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Summary: A compilation of extracts featuring child-rights issues from the reports submitted to the 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. Sierra Leone - 11th Session - 2011 Scroll to: National Report 19. Sierra Leone has signed and ratified the following key human rights treaties: • International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the two Optional Protocols; CRC OPAC and CRC; 32. Sierra Leone signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1990. As part of its commitment, the government has produced periodic treaty reports to the Committee Monitoring the implementation of CRC treaty to ensure effective implementation. GOSL has further, domesticated the Convention in the Child Rights Act of 2007. 33. Government through the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children's Affairs established the Children's Forum Network 2010. The aim is to help children interact and discuss issues that affect their future. 34. As one of the conditions of implementation of the CRC a National Child Rights Commission which is being debated. The Commission will be mandated with monitoring and coordinating the implementation of the Convention and the Charter; oversee the implementation of Child Rights Act, Parental and State Responsibilities as enshrined in Chapter III of the Child Rights Act; advice government on policies aimed at the improvement of the condition or welfare of children in Sierra Leone, to ensure that they are compatible with the Convention and the Charter. 35. Furthermore, the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children's Affairs has undergone a functional management restructuring which has been approved by Cabinet; there is now a functional Directorate for Gender and a Directorate for Children. Age Assessment Guidelines on Juveniles have been developed and currently with the Office of the Chief Justice for approval. 43. The Government continues to increase access to education for all its citizens with a view to achieving universal primary education by 2015. One difficulty encountered however, is that as the access to education increases, so too have concerns been raised as to the quality of education. The current teacher/pupil ratio in primary school stands at 1/50 and suspicion is that it is on the increase. 44. Surveys conducted over the years by the Ministry of Education reveal that the illiteracy rate was too high. The Education Act of 2004 (Act No. 2 of 2004) was promulgated to arrest this dire situation. Consequently, the education has been structured to cater for middle education and all categories of human resource, with adult literacy provisions, tertiary institution provisions, polytechnics, universities and junior to senior secondary school programmes (which follows the formal education on the 6-3-3-4 system). The Education Act of 2004 (Act No. 2 of 2004) further mandates basic education for every child between 6-16 years. 45. The government has committed itself to providing free and compulsory formal education for primary school children, with particular emphasis on the girl child education up to Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The full implementation of this is underway. Government has trained Guidance Counsellors in all our schools for family and career guidance. In terms of infra structure government has ensured that there are secondary schools in all chiefdoms as it is the Constitutional right of every child. 47. The Government of Sierra Leone has signed and ratified six of the International Labour Organisation Conventions: • ILO 138 Minimum Age Convention (1973) ratified 20th January 2011 • ILO 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999) ratified 20th January 2011. 48. Sierra Leone in the Child Rights Act of 2007 set out the minimum age for light work as 13 years and that of hazardous work as 18 years. The Act further provides for the registration of children and young persons in industrial undertakings. Persons in the public service are required to retire from the service at age 65 years and are entitled to social security benefits. 49. The Constitution prohibits forced and bonded labour, problem perceived to be especially prevalent in children. The Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children's Affairs has several policies that will curb this situation in the long term. 69. The Constitution advocates for equal opportunity for all its citizens in terms of education. It further demands that the rights of vulnerable groups such as children, women and the disabled must be made paramount by providing the necessary structures, finance and supportive facilities for education as and when practicable. 70. GOSL is bent on eradicating illiteracy and to this end shall direct its educational policies towards achieving; (a) free adult literacy programmes, and (b) free compulsory basic education at primary and junior secondary school level. 72. The Education Act 2004 was enacted to reform the education system, including provision for pre-primary education, technical and vocational training, adult and non- formal education and the role of universities, and to provide for other related matters. 73. An important policy in the Ministry of Education, Youths and Sports to meet Education for All girls by 2015 is the Girl Child Education Support. Under this policy, actions have been taken by the GOSL to support the education of the girl child nationwide. GOSL has further reviewed this through its Girl-Child Support Programme in the junior secondary schools and therefore stepped up its Gender Parity Programme. Free education is available for primary level i.e. class1 – class 6 generally whilst the girl-child has added incentive of a free education up to B.E.C.E level with paid up B.E.C.E. examination fees. 75. In an effort to address maternal and child mortality rates, the Government recently launched a Health Sector Strategic Plan 2010-2015. The plan aims to ensure successful implementation of the Basic Package of Essential Health Services (BPEHS) in order to improve service delivery. This package will ensure the provision of minimal essential quality of care for all and includes services that have the greatest impact on the major health problems (especially that of maternal and child health). The objective of this strategy is to abolish all financial charges to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children 5 years of age and under. In the longer term, the aim is to provide accessibility to quality health care for all vulnerable groups. 