agenda

Consideration of reports of States parties

List of issues in relation to the combined secondto fourth periodic reports of Saint Lucia

The State party is requested to submit in writing additional, updated information, if possible before 1 March 2014.

The Committee may take up all aspects of children’s rights set out in the Convention during the dialogue with the State party.

Part I

In this section, the State party is requested to submit its responses to the following questions (30 pages maximum).

Please inform the Committee ofmeasures carried out by the State party to harmonize itsdomestic legislation with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular with respect to non-discrimination, corporal punishment and juvenile justice. Please also provide updated information on the status of the draft bills developed under the aegis ofthe Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, namely: the Status of Children Bill, the Child Care and Adoption Bill, the Child Justice Bill and the Domestic Violence Bill.

Please provide the Committee with information on which national mechanism has the mandate and authority to coordinate the implementation and evaluation of activities under the Convention across all sectors and from national to district levels, and its capacity and resources for carrying out such a mandate.

Please provide information on measures taken, including requests for technical assistance, to establish a centralized system, covering all aspects of the Convention, for the collection and analysis of data on children. Please also provide updated information on the Central Database Registry, the National Health Management Information System and the Central Beneficiary Registry, as well as on measures taken to facilitate birth registration and to reform the birth certificate application process.

Please inform the Committee ofmeasures taken, including the provision of technical assistance, to establish an independent monitoring body on human rights in the State party that coversthe rights of the child.

Please provide updated information on all programmes that reflect respect for the views of the child byensuring their participation in all matters affecting them in all spheres of society, in particular in the family, schools and the judicial system. Please also provide information on awareness-raising activities directed at society as a whole, and especially parents, teachers and government and administrative officials, on the importance of considering the views of the child.

Please provide updated information on measures taken to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings and to raise awareness in society of the issue. Please also provide updated data on the Child-Friendly School Initiative project and its expansion to the rest of the State party.

Please provide updated, detailed information on specific measures adopted to prevent and protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. Please also provide information on trafficking in the State party and measures taken to combat the problem. Please provide clarification with respect to sections 126, 128 and 129 of the 2004 Criminal Code regarding sexual intercourse with a person under 12, whereby marriage is apparently a defence even if the marriage is declared invalid. In this regard, please provide information on child marriage in the State party.

Please provide information on the assistance given to child victims of domestic violence, including by providing shelters, witness protection, access to medical care, especially in cases of sexual violence, and mental health counselling, and onthe mechanisms in place to report violence against children and punish perpetrators. Please also provide information on awareness-raising activities on violence, sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

Please provide updated and detailed information on children in alternative care, including on placement and monitoring guidelines; training of personnel; visitation and contact with families; support and counselling for the children; education and health care; and family counselling, parenting education and other measures to aid in the reunification of the family.

Please describe measures taken to deal with risk factors affecting family reunification. Please also provide information on budgetary allocations for children in alternative care and children leaving care,and on measures plannedto stepup support to those children, including increasing budgetary allocations.

Please provide information on the special education needs of children with disabilities and measures taken to implement inclusive education for children with disabilities, including mainstreaming and accessibility. Please also provide information on children with disabilities in specialized centres and measures to ensure their protection from ill-treatment. Please provide information on legislation protecting children with disabilities from discrimination. Please further indicate the amount of regular assistance provided to families with children with disabilities, including financial and other forms of necessary support.

Please provide updated information on measures taken to provide sexual and reproductive health education, including on methods of contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. Please indicate measures taken to prevent teenage pregnancies, lower the rates of HIV/AIDS in the State party and prevent mother-to-child transmission, and describe services provided to pregnant girls.

Please provide information on universal access to integrated health-care services, in particular for children in disadvantaged situations, including those living in poverty, children with disabilities, minorities and children in rural areas.

Please provide updated information on measures taken to combat alcohol and drug consumption by children, including updated information on mandatory classes as part of the standard curriculum in all schools, including vocational schools, and other awareness-raising campaigns and prevention programmes. Please also provide information on mass media campaigns and civil society involvement in combating alcohol and drug abuse.

