COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDForty-third session11-29 September 2006

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTSOF THE CHILD

List of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the initial report of the REPUBLIC OF CONGO (CRC/C/COG/1)

Part I

Under this section, the State party is requested to submit in written form additional and update information, if possible, before 5 August 2006 .

A. Data and statistics, if available

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

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

(b)the number and proportion of children belonging to minority groups (e.g. Pygmy), refugees, children affected by armed conflicts and asylum-seekers.

2.In the light of article 4 of the Convention, please provide additional disaggregated data on budget allocations and trends (in absolute figures and percentages of the national and regional budgets) devoted to the implementation of the Convention, evaluating also the priorities for budgetary expenditures given to the following for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006:

GE.06-42788 (E) 100706

(a)education (different types of education, i.e. pre-primary, primary and secondary). Please also indicate the expenses of the private sector, with regard to education;

(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). Indicate also the expenses of the private sector, as well as programmes and services for children with disabilities;

(c)support programmes for families, including specific programmes for Pygmy families;

(d)support for children living below the poverty line; specify also the criteria for “poverty”;

(e)the protection of children who are in need of alternative care, including the support of care institutions;

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

(g)programmes and services for street children and abandoned children; and

(h)juvenile justice.

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

(a)separated from their parents;

(b)placed in institutions;

(c)placed with foster families;

(d)who are street children;

(e)adopted domestically and through intercountry adoptions;

(f)female-headed households; and

(g)orphan-headed households.

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

(a)living with their families;

(b)in institutions;

(c)attending regular schools;

(d)attending special schools; and

(e)not attending schools.

5.With reference to child abuse, including sexual abuse, please provide disaggregated data (by sex, age groups, and type of abuse reported) covering the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 on the:

(a)number of reported cases of child abuse; and

(b)number and percentage of reports that have resulted in either a court decision or other type of follow-up.

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

(a)rates of infant and child mortality;

(b)rates of immunization;

(c)rates of malnutrition; and

(d)adolescent health, including early pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), drug, tobacco, other substance abuse, mental health and suicide.

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

(a)rates of literacy, below and over the age of 18 years;

(b)rates of enrolment in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools;

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

(d)number and percentage of dropouts and repetitions; and

(e)teacher per child ratio and number of children per class.

8.Please provide disaggregated statistical data for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 (by sex, age groups, urban and rural areas) on the number of children:

(a)infected with HIV/AIDS;

(b)affected by HIV/AIDS;

(c)heading households due to HIV/AIDS; and

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

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

(a)persons under the age of 18, who have allegedly committed a crime, reported by the police;

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

(c)detention facilities for persons under the age of 18 in conflict with the law, and these facilities’ capacity;

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

(e)persons under 18 kept in pretrial detention and the average length of their detention;

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

(g)persons under 18 tried and sentenced as adults; and

(h)persons under 18 who have served their sentence, have been released and are involved in social reintegration programmes.

10.With reference to special protection measures, please provide statistical data (including by sex, age groups and if possible, 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;

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

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

(d)working and living in the street.

11.Please provide statistical data (disaggregated by sex and age groups) of children:

(a)demobilized from armed groups;

(b)who received counselling services; and

(c)reunited with their families and/or integrated within their communities.

B. General measures of implementation

1.Please provide the Committee with information on cases, if any, in which the Convention has been directly invoked in domestic courts, and if so, provide examples of such cases.

2.Please provide the Committee with further information on the mandate of the National Commission on Human Rights; in particular whether it can receive individual complaints and conduct inquiries. Give information on the guarantees of independence it has, and the resources it has been provided with.

3.Please provide information on the activities of the Congolese Child Rights Centre and its human and financial resources.

4.Please provide more information on the results of the activities of the Parliament of Congolese Children (number of meetings, composition, impact on policy development and implementation).

5.Please provide information on the means and powers of the Mediator of the Republic (the Ombudsman) regarding the handling of the complaints received.

6.Please provide further information on the Strategic Programme aimed at improving the situation of children and the Framework for Operations 2004-2008 established with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund, in particular whether it covers all the areas of the Convention and takes into account the objectives and goals of the outcome document of the United Nations General Assembly special session on children in 2002, entitled “A world fit for children”.

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

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

9.Please indicate issues affecting children that the State party considers to be priorities, requiring the most urgent attention with regard to the implementation of the Convention.

Part II

Please provide the Committee with copies of the text of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the official language 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 (3 pages maximum) update the Committee on the information provided in its report with regard to:

new bills or enacted legislation;

new institutions;

newly implemented policies;

newly implemented programmes and policies, and their scope.

Part IV

The following is a preliminary list of major issues (which does not contain issues already covered in Part I) that the Committee may take up during the dialogue with the State party. They do not require written answers . This list is not exhaustive as other issues might be raised in course of dialogue:

1.Non-discrimination in general and in particular, discrimination against girls, children affected by armed conflicts, street children and children belonging to the Pygmy ethnic group;

2.Corporal punishment (including in the family and in schools);

3.Family environment, including children without parental care and in alternative care (in particular in orphanages);

4.Child abuse, neglect and domestic violence;

5.Health-care services;

6.HIV/AIDS;

7.Education, in particular children not attending schools (including those expelled);

8.Children and access to information, including protection from material injurious to their well-being;

9.Trafficking in children belonging to West African communities living in the State party;

10.Child labour;

11.Sexual exploitation and abuse;

12.Recovery and social reintegration of child soldiers and/or children affected by armed conflict; and

13.Juvenile justice.

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