Ministry of Social Development, 2015.

This budget includes operating expenses, imprest fund, annual growth lines, staff salaries and the needs of Dar al-Wifaq inmates.

Question 10, concerning measures to address practices harmful to children

1.Practices harmful to children are prohibited under the provisions of article 20 of the Children’s Act which stipulates that: “It is prohibited for any person, and particularly medical practitioners, nurses and guardians, to promote or engage or assist in traditional practices harmful to child health. The traditional practices deemed harmful to child health shall be specified in the implementing regulations.” Under article 67 of the Act, any person who contravenes the provisions of the above-mentioned article is liable to a penalty of imprisonment for a term of not less than 6 months and not more than 3 years and both the minimum and maximum limits of the penalty are doubled in the event of a repeated offence. Female genital mutilation is included among the harmful traditional practices specified in the draft implementing regulations of the Children’s Act and the Ministry of Health is endeavouring, through its health centres, to raise awareness of misguided health practices. With regard to child marriage, the Personal Status Act stipulates that a person is eligible to marry after attaining mental capacity at the age of 18 years although, by way of exception, under the provisions of article 10 (c) thereof a judge may permit the marriage of a person under 18 years of age after ascertaining that the marriage would be in the said person’s best interest. It should be noted that early marriage does not constitute a phenomenon in Omani society insofar as the results of the 2003 and 2010 censuses showed that only 0.1 per cent of the children were married at an early age and the data collected during the national reproductive health survey in 2008 indicated that the average age at marriage was 26.8 years for women and 29.1 years for men.

2.As already stated in the reply to question 7, domestic violence is a punishable criminal offence insofar as article 56 of the Children’s Act prohibits the practice of any form of violence against children and prescribes a penalty of imprisonment for the perpetrators thereof.

3.With regard to the penalties incurred by family members who kill their female relatives, a person convicted of the murder of any of his female ascendants or descendants is liable to the penalty of capital punishment in accordance with the provisions of article 237, paragraph 1, of the Criminal Code and no mitigating circumstances are admissible in such criminal cases.

Question 11, concerning support for parents in respect of their child-rearing responsibilities

The Sultanate provides support for parents in respect of their child-rearing responsibilities through the marriage guidance programme in which persons entering into marriage receive counselling in regard to many aspects of their marital relationship and the education and upbringing of their children. The various departments (Department of Children’s Affairs — Child Welfare Centre — Family Development and Empowerment Department — Family Protection Department — Department of Women’s Affairs — Family Guidance and Counselling Department) of the Directorate General of Family Development provide awareness-raising, guidance and counselling services for individuals and families in collaboration with other departments and directorates concerned. Private family guidance and counselling centres also provide such services in accordance with the regulations issued in Ministerial Decision No. 294/2013 and a toll-free telephone line (80077788) has been set up to provide counselling on family, child-rearing and protection matters.

The Child Welfare Centre provides orphans with a full range of welfare, educational, health, recreational and other services.

With regard to the protection of child victims of violence, exploitation or abuse, the requisite protection is provided by the Dar al-Wifaq institution.

Services for children with disabilities are provided by the Aman Centre, the Rehabilitation Department and the Al-Wafa social centres and the juvenile correctional and guidance centres run by the Department of Juvenile Affairs also provide services. In accordance with the regulations issued in Ministerial Decision No. 72/2014, the Ministry of Social Development provides numerous social assistance benefits to help families to meet their children’s needs and, in accordance with the regulations issued in Ministerial Decision No. 235/2014, provides compensatory aids and assistive devices for persons with disabilities in need thereof.

The Ministry helps parents and persons responsible for the care and education of children through the social security benefits that it grants to various categories such as orphans, incapacitated persons, widows, prisoners’ families, divorced women, children of unknown parentage and abandoned children.

The Ministry of Health plays an effective role in making parents more familiar with all aspects of child health through its various health awareness programmes which are highly instrumental in ensuring the smooth implementation and progress of its preventive and therapeutic measures. The Ministry of Health is also making considerable endeavours to upgrade its health awareness programmes since health education has always formed an important supplementary component of all its principal health services and programmes and has helped to ensure the achievement of their objectives. The topics on which the health awareness programmes focus include maternal and child health, which is a matter of prime concern. Accordingly, the Ministry’s Department of Health Education and Information has conducted numerous awareness-raising programmes and activities in fields such as childcare, respiratory tract infections, healthy nutrition, the advantages of natural and supplemented breastfeeding, the protection of children from malnutrition, diseases associated therewith and accidents in the home, and environmental health with a view to promoting greater health awareness among mothers and children and persons by whom they can be influenced. The number of educational activities conducted in the above-mentioned fields at health and social institutions in all of the Sultanate’s governorates amounted to 111,923 in 2012, 245,264 in 2013 and 88,889 in 2014.

At the central level, 13 educational publications on child health were issued during the period 2012-2014 and awareness-raising messages concerning child health were also transmitted through the various information and social media.

Question 12, concerning children deprived of a family environment

Omani society is a Muslim society deeply attached to its social customs and traditions which are conducive to social and family cohesion. Consequently, the proportion of children deprived of family care is very low and does not constitute a phenomenon.

In order to ensure the effectiveness of the alternative care system, including the care provided by foster families and the Child Welfare Centre, the Ministry of Social Development issued Ministerial Decision No. 49/2007, as amended by Ministerial Decision No. 138/2011, containing the family care and fostering regulations which specify the procedures to be followed when placing a child in the care of a foster family. The internal regulations of the Child Welfare Centre specifying the method of providing supplementary services for the child’s integration in society are currently being updated in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Children’s Act. The Ministry also establishes working groups to monitor the children and their foster families on a regular basis and prepare periodic reports on the extent to which the foster families are fulfilling their obligations. This monitoring is carried out by an experienced unit assisted by a professional team of specialists.

With regard to childcare institutions, children deprived of a family environment are provided with the basic necessities of life and are given an opportunity to lead a stable life in an alternative family environment in which values and principles are respected. The Child Welfare Centre, which was established to cater for the welfare of this category of children, applies the distinctive global SOS system which was designed to ensure that every child has the feeling of belonging to a family in which he or she can develop in an atmosphere characterized by affection, respect, security and emotional stability in an institution in which the child can find a mother, an aunt and brothers and sisters. According to the statistics for 2015, the Centre was accommodating a total of 148 children.

There is only one such institution, situated in the governorate of Muscat, which also serves all the other governorates. Children in need are accommodated in this Centre, which provides them with the requisite care. In view of the limited number of such children, the present situation does not necessitate the establishment of other institutions to serve this category of children.

It is noteworthy that the Sultanate does not have any residential care facilities run by private bodies. The Centre established by the Ministry of Social Development is the only one of its type.

With regard to kafala, this is a voluntary financial support programme in which the governmental, non-governmental and private sectors collaborate to secure the future of orphans living in the Child Welfare Centre or with foster families.

Chapter II of the Personal Status Act refers to the hadana (fosterage) system, full details of which can be found in articles 125-137 thereof.

With regard to the number of childcare institutions and the number of children residing therein, this question is answered in part III, section 3 (b) and (c), thereof.

Question 13, concerning abandoned children

1.The Sultanate shows special concern for abandoned children (children of unknown parentage or paternity) through the social, educational, health, psychological, recreational and other services that it provides under the programmes designed to ensure their welfare, the development of their skills and their endowment with sound Omani customs, traditions and values so that they can become self-reliant and assume their responsibilities towards themselves and society. With regard to assessment of the consequences for children who are not given a tribal name, it should be noted that this issue was addressed by amending various provisions of the implementing regulations of the Civil Status Act to which reference was made in the combined third and fourth national reports on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (paragraph 46 of section A on non-discrimination). Every child therefore bears a tribal name and is free to choose the name that suits him or her provided that it is consistent with the sharia and the laws and legislation in force in this connection. There is no discrimination between this category of children and other members of society since they all enjoy their full rights, particularly in regard to marriage and the formation of a thriving family.

2.Giving birth out of wedlock is not, in itself, a crime although it may be the result of a crime (illicit sexual intercourse or rape) and the crime of illicit sexual intercourse is conditional on the filing of a complaint by the husband or guardian. The illegitimate child is placed in the custody of the child’s mother and the birth is entered in the civil status records.