Please provide detailed information on practicalaction taken to reduce child poverty and improve children’sstandard of living.Please provide updated information on poverty reduction programmes and other programmes benefiting children, including family allowances and benefits for children, as well as school milk and meal programmes for children from low-income families.

Please provide updated information on programmes to support children at risk, including the number of children benefiting from such programmes, as well as indicators of achievement, such as decreases in the dropout rate and gang activity, as well as increases in employment of children aged 16–18, and children remaining in school, graduating and continuing on with advanced studies or vocational training.

Please provide information on measures taken to prevent and protect children from the high level of crime and violence in the State party, both as victims and perpetrators. Please also provide information on measures taken to address violence against children, including mentoring programmes,actions to keep high-risk children in secondary schools and sports, cultural and other attractive activities to occupy their time, for example, by opening schools afterhours and atweekends.

Please provide updated information on the financial resources provided to the public education sector at the primary, secondary and vocational levels. Please provide information on measures taken to reduce the number of students who dropout of school, in particular boys, pregnant girls, children living in poverty and children living in rural areas.

Please provide updated information on measures taken by the State party to combat child labour, including information on inspections by government authorities in those industries known for employing children. Please further provide updated information on assistance provided by the State party to victims of labour exploitation, including compensation, education, vocational training, witness protection and counselling.

Please provide updated information on the juvenile justice system and actions taken toenhance the skills and specialization of all relevant actors, including law enforcement personnel, lawyers, judges and social workers, with regard to the protection of the rights of children in conflict with the law. Please also provide information on diversion mechanisms and alternatives to punishment and incarceration utilized in the State party. Please additionally provide information on measures taken to combat the increase in juvenile crimes through intervention programmes, vocational training and other outreach activities.

Part II

In this section the Committee invites the State party to briefly (three pages maximum) update the information presented in its report with regard to:

(a)New bills or laws, and their respective regulations;

(b)New institutions (and their mandates) or institutional reforms;

(c)Recently introduced policies, programmes and action plans and their scope and financing;

(d)Recent ratifications of human rights instruments.

Part III

Data, statistics and other information, if available

1.Please provide, if available, updated statistical data (disaggregated by age, sex, geographic location, and socioeconomic status) for the last three years on the number of:

(a)Child victims of abuse, including victims of sexual abuse and exploitation;

(b)Investigations of cases of sexual violence and rape, and the outcomes of trials, including information on the penalties for perpetrators and redress and compensation offered to the victims;

(c)Trafficking in children and sexual exploitation in the tourism sector;

(d)Child labour in the informal economy.

2.Please provide data (disaggregated by age, sex, socioeconomic background, ethnic origin and geographical location) regarding the situation of children deprived of a family environment and separated from their parents. Please indicate, for the last three years, the number of children:

(a)Separated from their parents;

(b)Living in child-headed households;

(c)Placed in institutions;

(d)Placed with foster families;

(e)Adopted domestically or through intercountry adoptions.

3.Please provide, if available, updated statistical data (disaggregated by age, sex, socioeconomic background, ethnic origin and geographical location) for the last three years on the number and/or rates of:

(a)Infant mortality;

(b)Low birth weight;

(c)Maternal mortality;

(d)Women and girls receiving medical and professional services for pregnancy and childbirth in rural and urban areas;

(e)Teenage pregnancy as well as the number of cases where the father is identified;

(f)Abortions;

(g)Sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS;

(h)Allocation of resources in the last three years for the primary health-care system;

(i)Children with disabilities;

(j)Enrolment rates, retention rates, graduation rates and dropout rates of students at the primary- and secondary-school levels;

(k)Children who have benefited from the equity and inclusion strategy in education;

(l)Children deprived of a family environment whoare in institutions, residential homes and in fostercare;

(m)Children in detention settings;

(n)Children involved with criminal gangs;

(o)Overweight and obese children.

4.Please provide the Committee with an update of any data in the report which may have been superseded by more recent data or other new developments.

5.In addition, the State party may list areas affecting children that it considers to be of priority with regard to the implementation of the Convention.