Committee on the Rights of the Child

Fifty-third session

11–29 January 2010

Written replies by the Government of Burkina Faso to the list of issues (CRC/C/BFA/Q/3-4) prepared by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in connection with the consideration of the third and fourth periodic reports of Burkina Faso (CRC/C/BFA/3-4)

[Received on 30 November 2009]

Part I

1. Please indicate whether the framework of strategic guidelines for the promotion of children (COSPE) (2006 – 2015) and the national action plan for the survival, protection and development of children, mentioned in paragraphs 30 and 31 of the report, have been adopted, whether they cover all the areas within the scope of the Convention and whether they have now been implemented. Please indicate the reasons for the delay in their adoption and explain how children were actually involved in drafting these documents. Please also give details of the resources allocated for their implementation as part of the decen tralization process (para. 32).

1.The framework of strategic guidelines for the promotion of children covers all the areas within the scope of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the guidelines, which are to be implemented by 2017, focus on the following three themes:

Theme 1 — Promotion and legal protection of children ’ s rights: the aim is to raise awareness and ensure the implementation of legal instruments designed to help children, women and the family, and to combat all forms of violence against children, including through preventive action.

Theme 2 — Children ’ s access to basic social services: the objective is to ensure low-cost access for children to medical care (therapeutic and preventive care and advice), support/education/literacy services and drinking water, and to meet children’s basic food and nutritional needs while providing them with a healthy environment.

Theme 3 — Economic integration opportunities for children and mothers: the main objective remains the need to facilitate children’s access to courses leading to qualifications and to provide paid employment opportunities and sustainable livelihoods for women.

2.The framework of strategic guidelines for the promotion of children was adopted on 23 October 2008. Since it was based on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper that was under review and the National Policy for Social Action that was being prepared at the time, it was fitting that these documents should be adopted before the framework, so as to respect the principles set out in these documents. The two documents were adopted in 2004 and 2007, respectively.

3.The Children’s Parliament was represented on the steering committee and therefore participated fully in the preparation and approval of the framework.

4.Regional councils composed of representatives of regional and communal authorities, civil society and development partners will mainly be responsible for coordinating, under the auspices of the regional governor, the implementation of the framework in the region.

5.Every possible way to finance the strategy for the advancement of children and women will be explored. The implementation of the framework’s action plans will be funded by the central Government, the local authorities and the private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will contribute to the overall funding of the strategy. Technical and financial partners and regional and international organizations involved in children’s issues will also make contributions through the various cooperation mechanisms.

2. Please indicate whether the activities to disseminate and raise awareness of the Convention have been assessed, and, if so, what impact they have had. Please also indicate whether the experimental project to teach the rights of the child in primary and secondary education during the 2006/07 school year (para. 49) was conducted in all schools in Burkina Faso, and has been continued since th en.

6.A “knowledge, attitude and practice” survey on the rights of the child was conducted in 2008. The information provided by the survey shows that the majority of children (63 per cent) have never heard of the rights of the child. Nor have many adults, though to a lesser extent (40.7 per cent). This lack of information is particularly noticeable among younger children (7–12 years) and adults in rural areas. The data show that the need for information depends on age, level of education and place of residence. Very few of the people surveyed had ever read anything about the rights of the child. Of the children surveyed, 48, or 3.5 per cent, had read something about the rights of the child, and only one had read the Convention. The survey helped identify some effective ways to raise awareness of the provisions of the Convention.

7.The rights of the child are one of the emerging themes in the context of the comprehensive reform of the education system and are gradually being introduced into primary and secondary school curricula.

3. Please indicate whether the “ gender ” policy mentioned in paragraph 66 of the report has been adopted, and whether it has now been applied in Burkina Faso. Please also indicate what specific steps have been taken to eliminate persistent forms of discrimination against women.

8.The gender policy was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 8 July 2009 and an action plan is being prepared.

9.The education of girls and women is a priority of Burkina Faso’s educational policy. In implementing this policy, the Ministry of Basic Education and Literacy has placed particular emphasis on promoting girls’ education. A Department for the Promotion of Girls’ Education has thus been established and several incentives have been introduced to encourage girls to stay in school and improve their performance. These include:

Integrated communication plans for the education of girls and women, empowering all local stakeholders to conduct awareness-raising activities

Incentives such as the “basic package”, and subsequent State funding to cover parental fees for girls newly enrolled in the first grade of primary school (CP1)

Support for associations of mothers/youth workers (mères éducatrices) in implementing income-generating activities and in promoting the education of girls

The appointment of contact persons in the Department for the Promotion of Girls’ Education at the decentralized level

The establishment of school canteens offering the option of dry rations for girls to take home

Regional symposiums mobilizing all regional bodies concerned with girls’ schooling, aimed at developing provincial and regional action plans to increase school attendance by girls

The construction of separate toilets

Implementation of the Burkinabe Response to Improve Girls’ Chances to Succeed (BRIGHT) project in the 10 provinces with the lowest female school enrolment and retention rates, with a view to enhancing girls’ access to education, attendance and performance

4. Please indicate whether forced or early marriages have been explicitly prohibited by law, as stated in paragraph 61 of the report, and what specific steps have been taken to end such practices and to provide girls who are victims of forced/early marriages with the accommodation and support that they need nationwide. Please also indicate whether the State party has studied or plans to study the links between early and forced marriages and the practice of polygamy as well as the consequences of such marriages, specifically in terms of population growth.

