EL SALVADOR: Children's Rights in UN Treaty Body Reports

Summary: This report extracts mentions of children's rights issues in the reports of all UN Treaty Bodies and their follow-up procedures. This does not include the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child which are available here: http://www.crin.org/resources/treaties/index.asp

Please note that the language may have been edited in places for the purpose of clarity.

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UN Human Rights Committee

(CCPR/C/SLV/CO/6)

Last reported: 11 and 12 October 2010
Concluding Observations adopted: 27 October 2010

Concerns raised:

  • Women and girls performing domestic work. The Committee is concerned about the harsh working conditions, excessive working hours and unpaid or poorly paid work. The Committee recommends that the State party adopt effective measures to remedy the discriminatory treatment of female domestic workers. (Paragraph 11)
  • Education: The Committee is concerned about the high school drop-out rate in the State party, affecting mainly girls in rural areas. It recommended that the State party take all necessary steps to improve the attendance rate of children at all levels of education. (Paragraph 12)

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UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

(E/C.12/SLV/CO/2)

Last reported: 8 and 9 November 2006
Concluding Observations: 21 November 2006

Concerns raised:

  • Migration and social protection: Owing to a lack of economic opportunities, nearly one out of every three Salvadorans emigrates. This has negative consequences, such as the disintegration of the family, a lack of protection for families, particularly women, who are forced to be heads of single-parent families and children and adolescents, as well as an increase in violence and the proliferation of youth gangs (maras). The Committee urges the State party to provide assistance to women who are heads of single-parent families, and to implement support programmes for children and adolescents whose parents have emigrated. (Pargraphs 21, 40)
  • Gangs: The youth gangs (maras) are composed mainly of socially and economically marginalised young men. Most of the gangs have arisen as a result of problems such as unemployment, the use of child labour, urban violence and family disintegration. (Paragraph 22)
  • Child labour: Despite the State party's efforts to eliminate child labour, particularly in the sugar cane sector, this practice persists in El Salvador, particularly in domestic service. The Committee is particularly alarmed at reports that girls, including very young girls, are employed as domestic workers, and regrets that it has not received any information in this regard from the State party. (Paragraph 23)
  • Education: Families of primary school children are obliged to pay fees even in the public system. The fact that secondary and higher education are mainly provided by private centres may increase the school drop-out rate. The Committee requests that the State party take measures to guarantee the right to education to all sectors of the population without discrimination, and provide detailed information in this respect in its next periodic report, including disaggregated statistics on the school dropout rate. (Paragraphs 26, 45)

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UN Committee against Torture

(CAT/C/SLV/CO/2)

Last reported: 5 and 6 November 2009
Concluding Observations adopted: 18 November 2009

Concerns raised:

  • Enforced disappearances: The State's failure to provide full redress to the child victims of enforced or involuntary disappearances during the armed conflict between 1980 and 1992 and their families. The Committee further notes the inadequate investigation into, punishment of, and the lack of full redress and compensation for those crimes. The Committee welcomes the as yet limited efforts of the Inter-agency Commission on the search for children who disappeared during the armed conflict and the plan to restructure the Commission and redefine its functions. It also welcomes the invitation extended by the State party to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances in 2007. (Paragraph 5)
  • Prison conditions for minors who suffer ill-treatment and inadequate access to medical services and education. The Committee recommends that the State party should: (a) Take immediate steps to reduce overcrowding in prisons, in particular through the application of alternatives to imprisonment, and take steps to improve infrastructure, sanitary conditions and health services; (b) Ensure that accused persons are kept separate from convicted prisoners, women from men and children from adults in all places of detention; (c) Provide the necessary equipment, personnel and budgetary resources to ensure that prison conditions throughout the country are brought into line with minimum international standards and principles relating to prisoners' rights; (d) Abolish all forms of incommunicado detention; (e) Pursue the development of programmes for prisoner resocialisation and reintegration; (f) Take urgent steps to prevent violence among prisoners and ensure the prompt, impartial and thorough investigation of all incidents of violence in detention facilities and the punishment of those responsible. Prisoners' complaints should not have to be made within a specific time frame; (g) Promptly, impartially and thoroughly investigate all allegations of ill-treatment of child prisoners and take urgent steps to prevent acts of torture and ill-treatment of child prisoners. The State party should also ensure that the deprivation of liberty is a last resort, used for the shortest time possible, and promote the use of alternatives to custodial sentences. (Paragraph 19)
  • Trafficking: There are continuous reports of cases involving the internal and cross-border trafficking of women and children for sexual and other purposes. The Committee deplores the fact that the officials suspected of committing these acts have not been properly investigated, prosecuted and punished. The Committee does, however, recognise the efforts made by the State party to deal with the trafficking of women and girls, such as the creation of a temporary shelter for women and their children who have been victims of commercial sexual and other forms of exploitation and of a shelter for girl victims of trafficking. (Paragraph 24)

