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Summary: A compilation of extracts featuring child-rights issues from the reports submitted to the first Universal Periodic Review. There are extracts from the 'National Report', the 'Compilation of UN Information' and the 'Summary of Stakeholder's Information'. Also included is the final report and the list of accepted and rejected recommendations. Colombia – 3rd Session – 2008 15. The institutional framework for the protection and promotion of human rights is as follows: In the Executive, the Presidential Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Programme and the human rights departments in the ministries of the interior and justice, defence, foreign relations and social protection. There are also specialized governmental bodies which look after the specific rights of vulnerable population groups such as women, children, the disabled, the elderly, ethnic minorities, displaced persons and demobilized combatants.4 72. Girls continue to suffer the consequences of violence in Colombia. Despite efforts by the State, serious violations of girls’ human rights still occur. There has, however, been some progress. In 2006, pursuant to national and international recommendations, a new Children’s and Adolescents’ Code was promulgated, acknowledging children as full possessors of rights, establishing the guiding principles of prevalence, best interests, a differentiated approach and the collective responsibility of the family, society and the State to prevent violations and fully guarantee children’s rights, organizing the services that institutions offer and setting up a special liability regime for adolescents who break the law. 73. The National Plan of Action for the Prevention and Elimination of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, 2006-2011, and the National Strategy for the Prevention and Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 2008-2015, have been put into effect; the Intersectoral Commission to prevent the recruitment and use of children by organized outlaw groups was set up in 2007. 74. The Colombian Family Welfare Institute, a State body responsible for promoting and protecting children’s rights, has been given a technical and budgetary boost in recent years (its investment budget has tripled since 2002), and has become a Latin American model of its kind. 75. Other achievements include: 76. The challenges facing the State are: 103. The spread in educational coverage over the past four years has been considerable: Between 2002 and 2006, gross primary and secondary (middle school) education coverage increased from 88 per cent to 94 per cent, and higher (pre-degree course) coverage, from 24 per cent to 31 per cent. 104. The current Government’s strategies for expanding preschool, primary and secondary education have, through investment in school infrastructure and the adoption of flexible education models, created 1,348,703 new school places. 105. Supplementing the above there is a Ten-Year Plan for Education 2006-2016, which is intended to turn into a social compact on the right to education that, with assistance from the country’s institutions and citizenry, will allow the right decisions to be identified and taken for the changes which education requires to come about. 106. Despite the State’s efforts, many challenges remain. According to the report on the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, by 2015 Colombia should have: 107. Meeting these goals will be complicated by problems with quality, permanence, availability and access, the latter entailing latent problems with resources, availability of information, and access in rural areas. Where quality is concerned, studies are needed to show what steps to take to improve scores, given that achieving quality in education is not just the responsibility of the State but also of society at large. As regards permanence, there are problems such as child labour and teenage pregnancy. 108. The State has taken a variety of initiatives to overcome these problems. For instance, the National Development Plan calls for basic and middle education coverage to be extended; the SABER (“knowledge”) tests that Colombian schoolteachers were required to take are intended to improve teaching quality; the Families in Action programme, launched in 2000, has improved the secondary school attendance rate among the children of beneficiary families. 112. As regards progress in vaccination and infant mortality, the Expanded Programme of Immunization has been extended, nationally and regionally, and the multilateral bank has granted a loan which has facilitated greater equality in immunization and efficient use of resources. 1. In 2003, the Committee against Torture (CAT) recommended that Colombia make the declarations referred to in articles 21 and 22 of the Convention and ratify OP-CAT.7 The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recommended in 2006 that Colombia consider withdrawal of its declaration for a seven year period to the Statue of the International Criminal Court on the jurisdiction of war crimes.8 3. In her 2007 Report, the High Commissioner for Human Rights encouraged the Defensoría del Pueblo de la Republica - re-accredited with ‘A’ status in October 2007, by the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions10 - to reinforce his efforts to strengthen the authority of his Office.11 CRC expressed concern that large parts of the country lack the presence of civilian authorities, notably the Defensoría del Pueblo, in order to effectively monitor children’s rights.12 6. Two 2007 reports of the Secretary-General noted respectively that Colombia launched a policy to fight impunity18 and carried out programmatic efforts to prevent the recruitment of children and promote reintegration.19 CEDAW welcomed the Strategic Plan for the defence of women’s rights in the justice system.20 CRC noted the ongoing development of a National Plan of Action and recommended that adequate resources be allocated for its implementation.21 7. The HR Committee recommended that Colombia ensure the full implementation without delay of its observations in