10.The Criminal Code is still under review; forced marriages, which take place outside official channels, are not recognized.

11.No studies have been conducted on the links between forced marriages and the practice of polygamy.

12.A considerable effort has been made in recent years to combat the problem of early or forced marriages in Burkina Faso. This includes research to obtain information on the number of married adolescent girls, their characteristics, their living conditions and their access to social services; such information is necessary for project development. Pilot projects have also been carried out to test the feasibility of specific action to help married girls.

13.Early marriage, which in most cases is forced, affects mainly uneducated girls and exposes them to polygamy, domestic violence, high fertility rates (high incidence of early or unwanted pregnancies), maternal and infant mortality, poverty, social exclusion and school dropout, in a context of widespread poverty, illiteracy and declining moral standards.

14.In this connection, the Government of Burkina Faso, through the Ministry of Social Welfare and National Solidarity, received funding for the implementation of a project entitled “Eliminating early marriage in Burkina Faso: a community protection, empowerment and intervention plan” from 2008 to 2010. The purpose of the project is to “give greater security to married adolescent girls or girls at risk of early marriage, through an integrated cross-sectoral approach aimed at improving education, health and social status” in the five regions of Burkina Faso.

5. Please indicate clearly what steps the State party has taken or plans to take to end, as a matter of urgency, the situations described in paragraph 107 of the report, namely, those where children come into contact, in police and gendarmerie station cells, with adults who are sometimes persistent repeat offenders. Please also provide detailed information on detention facilities and conditions for children and whether situations persist in which children are held in detention with adults.

15.In the current absence of appropriate custody facilities, children are generally kept in the courtyard of a police station until they are collected by a parent or transferred to the Office of the Public Prosecutor. The State is planning to build appropriate facilities for women and children in police stations and gendarmeries.

16.Separate quarters for children and women are gradually being built in detention centres. Most new detention centres thus have separate quarters for women and children.

6. Please provide information on the social welfare system for families in the State party, specifying exactly which social assistance measures are available for parents of children in the most disadvantaged groups, as mentioned in paragraph 67 of the report, and to what extent families have so fa r benefited from such measures.

17.In the context of the implementation of the Strategic Framework for Combating HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, the following initiatives were undertaken for orphans and other vulnerable children:

Sponsorship of 1,284 orphans and other vulnerable children

Care of 28,692 orphans and other vulnerable children in an educational setting (tuition fees, counselling, etc.)

Provision of school stationery for 19,800 orphans and other vulnerable children

School canteen subscriptions for 354 orphans and other vulnerable children

Legal advice provided in 80 cases

Institutional support for 75 orphanages

Organization of two national forums on care for orphans and other vulnerable children

18.Social assistance measures for parents of children in the most disadvantaged groups and the assistance provided to families by the Directorate of the National Solidarity Fund take two forms:

(a)Assistance with day-to-day expenses

Table 1

Assistance for disadvantaged families

	2007	2008	Third quarter of 2009	Total
Food assistance	235	450	800	1 485
Support for families: pharmaceutical s	-	30	15, including 3 with triplets	45
Support for hospitals: treatment of destitute patients	-	-	310	310
Support for families: children’s schooling	12 410	3 962	-	16 372
Support with mobi lity aids (tricycles , prostheses, orthopaedic bicycles , Braille materials)	14	98	49	161
Overall total	12 659	4 540	1 174	18 373

Sourc e : Directorate of the National Solidarity Fund.

19.The sum of 17,875,000 CFA francs will be allocated to families to support the education of 450 children who were victims of the disaster on 1 September 2009.

(b)Social and economic advancement

Table 2

Subsidies for disadvantaged families

	2007	2008	Third quarter of 2009	Total
Subsidies	5	17	18	40
Overall total	5	17	18	40

Source : Directorate of the National Solidarity Fund.

20.The sum of 30,000,000 CFA francs has been allocated to 100 families to support income-generating activities across five regions: the central region, the upper basins, the central plateau, and the centre-east and centre-south regions.

21.The sum of 7,125,000 CFA francs will be allocated to 50 victims of the disaster of 1 September to support income-generating activities.

22.In conclusion, in the third quarter of 2009, at least 18,763 families have received assistance from the National Solidarity Fund.

7. Please furnish information on the results of the implementation in the State party of the International Labour Organization-International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC) project on the prevention and elimination of child labour in West African mines (2005–2008). Please also indicate whether the study on child labour conducted in 2008 led to the drafting of a comprehensive action plan to combat child labour.

23.The purpose of the ILO-IPEC project on the prevention and elimination of child labour in West African mines (2005–2008) was to help prevent and eliminate the use of child labour in gold-washing in Burkina Faso.