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UN Committee against Torture: Follow-up

(extracts for follow-up)

2-20 November 2009

Conditions of detention

(...)

19. The Committee is also particularly concerned about prison conditions for minors, who suffer from ill-treatment and inadequate access to medical services and education (arts. 11 and 16).

The Committee recommends that the State party should:

(a) Take immediate steps to reduce overcrowding in prisons, in particular through the application of alternatives to imprisonment, and take steps to improve infrastructure, sanitary conditions and health services;

(b) Ensure that accused persons are kept separate from convicted prisoners, women from men and children from adults in all places of detention;

(c) Provide the necessary equipment, personnel and budgetary resources to ensure that prison conditions throughout the country are brought into line with minimum international standards and principles relating to prisoners' rights;

(d) Abolish all forms of incommunicado detention;

(e) Pursue the development of programmes for prisoner resocialisation and reintegration;

(f) Take urgent steps to prevent violence among prisoners and ensure the prompt, impartial and thorough investigation of all incidents of violence in detention facilities and the punishment of those responsible.

Prisoners' complaints should not have to be made within a specific time frame;

(g) Promptly, impartially and thoroughly investigate all allegations of ill-treatment of child prisoners and take urgent steps to prevent acts of torture and ill-treatment against child prisoners. The State party should also ensure that the deprivation of liberty is a last resort, used for the shortest time possible, and promote the use of alternatives to custodial sentences.

Violence against women and femicide

21. The Committee notes the setting up of 14 Inter-Institutional Committees to implement the National Plan on Domestic Violence, the establishment of observatories on violence and the initiation in 2005 of the national research project on femicide. The Committee takes note of a draft bill on violence against women and the touring fairs aimed at educating and informing people about domestic violence.

Nevertheless, it is very concerned at the prevalence of numerous forms of violence against women and girls, including sexual abuse, domestic violence and the violent deaths of women (femicide). The Committee is furthermore concerned at the absence of thorough investigations into reported cases and the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of such acts (arts. 12, 13 and 16).

The State party should increase its efforts to ensure that urgent and efficient protection measures are put in place to prevent and combat violence against women and girls, including sexual abuse, domestic violence and femicide. The Committee considers that these crimes should not go unpunished and the State party should provide human and financial resources to punish the perpetrators of these acts. The State party should also organise widespread awareness-raising campaigns and training courses on violence against women and girls for officials in direct contact with the victims (law enforcement officers, judges, lawyers, social workers, etc.) as well as for the public at large.

35. The Committee requests the State party to inform it within one year of the steps taken in pursuance of the recommendations contained in paragraphs 15, 19 and 21.

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

(CEDAW/C/SLV/CO/8-9)

Concluding observations published: 3 March 2017

Last reported: 12 June 2015

Positive developments: The Committee welcomes the progress achieved in particular the adoption of

the Law on the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents (LEPINA), in April 2009, which mandates the Ministry of Education to provide education on gender, reproductive health and discrimination against women in the educational system; The Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy, in August 2012, which focuses on awareness raising on family planning methods and comprises a section specifically addressing adolescent health; The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child concerning a communications procedure, in February 2015 (paras 4, 5, 6).

Gender-based violence against women: The Committee is however concerned at the insufficient resources allocated to the implementation of the Law for a Violence-Free Life of Women,  especially in light of the increasing rates of feminicide and high rates of domestic violence and sexual violence against women and adolescent girls in the State party; Limited efforts made for protection and recovery of women and girl victims of gang violence and their families in the current national security plan (Plan El Salvador Seguro; PESS), especially considering the link of gender-based violence to criminal gang activities (para 22).

The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen the capacity of judges, lawyers and law enforcement personnel on the strict application of the Law for a Violence-Free Life of Women, the Law for Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents and their corresponding implementation guidelines (para 23).