respect of the Optional Protocol.23 CRC urged Colombia to address recommendations made in 2000 that had been only partly addressed.24 Both the HR Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) regretted that Colombia had not provided sufficient information on the implementation of previous concluding observations.25 11. In 2007, CEDAW noted with satisfaction progress made towards eliminating discrimination against women and promoting gender equality and welcomed the important contribution of the judiciary in this regard.44 A 2006 UNICEF report also noted equal opportunity legislation, and that the laws promote and guarantee the rights of girls and women.45 12. In 2004, the HR Committee expressed concern about continued discrimination against indigenous and minority communities.46 In 2006 CRC noted with concern that widespread discrimination existed towards certain vulnerable groups, such as Afro-Colombian and indigenous children and children living in rural and remote areas.47 15. In 2004, the HR Committee already noted with concern murders of human rights defenders, political52 and trade union leaders53, judges54 and journalists.55 CRC expressed concern in 2006 at the high numbers of teachers killed in the areas affected by the internal armed conflict.56 20. In 2006, CRC expressed serious concern that children continued to be victims of torture, cruel and degrading treatment and noted that, although members of illegal armed groups bore primary responsibility, State agents, including members of the military, were also implicated.65 CAT and CRC recommended that Colombia take all necessary measures in this regard.66 21. A 2008 UNICEF report noted that recruitment of children by the armed forces is prohibited by law.67 A 2007 report of the Secretary-General noted that children have been used by Government armed forces for intelligence purposes despite official Government policy to the contrary.68 22. In her 2007 Report, the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that the demobilized paramilitary groups failed to fulfill their obligation to hand over children in their ranks.69 Following the paramilitary demobilization process, 2007 was marked by the emergence or consolidation of a range of new illegal armed groups70 that continue to recruit children.71 A 2007 report of the Secretary-General noted that the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) and the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) continue to recruit children.72 Expressing concern about the inadequate social reintegration, rehabilitation and reparations available for demobilized child soldiers, CRC made recommendations in this regard.73 23. In her 2008 Report, the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that cases are still being recorded of boys and girls seriously harmed by anti-personnel mines74, acts of sexual violence75, indiscriminate attacks and terrorist activities.76 A 2008 UNICEF report noted that the presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance represents a serious and growing threat.77 24. In 2007, CEDAW expressed concern about insufficient steps to address pervasive violence, noting that the prevailing situation puts women and girls at constant risk of becoming victims of all forms of violence.78 27. While welcoming the integrated approach to combat trafficking in persons, CEDAW expressed concern about the persistent scope of the problem and about the links between drug trafficking and trafficking in women and girls.82 CRC also welcomed the initiatives of the State, but expressed concern over the high number of children who are victims of sexual exploitation, trafficking83 and economic exploitation.84 28. CRC noted with concern the very high number of street children and their vulnerability to youth gangs. It also underlined the threats posed by social cleansing.85 29. In 2006, CRC noted with concern the failure of the current legal framework for the ongoing negotiation with the paramilitaries to take into account the basic principles of truth, justice and reparations for the victims. It made recommendations in this regard.86 In her 2008 Report the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that structural problems were persisting in the administration of justice including the underreporting of crimes, difficulties to access the judicial system, and corruption.87 38. CRC expressed concern in 2006 that the minimum age for marriage is too low.107 43. A 2007 UNICEF report noted that despite its reduction114, poverty continues to be widespread and particularly prevalent among IDPs, indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups, children under nine and rural populations, and that income distribution shows high inequality.115 CRC expressed serious concern over the growing gaps in the standard of living and the increasing number of children living in poverty or extreme poverty.116 The High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the Government to increase its efforts in this regard.117 44. In 2006, CRC expressed concern over limited access to the health care system and noted the following, among other issues: access to health services was unequal; malnutrition continued to affect a large proportion of the displaced, the Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations; despite considerable efforts to increase vaccination, coverage remained unequal due to regional discrepancies. Like CESCR in 2001, CRC recommended an increase in public expenditure assigned for the health sector and advised that distribution take into account disadvantaged population groups and regions.118 47. A 2005 UNDP report noted that children abandon schooling at higher rates in municipalities where paramilitaries and insurgents are active.121 CRC expressed concern at the recurrent use of schools by State armed forces and establishment of military bases near schools, which become military targets for illegal armed groups; and the participation of children in military training activities and school study visits to military bases.122 48. In 2006, CRC noted that free education for nine years is enshrined as a constitutional right, but