24.The main achievements in this regard are:

Social mobilization through the following awareness-raising and information activities:

The strategic planning workshop held in August 2006 in Ouagadougou with institutional partners and other potential project implementation agencies

The workshop on the programming of activities and capacity-building of partners and personnel involved in the project, held in Fada-N’Gourma in December 2006

Participation in the organization of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work in April 2007

Participation in the organization of the 2007 World Day against Child Labour, held in Fada-N’Gourma

Participation in the organization of the subregional workshop on capacity-building of national bodies coordinating efforts to combat child labour (held in June 2007 in Ouagadougou)

A jointly organized workshop on the preparation of reports on the ILO conventions on child labour (No. 138 and No. 182), with particular emphasis on enhancing the accessibility of data on child labour, held in Cotonou in August 2007 (under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the National Institute of Statistics and Demography)

The national workshop on the development and establishment of a child labour surveillance and monitoring system in Burkina Faso, in October 2007

Staff training on the development and management of the database of the child labour surveillance and monitoring system in Burkina Faso, in October 2007

Awareness-raising sessions for local communities, local authorities, gold-washers and children on the project sites, in the course of various trips to monitor field activities

National capacity-building through:

The workshop on the programming of activities and capacity-building of partners and personnel involved in the project, held in Fada-N’Gourma in December 2006

Participation in the organization of the subregional workshop on capacity-building of national bodies coordinating efforts to combat child labour (held in June 2007 in Ouagadougou)

The national workshop on the development and establishment of a child labour surveillance and monitoring system in Burkina Faso, in October 2007

Direct initiatives (prevention, removal and reintegration of children, and offering alternatives to their families), including:

The provision of education for 248 children, including 130 girls, through two small-scale action programmes conducted in Burkina Faso: 93 children are provided with schooling on the Ziniguima site in Bam by the NGO Coalition au Burkina Faso pour les droits de l’enfant (Coalition in Burkina Faso for Children’s Rights) (COBUFADE), and 155 children are provided with schooling on the Gorol Kadjè site in Séno by the NGO Action pour la promotion des droits de l’enfant au Burkina Faso (Action for the promotion of Children’s Rights in Burkina Faso) (APRODEB)

The provision of education for 310 children, community mobilization and support for 90 children aged 15 to 18 and for 90 parents involved in income-generating activities (in Ziniguima, through the Association pour le développement communautaire et la promotion des droits des enfants (Association for Community Development and Promotion of the Rights of the Child) (ADC/PDE)

The provision of education for 540 children, community mobilization, support for income-generating activities for 88 children aged 15 to 18 and for the families of child workers, and the establishment of a health insurance scheme with the support of the ILO programme on Strategies and Tools against Social Exclusion and Poverty (ILO/STEP) (in Gorol Kadjè, through the NGO APRODEB)

Support for the inclusion of the issue of child labour in the second phase of the Tenth-year Basic Education Development Plan

Capacity-building in improved technologies, vocational training, literacy and support for income-generating activities for children, gold-washers and family members of child workers (action programme being prepared by the NGO COBUFADE)

The organization of extra-curricular activities for 270 children in Ziniguima and Gorol Kadjè by ADC/PDE and by the Association des enfants et jeunes travailleurs du Burkina Faso (Association of Child and Youth Workers of Burkina Faso) (AEJTB) (action programme under consideration)

Other initiatives, including:

The organization of information days for gold-washers and the implementation at both sites of the action programmes approved by the National Steering Committee; the establishment of local child labour surveillance and monitoring committees in Burkina Faso, involving the communities at the project sites, and of a system of direct beneficiaries

Awareness-raising and training of representatives of employers’ organizations

Capacity-building of implementing agencies

Training of teachers in schools in the project areas

Support for the establishment of centres providing services for gold-washers

Preparation of a cross-border study on the Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali

25.The study on child labour conducted in 2008 led to the drafting of a national action plan to combat child labour. This plan, however, has not yet been approved by all the relevant stakeholders or by the Government.

8. In connection with the reform of the Criminal Code currently under way in the State party, please indicate whether the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography have been made criminal offences punishable by appropriate penalties, in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention to which the State party has recently acceded .

26.With regard to the sale of children and prostitution, Act No. 029-2008/AN of 15 May 2008 prohibits trafficking in persons and similar practices, and all forms of child exploitation.

27.Articles 4, 5 and 6 of the Act provide for prison sentences of 5 to 20 years, and even life imprisonment, where there are aggravating circumstances.

28.Under the proposed reform of the Criminal Code, child pornography will be an offence punishable by 10 to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 1,500,000 to 3,000,000 CFA francs.

9. Please indicate the questions relating to children which the State party considers as having priority and requiring urgent attention with a view to the implementation of the Convention.

29.Burkina Faso is fully committed to meeting the three Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) relating exclusively to children’s rights. These are:

Goal 2, regarding children’s education

Goal 3, regarding gender equality and the empowerment of women

Goal 4, regarding child health

30.In accordance with national policies and strategies — which are consistent with the State party’s international commitments regarding children’s rights — the following are considered national priorities requiring specific initiatives and action:

(a)Children’s access to education. Burkina Faso must continue its efforts to improve its educational provision (by increasing the number of classrooms, schools, materials and teachers) to meet the potential demand (arising from the high population growth rate) and achieve the MDG of universal primary education;

(b)Gender equality. The diagnostic study of gender issues that was carried out to assist in the formulation of national gender policy revealed gender inequalities, disparities and injustices, particularly between men and women and between boys and girls. The persistence of this gender gap is influenced mainly by sociocultural and religious factors;