Trafficking and sexual exploitation: The Committee is alarmed at reports of sexual exploitation of young women and girls by criminal gangs under threats of homicide against them and their families. It remains concerned at the absence of a strategy for protecting women and girls from trafficking and sexual exploitation and to reintegrate victims. The Committee is also concerned at the insufficient efforts to monitor and fight trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well as the lack of investigations into cases of trafficking in women and girls and the very low number of prosecutions and convictions of perpetrators. The Committee recommends that the State party: Develop a comprehensive strategy and plan of action to prevent and combat trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls, with particular attention to gang-related victimization; Provide in its next periodic report data on trafficking, exploitation of prostitution of women and girls, the number of prosecutions and convictions in trafficking and sexual exploitation cases, as well as on the impact of the measures taken to combat these phenomena (paras 24, 25).

Education: The Committee is concerned at low school attendance of girls, and reports indicating a high rate of absenteeism due to adolescent pregnancies; Reports of gangs using schools as place of forcible recruitment and of parents preventing girls from attending school in order to protect them from such violence; Low diversification of academic and vocational choices for girls, including low availability of flexible education schemes in rural areas. The Committee recommends that the State party put into place a mechanism for monitoring newly adopted legislation prohibiting and punishing discrimination of pregnant girls, as well as sexual harassment and abuse of girls in school. This should be accompanied with  dissemination of information to students and parents on the right to remain in and to be reintegrated into school when during and/or following pregnancy. Strengthen the capacity of teaching staff for in Comprehensive Sexual Education and continue strengthening age-appropriate school-based education on sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescent girls and boys through the family life education curriculum, in line with the Committee’s previous concluding observations; Ensure safety for girls from violence and recruitment into criminal gangs in schools so as to prevent them from dropping out from school; Strengthen efforts to eradicate illiteracy, particularly among women and girls in rural areas; Ensure equal access of girls and young women to all levels of education and intensify efforts aimed at diversifying their academic and vocational choices (paras 30, 31).

Health: The Committee welcomes the preparation of a draft Law on Sexual and Reproductive Health in December 2016, the development of a strategy aiming to reduce adolescent pregnancies, the introduction of the Comprehensive and Integrated Health-Service Networks  and efforts made for 24/7 availability of reproductive health services at most maternity clinics. It notes that these actions have increased prenatal visits  pregnancies and expanded institutional coverage, leading to a significant decrease in maternal mortality. While noting the numerous efforts to enhance women’s and girls’ access to reproductive health services, including the Young Women’s City Programme (Ciudad Mujer Jóven), the Committee remains concerned at the limited impact of these measures, especially in view of high fertility rates and early pregnancy rates among adolescent girls. The Committee is moreover concerned at the stigmatization of women in prostitution and women living with HIV/AIDS who seek sexual and reproductive health services (para 34).

The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen measures to ensure access for girls, adolescents and women, including those living in rural areas, to adequate sexual and reproductive health services, including modern contraceptive methods and family planning, giving special attention to the prevention of early pregnancies and unsafe abortions and to appropriate education on sexual and reproductive health rights and responsible sexual behaviour; Carry out a comprehensive analysis on the access to sexual and reproductive health services and contraception, gathering information on the impact of programmes to reduce and prevent pregnancy among adolescent girls for inclusion in its next periodic report (para 35).

Women’s economic empowerment: The Committee is concerned at the lack of child care facilities. The Committee recommends that the State party Raise awareness among women and men about their equal family responsibilities, encouraging men to participate equally in child rearing and household responsibilities and introducing flexible working hours for women and men in both the public and private sectors; Provide adequate childcare facilities throughout the State party (paras 38, 39).

Child marriage: The Committee is concerned that the Family Code recognizes early pregnancies as a reason to celebrate marriage before the age of 18, which illustrates insufficient harmonization of this Code with the Law for a Violence-Free Life for Women (LEIV). The Committee is also concerned at reports of the social acceptance of sexual and marital relations of children and teenagers with older men. The Committee recommends that the State party expedite its reform of the Family Code, abrogating exceptions to the minimum age of 18 for marriage, thereby bringing it into line with article 16, para. 2 of the Convention. The Committee further recommends awareness-raising on negative implications of early marriage for the health and education of girls (paras 47, 48).