3.With regard to non-Muslim children in need of fostering, it should be noted that all children are treated equally. There are no such needy children and, if such existed, they would be treated in accordance with international conventions and local laws and legislation.

Question 14, concerning child custody and parental rights

1.The Personal Status Act No. 32/1997 regulates child custody and guardianship in a manner that takes the best interests of the child into account. Custody can be transferred from one parent to another whenever the child’s interests so require and the parent holding custody has an obligation to protect, bring up and care for the child and look after the child’s affairs. In the same way as custody may be granted to the father, mother or one of the child’s relatives, guardianship may be assigned to a male or a female in accordance with the stipulations of article 172 of the Act.

The child’s right to maintenance is recognized in article 28 of the Children’s Act which stipulates that: “The child is entitled to an appropriate standard of living that meets the requirements for his or her physical, intellectual, psychological and social development and the parents or guardian, depending on the circumstances, shall be responsible for securing this standard of living within the limits of their means and capabilities. The State shall ensure the fulfilment by the parents or guardian of their child support obligation through the collection of child maintenance, whenever necessary, from any of them in accordance with the provisions of the Personal Status Act.”

The Omani Criminal Code prescribes a penalty of 10 days’ to 3 months’ imprisonment together with a fine of up to 10 rials for any father or mother who leaves their legitimate, illegitimate or foster child in a state of need regardless of whether they refuse to support the child or neglect to obtain the means needed to enable them to support the child.

2.The rules of inheritance are specified in the Islamic sharia. The Personal Status Act confirms the right of both boys and girls to inherit, their respective shares being in accordance with the provisions of the Islamic sharia and depending on their degree of kinship.

Question 15, concerning children with disabilities

1.The combined third and fourth national periodic reports gave a detailed account of the efforts being made to improve the situation of persons with disabilities and the services that they receive. It is noteworthy that, since 2011, greater concern has been shown for persons with disabilities in the Government’s social policies in general and, in particular, in those of the Ministry of Social Development. This is illustrated by a number of measures such as the increase in the employment quotas of persons with disabilities and in opportunities for their enrolment in higher education, etc. The most important measure taken by the Ministry of Social Development consisted in the transfer of responsibility for the Al-Wafa centres for the rehabilitation of children with disabilities from the private to the private sector with effect from 17 October 2011 in accordance with the royal directives of H.M. Sultan Qaboos. This increased the State’s role in the effective realization of the rights of children with disabilities and, accordingly, urgent measures were taken during the years 2012-2015 to increase the number of public sector personnel working in this field and provide them with further training. The social security and social assistance benefits for persons with disabilities were also increased.

The developments that have taken place since the submission of the previous reports include the incorporation of a special section on the rights of children with disabilities in the Children’s Act. Consideration is being given to the introduction of amendments to the Welfare and Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities Act, promulgated in 2008, in the light of the recommendations made on the basis of the results of the analytical and diagnostic study of the situation of persons with disabilities throughout the Sultanate which was conducted in 2014 in cooperation with UNICEF. A national strategy on persons with disabilities is currently being prepared within the framework of the 2016-2025 social action strategy and the Ministry of Social Development, in coordination with the Supreme Council for Planning, has compiled a statistical database on persons, including children, with disabilities. The Ministry, in coordination with the National Centre for Statistics and Information, is also making preparations to conduct a comprehensive census to enumerate and classify all persons with disabilities throughout the Sultanate and, in coordination with the Information Technology Authority, is implementing a project to establish electronic governmental mechanisms by the end of 2015 for the provision of a full range of services for persons, and particularly children, with disabilities.

It is noteworthy that the Sultanate’s initial report on measures taken during the period 2008-2014 to implement its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and, on 2 March 2015, the Ministry of Social Development signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with the National Human Rights Commission in the monitoring and implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

It should also be noted that the Sultanate enables children with disabilities to benefit from the health, educational and social services available in the various governorates on an equal footing with their non-disabled peers. Such services are provided by 25 Al-Wafa centres for the rehabilitation of children with disabilities, 8 non-governmental associations and 14 private centres in the various governorates. In order to improve the situation of persons, including children, with disabilities, the Al-Aman Rehabilitation Centre, the Rehabilitation Department, the Vocational Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre and the Department for the Provision of Services for Persons with Disabilities in the Directorate General of Persons with Disabilities are providing services for children free of charge under the supervision of, and with support from, the Government.

2.With regard to studies on the link between the prevalence of congenital malformations and consanguineous marriages, Omani society has a tradition of marriage within the extended family. The numerous studies that have been conducted on this subject include the Study of consanguinity in the Sultanate of Oman, A. Rajab, M.A. Patton, 2000 which determined the proportion of consanguineous marriages among 635,600 couples (20.8 per cent of the total population of childbearing age) on the basis of a questionnaire distributed in all segments of society. The study found that 24.1 per cent of marriages were between first-degree relatives, 11.8 per cent between second-degree cousins and 20.4 per cent within strictly delimited tribal groupings.

The national health survey that was conducted in 2008 to determine the extent of knowledge of and trends in congenital malformations and hereditary disorders among 4,525 Omani households in the Sultanate showed that around 50 per cent of the participants in the survey had bonds of kinship before marriage and, when the male and female respondents were questioned concerning the causes of the congenital malformations with which they were afflicted, 74 per cent of them expressed their belief that consanguineous marriages and hereditary diseases were among the principal causes. The few studies that have been carried out point to a close link between consanguineous marriages and congenital malformations such as neurological and hearing impairments in children.

Question 16, concerning the accessibility of health services to all children

1.As already indicated, the Sultanate guarantees access to health services by all children, without discrimination, in all the governorates and regions and, since 1976, the Ministry of Health has been formulating five-year plans for the development of health services. During the first phase, these plans focused on horizontal expansion of the infrastructure for health services in order to ensure their equitable distribution in all of the Sultanate’s governorates. During the second phase, which began in the 1980s, there was a trend towards development of the quality of these services in order to make them more comprehensive and ensure their coverage of all aspects of promotive, preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative care. Thematic programmes targeting major health problems and vulnerable categories, such as the expanded immunization programme, the maternal and child care programme and the programmes to combat diarrhoea and respiratory diseases, were designed and implemented and the number of facilities providing health services continued to increase throughout this phase. During the third phase, the Ministry focused on the regulation and development of the increasingly diverse health services in a manner consistent with the concepts of primary health care and decentralized management of health services and the need to treat the new types of diseases resulting from the shift to a modern lifestyle and the changing demographic structure.

It is noteworthy that the health system in the Sultanate of Oman is characterized by a certain degree of decentralization in the provision of health services, as a result of which the health departments in the governorates are of crucial importance in view of their fundamental role as service providers and first responders to the needs of individuals.

It is evident from the above that health services are available to all citizens and expatriates in both urban and rural areas. They are accessible to girls as well as boys from all segments of society without exception insofar as health insurance is guaranteed to all. As pointed out in the national reports, Omani society forms a single fabric in which there are no groups constituting minorities.

2.With regard to awareness-raising and education programmes to inform parents and children about sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and the measures taken in this connection, reference was made in the national reports to the measures taken to raise health awareness, which is regarded as supplementing the health services and programmes provided by the Ministry of Health and its various facilities, through the community health support groups attached to the Ministry of Health which constitute a connecting link between the health programmes and local communities, or through the awareness-raising and education programmes implemented by numerous government ministries such as the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs.

Mention was also made of the fact that HIV/AIDS infection rates are low in Oman, which gives an indication of the effectiveness of the measures taken.

The Department of Contagious Diseases is continuing to implement the national programme to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, leprosy and sexually transmitted diseases and is making every endeavour to prevent the propagation of the HIV/AIDS virus, particularly among the most vulnerable categories. It is doing its utmost to improve the health and psychological situation of persons living with the virus and to provide the treatment needed to avert its complications.