(c)Child health. The problems in this regard are reflected in, for example, indicators on infant mortality and underweight children. The Government’s efforts are focused mainly on a strategy to enhance the provision of health care, particularly in terms of geographic access (ensuring a sufficient number of quality health facilities and qualified health workers) and financial access (reducing or eliminating health-care costs) to health facilities. This is coupled with a strategy to encourage the population to use health services, comprehensive care (education, health, nutrition, etc.) for children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, and to improve maternal health through preventive measures;

(d)Freedom of expression and civil rights of children. The State party’s efforts in this regard have been focused on filling the legal void in the area of the protection and promotion of children’s rights in order to comply with the international instruments adopted by Burkina Faso. The Government’s firm commitment in this respect is demonstrated by the adoption of sectoral plans and strategies for children; the adoption and implementation of the 2009–2013 action plan on “zero tolerance” of female genital mutilation; the development of strategies to care for street girls and families; the completion of the review of the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure with a view to addressing shortcomings in the protection of children aged 16 and 17 years who are in conflict with the law; and the implementation of the comprehensive communication plan to more effectively combat the scourges affecting children (female circumcision, forced and early marriage and child-trafficking) and the national action plan to combat the worst forms of child labour.

Part II

Under this section, the State party is to briefly (3 pages maximum) update the information provided in its report with regard to:

A.New bills or enacted legislation

1.Progress made in drafting the Children’s Code, referred to in paragraph 27 of the report

31.There is already a document called the Children’s Code that compiles all existing international, regional and national legal instruments protecting children’s rights. It has been disseminated in all the regions of Burkina Faso.

32.A bill establishing a Child Protection Code is nevertheless currently being adopted by the National Assembly.

2.Act No. 028-2008/AN of 13 May 2008 amending the Labour Code

33.Act No. 028-2008/AN of 13 May 2008 establishing the Labour Code in Burkina Faso prohibits both forced labour and the worst forms of child labour. Article 153 defines the worst forms of labour as:

(a)All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;

(b)The use, engagement or offer of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances;

(c)The use, engagement or offer of a child for illicit activities, including the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in international treaties;

(d)Work which, by its nature or the conditions in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

34. Article 152 of the Act sets the minimum age for admission to any type of employment at 16 years. Dangerous occupations prohibited to children are listed in Decree No. 2009-365 of 28 May 2009 establishing the list of dangerous occupations prohibited to children in Burkina Faso.

3.Act No. 029-2008/AN of 15 May 2008 on combating trafficking in persons and similar practices

35.Act No. 029-2008/AN on combating trafficking in persons and similar practices was adopted by the National Assembly on 15 May 2008 and contains two sections, four chapters and 27 articles:

Section 1 concerns trafficking in persons

Section 2 concerns similar practices such as exploitation of begging by others and illicit trafficking in migrants

36.Under the Act, persons found guilty of trafficking in persons are liable to prison sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment, depending on the circumstances.

37.Persons found guilty of exploitation of begging by others are punishable by two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to 2 million CFA francs. Persons found guilty of illicit trafficking in migrants are punishable by 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment.

38.Decree No. 2009-529/PRES/PM/MASSN/MATD/SECU of 17 July 2009 provided for the establishment of a national surveillance and monitoring mechanism to combat trafficking in persons and similar practices, together with its regional, provincial and departmental branches.

4.Legislation regulating the conditions for establishing and running institutions for the care of orphans and abandoned children

39.Legislation regulating the conditions for establishing and running institutions for the care of orphans and abandoned children is currently being adopted:

A draft decree on the creation and conditions for establishing nurseries and orphanages in Burkina Faso is currently being adopted

A draft order establishing the terms of reference of these facilities is being drawn up and will be signed following the adoption of the above-mentioned decree by the Council of Ministers

A draft decree establishing the conditions for the placement and monitoring of children in the facilities and in foster homes is also currently being adopted

A draft decree establishing the creation, composition, duties and functions of the central authority responsible for adoption issues and for civil aspects of international child abduction is currently being adopted

B.New institutions

1.Regional brigades for the protection of children established by decision No. 2009-0091 SECU/CAB of 1 July 2009 and in particular the type of duties that they perform

40.The regional brigades for the protection of children are stationed in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso. Their remit is to deal with all attacks on vulnerable people, especially women and children. They report to regional directors of the National Police and have both judicial and administrative functions:

(a)In judicial matters their remit covers the jurisdiction of the appeal courts of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso;

(b)In administrative matters their remit covers the whole of the administrative districts.

41.A children’s judge is attached to each regional court and hears cases involving petty offences and misdemeanours committed by children under the age of 18. He or she also acts as an investigating judge in criminal cases, and takes decisions in chambers on appeals heard by the juvenile court.

2.Juvenile justice divisions in the Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouagadougou courts

42.Juvenile courts in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso hear cases of crimes committed by children under the age of 18. They act as trial and appeal courts in criminal cases and hear appeals against decisions of the children’s judge.

3.Coordination and follow-up mechanisms for the campaign to issue civil status certificates established by decision No. 2009-001-MPDH/MATD/MJ of 16 June 2009

43.To implement the programme “2009: Year of free universal birth registration”, a national steering committee, provincial follow-up committees and village monitoring committees were set up by Inter-Ministerial Order No. 2009-001/MPDH/MATD/MJ of 16 June 2009.