with the reservation that costs be levied upon those who can afford to pay.123 CRC noted that this provision has created a discriminatory educational system marked by arbitrary fees and social exclusion.124 50. A 2008 UNICEF report noted that the effects of violence generated by illegal armed groups on indigenous communities are especially severe as the conflict has gradually caused the expulsion of indigenous communities from their ancestral territories.126 In 2008, an ILO Committee of Experts expressed deep concern at allegations of threats and violations of the right to life and the personal integrity in communities of African extraction of Curvarado and Jiguamando.127 In her 2008 Report, the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups have also been affected by large-scale projects imposed on their collectively held territories and by legislation unfavourable to traditional forms of production, by the development of major infrastructure projects and by the aerial spraying of illegal crops.128 54. While commending the Government for its far-reaching legislation and policy on IDPs, as well as for efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs of the IDPs, the Representative of the Secretary General for internally displaced persons noted that the lack of consistent and coherent implementation affects the capacities of IDPs to effectively exercise their rights.136 Similar concerns were raised by the HR Committee and CRC in 2004 and 2006 respectively.137 A 2007 UNHCR report noted that displaced women are particularly hard hit by the violence, while girls are vulnerable to sexual and gender-based abuse.138 68. CRC recommended that Colombia seek technical assistance160 from, inter alia, OHCHR and UNICEF in areas such as juvenile justice and police training161 and social reintegration, rehabilitation and reparations available to demobilized child soldiers and child victims of landmines.162 3. According to AI, the legal framework for the demobilization process of paramilitary groups initiated in 2003 has failed to conform to international standards on the rights of victims to truth, justice and reparation, as well as to ensure that paramilitaries are effectively dismantled and held to account for any human rights abuses.7 About ten percent of the more than 31,000 paramilitaries that are said to have demobilized, have been included within the scope of the Justice and Peace process, under which they will benefit from reduced sentences in return for “full” disclosure of their involvement in human rights violations. The remaining 90 percent have so far escaped prosecution because Decree 128 grants de facto amnesties to those who are not under criminal investigation for human rights abuses or who have not been convicted of such crimes.8 According to Vides Internazionale (VI), the Ministry of Defence estimates that between 2002 and 2008, 16,074 ex members of armed groups have demobilized individually, 2,412 of which were child soldiers.9 VI also indicated that children must be considered victims of forced and illicit recruitment, and therefore should not be considered liable for crimes committed during their status as conscripted soldiers.10 4. Conscience and Peace Tax International (CPTI) indicated that under Article 2 of Law 548/99, the possibility of “voluntary” enlistment on mandatory military service of under the age of 18 had been repealed.11 14. According to JS1, between 2002 and 2007, around 932 persons were subjected to 21. According to VI, it is estimated that there are between 11,000 and 14,000 child soldiers in Colombia today.62 HRW indicated that the guerrillas regularly recruit children as combatants, including children under the age of 15.63 AI reported that it continues to receive reports about forced recruitment of children by both guerrilla and paramilitary groups.64 On 6 March 2007, the Ministry of Defence issued a Directive prohibiting the use of children for intelligence purposes; however, AI indicated that the Colombian security forces continue to employ children in intelligence and other similar activities. AI also noted that on 12 February 2008, the government accepted the reporting and monitoring mechanisms under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1612 (2005) but expressed reservations about extending the reporting and monitoring mechanism to cover acts of sexual violence.65 AI called on the government to ensure the full participation of NGOs in the mechanism, the effective coordination with the United Nations as well as the inclusion of sexual violence as a specific category within the mechanism. AI also called on the government to acknowledge that paramilitaries, as well as guerrilla groups, continue to recruit children and, as such, should not be removed from the United Nations Secretary General’s list of parties that recruit or use children in situations of armed conflict.66 23. The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children (GIEACPC) made reference to concerns expressed by the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the use of corporal punishment in the home and schools and other institutions, recommending enforcement of the legislation. GIEACPC further noted that there is no explicit prohibition of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions.68 GIEACPC hoped the review will recommend that the government enact explicit prohibition of all corporal punishment, however “light,” in all settings.69 24. The new Children’s and Adolescents’ Code established a new system for dealing with offences committed by minors. There is nevertheless much concern regarding the transition phase, since a great deal of effort is needed to train professionals, to verify the suitability of institutions and the diversification of educational models, according to reports by the JS4 organizations.70 28. In their joint submission, World Vision, Plan Internacional Colombia, Aldeas SOS Colombia (SOS Children’s Villages), Observatorio sobre Infancia de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Children’s Observatory of the University of Colombia), and Save the Children United Kingdom (JS4) reported that a