89. The review of the education system which resulted in the GOSL White Paper on Education 2010 i.e. The Gbamanja Commission's Report, has resulted in positive recommendation for the overall improvement of the standard of education. The recommendations ranged from immediate, total overhaul of the school system with early schooling component and extension by one year of senior secondary school; to short term recommendations being capacity building of teachers and school administrators; and the medium term recommendations being securing a proper environment for schools, adopting a policy for early childhood education and another policy for technical and vocational education. 99. GOSL is faced with the challenge of addressing the growing number of street children and youth violence. 106. Reaching a consensus of implementing the age (18 years) of consent put forward in the Child Right's Act of 2007 with respect to Female Genital Mutilation has been difficult, i.e. allowing the girl-child to make the decision upon attaining the age of consent. Proper education on the necessity of consent is stifled because of funds. 108. There is a new surge of sexual offences especially perpetrated against young girls and children. There is a need for forensic facilities to assist in the investigation and prosecution of such crimes. Having shelters with adequate legal, psycho-social counselling, medical, security and other related care is greatly needed. 4. UNCT observed that some legislative provisions were shrouded by discrimination and inequality. The Constitution prohibited the acquisition of citizenship through wives. The Constitution also provided that only persons who were of Negro descent could qualify for Sierra Leonean citizenship by birth or naturalization. The common country assessment (CCA) for Sierra Leone (2008-2010) underscored that customary law also discriminated against women. Although unwritten, it applied to the majority of the population and regarded women as "chattels" to be inherited.17 The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) urged Sierra Leone to continue and strengthen its efforts to remove all discriminatory laws from its statute books. 5. In 2010, CRC recommended the explicit prohibition by law and criminalization of the use of children in hostilities by the armed forces and the recruitment and use of children in hostilities by non-State armed groups. 8. In 2010, CRC expressed its concern that the National Commission for Children envisaged under the Child Rights Act was yet to be established and recommended that expeditious measures be taken to establish it and bring it into operation, in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles). 12. In 2008, CRC encouraged Sierra Leone to adopt a national plan of action on children that addressed fully all of the rights enshrined in the Convention. 16. The High Commissioner reported that early and forced marriages (27 per cent of children marry before their fifteenth birthday), teenage pregnancy, high incidence of sexual exploitation and abuse, and cultural and religious bias towards girls' education were all critical challenges. Women continued to suffer from exclusion and discrimination in various fields. Furthermore, criteria applied for awarding scholarships in Birewa chiefdom in Makeni were discriminatory to girls, as girls were considered eligible only if they passed a virginity test. 25. CRC, CEDAW and the High Commissioner continued to express concern about female genital mutilation (FGM) and forceful initiation into secret societies. UNCT reported that an estimated 90 per cent of women in Sierra Leone and the diaspora had gone through the practice, which was perceived as a cultural and traditional right that parents exercised in the interest of their children. UNCT noted that very young girls continued to be circumcised, sometimes in isolation from the initiation rites, with serious health consequences. It recommended that due to the sensitivity of the issue, innovative approaches should be explored, and suggested that engaging traditional leaders as partners in development would be a way forward. CRC urged Sierra Leone, inter alia, to provide practitioners who give up FGM with adequate training and support to find alternative sources of income. The High Commissioner encouraged Sierra Leone, inter alia, to ratify and incorporate into national law the Optional Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women. 27. CRC raised concerns about the situation of child victims of sexual and gender-based violence and abuse. The High Commissioner reported that thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children remained victims of exploitation including domestic work, hazardous labour, especially in the mining sector, commercial sex, and trafficking across borders. CRC was also concerned at reports of growing numbers of internally displaced children being trafficked. Other practices noted included parents relinquishing custody of their children to relatives or acquaintances (men kipin), as well as the high number of children living or working in the streets who were particularly vulnerable to sexual and other forms of exploitation. 