The principal recent achievements in this field include the inauguration, in 2009, of a national campaign to raise health awareness in society as a whole, and especially among youth, with a view to putting an end to discriminatory stigmatization of persons infected with the HIV/AIDS virus and encouraging governmental and non-governmental institutions to participate in the programmes to make the public better informed on the subject of HIV/AIDS and the nature of the treatment and counselling services available. The national programme to combat HIV/AIDS conducts awareness-raising campaigns at events such as the Muscat Festival, the Salalah Autumn Festival and the celebration of International Volunteer Day and in various other governorates where such campaigns are run by teams trained to provide counselling and carry out voluntary tests. The programme also encourages public and private institutions to deliver awareness-raising lectures targeting youth, and particularly college students. These awareness-raising campaigns consist in the dissemination of information concerning the HIV/AIDS syndrome, the conduct of rapid and confidential tests and distribution of the requisite educational material.

Question 17, concerning measures taken to combat child labour

1.The rights of young workers are regulated by the Labour Code (Act No. 35/2003) and section VII of the Children’s Act also addresses the question of child labour within the context of economic rights. Article 45 of the latter Act prohibits the employment of any child in occupations or industries which, by their very nature or due to the conditions in which they are practised, are likely to be harmful to the child’s health, safety or moral conduct. These occupations and industries are specified by decision of the Minister of Manpower after consultation with the bodies concerned.

The Ministry of Manpower and the bodies concerned are currently conducting a final review of a draft ministerial decision regulating the terms and conditions under which young persons can be employed and specifying the occupations, trades and industries in which their employment is not allowed. The draft decision stipulates that young males and females under 15 years of age must not be employed in, or allowed to enter, workplaces and specifies a number of occupations in which their employment is prohibited due to the bodily, psychological, moral, chemical, physical or biological risks involved.

The draft regulates the terms and conditions of such employment in such a way as to ensure that children are not exposed to risks that would be detrimental to their development, health or safety, reduce their ability to benefit from education or render them vulnerable to any form of exploitation. It should be borne in mind that, by law, education is compulsory until the basic stage is completed when the child reaches the age of 15 years, before which the employment of children is prohibited in order to enable them to complete their basic education.

Article 46 of the Children’s Act prohibits the employment of any child under 15 years of age in occupations other than those specified in article 45 thereof, with the proviso that the Minister of Manpower may raise that age limit in industries and occupations the nature of which so requires. The minimum age limit set in article 46 does not apply to the employment of children in agricultural, fishing or artisanal, craft or administrative occupations in family businesses in which employment is restricted to the members of a single household, provided that such work is not likely to impede the child’s education or impair the child’s health or development. For the purposes of the application of this provision, the term “household” is defined in the implementing regulations of the Act.

Under article 48 of the Act, the employer is obliged to have the child medically examined free of charge prior to, and at periodic intervals after, his or her employment. Such periodic medical examinations must be scheduled in the light of the nature of the work and the child’s state of health in the manner specified in the implementing regulations.

A child’s daily working time must not exceed six hours, interspersed by one or more rest periods amounting in total to not less than one hour. It is prohibited to require a child to work for more than four consecutive hours or remain in the workplace for a period of more than seven hours.

The Ministry of Manpower has appointed labour inspectors in all of the Sultanate’s governorates to monitor compliance with the provisions of the labour legislation.

The Children’s Act prescribes penalties ranging from 1 to 6 months’ imprisonment and/or a fine of 500-5,000 Omani rials for breaches of the provisions of articles 45, 46, 48 and 49 thereof.

2.The Ministry of Social Development, in collaboration with Sultan Qaboos University, is currently conducting a study on child labour with a view to identifying the main reasons that motivate many children to seek employment, shedding more light on the psychological and social effects and consequences of this phenomenon on the children, their families and society, determining the magnitude and geographical scope of the problem of child labour in Omani society and the social, educational and economic characteristics of Omani working children and formulating effective recommendations the adoption of which would help to curb and put an end to this problem.

Question 18, concerning juveniles

1.Chapter III of the Juvenile Accountability Act No. 30/2008 is devoted to the juvenile justice system. Articles 34 and 35 of the Act made provision for the establishment of a number of courts of first instance, defined as being single-judge courts, to adjudicate cases involving misdemeanours and infractions committed by juveniles. These are the only courts competent to hear juvenile delinquents or potential delinquents. The Act lays down the following rules of procedure which differ from those applied under the Omani Code of Criminal Procedure:

Civil actions are not admissible in juvenile courts;

In cases in which a juvenile under 16 years of age is among the persons accused, he must be referred to a juvenile court. If he has reached that age, he is referred to a criminal or misdemeanours court, depending on the circumstances, in which the provisions of this Act are applied to him;

Any measure of which, under the terms of the Act, the juvenile must be informed and any judgement passed on him must also be notified to one of his parents or his legal or testamentary guardian or curator, as appropriate, who have the right to appoint an attorney to defend the juvenile delinquent, failing which the court appoints an attorney to undertake that task;

The juvenile courts sit in camera and only the juvenile’s father or legal or testamentary guardian or curator, attorneys, witnesses, probation officers and other persons authorized by the court are permitted to attend the proceedings;

Although the juvenile may be excused from attendance and replaced by an authorized representative, a judgement convicting him cannot be handed down until the record of the proceedings has been explained to him;

A judgement imposing care and correctional measures on a juvenile is enforceable;

If so requested by the public prosecutor or by the juvenile, his parents or his legal or testamentary guardian or curator, the court may rehear and suspend or amend a judgement or order imposing any of the measures prescribed in the Act provided that the observation reports issued by the bodies responsible for the juvenile’s care are attached to the request;

The minimum age of criminal responsibility is set at 9 years. However, a study is currently being conducted by various bodies concerned with a view to raising this age to 12 years.

2.The care and correctional measures are as follows:

The juvenile is handed over to any of the following, provided that they meet the requisite moral standards and are capable of providing the care needed:

One or both of his parents;

His legal or testamentary guardian;

One of his family members or relatives;

An alternative family assuming responsibility for his care;

A juvenile guidance facility or any approved juvenile care institution.

The juvenile may be reprimanded, given a warning or prevented from frequenting certain places or from engaging in certain types of work.

The correctional measures consist in:

Placement in a juvenile reform facility;

Placement under judicial probation;

Enrolment for vocational training;

Obligation to perform community service;

Placement in a health institution.

If a juvenile over 16 years of age commits a felony punishable by the death penalty or life imprisonment, he is sentenced to a term of not less than 3 and not more than 10 years’ imprisonment. If he commits an offence punishable by a fixed term of imprisonment, he is sentenced to not more than half the maximum legally prescribed penalty for the offence but not less than 3 years’ imprisonment in the case of felonies. The court may also impose one of the measures specified in article 20, without prejudice to any ancillary penalties prescribed in the Omani Criminal Code. The terms of imprisonment to which juvenile delinquents are sentenced are served in a juvenile reform facility.

Juveniles in conflict with the law are not detained together with adult prisoners. This is guaranteed by article 21 of the Act, which stipulates that: “Juvenile delinquents shall be placed in a juvenile reform facility on the basis of an order to that effect.”

3.The roles played by juvenile care and correctional facilities are defined as follows:

Juvenile Observation Facility: This is a facility run by the Royal Oman Police in which a delinquent is confined until the court delivers its verdict. The period of confinement must not exceed 48 hours but my be extended to five days by the public prosecutor. The facility provides full recreational and care facilities for juveniles. It is noteworthy that, when the report was discussed at the first national conference on childhood in 2013, it was recommended that responsibility for the facility be transferred from the Royal Oman Police to the Ministry of Social Development;

Juvenile Guidance Facility: This is a facility run by the Ministry of Social Development in which juveniles at risk of delinquency are confined in order to correct their behaviour and protect them from delinquency. It became operational at the end of 2013 and all the programmes needed to protect juveniles from lapsing into delinquency are being applied by appropriately qualified staff. It comprises a multipurpose hall, classrooms, a library and a medical clinic to provide inmates with first aid;

Juvenile Reform Facility: This is a facility run by the Ministry of Social Development in which convicted juvenile delinquents are confined. It provides juveniles with a range of social, psychological and educational care services that contribute to and expedite the process of their reform. Specialized professional staff resolve the social and psychological problems of juveniles, strengthen their bonds with their families, foster their self-confidence and help them to complete their studies. The facility’s specialized workshops teach juveniles how to operate electrical equipment and repair automobiles. There are also handicraft and drawing workshops to bring out and develop their talents. The physical and psychological welfare of juveniles is catered for by sports training given by specialized sports instructors.