significant number of children throughout the country have not been entered in the civil registry of births, while others who were entered no longer appear in the registry, owing to the fact that the process of modernizing and automating the National Registry has still not been completed.80 According to the law, children must be registered at the place of their birth, which is not easy to comply with for persons who have had to move or have insufficient means to do so.81 33. The JS1 organizations indicated that although the country has enjoyed significant levels of economic growth in recent years, this has not led to a decrease in inequality, poverty and unemployment. Regressive measures have been adopted, such as cutting back resources transferred to local authorities for investments related to health, education and basic sanitation.92 According to official figures quoted by the JS1 organizations, 41 percent of the population are in a situation of food insecurity, while public health has been deteriorating. The health system suffers from very uneven levels of coverage and quality, which depend on people’s ability to pay. A further concern is the closure and privatization of the specialized hospital network.93 The JS3 organizations noted the absence of public policies in favour of the LGBT population.94 The JS4 organizations commented on the high proportion of the population without access to basic services, or to supplies of drinking water or sanitation; the nutritional situation of ethnic minorities; the worrying number of international adoptions; the ill-treatment of children; the sexual and commercial exploitation of minors; and child labour, chiefly in the informal sector and in high risk occupations.95 36. The JS1 organizations reported that in Colombia primary education is not free of charge. According to official data, the rate of illiteracy among persons over the age of 15 is 7.9 per cent. The rate among Afro-Colombian women is 18.4 per cent and men 16.9 per cent, among indigenous men 13.1 per cent and indigenous women 22 per cent.99 According to the JS3 organizations, discrimination on the ground of sexual preference is encouraged by several bodies in the education system, which is reflected in the lack of public policies in favour of the LGBT population.100 37. AI and HRW indicated that the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) continues to increase. In the last 20 years, 3-4 million people have been forcibly displaced, in particular campesino and Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities.101 The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council IDMC/NRWC indicated that none of the IDPs live in camps, but there are areas where the majority of the inhabitants are IDPs. 96 per cent of the country’s more than 1,000 municipalities have experienced force displacement.102 Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities are proportionally more exposed to conflict, violence and displacement.103 The IDMC/NRC expressed concern inter alia about the precarious living conditions of IDPs in humanitarian zones; the increasing threats and attacks against returnees; the protection risks of internally displaced children and their limited access to education; the lack of adequate protection and effective remedies.104 12.Regarding children’s rights, Colombia highlighted the issuing of the Code of Childhood and Adolescence; the drafting and application of the plan of action to prevent and eradicate commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescent; a strategy to eradicate child work that reduced it from 12.9 per cent in 2001 to 8.9 per cent in 2005; the budget of the Family Welfare Institute, which has increased form $311 million to $1,092 million between 2002 and 2008; the Inter-sectorial Commission to prevent recruiting and utilization of children by illegal groups; and participation by 3,712 youngsters in integral assistance programmes for demobilized populations conducted with UNICEF. With regard to women, Colombia highlighted the implementation of the policy for women constructing peace and development; the national agreement for equity between women and men, signed by State entities; the average participation of women in the Government ministries (30 per cent in leading offices); and the Gender Issues Observatory having been highlighted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean as best practice in the continent. 22. Argentina acknowledged the State’s efforts in human rights, globally and regionally, highlighting policies to fight paramilitary groups, and welcoming programmes for children recruited by illegal armed groups. It valued the open invitation to special procedures and the increasingly extensive inclusion of civil society in the design and implementation of national policies on human rights. It recognized the establishment of the Observatory for Gender Issues. It applauded that the recently adopted Justice and Peace Law includes principles on the right to truth, justice, preservation of historical memory and collective reparation of victims. Argentina recommended that Colombia (a) consider the possibility of implementing free primary education; (b) consider the possibility of ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; and (c) accept the jurisdiction of the related Committee. 33. Austria noted that, while recruitment of children by the armed forces is prohibited by law, the phenomenon still exists, in particular in rural communities, with indigenous children. Austria asked about reasons for the difficulties in implementing Government policies and about measures designed to improve the situation, and for information on the work of the Inter-sectorial Commission. Austria recommended that Colombia (a) take all necessary steps to ensure the recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers and to address the underlying exclusion and marginality that makes rural children particularly vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups; and(b) increase efforts to address the question of sexual violence of children, particularly in rural areas and to develop effective data collection with regard to sexual and physical abuse of children to ensure that adequate reports, policing and juridical measures are in place. Concerned about the high number of internally displaced persons and lack of protection for the physical safety of their leaders, Austria welcomed efforts to tackle the problem and the constructive role of the Constitutional Court, but recommended that Colombia (c) increase efforts to end impunity of those responsible for forced displacement, and intensify security measures for communities of internally displaced persons, particularly by protecting their property rights. Austria recommended that (d) recommendations of the OHCHR field office be fully implemented as a means to contribute to the improvement of the human rights situation on the ground. 