44.The main tasks of the national steering committee are to:

Mobilize the resources needed to implement the programme

Issue instructions on its implementation

Monitor implementation of the programme

45.The committee consists of the secretary-general of each of the three ministries most closely involved in the operation — the Ministry for the Promotion of Human Rights, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, and the Ministry of Justice — three rapporteurs selected from among the directors-general in these ministries, regional secretaries-general and representatives of ministries, institutions and civil society organizations.

46.The provincial follow-up committees monitor implementation of the programme on the ground and report to the national steering committee. They include the provincial high commissioner (chair), the State prosecutor or his/her representative (vice-chair), the mayor of the main town of the province and the secretary-general of that town’s council.

47.The village monitoring committees are responsible for raising public awareness and for mobilizing and registering the populace. They also fill in applications for decisions, organize mobile court hearings and deliver birth certificates. A village committee consists of a chair appointed by the mayor for his or her ability to ensure the smooth operation of the process, municipal councillors and two literate resource persons from the village.

4.Directorate-General for Solidarity, National Solidarity Fund and National Council for Emergency Assistance and Rehabilitation

48.The Directorate-General for National Solidarity:

Draws up strategies to promote national solidarity, and ensures they are acted upon

Draws up strategies for the protection and advancement of people with disabilities, and ensures they are acted upon

Draws up strategies for the protection and advancement of older people, and ensures they are acted upon

Promotes grass-roots solidarity mechanisms

Devises ways to combat stigmatization and social exclusion

Promotes solidarity through advocacy and social mobilization

Promotes rehabilitation and equal opportunities for people with disabilities

Coordinates the activities of the directorates under its direct supervision

Coordinates other solidarity-related work

Develops partnerships with bodies and institutions performing solidarity-related work

49.The National Council for Emergency Assistance and Rehabilitation is the coordinating and advisory body for disaster prevention, management of emergency aid and rehabilitation.

50.As such, it is responsible for:

Carrying out advocacy activities and mobilizing support for disaster prevention, management of emergency aid and rehabilitation

Coordinating humanitarian action

Adopting intervention plans and strategies

Ensuring that disaster risk is integrated into development plans and programmes

Approving programme activities and budgets, as well as annual reports on implementation

51.The National Solidarity Fund helps to take care of individuals and groups who are disadvantaged or in difficulty, as well as the victims of natural disasters or humanitarian crises.

52.The National Solidarity Fund provides:

(a)Ongoing assistance to individuals and groups who are vulnerable, disadvantaged, marginalized or in distress, in the form of food aid, educational support, equipment for the disabled, and help with sanitation;

(b)Support for socio-economic initiatives by vulnerable, disadvantaged individuals and groups, in the form of grants and help in obtaining loans;

(c)Emergency aid for disaster victims;

(d)Support in the implementation of rehabilitation programmes in the wake of natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

5.National Committee to Combat Female Genital Mutilation

53.The National Committee to Combat Female Circumcision has the following tasks:

Coordinate all efforts to combat the practice of female circumcision throughout the country

Mobilize all necessary actors and resources with a view to the eventual elimination of all practices that are harmful to women’s health

Conduct or organize studies and research on such practices

Collect and publish all data relating to such practices

Monitor and evaluate all action taken

Implement action strategies

C.Newly implemented policies

1.National policy on rehabilitation and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities

54.To implement the national policy on rehabilitation and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities, an action plan that draws on the United Nations Programme for Persons with Disabilities was adopted. The plan covers areas such as the prevention of disabilities, literacy, education, training, adaptation of the physical environment, support for self-improvement and equipment.

55.Thanks to the implementation of the policy, progress has been made in:

Building the capacity of organizations for persons with disabilities, through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative

Increasing mobility and autonomy

Building the capacity of bodies that take care of children with disabilities, through the allocation for persons with disabilities

Promoting inclusive development by setting up the Multidisciplinary Committee on Rehabilitation and Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (COMUREC/Handicap) pursuant to Decree No. 2005-343/PRES/PM/MASSN/MS of 22 June 2005, in order to ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities are taken into account in development policies and programmes

56.The aim of national health policy is to contribute to the well-being of the population.

57.The National Health Development Plan translates the national health policy into action for the period 2001–2010.

58.The Research and Planning Directorate of the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for the overall coordination of the National Health Information System (SNIS), hosts the routine information subsystem and monitors and evaluates the National Health Development Plan.

2.Results of the implementation of public health policies, and the establishment of mechanisms to assess their impact

59.The implementation of public health policies has given the following results for each goal set:

(a)Increase national health-care coverage:

Construction of health-care facilities: 1,352 health and welfare centres, 44 medical centres with surgical units, 9 regional hospitals and 3 university teaching hospitals

Introduction of management committees in all health-care facilities

Introduction of obstetric emergency units

Reduction of the average distance to a health and welfare centre from 9.18 km in 2001 to 7.3 km in 2008

Provision of basic community services in virtually all health and welfare centres

Enhanced collaboration with the private and traditional health-care sectors

(b)Improve the quality and take-up of health services:

Drafting and implementation of a national strategy to guarantee high-quality services

Improvements in the availability and accessibility of high-quality basic medicines

Improved health support and promotion activities

(c)Strengthen efforts to combat contagious and non-contagious diseases:

Promotion of preventive treatment for vulnerable groups.