Question 19, concerning the involvement of children and asylum seekers in armed conflict

1.The Omani Criminal Code is currently being reviewed and amended by the competent authorities. With regard to the inclusion therein of a provision criminalizing violations of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the State’s Basic Law stipulates that international treaties ratified by the Sultanate have the force of law and form part of the country’s legislation. The said Optional Protocol therefore has the same legal force as the Omani Criminal Code. Moreover, article 55 of the Children’s Act prohibits the recruitment of children into the Armed Forces or armed groups or their direct involvement in military operations and any violation of the provisions of that article are punishable by a term of up to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 Omani rials.

2.With regard to the establishment of an identification mechanism for asylum-seeking and migrant children, and especially children coming from Yemen, who may have been recruited or used in hostilities, the Sultanate is facilitating the humanitarian endeavours made for the benefit of the wounded Yemeni children who are being treated and provided with every form of assistance in its territory. After ensuring that they have recovered their health and that the situation in Yemen has improved, they will be sent back to their home country where they will be monitored and provided with appropriate aid.

Question 20, concerning the sale of children and child prostitution

1.In order to ensure the safety and safeguard the rights of children, the Children’s Act made provision for the establishment of child protection committees to protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse in all the Sultanate’s governorates. These committees are competent to receive complaints and reports concerning any violations of children’s rights and cases in which children have been subjected to violence, exploitation or abuse. Any child victim thereof may be placed in a temporary shelter by order of the Public Prosecution Service on the basis of a recommendation from a child protection officer and a child in respect of whom such an order has been issued may be released into the custody of his or her guardian when there is no longer any justifiable cause for such placement and provided that the guardian has given a written undertaking to care for the child.

Children are entitled to claim civil damages in respect of the harm suffered as a result of violence, exploitation or abuse.

With a view to protecting children and deterring those who seek to exploit them, article 218 of the Omani Criminal Code promulgated by Royal Decree No. 7/74 prescribed a penalty of 5-15 years’ imprisonment for anyone convicted of sexually abusing a person under 15 years of age.

2.The role of the Department of Juvenile Affairs is confined to juvenile delinquents or potential delinquents as indicated in the reply to question 18. Dar al-Wifaq is the facility which, in accordance with its statute, offers urgent protection for child victims of abuse and exploitation, assesses their psychological condition, provides them with appropriate accommodation, health care, recreation and entertainment, implements rehabilitation programmes, formulates treatment and rehabilitation plans, monitors the child’s psychosocial behaviour and organizes excursions outside the facility for their benefit.

Part II

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

The Children’s Act was promulgated by Royal Decree No. 22/2014 on 19 May 2014. It is noteworthy that, prior to the promulgation of this Act, crimes against children were dealt with in accordance with the Omani Criminal Code;

The implementing regulations of the Children’s Act are in the final stage of preparation;

The School Education Act, in which reference is made to the compulsory nature of the basic stage of education, is in the process of being approved.

(b)New institutions and their mandates, and institutional reforms

The Directorate General for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities was established by Royal Decree No. 18/2014;

The Family Protection Department, to which Dar al-Wifaq is attached, has been established;

The juvenile observation, guidance and reform facilities, as well as the Child Welfare Centre, have been established;

The statute of Dar al-Wifaq was issued by Ministerial Decision No. 228/2013.

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

Preparations are currently being made to complete the following strategies relating to the rights of the child:

The Government’s Social Development Strategy (Supreme Council for Planning);

The Social Action Strategy of the Ministry of Social Development;

The National Strategy for Childhood;

The National Strategy for the Advancement of Omani Women;

The National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities;

The National Strategy for Education 2040 and the Vision for Education in the Sultanate have been developed and updated and are in the final stage of approval;

A health workers’ manual on ways to deal with cases of violence and abuse of children has been prepared with a view to providing better services for such children;

The Ministry of Social Development and the Royal Oman Police are preparing joint programmes, policies and plans for the care and rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents and potential delinquents;

A children’s helpline (1100) has been set up;

A training guide has been prepared for the child protection committees;

Developmental standards for early childhood have been established;

Child protection officers have been designated.

(d)Recent ratifications of human rights instruments

The Sultanate has acceded to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations at its fifty-fourth session in December 1999, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 104/2011;

Ratification of the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 54/2011;

The Sultanate’s accession to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, adopted in 1994, was approved under the terms of Royal Decree No. 30/2013;

Accession to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 64/2013;

Accession to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 26/2014;

Ratification of the Arab Convention against Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 27/2014;

Ratification of the Arab Convention against Corruption, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 28/2014;

Ratification of the amendment to the Arab Convention against Terrorism, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 14/2010;

Ratification of the Arab Convention against Cybercrime, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 5/2015;

Ratification of the Arab Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, under the terms of Royal Decree No. 6/2015.

Part III

Data, statistics and other information, if available

1.Budget lines covering the past three years regarding children and social sectors

Resources allocated to health services

Total expenditure of the Ministry of Health

Indicator/year	2012	2013
Expenditure of the Ministry of Health (millions of Omani rials)	448.1	530.6
Percentage of total government expenditure	4.5%	5.5%

Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information, Statistical Yearbook, 2014.

Resources allocated to primary and secondary education

Total expenditure of the Ministry of Education

Indicator/year	2012	2013
Expenditure of the Ministry of Education (millions of Omani rials)	866.2	920.1
Percentage of total government expenditure	6.8%	6.9%

Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information, Statistical Yearbook, 2014.

Resources allocated to social development

Total expenditure of the Ministry of Social Development

Indicator/year	2012	2013
Expenditure of the Ministry of Social Development (millions of Omani rials)	149.3	161.8

Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information, Statistical Yearbook, 2014.

2.Updated statistical data, disaggregated by age, sex, geographic location and socioeconomic status, covering the past three years, on the number of:

(a)Child injuries and fatalities resulting from road accidents

Child injuries resulting from road accidents in the years 2012-2014

	0-14 years	5-9 years	10-14 years	15-19 years	Grand total
Year	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
2012	796	560	1 356	696	428	1 124	820	390	1 210	2 995	645	3 640	7 330
2013	715	481	1 196	717	422	1 139	813	344	1 157	2 464	481	2 945	6 437
2014	590	437	1 027	665	347	1 012	688	258	946	1 941	423	2 364	5 349

Road accident injuries recorded in outpatient departments of Ministry of Health institutions.

Child fatalities resulting from road accidents in the years 2012-2014

Year	0-4 years	5-9 years	10-14 years	15-19 years	Total
2012	49	27	24	88	188
2013	40	14	16	65	135
2014	34	20	29	59	142

Road accident fatalities recorded in Ministry of Health facilities.

(b)Child marriages

The birth rate among females in the 15-19 age group declined notably from 59.6 per cent per 1,000 of the female population in this age group in 1990 to 15 per cent in 2013 (Ministry of Health, annual health report, 2013).