29. CRC was concerned that corporal punishment was not prohibited and, in fact, was widely practiced in homes, schools or alternative care contexts and detention centres. The Committee recommended the full implementation of the Child Rights Act and explicit prohibition by law of all forms of violence against children, including corporal punishment, in all settings, and the effective implementation of those laws. 34. UNCT reported on outstanding challenges in the area of juvenile justice. CRC urged Sierra Leone to ensure that juvenile justice standards were fully implemented, including the Child Rights Act, which raised the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years. CRC also recommended that Sierra Leone adopt a permanent policy of alternative sanctions for juvenile offenders, ensuring that children be held in detention only as a last resort and for as short a time as possible, and that detention sentences be reviewed periodically; that children be held separately from adults both in pretrial detention and after being sentenced; and that cases involving juveniles be brought to trial as quickly as possible. 35. In 2010, CRC recommended that Sierra Leone: take effective measures to monitor the situation of former child combatants who were not included in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, particularly girls, with a view to providing them with the assistance necessary to facilitate their full reintegration; and ensure the payment of reparations to former combatants in accordance with the recommendations of the TRC. 40. While noting the ongoing nationwide birth registration programme, CRC in 2010 recommended that Sierra Leone ensure that birth registration was free and compulsory in practice; consider the use of mobile birth registration units, particularly for remote areas; and conduct awareness-raising campaigns, with the support of community leaders, to promote birth registration. 41. CRC recommended that Sierra Leone, inter alia, continue its efforts to reunite separated children with their families; and strengthen its efforts to combat illegal adoption, in particular to ensure that the improper inducement of consent for the adoption of a child is duly prosecuted. 50. In 2009, the High Commissioner reported that one of the greatest threats to peace consolidation remained the low level of enjoyment of economic and social rights, noting that Sierra Leone still had one of the highest infant and under-five mortality rates and maternal mortality rates in the world. 51. UNCT reported that absolute poverty had fallen from around 70 per cent after the war to around 60 per cent by 2007, and that Sierra Leone was estimated to import nearly 40 per cent of its food needs. CEDAW expressed particular concern about the precarious situation of women in rural areas, who formed the majority of women in Sierra Leone. CRC expressed concern: that efforts to improve food security were not adequate for the survival and development of the child; at the high malnutrition rate, limited access to drinking water and sanitation facilities and inadequate protection of children from malaria; about the gender and regional disparities in access to basic health services; and at the low rates of exclusive breastfeeding. 52. CRC urged Sierra Leone to take measures to prevent and reduce HIV/AIDS infection, particularly with regard to young people, by, inter alia: fully implementing the HIV/AIDS prevention, control and treatment plan; continuing to disseminate information and materials to the public, particularly to women and girls; and increasing knowledge about prevention and protection methods, including safe sex practices. 53. CRC was concerned that despite increased enrolment and completion rates in primary schools, enrolment was still low, in particular for girls, and that the number of teachers, in view of the large class sizes, was too small. It also expressed concern at the practice of public schools to charge additional fees, and at reports of sexual abuse of children, mostly girls, by teachers and the continued practice of corporal punishment in schools. CEDAW expressed similar concerns. 53. CRC was concerned that despite increased enrolment and completion rates in primary schools, enrolment was still low, in particular for girls, and that the number of teachers, in view of the large class sizes, was too small. It also expressed concern at the practice of public schools to charge additional fees, and at reports of sexual abuse of children, mostly girls, by teachers and the continued practice of corporal punishment in schools. CEDAW expressed similar concerns. 54. UNCT indicated that the education sector was undergoing a reform, outlined in a recent Government white paper. Reforms included a compulsory early childhood component, extension of the senior secondary school by a year, free and compulsory primary education in both policy and practice, phasing out of the two-shift system, and a review of the conditions of service for teachers, among others. The Education Policy of 2004 was under revision with an aim, inter alia, to improve access to and quality of education, and retention and completion for the girl child. 58. In 2010, the Secretary-General commended Sierra Leone for the establishment of a free health-care programme for nursing mothers, pregnant women and children under the age of 5 to address the high infant and maternal mortality rates. Summary of stakeholders' information 10. According to JS1, the Gender Justice Act of 2007, namely the "Domestic Violence Act, the Registration and Customary Marriage and Divorce Act and the Devolution of Estate Act", were adopted with a lot of gaps and contradictions, which threatened to defeat the purpose of such legislation. JS3 noted that Sierra Leone passed the "Child Rights Act 2007" (CRA), which held supremacy over customary law and provided that any local traditions practiced as custom must conform to the Act. HRW noted that the limited reach of the judiciary and limited social understanding of the principles and provisions of such laws undermined their application. Sabi You Rights Advocacy (SYRA) recommended that the Government should promote and raise awareness of the three Gender Acts in poor and marginalized communities. JS3 recommended a transparent, participatory, consultative and comprehensive review of the CRA to strengthen and align it with international standards. 