(CEDAW/C/SLV/CO/7)

Last reported: 31 October 2008
Concluding Observations published: 7 November 2008

Concerns raised:

  • Trafficking: There are insufficient investigations into cases of trafficking in women and girls and, consequently, a very low number of perpetrators are prosecuted and punished. Furthermore, the Committee is also concerned at the lack of shelters available for trafficked women and children. The Committee notes with appreciation, however, the measures taken by the State party to tackle the phenomenon of trafficking, such as the creation of the National Committee on Trafficking in Persons, the publication of the Foreign Service Handbook on combating trafficking in persons and the formulation of a strategy by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Republic for inter-institutional action against commercial sexual exploitation. The Committee urges the State party to intensify its efforts to combat all forms of trafficking in women and girls. It also calls on the State party to collect and analyse data from the police and international sources, prosecute and punish traffickers, ensure the protection of the human rights of trafficked women and girls, and provide for their rehabilitation. The Committee calls on the State party to ensure that trafficked women and girls receive adequate support to be in a position to testify without fear against their traffickers. The Committee further encouraged the State party to develop awareness-raising programmes, conduct research on the root causes of trafficking, provide comprehensive training to lawyers, criminal justice workers, health-care providers and law enforcement officials in all matters concerning sexual exploitation and trafficking, and continue bilateral and multilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries. (Paragraphs 25, 26)
  • Education: The Committee expresses concern about the significant level of illiteracy of women, in particular in rural areas, and the persistent high drop-out and repetition rates at different levels of schooling which affect more girls than boys. The Committee notes, however, with appreciation the non-discriminatory provisions in the education law, the various proactive measures and programmes aimed at increasing the participation of girls in the school system, the literacy programmes targeting mainly women, as well as the flexible arrangements to allow girls who drop out of school to continue their studies. The Committee urges the State party to continue to take proactive measures to reduce the illiteracy rate of women and to continue to provide education, both formal and informal, to all women and girls, especially in rural areas. The Committee also urges the government to design programmes to prevent dropouts by girls in primary education and to reduce the dropout rate of girls and young women, including pregnant students and young mothers, at secondary schools and universities, including through the use of incentives for parents, so as to provide young women with the necessary skills and knowledge to participate in the labour market on an equal basis with men. (Paragraphs 29, 30)
  • Sex education: The high incidence of pregnacy among adolescents, as well as at the high number of illegal abortions, including among very young women, are having a negative impact on women's physical and mental health. The Committee is further concerned at the limited effectiveness of sex education programmes for girls and boys in school curricula. It also regrets the lack of information available on HIV and AIDS. (Paragraph 35)

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

(CERD/C/SLV/CO/14-15)

Last reported: 3 and 4 August 2010
Concluding Observations: 20 August 2010

  • Indigenous languages are being denied the importance that they deserve. Out of a reported total of 47,940 students enrolled in educational institutions in 2009, 22,483 belonged to indigenous peoples, and yet not all of them can study in their own language. As regards Bilingual Intercultural Education, the Committee notes the existence of the Ministry of Education's Programme for the Revitalization of the Nahuat-Pipil Language of El Salvador, but is concerned about the status of other indigenous languages. (Paragraph 21)

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Early warning

13 March 2009

Reminder to the State party to follow up recommendations on the rights of indigenous peoples.

No specific mention of children's rights.

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UN Committee on Migrant Workers

(CMW/C/SLV/CO/1)

Last reported: 24 and 25 November 2008
Concluding Observations adopted: 27 November 2008

The Committee expressed concerns about:

  • The situation of children in El Salvador, whose parents have migrated abroad, and the lack of information in this regard. The Committee notes that the State party, through its Vice-Ministry of Foreign Relations for Salvadorans Abroad, is conducting a study on the impact of migration on children. The Committee encourages the State party to finalise the study on the impact of migration on children and to share its findings widely, with the aim of developing adequate strategies to ensure the protection and the full enjoyment by children of migrant families of their rights.(Paragraph 45, 46)
  • The phenomenon of trafficking in persons especially of women and children. The Committee recommends that the State party assess the problem of trafficking in persons and compile systematic disaggregated data with a view to better combating the problem, especially of women and children, and bring perpetrators to justice. (Paragraph 48)
  • The pheneomenon of migrant-smuggling especially of women and children. The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to counter migrant-smuggling, especially of women and children, inter alia by taking appropriate steps to detect the illegal or clandestine movement of migrant workers and their families and bring those responsible to justice. (Paragraph 50)