(c)Cases of child abuse and neglect in families, in foster families, and in other types of care and public and private institutions, such as children’s homes, schools, juvenile detention centres and prisons

Statistics on cases of child abuse handled by the Family Protection Department and the child protection committees in the governorates in the years 2014 and 2015

(i)By age

Year		0-6 years	7-12 years	13-18 years	Unknown	Total
2014	Number	7	16	6	2	31
	Percentage	23%	52%	19%	6%	100%
2015	Number	14	7	7	11	39
	Percentage	36%	18%	18%	28%	100%

(ii)By sex

Year		Male	Female	Total
2014	Number	10	21	31
	Percentage	32 %	68 %	100%
2015	Number	23	16	39
	Percentage	59 %	41 %	100%

(iii)By nationality

Year		Omani	Other nationalities	Total
2014	Number	30	1	31
	Percentage	97 %	3 %	100%
2015	Number	35	4	39
	Percentage	90 %	10 %	100%

(iv)By governorate

Year		Muscat	Batinah	Sharqiyah	Dakhiliyah	Dhahirah	Buraimi	Dhofar	Musandam	Wusta	Total
2014	Number	9	3	6	7	0	6	0	0	0	31
	Percentage	29%	10%	19%	23%	0%	19%	0%	0%	0%	100%
2015	Number	17	3	3	15	0	1	0	0	0	39
	Percentage	44%	8%	8%	38%	0%	2%	0%	0%	0%	100%

(v)By type of abuse

Year		Physical	Psychological	Sexual	Neglect	Multiple	Total
2014	Number	2	4	3	14	8	31
	Percentage	6%	13%	10%	45%	26%	100%
2015	Number	2	4	6	19	8	39
	Percentage	5%	10%	15%	49%	21%	100%

(d)Cases of child abuse and neglect reported through police stations, hospitals, schools and family development offices in each governorate, and on the legislation and policies in force to ensure the mandatory reporting of suspected cases of child abuse and neglect

The child protection committees are responsible for the receipt of complaints and reports concerning any violations of children’s rights. Anyone has the right to report any incident constituting violence against or exploitation or abuse of a child or any violation of the rights provided for in the Children’s Act. The numerous reports that the committees receive from police stations, schools and individuals are handled in accordance with the Children’s Act under which child victims are entitled to protection and care. The following statistics show the number of cases received from health institutions.

Cases of abuse and neglect reported by Ministry of Health institutions and Sultan Qaboos University Hospital

Year reported	Males	Females	Total
2012	42	31	73
2013	83	48	131
2014	70	64	134

Ministry of Health, 2015.

(e)Investigations into cases of sexual violence and rape, and the outcomes of the trials, including information on penalties imposed on the perpetrators and on redress and compensation offered to the victims

Sexual violence and rape are violent acts which, far from being motivated by sexual desire, are committed with a view to using sex as a weapon with which to forcefully assert domination over the victim of the act. Anyone who is subjected to sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape has the right to decide whether to report it to the authorities (the police) or discuss it with trustworthy persons. In all circumstances, there are some protection measures that need to be taken as soon as possible. Some cases have been closed on legal grounds while others have been referred to the competent court with an indictment for indecent assault in accordance with article 218 of the Criminal Code. Since the promulgation of the Children’s Act, article 56 (b) thereof has been applied and a severe penalty has been imposed for any form of harassment, however slight, of a child. In cases of sexual violence and rape, even heavier sentences are imposed, ranging from 5 to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 5,000-10,000 Omani rials.

Number of persons accused of offences of indecent assault in the years 2013 and 2014

	Number of persons accused of offences of indecent assault
Year	Omanis	Foreigners	Total
2013	28	-	28
2014	38	-	38

(f)Children classified as malnourished and iron-deficient, and those under 5 classified as underweight and physically underdeveloped

	Total number of new cases recorded	Average per 1,000 children under 5	Total cases recorded by the end of December
Year	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
2012	801	677	1 478			4.6			3 702
2013	798	689	1 487			4.3			3 422
2014	445	425	870			2.4			2 928

Malnutrition resulting from protein deficiency in children under 5 in Ministry of Health institutions in the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, Ministry of Health statistics.

(g)Children with HIV/AIDS

Year reported	Males	Females	Total
2012	6	2	8
2013	4	2	6
2014	3	1	4

Children afflicted with HIV/AIDS in the years 2012-2014, Ministry of Health statistics.

(h)Children working in the formal and the informal economy, including camel jockeys and girls exploited as domestic workers

Reference was made to child labour in the reply to question 17 in Part I. The manpower statistics for the age group 15-17 up to the end of July 2015 are shown in Annex 1.

With regard to camel jockeys, the third and fourth national reports stated that the Sultanate had prohibited the use of children in camel races and had replaced them with robot jockeys in accordance with orders issued by H.M. Sultan Qaboos in 2008.

Robot jockeys came into use in the Sultanate with effect from the 2009/10 season in the races and ardhas (camel shows). The directives of Sultan Qaboos met with numerous positive responses since they are consistent with international laws and regulations and will also enable Omani camels to compete strongly in external competitions.

Even before those royal orders were issued, the Sultanate’s Camel Racing Federation and other relevant bodies had introduced mechanisms and controls to protect children.

(i)Unaccompanied child migrants and children of migrant workers in the State party, including the number being detained in immigration facilities

The Residence of Foreigners Act promulgated by Royal Decree No. 16/1995 regulates the entry of migrant workers into the Sultanate and sets the minimum age for issuance of a work permit at 21 years. The children of migrant workers are guaranteed protection under the Children’s Act No. 22/2014 and, if they are subjected to any form of violence, exploitation or abuse, are provided with care at the temporary shelter (Dar al-Wifaq). No children are being detained.

(j)Children convicted of crimes and in prison and/or juvenile detention centres

Numerical distribution of juveniles detained in correctional facilities, by age group, during the period 2012-2014

Age group	2012	2013	2014
Under 9 years	0	0	0
9-12 years	1	1	0
13-17 years	67	31	31
Total	68	32	31

Ministry of Social Development, Department of Juvenile Affairs, 2015.

Numerical distribution of juveniles detained in correctional facilities, by duration of detention, during the period 2012-2014

Duration of detention	2012	2013	2014
Less than 3 months	34	9	9
3-6 months	16	6	5
6 months-1 year	0	0	0
1-3 years	9	16	13
More than 3 years	4	1	0
Until reaching legal age	5	0	4
Total	68	32	31

Ministry of Social Development, Department of Juvenile Affairs, 2015.

3.Data, disaggregated by age, sex, socioeconomic background, ethnic origin and geographical location, covering the past three years, relating to the situation of children deprived of a family environment and separated from their parents

(a)The number of children separated from their parents

There are very few such cases. The children concerned are placed in the Child Welfare Centre.

(b)The number of children placed in institutions

Number of children placed in the Child Welfare Centre during the period 2013-2015

	Number of children
Year	Males	Females	Total
2013	91	40	131
2014	97	39	136
201 5	108	40	148

Ministry of Social Affairs, Directorate General of Family Development, Child Welfare Centre, 2015.

(c)The number of children placed with foster families

Number of children placed with foster families during the period 2013-2015

	Number of children
Year	Males	Females	Total
2013	129	205	334
2014	136	205	341
201 5	147	211	358

Ministry of Social Affairs, Directorate General of Family Development, 2015.

(d)The number of children adopted domestically (applicable to non-Muslim children) or through inter-country adoptions

Although the regulations in force in the Sultanate do not permit adoption, there is a fosterage system to which reference was made in paragraph 159 of the combined third and fourth national reports on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

4.Data, disaggregated by age, sex, type of disability and geographic location, covering the last three years, on the number of children with disabilities

(a)Living with their families

According to the statistics for 2010, the number of children with disabilities in the age group 4-18 amounted to 10,178 of whom 41 were enrolled in the Vocational Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre, 2,158 in the Al- Wafa rehabilitation centres for children with disabilities, 135 in the Al-Aman Rehabilitation Centre, 360 in the 10 centres run by the Association for the Care of Children with Disabilities in the Sultanate’s various governorates, 345 in centres of the Early Intervention Association for Children with Disabilities, 127 in the Omar bin al-Khattab Institute for the Blind, 171 in the School for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and 172 in the Al ‑Amal School for the Deaf, the others remaining with their families and receiving the requisite rehabilitation through the institutions concerned.

(b)In social care boarding institutions

The Al-Aman Rehabilitation Centre

	Number of boarders
Year	Males	Females	Total
2013	43	19	62
201 4	45	19	64

Ministry of Social Affairs, annual reports, 2013-2014.

(c)Attending regular primary schools

(d)Attending regular secondary schools

Number of students aged 5-18 enrolled in the educational integration programme

	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
	Number of students	Number of students	Number of students
		Impediment
Governorate	Hearing	Intellectual	Total	Hearing	Intellectual	Total	Hearing	Intellectual	Total
Muscat	0	125	125	0	140	140	0	150	150
Al-Batinah South	36	111	147	36	148	184	38	158	196
Al-Batinah North	6 0	217	277	60	226	286	76	268	3 44
Al-Dakhiliyah	42	155	197	54	172	226	50	210	260
Al-Sharqiyah North	30	86	116	30	104	134	32	146	178
Al-Sharqiyah South	18	56	74	27	96	123	29	97	126
Buraimi	11	28	39	16	37	53	19	40	59
Al-Dhahirah	7	83	90	12	95	107	14	98	112
Dhofar	41	62	103	37	72	109	40	74	114
Musandam	3	20	23	5	18	23	5	17	22
Al-Wusta	0	9	9	0	5	5	0	4	4
Total	248	952	1 200	277	1 113	1 390	303	1 262	1 565

Ministry of Education, 2015.