37. Slovenia commended the State’s ratification of the most important human rights instruments and for having adopted laws to implement its international obligations, but expressed concern at the gap between legislation and its implementation. Following the concern expressed by the Human Rights Committee in 2004 that Colombia does not allow conscientious objection to military service, Slovenia recommended that Colombia (a) recognize this right in law and practice and ensure that recruitment methods allow it. The State should guarantee that conscientious objectors are able to opt for alternative service, the duration of which would not have punitive effects. It expressed concern about the recruitment of children, with the forced recruitment of minors by the guerrilla and the paramilitaries estimated at 14,000 minors, citing the worrying situation in Medellin. It asked the delegation for an update on a request for transitional measures made in 2005 to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. It expressed concern that the demobilization process of the paramilitaries had reportedly failed to hand over a large number of children for their reintegration into society, and recommended that the Government (b) address the issue of unaccounted for children and guarantee free primary education as a preventive measure against such recruitments. Concerned also about the alleged use of children by State security forces in military intelligence activities and through programmes such as “Soldiers for a day”, it recommended (c) its cessation, in compliance with a recommendation by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2006. It expressed concern at the extent of impunity, particularly for those responsible for child recruitment. It hoped to see the new draft legislation on reparations for victims of the armed conflict as fully comprehensive and non-discriminatory between victims of State agents and non-State actors, in line with the United Nations Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation and the recommendations made by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to Colombia. It congratulated Colombia on having being reviewed on the historic day of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 41. Japan applauded the Government’s efforts to improve public security, crucial to the protection of the right to life for all citizens. It requested more efforts to improve the country’s human rights situation, including to prevent forced disappearances and kidnappings and to protect the human rights of indigenous peoples. It welcomed the enforcement of the 2006 Colombian Law on Children and Adolescents to protect the rights of children and youths and to stop sexual exploitation and child labour, but asked how much it has worked, given continuing serious human rights violations against girls. It expressed continued support for efforts to tackle various human rights issues, including measures to improve the situation of internally displaced persons, the socially vulnerable and education and to deal with anti-personnel land mines. As president of the Group of 24, Japan said it wished to lead the international community’s efforts to build peace in Colombia. 46. Malaysia noted that, despite the challenges and daunting obstacles, more could be done, and recommended (a) considering extending the network of Government services for the delivery of socio-economic and development aid to rural areas. It recommended that Colombia (b) continue its efforts in seeking to break the linkages between elements of the armed forces, State security forces and illegal paramilitary groups; (c) take stronger measures to address the problem of organized crimes and drug trafficking, in particular, to focus on the link between drug trafficking and trafficking in women and girls; and (d) accept the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child that Colombia seek technical assistance from, inter alia, OHCHR and UNICEF, in areas including juvenile justice, rehabilitation, repatriations, police training and the social reintegration of demobilized child soldiers and child victims of landmines. 56. Romania requested further elaboration on the policies envisaged to ensure full implementation of the right to education and non-discrimination in access to education, particularly regarding indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups, and on measures to fight against the phenomenon of children abandoning school. It requested information on cooperation with civil society in preparing the national report, and on intentions regarding the follow-up to the review. Romania recommended (a) ensuring the full protection of children’s rights, in particular of children who are victims of the internal armed conflict and adequately addressing all situations of violence against women; and (b) adopting measures to protect human rights defenders and cooperate with human rights organizations in adopting a national plan of action for human rights and in the implementation of review recommendations. 