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UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(CRPD/C/SLV/CO/1)

Last Reported: 4 and 6 September 2013                                                   Concluding Observations issued: 8 October 2013    

Issues raised and recommendations given:                                                    

Women with disabilities: The Committee is concerned that the Special Act on a Violence-Free Life for Women does not recognize the multiple forms of discrimination against women with disabilities. It is also worrying that organizations of women with disabilities are not encouraged to participate in decision-making. The Committee recommends that the State party recognize in the law the multiple forms of discrimination against women and girls with disabilities and that it adopt specific legislation and strategies to fight them. The Committee recommends setting up a mechanism for the collection of disaggregated data on the situation of women and girls with disabilities, in consultation with organizations of women with disabilities. (art. 6) (Paras. 17-18)               

Children with disabilities: The Committee is concerned that the Child and Adolescent Protection Act does not include specific actions to ensure the protection of children with disabilities, aside from a few regarding health care. The Committee is concerned that children with disabilities living in poverty are more vulnerable to abandonment or placement in institutional care. The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its legislation and set up specific programmes to guarantee the rights of children with disabilities on equal terms, paying particular attention to children with disabilities living in rural areas and indigenous communities and to children with hearing, visual and intellectual impairments, ensuring their social inclusion and preventing abandonment and institutionalization, with priority for actions for underprivileged families. (art. 7) (Paras. 19-20)                                                                      

Access to justice: The Committee is concerned about the barriers to access to justice encountered by persons with disabilities and the lack of reasonable accommodation. The Committee is also concerned at the limited access to justice for women and girls with disabilities who are victims of abuse or neglect owing to the low credibility ascribed to their witness statements. The Committee calls on the State party to: (a) Put in place reasonable procedural accommodation with a gender and age focus to ensure access to justice for persons with disabilities and to provide free legal assistance, information on each case - as early as the police investigation - in accessible formats, access to judicial buildings and the services of trained Salvadoran sign-language interpreters; (b) Strengthen the mandate of the Office of the Human Rights Advocate regarding legal remedies for the defence of the rights of persons with disabilities; (c) Design training programmes for all those involved in the legal system, including the police, judges, legal professionals, social workers and health-care workers, in both urban and rural areas; (d) Adopt measures to secure access to justice for women and girls with disabilities, with due consideration paid to their role as witnesses and victims during the trial phase. (art. 13) (Paras. 29-30)                                                                  

Inhuman or degrading treatment: The Committee notes with concern that there is no legal requirement to obtain the prior, free and informed consent of persons with disabilities regarding psychiatric procedures. It is also concerned at the lack of a mechanism overseeing the conditions of persons with disabilities being treated in psychiatric institutions, including children, and the lack of measures to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in such institutions and to punish perpetrators. The Committee urges the adoption of legislation and other effective measures for the prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against persons with disabilities in psychiatric or other institutions. Specifically, the Committee recommends that the State party prohibit and prevent the practice of conducting medical or scientific experiments on persons with disabilities without their free and informed consent, and that it establish a mechanism to oversee psychiatric and other institutions. (art. 15) (Paras. 33-34)                                              

Violence and exploitation: The Committee is concerned at: (a) The lack of official records of cases of exploitation, violence and abuse of persons with disabilities, especially children and women, and of preventive measures in both institutions and family settings; (b) The lack of protocols on handling women with disabilities who are victims or witnesses in trials for exploitation, violence or abuse; (c) The recourse to institutionalization as the main option envisaged by the State party for the restoration of rights in cases of exploitation, violence and abuse; (d) The lack of an express ban on corporal punishment of children with disabilities; (e) The exploitation of persons with disabilities, especially children, for the purpose of begging.

The Committee urges the State party: (a) To adopt legislation to prevent, investigate and punish exploitation, violence and abuse involving persons with disabilities, with a particular focus on women and children; (b) To set up protocols for and training in the investigation of cases of violence against persons with disabilities; (c) To follow up on the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/SLV/CO/3-4) regarding the express prohibition of all forms of corporal punishment and ensure that the prohibition includes practices in institutions for children with disabilities; (d) To follow up on the recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to El Salvador following the consideration of its report regarding the need to take a comprehensive approach to violence against women and girls (CEDAW/C/SLV/CO/7, para. 24); (e) To adopt measures to prevent the exploitation of children with disabilities for the purpose of begging and establish programmes to promote their integration in society and their right to live in the community. (art. 16) (para. 35)                

