Committee on the Rights of the Child

Seventy-seventh session

15 January-2 February 2018

Item 4 of the provisional agenda

Consideration of reports of States parties

List of issues in relation to the combined second and third periodic reports of Solomon Islands

The State party is requested to submit in writing additional, updated information (10,700 words maximum), if possible before 13 October 2017. 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

1.Please provide information on the steps taken to implement newly adopted legislation, such as the Child and Family Welfare Act 2017, including the allocation of resources, and steps taken to renew child-related policies that have expired.

2.Please provide information on measures taken to establish and allocate resources to a children’s rights commissioner capable of effectively dealing with complaints, violations and other issues involving children.

3.Please provide information on measures taken to harmonize with the Convention the definition of the child in all relevant laws, in particular on measures taken to amend the Islanders Marriage Act, which allows girls to marry at the age of 15 years.

4.Please provide updated information on measures taken to improve birth registration, such as the possibility of decentralizing civil registration functions to the provincial level.

5.Please provide information on the resources allocated to implement the Penal Code (Sexual Offences) Act 2016 and Family Protection Act 2014 and on awareness-raising and other measures to combat domestic violence and the physical abuse of children, including sexual abuse. Please also provide information on all measures taken to eradicate corporal punishment in all settings, including by removing the “reasonable chastisement” defence from the draft Constitution.

6.Please update the Committee on the measures taken to develop an alternative care policy and minimum standards of care and to establish a network of services, safe houses for children and a functioning social welfare workforce. Please also inform the Committee about the measures taken to regulate and monitor domestic and intercountry adoption.

7.Please indicate the steps that have been taken to eliminate discrimination against and negative attitudes towards children with disabilities and to facilitate their full inclusion in society. Please provide information on the measures implemented by the State party to ensure effective access by children with disabilities to health care, inclusive education, social services and transport, particularly in rural areas.

8.Please inform the Committee of the steps taken to address malaria, diarrhoea, skin and respiratory infections, non-communicable and vaccine-preventable diseases, HIV/AIDS, high levels of sexually transmitted disease, stunting, malnutrition and poor access to drinking water and sanitation and to increase support for mental health, exclusive breastfeeding and sexual and reproductive health education and services for adolescents, including family planning and safe abortion services.

9.Please indicate the steps that have been taken to address the low enrolment rates, particularly among girls, in primary and secondary schools, to tackle teachers’ absenteeism and low levels of qualifications and children’s low literacy levels and English language skills, to facilitate children’s access to early childhood education and non-formal education programmes and to ensure a better quality of education at all levels.

10.Please provide information on the participation of children in the review of the National Disaster Risk Management Plan and measures taken to develop a child- and disaster-sensitive comprehensive social protection system, including by adding climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction to the school curriculum and strengthening child-sensitive natural disaster and emergency responses.

11.Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to eliminate the worst forms of child labour and in particular measures to prohibit child labour and sexual exploitation in the logging, tourism and fishing industries.

12.Please provide information on the steps taken to raise the age of criminal responsibility to an internationally accepted standard, to review the Juvenile Offenders Act, to provide special training for judges in juvenile justice matters and all other relevant actors and to enforce the principle of detention as a last resort. Please also provide information on the steps taken to prioritize cases involving children and to keep children separated from adults in detention centres and in police stations.

Part II

13.The Committee invites the State party to provide a brief update (no more than three pages) on the information presented in its report (CRC/C/SLB/2-3) 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

14.Please provide updated information for the past three years on the budget lines regarding children in the fields of education, health, social services and child protection, by indicating the percentage of each budget line in terms of the total national budget and the gross national product. In addition, please clarify whether there is a specific budget for the implementation of the Convention.

15.Please provide updated data for the past three years, disaggregated by age, sex, socioeconomic background, ethnic origin and geographic location, on the number of children, including those living in remote communities and the outlying islands:

(a)Separated from their parents;

(b)Placed in institutions;

(c)Placed with foster families;

(d)Adopted domestically or through intercountry adoptions.

16.Please provide data, disaggregated by age, sex, type of disability, ethnic origin and geographic location, for the past three years, on the number of children with disabilities in all areas of the State party:

(a)Living with their families;

(b)Living in institutions;

(c)Attending regular primary schools;

(d)Attending regular secondary schools;

(e)Attending special schools;

(f)Out of school;

(g)Abandoned by their families.

17.Please provide data, disaggregated by age, sex, residence and type of offence, for the past three years, on the number of children:

(a)Diverted from the juvenile justice system;

(b)In pretrial detention;

(c)In post-trial detention;

(d)Serving criminal sentences and their sentences.

18.Please provide the Committee with an update of any data in the report that may have become outdated by more recent data collected or other new developments.

19.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.