Number of educationally integrated schools in the governorates in the academic year 2014/15

	Basic education
Governorate	First cycle 6-9 years	Second cycle 10-16 years	Total
Muscat	44	23	82
Al-Batinah South	43	30	100
Al-Batinah North	27	22	69
Al-Dakhiliyah	34	20	75
Al-Sharqiyah South	18	9	47
Al-Sharqiyah North	20	12	44
Buraimi	13	6	19
Al-Dhahirah	15	11	49
Dhofar	22	14	66
Al-Wusta	4	1	16
Musandam	4	3	9
Total	244	151	576

Ministry of Education, 2015.

(e)Attending special schools

Number of students enrolled at Al-Amal School for the Deaf

		2014/15
	Grade	Males	Females	Total	Classes
1.	First preparatory	2	3	5	1
2.	Second preparatory	2	3	5	1
3.	First basic	5	5	10	1
4.	Second basic	6	4	10	2
5.	Third basic	11	9	20	3
6.	Fourth basic	8	3	11	2
7.	Fifth basic	5	0	5	1
8.	Sixth basic	11	3	14	2
9.	Seventh basic	6	5	11	2
10.	Eighth basic	6	6	12	2
11.	Ninth basic	12	0	12	1
12.	Tenth basic	12	5	17	2
13.	Eleventh	11	9	20	2
14.	Twelfth	11	9	20	2
Total	108	64	172

Ministry of Education, 2015.

Number of students enrolled at the School for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

		2014/15
	Grade	Males	Females	Total	Classes
1.	First preparatory	3	2	5	1
2.	Second preparatory	2	2	4	1
3.	First basic	1	3	4	1
4.	Second basic	6	-	6	1
5.	Third basic	2	2	4	2
6.	Fourth basic	5	5	10	3
7.	Fifth basic	12	5	17	3
8.	Sixth basic	15	6	21	5
9.	Seventh basic	24	13	37	4
10.	Eighth basic	17	14	31	4
11.	Ninth basic	23	9	32	4
Total	110	61	171	29

Ministry of Education, 2015.

Number of students enrolled at Omar bin al-Khattab Institute for the Blind

		2014/15
	Grade	Males	Females	Total	Classes
1.	First preparatory	2	1	3	1
2.	Second preparatory	2	2	4	1
3.	First basic	3	4	7	2
4.	Second basic	4	4	8	2
5.	Third basic	6	6	12	2
6.	Fourth basic	4	2	6	1
7.	Fifth basic	6	3	9	2
8.	Sixth basic	8	3	11	2
9.	Seventh basic	5	3	8	2
10.	Eighth basic	4	1	5	1
11.	Ninth basic	9	3	12	2
12.	Tenth basic	3	6	9	2
13.	Eleventh	10	2	12	2
14.	Twelfth	7	3	10	2
15.	Seventh adult education	-	-	-	-
16.	Eighth adult education	3	1	4	1
17.	Ninth adult education	2	2	4	1
18.	Eleventh adult education	-	-	-	-
19.	Twelfth adult education	3	-	3	1
Total	127	46	81	27

Ministry of Education, 2015.

(f)Out of school

The statistics from the 2010 census were annexed to the combined third and fourth national reports.

(g)Abandoned by their families

There are no recorded cases of children with disabilities being abandoned by their families since Omani society is characterized by the humanitarian values derived from the Islamic religion, the cohesive tribal environment and the prevailing Omani customs.

5.Data disaggregated, inter alia, by age, sex, socioeconomic background, geographical location and ethnic origin, in particular with respect to minority children, rural children, children of nomadic peoples, children in situations of poverty and children of migrant workers

Minority children, rural children, children of nomadic peoples, children in situations of poverty and children of migrant workers do not constitute separate categories in the Sultanate.

(a)The enrolment rates and completion rates, in percentages, of the relevant age groups in pre-primary schools, in primary schools and in secondary schools

Percentage enrolment rates in public and private schools by grade

Academic year		Total enrolment rate	Net enrolment rate	Adjusted net enrolment rate
Grades	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
2011	1-6	101.13	101.3	101.2	96.13	95.39	95.77	98.6	97.5	98.05
7-9	99.5	98.9	99.25	82.75	83.23	82.99	95.7	95.0	95.35
10-12	96.19	95.08	95.64	77.16	77.98	77.56	85.0	85.6	85.3
2012	1-6	101.2	101.4	101.3	96.2	95.5	95.9	98.7	97.6	98.2
7-9	99.6	99.0	99.4	82.9	83.3	83.1	95.8	95.1	95.5
10-12	96.3	95.1	95.6	77.3	78.1	77.7	85.1	85.7	85.4
2013	1-6	101.3	101.5	101.4	96.3	95.6	96.0	98.8	97.7	98.3
7-9	99.6	99.0	99.4	82.9	83.3	83.1	95.8	95.1	95.5
10-12	96.3	95.1	95.6	77.3	78.1	77.7	85.1	85.7	85.4

Ministry of Education, 2015.

Increase in percentage enrolment rates at kindergartens for the age group 3-5 yrs. between the academic years 2009/10 and 2012/13

	Net enrolment rate	Total enrolment rate
Academic year	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
2009	32.4	30.6	31.5	44.6	42.2	43.4
2010	41.2	40.9	41.0	54.2	54.7	54.4
2011	42.0	41.4	41.7	54.0	54.0	54.0
2012	38.6	39.8	39.2	46.7	48.2	47.4

(b)The number and percentage of dropouts and repetitions

Academic year	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13
Grade	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
First	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.2	0.4	0.30	0.30	0.30
Second	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.12	0.12	0.12
Third	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.10	0.11	0.11
Fourth	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.11	0.08	0.10
Total first-fourth	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.15	0.15	0.15
Fifth	0.4	0.1	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.31	0.21	0.26
Sixth	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.33	0.33	0.33
Seventh	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.53	0.57	0.55
Eighth	0.7	0.5	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.6	1.02	1.05	1.03
Ninth	1.0	0.7	0.9	1.1	0.7	0.9	1.77	1.30	1.54
Tenth	1.9	1.2	1.6	2.4	1.2	1.8	3.54	2.18	2.87
Total fifth-tenth	0.8	0.5	0.6	0.8	0.5	0.7	1.26	0.94	1.10
Eleventh	4.2	1.6	2.9	3.3	1.6	2.5	5.76	2.33	3.99
Twelfth	1.6	0.7	1.1	1.4	0.7	1.1	1.63	0.95	1.28
Total eleventh-twelfth	2.9	1.2	2.0	2.4	1.2	1.8	3.87	1.66	2.71
Grand Total	1.0	0.5	0.8	0.9	0.5	0.7	1.34	0.81	1.07

Ministry of Education, 2015.

(c)Vocational schools and alternative programmes for children who have dropped out of school

Children who have dropped out of school are enrolled at literacy and adult education centres to complete their education or, in some cases, at vocational training centres run by the Ministry of Manpower.

(d)The teacher-pupil ratio

Year	Ratio	Grades 1-6	Grades 7-9	Grades 10-12	Total
2012	E stimated teacher-pupil ratio	9.6	9.8	9.8	9.7
2013	Estimated teacher-pupil ratio	9.3	9.4	9.4	9.3
2014	Estimated teacher-pupil ratio	9.3	9.5	9.1	9.3

Ministry of Education, 2015.

6.The data contained in this report have been updated and the most recent statistics on juveniles accused of criminal offences in the years 2013-2014 are annexed hereto

7.Areas affecting children that are considered to be of priority with regard to the implementation of the Convention

•The Children’s Act;

•The National Strategy for Childhood 2016-2025;

•The child protection committees;

•The Education Act (awaiting adoption);

•The new National Strategy for Education 2040 (awaiting adoption);

•The Sultanate’s updated Vision for Education (awaiting adoption).