Birth registration: The Committee is concerned that children, adolescents and adults with disabilities living in rural areas remain unregistered and therefore do not have identity documents. The Committee calls on the State party to ensure that children with disabilities are entered in the civil registry at birth. (art. 18) (Paras. 39-40)

Living independently and social inclusion: The Committee notes that the State party does not have a legal and public policy framework on the right to live independently and that poverty serves as a background for the abandonment and isolation of persons with disabilities and their separation from their families and communities. The Committee regrets that children with disabilities remain subject to institutional placement. The Committee urges the State party to adopt, in cooperation with organizations of persons with disabilities, an adequately funded strategy to deinstitutionalize persons with disabilities, including children with intellectual and/or psychosocial impairments, and ensure their social inclusion and their right to live independently in the community, with the possibility of a personal assistant or support services in the home. It also recommends the adoption of measures to prevent persons with disabilities being hidden or isolated from society or being separated from their families and social circle, including through granting their families the necessary support. (art. 19) (Paras. 41-42)                               

Family relations: The Committee is concerned about the rules depriving persons with intellectual, psychosocial or hearing impairments of their legal capacity and about other barriers preventing them from entering into marriage and exercising their rights regarding family, maternity and personal relationships. The Committee urges the State party to put in place adequate measures to make it easier for persons with disabilities to exercise their family and maternity rights. (art. 23) (Paras. 47-48)

Education: The Committee is concerned at the low school enrolment rates among children with disabilities and the lack of reasonable accommodation to guarantee their access to education, in both urban and rural areas, and access to adult education. The Committee is concerned about discrimination in access to school and retention in school for children with psychosocial or intellectual impairments. It is also of concern to the Committee that the State party has not laid down the principle of free education for children with disabilities. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Develop an inclusive education model at all levels, in both urban and rural areas, including a gender and cultural perspective and the reasonable accommodation needed to ensure children and adolescents with disabilities can access education; (b) Adopt a plan and allocate the requisite budget for the compulsory training of teachers in inclusive education techniques in respect of persons with disabilities, thereby removing the barriers to access and retention for children with psychosocial or intellectual impairments in education; (c) Implement initiatives and public-private partnerships to design accessible pedagogical tools and teaching methods and provide students with disabilities with access to new technologies and the Internet. (art. 24) (Paras. 49-50)

Standard of living and social protection: The Committee notes that social protection measures mainly protect persons whose disabilities result from the armed conflict, and that the State does not have strategies for fulfilling the various aspects of the right to an adequate standard of living and social protection, such as a home, clothing, food, drinking water and poverty reduction. The Committee is concerned that persons with disabilities tend to be illiterate, that those living in rural and remote areas cannot access certain basic services, such as drinking water and sanitation, and that plans to provide water do not take their needs into account. (Para. 57)

The Committee recommends that the State party adopt measures to ensure that persons with disabilities, including children, have access to social protection and non-contributory pension schemes. It also recommends that the State party adopt public policies, including poverty reduction strategies, which foster the fulfilment of the right to an adequate standard of living and social protection of persons with disabilities, as well as allocate the necessary budget for their implementation. The Committee urges the State party to adopt, through consultation with organizations of persons with disabilities, measures for the elimination of barriers to the access of such persons to basic services, drinking water and sanitation in rural and remote areas, and to include the organizations in monitoring their implementation. (art. 28) (Para. 58)                                                                        

Participation in cultural life and recreation: The Committee is concerned at the lack of measures regarding access to and participation in cultural activities, such as the theatre and museums, and at the meagre progress in private-sector promotion of participation in cultural life by persons with disabilities, including children and adolescents. The Committee recommends that the State party continue to devise policies and measures to ensure participation in cultural life, recreational activities, relaxation and sports by persons with disabilities, including the conclusion of public-private agreements with civil society organizations and businesses to establish accessible recreational and cultural spaces. (art. 30) (Paras. 61-62)                                          

Data collection: The Committee, while concerned that official statistics do not reflect the situation of persons with disabilities, takes note of the conclusion of agreements to conduct a survey of such persons. The Committee urges the State party to incorporate in its next census the collection of data on the status of the rights of persons with disabilities, including children, in rural and urban areas. (art. 31) (Paras. 63-64)

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UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance

Countries

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