57.Hungary welcomed the promulgation of the new Code for Children in 2006 and the creation of the inter-sectorial commission for the prevention of the recruitment and use of children and young persons by illegal armed groups. However, citing statements by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner, it stated that there is still concern about the use of children for military and intelligence purposes by illegal armed groups and the Government itself. It asked what measures Colombia intends to take to resolve the issue. Hungary commended the launch of the Ministry of the Interior’s protection programme to defend human rights defenders. It recommended (a) equal emphasis on the implementation of this programme on the field, bearing in mind the joint statement of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on the situation of human rights defenders with other special rapporteurs who expressed concerns about the situation and called for appropriate measures to be taken by Colombia; and (b) the visit of the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders that was requested in 2006 but not yet agreed upon. 70. With regard to the Justice and Peace Law Unit, Colombia reiterated its commitment to accelerating the process of establishing the truth; accelerating the identification of human remains so that they can be handed over to family members; and inquiring into and investigating crimes committed by demobilized individuals against women and children, particularly sexual violence and the recruitment of children. The State’s mission is to ensure that the rights to truth and justice for victims are respected and that the process of peace and demobilization for these groups takes place without prejudice to their guarantees for reparation. The following recommendations were accepted: 87.16. Ensure the full protection of children’s rights, in particular of children who are victims of the internal armed conflict, and adequately address all situations of violence against women (Romania); 19. Demobilize, within the guerrilla and the paramilitaries, children combatants who have been forcibly recruited (Uruguay); take all necessary steps to ensure the recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers and address the underlying exclusion and marginality, which makes rural children particularly vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups (Austria); address the issue of unaccounted for children not handed over after the demobilization process of the paramilitaries and guarantee free primary education as a preventive measure against forced recruitments (Slovenia); 20. Timely cooperate with the monitoring mechanism based on Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and adopt concrete measures to prevent and punish all kinds of recruitment or use of children in armed conflict (Czech Republic); continue to work constructively with the United Nations on the implementation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism of Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) on children and armed conflict (Canada); 21. Accept the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child that Colombia seek technical assistance from, inter alia, OHCHR and UNICEF, in areas including juvenile justice, rehabilitation, repatriations, police training and social reintegration of demobilized child soldiers and child victims of landmines (Malaysia); 22. Increase efforts to address the question of sexual violence of children, in particular in rural areas, develop effective data collection with regard to sexual and physical abuse of children and ensure that adequate report, policing and juridical measures are in place (Austria); 35. Take stronger measures to address the problem of organized crimes and drug trafficking, in particular, to focus on the link between drug trafficking and trafficking in women and girls (Malaysia); 40. Continue efforts to implement its commitments, as described in paragraphs 67, 71 and 76 of the national report with regard to the protection of displaced persons, women and children (Algeria); 56. Consider the possibility of implementing free primary education (Argentina); 57. Adopt concrete measures to ensure universal access to quality primary education (Czech 58. Expand access to education by offering free public primary education (Brazil); 65. Paragraph 37(b) (Slovenia): "To address the issue of unaccounted for children not handed over after the demobilization process of the paramilitaries and guarantee free primary education as a preventive measure against forced recruitments" - Paragraph 40(d) (Czech Republic): "Recommend timely cooperation with the monitoring mechanism based on the Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and adoption of concrete measures to prevent and punish all kinds of recruitment or use of children in armed conflict" Colombia did not reject any recommendations
10 December - 14.30 p.m. to 17.30 p.m.
National report
Compilation of UN information
Summary of stakeholders' information
Final Report
Accepted and rejected recommendations
• Entrenchment of the Social Protection System set up to safeguard girls’ rights
• Better comprehensive care for abused and sexually exploited girls, thanks to the introduction of specialist victim-care units
• The level of inter-institutional coordination brought about by the various inter -sectoral plans and strategies
• To give full effect to the new Code in all areas
• To provide backing for the Social Protection System to safeguard boys’ rights
• To bolster policies on comprehensive social and family protection so as to prevent recruitment
• To bring child labour indices down to 5.1 per cent by 2015
• Attained universal basic education
• Reduced illiteracy among 15- to 24-year-olds to 1 per cent
• Reached gross coverage levels of 100 per cent for basic education (preschool, primary and lower secondary) and 93 per cent for higher secondary (middle school) education
• Established an average of 10.6 years’ schooling among the 15- to 24-year-old age group
• Reduced the repeat rate in basic and middle education to 2.3 per cent
torture; 90.6 per cent of these cases involved the State’s responsibility, while 9.4 per cent are believed to be attributable to the guerrilla.41 Out of the total number, 82 were women and 33 minors. There were further reports of cases of cruel and degrading treatment by the police against the LGBT population.42
Accepted and Rejected Recommendations
Republic);