Antenatal check-ups (level 2): coverage up from 60 per cent in 2001 to 75.2 per cent in 2008.

Assisted births: percentage of births assisted by qualified medical personnel up from 34 per cent in 2001 to 65.2 per cent in 2008.

Family planning: contraception use up from 6 per cent in 2001 to 28.2 per cent in 2008.

Postnatal check-ups: coverage up from 15.62 per cent in 2001, to 18.64 per cent in 2002, 30.85 per cent in 2003, 34 per cent in 2004 and 38.3 per cent in 2008.

Healthy baby check-up: monitoring the growth of children aged up to 5 years yielded the following results for 2005: 15.26 per cent of the children given a healthy baby check-up were malnourished, severely so in 2.65 per cent of cases. These results are worse than those for 2004, when 9.2 per cent of the children were malnourished, severely so in 1.12 per cent of cases.

(d)Improve therapeutic care for vulnerable groups by:

Providing therapeutic care for vulnerable groups in health facilities offering the minimum or full treatment package.

Involving communities more closely in therapeutic activities, through the promotion of information, education and communication activities within communities.

Improving vaccination coverage for children below the age of 12 months and for pregnant women. Between 2001 and 2008, vaccination coverage was increased from 84.46 per cent to 112.4 per cent for the BCG vaccine [against tuberculosis]; from 64.26 per cent to 108.2 per cent for the DTCHepBHib3 vaccine [against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and influenza]; from 65.44 per cent to 94.8 per cent for the VAR vaccine [against chicken pox]; from 51.95 per cent to 94.7 per cent for the VAA vaccine [against yellow fever]; and from 37.06 per cent to 86.31 per cent for the VAT2 and VAT2+ vaccine [anti-tetanus] for pregnant women.

(e)Reduce HIV transmission:

Development of information, education and communication activities in respect of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS.

Prevention of transmission of STIs and HIV.

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Training of health-care staff: increased capacity of training colleges (National School of Public Health, National School of Administration and Judicial Studies, Training and Research Unit for Health Sciences) and subsequent increase in the numbers of medical personnel (800 new staff trained every year, most of whom find employment directly), 30 new doctors and 15 pharmacists every year, and a number of trained health-care managers.

(f)Improve affordability of health services:

Improved efficiency of health services

Promotion of risk-sharing arrangements in health care

Promotion of community-based risk-sharing arrangements

Treatment for the poor

D.Newly implemented action plans, programmes and projects and their scope

1.“2009: Year of free universal birth registration” programme

60.The achievements of the programme cannot be assessed until it is completed, but they can already be surmised on the basis of the financial support provided by technical partners and sponsors. The programme covers the entire territory of Burkina Faso and its overall objective is to allow children up to the age of 18 who have not been registered with the civil registry to obtain a birth certificate. More specifically, the aim is to issue at least 1,150,000 declaratory judgements regarding births, enter them in the civil register and issue copies of the full certificate free of charge.

2.Action plan for the promotion of the family (para. 112)

61.A national plan on the protection and promotion of the family was prepared and has been under implementation since 2008. Its aim is “to improve the living conditions and status of families in Burkina Faso”.

62.The plan has six main themes, each divided into subprogrammes:

Theme 1:	Combating family poverty
Theme 2:	Promotion of basic rights of the family
Theme 3:	Promotion of a healthy environment and healthy living conditions for families
Theme 4:	Strengthening social protection for families
Theme 5:	Promotion of better living conditions for specific groups
Theme 6:	Strengthening the capacity of pro-family organizations

63.The Ministry of Social Welfare and National Solidarity is responsible for coordinating implementation of all the programmes within the framework of the plan, in partnership with the relevant bodies in each area.

3.Strategic framework for providing care for orphans and vulnerable children (2005–2014), and programme for its implementation (2006–2010)

64.This framework provides a reference for public and private bodies providing care for orphans and vulnerable children.

65.The strategic framework for providing care for orphans and vulnerable children defines:

(a)The following strategic areas:

Strategic area I: Prevention of risk of vulnerability and its consequences

Strategic area II: Assistance and protection for children in difficulty

Strategic area III: Promotion of responses from institutions, the private sector, communities, families and partners

Strategic area IV: Strengthening advocacy

(b)Strategies: the main actions covered by the strategic framework, and the overall and intermediate objectives in each strategic area.

4.“Zero tolerance for female genital mutilation” action plan

66.The National Committee to Combat the Practice of Female Circumcision proposes to step up the efforts made under the three previous plans by taking a zero-tolerance approach in the national action plan for 2009–2013 on the elimination of female genital mutilation.

67.The national action plan for 2009–2013 covers eight strategic areas and aims to reduce the incidence of female genital mutilation by at least 30 per cent by 2013. Strategic area 3 covers information, education and communication and the use of communication to change behaviour. Strategic area 4 deals with advocacy and lobbying.

