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

Optional Protocol on the sale of children, childprostitution and child pornography

List of issues for the State party to be taken up in connection with theconsideration of the initial report of SYRIA (CRC/C/OPSC/SYR/1)

1.Please provide statistical data (including by sex, age, urban/rural areas) for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005 on:

(a)The number of children trafficked to and from Syria, as well as trafficked within the country;

(b)The number of reported cases of sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, with additional information on type of follow-up provided on the outcome of the cases, including prosecution, withdrawals and sanctions for perpetrators;

(c)The number of child victims provided with recovery assistance and compensation (if any), as defined in article 9, paragraphs 3 and 4, of the Optional Protocol.

2.Please provide information on specific budget allocations (national, regional and local) for the implementation of the provisions of the Optional Protocol.

3.Please explain the reservations posed by the State party to the articles 3, paragraph 1 (a) (ii), and 3, paragraph 5, of the Optional Protocol and update the Committee on the steps taken to withdraw them (paragraph 43 and ff. of the State party’s report).

GE.06-42772 (E) 050706

4.Please inform the Committee on measures taken to set up a functional mechanism of data collection on the issues covered by the Optional Protocol. (See State party report, paragraphs 56 (3) and 84 (3)).

5.Please indicate whether any measure has been taken to explicitly criminalize the sale of children in the State party’s legislation (see paragraph 10 of the State party’s report). Likewise, please clarify whether the State party intends to introduce in the Penal Code the prohibition of child pornography in accordance with articles 1-3 of the Optional Protocol (paragraph 31 of the State party’s report).

6.Please indicate whether the State party has taken any measures to establish its jurisdiction over the offences referred to in article 3, paragraph 1, of the Optional Protocol when the alleged offender is present in its territory and it does not extradite him or her to another State Party on the basis of the nationality of the offender.

7.In paragraph 177 (3) of the State party’s report, it is stated that extradition is denied where the prescribed penalty under the law of the State requesting extradition is deemed “socially unacceptable”. Please elaborate on the meaning of this definition.

8.Please clarify the provision of article 35 of the Penal Code, which provides that if the accused person consents in open court to be extradited, the Government may accept or deny this request at its discretion, irrespective of an evaluation of the legality of the request of extradition (paragraph 179 of the State party’s report).

9.Please inform the Committee on whether special training, particularly legal and psychological, is provided to those working with social reintegration and physical and psychological recovery of child victims.

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