Annex 1

Manpower statistics for the age group 15-17 yrs. up to the end of July 2015

1. Sex
Males	24
Females	4
Total	28
2. Age
16 years	8
17 years	20
Total	28
3. Educational level
Illiterate	1
Literate	5
Primary	17
Secondary	5
Total	28
4. Geographical region
Muscat	4
Al-Batinah North	10
Al-Batinah South	3
Musandam	0
Al-Dhahirah	0
Al-Dakhiliyah	7
Al-Sharqiyah North	1
Al-Sharqiyah South	1
Al-Wusta	0
Dhofar	0
Buraimi	2
Total	28
5. Economic sector
Manufacturing industries	4
Construction	10
Wholesale and retail trade and vehicle repair	9
Hotels and restaurants	2
Real estate, rental and commercial enterprise activities	1
Total	26
6. Economic activity
General (residential and non-residential) building and construction contracting	6
Groceries, supermarkets, general and frozen food shops	3
Cafés	2
Export and import offices	2
Commercial cleaning	1
Retailing of all types of games for entertainment	1
Retailing of ready-made and fashion clothes	1
Retailing of perfumes, cosmetics, beauty soaps and incense	1
Installation, fitting and repair of electrical equipment and warning systems	1
Food supply and catering companies	1
Manufacture of wall and floor tiles (ceramic and porcelain)	1
Manufacture and installation of cast metal products for use in building and construction, such as windows, doors, stairs and awnings etc. (metalworking)	1
Marble cutting and sawing	1
Enterprises setting up water, electricity and telephone supply facilities and networks	1
Distribution of general-interest newspapers and magazines	1
Total	24

Annex 2

Data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey

The nutritional situation of children under 5 years of age, according to the three indicators of underweight, stunting and wasting, in the Sultanate of Oman in 2014

		Weight for age		Height for age		Weight for height
		Underweight		Stunted		Wasted	Overweight
		Underweight for age		Short for age		Underweight for height	Overweight for age
		Two deviations below standard (moderate and severe) [1]	Three deviations below standard (severe)[ 2]	Standard deviation	Number of children under 5	Two deviations below standard (moderate and severe)[3 ]	Three deviations below standard (severe)[4]	Standard deviation	Number of children under 5	Two deviations below standard (moderate and severe[5]	Three deviations below standard (severe) [6]	Two deviations above standard (moderate and severe[7]	Standard deviation	Number of children under 5
Total		9.7	2.4	-0.6	4 548	14.1	4.9	-0.7	4 501	7.5	2.4	4.4	-0.3	4 498
Type of community	Urban	9	2.2	-0.5	3 258	13.8	4.7	-0.6	3 234	7.3	2.2	4.6	-0.3	3 227
Rural	11.4	2.7	-0.7	1 290	15	5.5	-0.7	1 267	8.1	2.9	3.9	-0.4	1 270
Sex	Male	11	2.9	-0.6	2 297	16.2	5.8	-0.7	2 273	8.2	2.5	4.4	-0.3	2 266
Female	8.4	1.8	-0.5	2 251	12	4.1	-0.6	2 229	6.8	2.2	4.4	-0.3	2 232
Nationality	Omani	10.2	2.6	-0.7	4 113	14.5	5	-0.7	4 068	7.9	2.5	4	-0.4	4 064
Expatriate	5.4	0.2	-0.1	434	10.5	4.1	-0.3	433	3.7	1.3	8.5	0.1	433
Age	0-5 months	12.1	3.3	-0.4	495	14.2	6.2	-0.3	479	11.7	5.3	8.4	-0.3	480
6-11 months	6.9	2.4	-0.4	497	9.6	3.3	-0.1	492	6.6	2.4	3.5	-0.3	494
12-17 months	9.3	3.5	-0.4	512	11.4	3.6	-0.5	506	7.4	2.9	4.9	-0.2	509
18-23 months	8	2	-0 . 5	390	16.6	4.2	-0.8	380	6.4	2.9	3.8	-0.1	386
24- 35 months	9.4	2.6	-0.6	848	15.5	6	-0.8	842	7.4	1.9	3.9	-0.3	840
36-47 months	11.2	1.4	-0.8	941	16.6	5.4	-0. 9	940	6.6	1.6	3.2	-0.4	940
48-59 months	9.7	2	-0.7	865	13	4.7	-0.8	862	7.4	1.4	4.4	-0.4	849
Educational level	None	9.5	3.5	-0.7	259	13.9	3.2	-0.8	258	9.6	4.2	4	-0.4	260
Below secondary	11.1	2.2	-0.7	861	18.1	6.9	-0.9	852	6.6	1.6	4.2	-0.4	855
Above secondary	9.4	2.3	- 0.6	3 428	13.1	4.6	-0.6	3 391	7.6	2.4	4.5	-0.3	3 383

[1] MICS indicator 2.1a and MDG indicator 1.8 — Underweight prevalence (moderate and severe).

[2] MICS indicator 2.1b — Underweight prevalence (severe).

[3] MICS indicator 2.2a — Stunting prevalence (moderate and severe).

[4] MICS indicator 2.2b — Stunting prevalence (severe).

[5] MICS indicator 2.3a — Wasting prevalence (moderate and severe).

[6] MICS indicator 2.3b — Wasting prevalence (severe).

[7] MICS indicator 2.4 — Overweight prevalence.

Table CP.14Children’s living arrangements

Percentage distribution of children in the 0-17 age group by living arrangements (not living with biological parents or bereaved of one or both biological parents) in the Sultanate of Oman in 2014

			Children not living with either of their biological parents	Children living only with their mothers	Children living only with their fathers
Characteristics of child ’ s living arrangements		Living with both parents	Only the father still alive	Only the mother still alive	Father and mother alive	Both parents deceased	Father still alive	Father deceased	Mother still alive	Mother deceased	No details of father/mother	Total	Children not living with either of their biological parents[1]	One or both parents deceased [2]	Number of children in age group 0-17 years
Total		93.2	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.1	2.2	2.8	0.7	0.5	0.0	100.0	0.6	3.5	15 051
Type of community	Urban	93.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.1	2.2	2.8	0.7	0.5	0.0	100.0	0.5	3.4	10 788
Rural	93.2	0.2	0.1	0.4	0.1	2.2	2.9	0.6	0.4	0.0	100.0	0.8	3.7	4 263
Sex	Male	93.5	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.0	2.0	2.9	0.8	0.5	0.0	100.0	0.4	3.5	7 601
Female	93.0	0.1	0.0	0.5	0.1	2.4	2.8	0.6	0.5	0.0	100.0	0.8	3.5	7 450
Head of household	Omani	92.9	0.1	0.0	0.3	0.1	2.4	3.0	0.7	0.5	0.0	100.0	0.6	3.7	13 617
Expatriate	96.5	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.7	1.2	0.6	0.3	0.2	100.0	0.5	1.6	1 434
Age groups (years)	0-4	97.2	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.6	0.8	0.1	0.1	0.0	100.0	0.1	1.0	4 768
5-9	94.2	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	2.4	2.0	0.8	0.5	0.0	100.0	0.2	2.6	4 218
10-14	90.6	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.1	2.5	4.6	1.0	0.7	0.0	100.0	0.5	5.3	3 820
15-17	87.3	0.1	0.2	1.4	0.4	2.7	5.7	1.0	0.8	0.2	100.0	2.2	7.4	2 244

[1] MICS indicator 8.13.

[2] MICS indicator 8.14.

Table ED.2School readiness

Percentage of children enrolled in the first primary grade in 2014 who attended pre-school education in the previous year in the Sultanate of Oman

Selected characteristics		Percentage of children enrolled in the first primary grade who attended pre school education in the previous year [1]	Number of children enrolled in the first primary grade
Total		69.5	821
Type of community	U rban	71.3	586
Rural	65.2	235
Sex	Male	72.2	371
Female	67.3	451
Nationality of head of household	Omani	69.7	724
Expatriate	67.8	97
Mother ’ s educational level	None	52.2	92
Below secondary	58.3	185
Secondary and above	76.1	541

[1] MICS indicator 7.2 — school readiness.