5.National action plan on sexual violence inflicted on children

68.The national action plan on sexual violence inflicted on children has been merged with the national action plan to combat child trafficking, since they involve cross-cutting issues and the merger will make for more effective follow-up. The concern now is to devise a national action plan that addresses all forms of violence against children and that takes account of the findings and recommendations of the national report on violence against children.

6.Results of the health programme for young persons and adolescents (2004–2008)

69.The implementation of the strategic health plan for young people for 2004–2008 was completed in December 2008. The plan basically covered the following:

Reasons for promoting health care for young people

Priority areas on which the various actors should concentrate, depending on their resources and expertise

Implementation strategies

70.The plan is now being evaluated.

Part III

Data and statistics, if available

1. In the light of article 4 of the Convention, and with reference to paragraph 46 of the report, please provide further details of progress made with the development of an ongoing data-collection system.

71.After the pilot phase, the task of introducing a permanent system has been given to the Research and Planning Directorate of the Ministry of Social Welfare and National Solidarity. The Directorate has embarked on the process of introducing the data-collection system nationwide through the Social Information System. The key steps in the process are as follows:

April 2007: organization of a workshop in Kaya to select and document 16 key indicators.

November 2007: organization of a workshop in Koudougou to prepare a daily register of the work of social services.

December 2008: training on maintaining the register for 132 statistical focal points (two for each regional and provincial directorate of social welfare and national solidarity, as well as for local social services).

January 2009: introduction of daily registers in decentralized bodies.

March 2009: analysis of social welfare statistics by a consultant from the project to strengthen the capacity of the national statistics system. The analysis will include proposals on tools to synthesize the data collected in the register and activities aimed at the general public (advocacy, awareness-raising and training).

October 2009: preparation and testing by the Research and Planning Directorate (with support from the project to strengthen the capacity of the national statistics system) of statistical data-collection tools (guide to maintaining the register and the files synthesizing the data collected in the register, and activities aimed at the general public – advocacy, awareness-raising and training), in Koudougou.

November 2009: training of statistical focal points in the use of the data-collection tools (guide to maintaining the register and the files synthesizing the data collected in the register, and activities aimed at the general public – advocacy, awareness-raising and training), in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.

January 2010: collating the data collected in the registers by statistical focal points and forwarding the data to the Research and Planning Directorate for processing.

2010: drafting and publishing the first social services statistical yearbook.

2. Please provide data relevant to the implementation of the Convention collected from the 2006 census, in particular on children belonging to vulnerable groups, including disabled children, children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, children separated from their families, children who head households and street children.

72.The 2006 general census did not collect data on children belonging to vulnerable groups, including disabled children, children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, children separated from their families, children who head households and street children. However, other surveys, such as the five-yearly household survey, have garnered the following information:

Health facilities: according to the 2007 household survey, over a third of the population (34.9 per cent) lives more than an hour away from the nearest health facility, while one person out of five (19.8 per cent) lives within 15 minutes of one; 18.2 per cent of the population takes 15–30 minutes to get to the nearest health facility; 16.4 per cent take 30–45 minutes; and 10.7 per cent take between 45 minutes and an hour.

Type of consultation offered in health facilities: over one consultation out of ten involves a traditional healer, as compared with 55.9 per cent of consultations in health and welfare centres and 14.6 per cent in medical centres (with or without surgical units). The people of Burkina Faso attach all the more importance to traditional remedies as these are recognized by the health authorities, which are now in the process of organizing them. In rural areas, 16 per cent of medical consultations are given by traditional healers, as compared with only 4.8 per cent in urban areas (2007 household survey).

Maternal health: over half (56.9 per cent) of births take place in modern health facilities (hospitals and maternity clinics) and a large proportion (41.8 per cent) at home. This situation is a concern for decision-makers, and suggests that they should increase the supply of health services in rural areas, since the rate of births in modern health facilities is lowest (51.4 per cent) in these areas, while almost all births in urban areas (94.5 per cent) take place in hospitals or maternity clinics.

Underweight children: according to the 2007 household survey, over 30 per cent of children below the age of 5 are underweight (34 per cent in the countryside as compared with 21.8 per cent in towns).

HIV/AIDS: young people in the 15–24 age group are by far the most vulnerable in terms of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Overall, 47.3 per cent of young people in this age group can correctly identify the various means of transmission, with girls apparently better informed than young men in this respect.

Vulnerable children: it is estimated that 35 per cent of boys in rural areas and 30 per cent of boys in urban areas are fatherless, as compared with, respectively, 33 per cent and 40.5 per cent of girls; 10 per cent of boys in rural areas and 5 per cent of boys in urban areas are motherless, as compared with, respectively, 10.5 per cent and 11 per cent of girls; 4 per cent of boys in rural areas and 3.5 per cent of boys in urban areas have no father or mother, as compared with, respectively, 2.5 per cent and 10.5 per cent of girls (2007 household survey). Orphans in rural areas have received assistance in the form of school fees, food, health care, etc., again according to the 2007 household survey.

Children’s rights: some 3,389 children and young people in difficulty have been identified and cared for; 23 of them received educational support and 107 were placed with craft workers or in income-generating activities. The Centre for Special Education and Training in Gampèla and the André Dupont d’Orodara Children’s House gave courses for 275 students in various classes and training workshops in 2008.