Table ED.3

Net intake rate in primary education

Percentage of children of primary school age enrolled in the first primary grade (net intake) in the Sultanate of Oman in 2014

Selected characteristics		Percentage of children enrolled in the first primary grade who attended pre school education in the previous year [1]	Number of children enrolled in the first primary grade
Total		92.2	845
Type of community	U rban	92.2	605
Rural	92.3	240
Sex	Male	91.1	413
Female	93.2	432
Nationality of head of household	Omani	92.5	752
Expatriate	89.9	93
Mother ’ s educational level	None	94.1	88
Below secondary	90.3	203
Secondary and above	93.0	550

[1] MICS indicator 7.3 — net intake rate in primary education.

Table ED.4Primary school net attendance rate

Percentage of children of primary school age regularly attending school (net attendance rate) in the Sultanate of Oman in 2014

		Males	Females	Total
			Percentage of children who			Percentage of children who			Percentage of children who
Selected characteristics	Net attendance rate [1]	Have not attended school or preschool	Have attended preschool	Are out of school	No. of children	Net attendance rate	Have not attended school or preschool	Have attended preschool	Are out of school	No. of children	Net attendance rate	Have not attended school or preschool	Have attended preschool	Are out of school	No. of children
Total		97.1	2.3	0.6	2.9	2 308	98.0	1.3	0.7	2.0	2 351	97.5	1.8	0.6	2.5	4 659
Type of community	U rban	97.2	2.2	0.6	2.8	1 659	98.1	1.4	0.5	1.9	1 689	97.7	1.8	0.6	2.4	3 348
Rural	96.8	2.6	0.6	3.2	649	97.7	1.2	1.1	2.3	662	97.3	1.9	0.8	2.7	1 311
Nationality of head of household	Omani	97.4	2.1	0.5	2.6	2 059	98.1	1.1	0.7	1.9	2 110	97.8	1.6	0.6	2.2	4 169
Expatriate	94.5	4.4	1.1	5.5	249	97.0	3.2	0.3	3.5	241	95.7	3.8	0.7	4.5	490
Age at start of academic year	6	92.6	4.8	2.6	7.4	413	94.1	3.2	2.7	5.9	432	93.4	3.9	2.7	6.6	845
7	96.5	2.7	0.8	3.5	341	98.5	1.3	0.2	1.5	426	97.6	1.9	0.5	2.4	767
8	98.2	1.8	0.0	1.8	386	98.9	0 .7	0.4	1.1	364	98.5	1.3	0.2	1.5	750
9	99.2	0.8	0.0	0.8	409	99.1	0.6	0.3	0.9	384	99.2	0.7	0.1	0.8	793
10	97.7	2.3	0.0	2.3	380	98.8	0.9	0.3	1.2	396	98.3	1.6	0.1	1.7	775
11	98.4	1.6	0.0	1.6	380	99.3	1.0	0.0	1.0	349	98.8	1.4	0.0	1.4	729
Mother ’ s educational level	None	97.3	2.7	0.0	2.7	374	97.8	1.5	0.7	2.2	414	97.6	2.1	0.4	2.4	788
Below secondary	96.7	2.7	0.6	3.3	661	97.7	1.6	0.9	2.5	652	97.2	2.2	0.7	2.9	1 312
Secondary or above	97.4	1.8	0.8	2.6	1 241	98.3	1.1	0.6	1.7	1 251	97.9	1.4	0.7	2.1	2 492
Mother not at home	(87.9)	(12.1)	(0.0)	(12.1)	32	(97.4)	(2.6)	(0.0)	(2.6)	34	92.8	7.2	0.0	7.2	66

[1] MICS indicator 7.4 and MDG indicator 2.1.

Table ED.5

Preparatory and secondary school net attendance rate

Percentage of children of secondary school age regularly attending preparatory, secondary or higher schools (net attendance rate adjusted) in the Sultanate of Oman in 2014

		Males	Females	Total
Selected characteristics	Net attendance rate adjusted [1]	Percentage regularly attending school	Percentage out of school	No. of children	Net attendance rate adjusted [1]	Percentage regularly attending school	Percentage out of school	No. of children	Net attendance rate adjusted [1]	Percentage regularly attending school	Percentage out of school	No. of children
Total		91.3	4.0	4.6	2 350	92.2	3.0	4.8	2 236	91.8	3.5	4.7	4 586
Type of community	U rban	91.9	3.6	4.5	1 646	93.2	2.8	4.0	1 609	92.5	3.2	4.3	3 255
Rural	90.0	5.1	4.9	704	89.9	3.5	6.6	627	89.9	4.3	5.7	1 331
Nationality of head of household	Omani	91.6	3.8	4.6	2 165	92.2	3.1	4.7	2 060	91.9	3.4	4.6	4 225
Expatriate	87.9	7.1	5.0	185	92.2	2.2	5.6	176	90.0	4.7	5.3	362
Age at start of academic year	12	81.6	16.9	1.6	360	86.9	11.5	1.7	373	84.2	14.1	1.6	732
13	91.9	6.5	1.6	401	94.6	4.2	1.2	423	93.3	5.3	1.4	824
14	97.8	1.4	0.8	378	97.1	0.8	2.1	377	97.4	1.1	1.5	755
15	96.9	0.2	2.9	418	94.3	0.3	5.4	358	95.7	0.2	4.1	776
16	92.7	0.4	6.9	416	94.0	0.9	5.1	322	93.3	0.6	6.1	738
17	85.9	0.2	13.8	377	86.6	0.0	13.4	383	86.3	0.1	13.6	761
Mother ’ s educational level	None	90.0	5.4	4.6	701	90.1	3.9	6.0	642	90.1	4.7	5.3	1 343
Below secondary	90.6	4.6	4.8	764	93.4	2.7	4.0	745	92.0	3.6	4.4	1 510
Secondary or above	96.1	3.0	0.9	678	95.8	3.1	1.1	656	96.0	3.0	1.0	1 334
Unspecified	82.7	1.1	16.1	207	82.8	1.1	16.1	193	82.8	1.1	16.1	400

[1] MICS indicator 7.5.

Table ED.6Children reaching last grade of primary school

Percentage of children progressing from the first to the last primary grade (rate of completion of primary education) in the Sultanate of Oman in 2014

Selected characteristics	Percentage passing from first to second grade	Percentage passing from second to third grade	Percentage passing from third to fourth grade	Percentage passing from fourth to fifth grade	Percentage passing from fifth to sixth grade	Percentage passing from first to sixth grade [1]
Total		99.9	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.5	99.4
Type of community	U rban	99.9	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.8	99.6
Rural	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	98.9	98.9
Sex	Male	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Female	99.8	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.0	98.8
Nationality of head of household	Omani	99.9	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.5	99.3
Expatriate	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Mother ’ s educational level	None	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	98.6	98.6
Below secondary	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Above secondary	99.8	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.8
Mother not at home	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

[1] MICS indicator 7.6 and MDG indicator 2.2.

Table ED.7Net rates of completion of primary education and passage to secondary education in the Sultanate of Oman in 2014

Selected characteristics	Rate of completion of primary education [1]	Number of children of school age completing primary education	Rate of passage to secondary education[2]	Number of children in the final primary grade in the previous year	Rate of effective passage to secondary education	Number of children in the final primary grade in the previous year who did not repeat it in the current year
Total		104.9	729	96.5	795	99.9	767
Type of community	U rban	110.8	493	97.8	556	100.0	544
Rural	92.7	236	93.4	238	99.7	223
Sex	Male	101.2	380	95.4	415	100.0	396
Female	109.0	349	97.7	380	99.8	372
Nationality of head of household	Omani	103.9	653	96.3	729	99.9	703
Expatriate	113.8	76	98.9	65	100.0	65
Mother ’ s educational level	None	101.7	171	93.2	205	99.7	192
Below secondary	94.3	245	96.7	277	100.0	268
	Above secondary	115.0	298	98.8	292	100.0	289
	Mother not at home	*	16	*	17	*	17

[1] MICS indicator 7.7.

[2] MICS indicator 7.8.