Street children: it is estimated, on the basis of the results of the 2005 survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Welfare and National Solidarity, that 19.7 per cent of street boys and 30.4 per cent of street girls are aged between 7 and 12; 68.5 per cent of street boys and 52.2 per cent of street girls are aged between 13 and 17; and 12.52 per cent of street boys and 17.4 per cent of street girls are over the age of 18. As for their reasons for being in the street, 32.61 per cent of girls are there because of their parents’ financial problems, and 19.57 per cent because of problems with their parents; 18.42 per cent of boys are there because of their parents’ financial problems, and 24.12 per cent because of problems with their parents. As far as security in the street is concerned, 45.7 per cent of street girls and 37.1 per cent of street boys have had dealings with the police, and 47.6 per cent of these girls and 85.9 per cent of these boys have been imprisoned.

Worst forms of child labour: some 44.1 per cent of children aged between 5 and 14 work (44.8 per cent of girls and 43.3 per cent of boys). Children’s participation in the workforce appears to be independent of sex (2003 household survey). According to a 2006 national survey on child labour in Burkina Faso, economically active children are basically employed in the agricultural sector (69.2 per cent) and the services sector (25.8 per cent); only 5.1 per cent work in the industrial sector.

3. Has the comprehensive study on violence against children referred to in paragraph 142 of the report been conducted? If so, please give a brief description of the results of this study and of the statistical data collected during the study. Please provide disaggregated data by sex, age group and geographical area covering the years 2006, 2007 and 2008 on child victims of abuse, neglect and other forms of violence, and in particular:

Number of reported cases

Number and percentage of cases that resulted in prosecution, conviction or other type of follow-up

Number and percentage of child victims who have benefited from legal aid and rehabilitation measures

73.The comprehensive study on violence against children has been completed, and covered the whole country. The main aim of the study was to determine the scope, causes and effects of violence against children in Burkina Faso. Five kinds of violence were identified: physical violence; verbal violence; psychological violence; sexual violence against children; and violence related to the worst forms of child labour. The study also highlighted the following points:

80.2 per cent of children say that they have been victims of violence, 68 per cent of them on more than five occasions

83 per cent of adults and 76.5 per cent of children say that they have witnessed scenes of violence

72 per cent of adults admit to having used violence on children

83 per cent of children and 100 per cent of adults point to the family as the source of violence against children

74.The aim of the study was to determine the scope, causes and effects of violence against children.

4. With regard to the cases of abuse and/or neglect mentioned in paragraphs 110, 143 and 144 of the report, please provide detailed information on the penalties applied to the guilty parties. Please also indicate whether centres such as the so-called “ rebirth centre ” have been opened in other parts of the country to provide assistance to children who are victims of abuse and neglect.

75.No one was prosecuted in the cases of abuse referred to in the above-mentioned paragraphs, as most of them were dealt with by the social services and the perpetrators were made to realize what they had done. Statistics from the Ministry of Justice do not record convictions for abuse, but for crimes and offences against the family and morality, including 65 cases of child abduction and 22 of child-trafficking in 2007.

76.A children’s shelter has been built in Ouagadougou for abandoned children up to the age of 15, teenage girls in difficulty and child victims of abuse. In October 2009, the shelter took in 43 children and 3 teenage girls.

77.Another such shelter is under construction in Bobo-Dioulasso.

5. Please provide disaggregated data by sex, age group and geographical area covering the last three years on the number of child victims of sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography and trafficking, and the number of those children who were provided with access to rehabilitation and social reintegration services, specifying the type of services. Please also furnish details on the number of cases brought before the courts and on the sentences handed down.

78.The extent of this phenomenon in Burkina Faso can be gauged from the number of children taken into care by social services and from some of the data on sexual abuse in general: The sexual exploitation of children is one of the most common forms of sexual abuse in Burkina Faso: it accounts for 80 per cent of cases of sexual abuse, 60 per cent of rapes and 20 per cent of cases of sexual interference and harassment, according to the records of the African preparatory meeting for the third World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, held in Dakar on 24 and 25 September 2008.

79.All the child victims of trafficking taken into care by social services receive psychological, social and medical assistance, as well as food and clothing. They are lodged in transit centres while they wait for their family to be identified.

80.Some 70 per cent of the children taken into care take advantage of the options for social reintegration (an apprenticeship or return to school). Grants and help with installation costs are also available to those who have completed their training.

81.Enforcement operations by the security services have led to the dismantling of two trafficking networks and the arrest of 116 traffickers, of whom:

37 were tried and convicted (and given suspended or year-long prison sentences)

19 were discharged

9 had their cases dropped

Year		Internal trafficking		Cross-border trafficking		Total
	No. of girls	No. of boys		No. of girls	No. of boys
2006		1 068	207		44	6		1 325
2007		106	262		7	27		402
2008		102	241		51	197		591
Total		2 507	2 151		490	619		2 318

82. There are no specific figures on child prostitution, but children have been arrested by municipal police officers on suspicion of soliciting. Data provided by the municipal police show that four children were arrested on this count in 2006, three in 2007 and seven in 2008.

83.The statistical yearbook of the Ministry of Justice shows that 21 convictions for child-trafficking were recorded in 2006 and 22 in 2007 by all the prosecution services attached to regional courts in Burkina Faso.