12. JS3 recommended the establishment of an independent and resourced national children's commission, of Child Welfare Departments in each district, and of Child Welfare Committees in every Chiefdom and village. 14. AI stated that few government programmes adequately addressed the special needs of war affected children and youth, which included orphans, unaccompanied IDP's and ex-child soldiers. 24. JS3 stated that corporal punishment of children was culturally entrenched in Sierra Leone with physical abuse often inflicted in the guise of discipline. Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children (GIEACPC) noted that corporal punishment was lawful in the home and at school. The Child Rights Act adopted in 2007 did not repeal article 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act and reaffirmed the concept of "reasonable" and "justifiable" correction of children (article 33(2)). In the penal system, corporal punishment was unlawful as a sentence, but there was no explicit prohibition of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions. Corporal punishment was lawful in alternative care settings. 26. AI reported that rape of minor girls and teenage pregnancies (by close relatives, schoolteachers, security personnel, etc.) remained a problem as did sexual exploitation. HRW stated that while Family Support Units within police stations had led to increased reporting of sexual violence against women and girls, they remained understaffed. It recommended that these Units be adequately staffed and resourced. JS3 recommended the development of a strategy to eradicate violence against children; and the expansion of the Family Support Unit and Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs' social workers at chiefdom level. 27. HRCSL reported that the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) was prevalent in Sierra Leone and that the Government had failed to demonstrate the political will to address this phenomenon. The draft clause prohibiting FGM was removed when the Child Rights Act was adopted in 2007 giving rise to continuity of the practice. According to JS3 approximately 94 per cent of women in Sierra Leone were members of a secret society, which meant by proxy they had gone through the process of FGM. TOWSL recommended the enactment of legislation prohibiting FGM. JS3 urged the Government, inter alia, to facilitate an open dialogue on FGM and to lead the development of a national strategy to eradicate FGM for children under the age of 18. IRC recommended, inter alia, ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. 28. AI stated that prisons were plagued by overcrowding, lack of supplies, inadequate medical treatment and food, prolonged pre-trial detention, and detention of juveniles with adults. HRW recommended that Sierra Leone improve food supply, sanitation and access to medicine and health services within prisons. CGG recommended that the Government should desist from putting juveniles and adults in the same cell. 30. PW stated that it documented cases of child offenders below the age of 18 being held in prisons,70 noting that the prison ordinance pegged the maximum age of the child as seventeen, which conflicted with the CRC and the "Child Rights Act", as these instruments stipulated the age of eighteen. 31. AI reported that street children were vulnerable to a wide range of abuses, with few or no protections and that Sierra Leone had failed to protect children from the worst forms of child labour, in accordance with its obligations under domestic law and international treaties. HRW stated that hundreds of children were engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including within diamond and gold mines, while tens of thousands more worked as street venders, domestics, and porters. HRW recommended that the Labour and Minerals resource ministries undertake sufficient efforts to enforce the prohibition on child labour. 38. JS1 noted that chiefs sometimes colluded with men to evict women and children from their homes or subjected them to arbitrary detention. In some cases chiefs had expelled them from the community. 51. JS3 reported that 70 per cent of the population lived below the poverty line. According to World Vision (WV), the lifetime risk of a women dying from complications of pregnancy and childbirth was one in eight, and one in twelve children died before their first birthday. It noted that life expectancy was 47.3 years. 54. WV noted the following as causes of child mortality in Sierra Leone: neonatal deaths, diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria, measles, injuries and HIV. WV reported that 21 per cent of children under the age of five were under weight, with 36 per cent having stunted growth and 10 per cent suffering with acute malnutrition. WV stated that only 11 per cent of children were exclusively breastfed and Vitamin A coverage had dropped to 12 per cent. It recommended that Sierra Leone, inter alia, strengthen efforts to promote exclusive breastfeeding of infants during the first six months of life, including domestic enforcement of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. 55. AI noted that the well publicized Free Health Care policy became a lever for more far reaching systemic reform of the entire health sector. HRCSL stated that this policy, adopted in 2010, had promoted an increase in accessing health services by mothers. However, HRCSL remained concerned about the unavailability of basic equipment and medical personnel to facilitate the provision of this service in both the capital city and rural areas. Peripheral health units were, in most cases, found to be abandoned by nurses thus making it difficult for women to enjoy this right. AI noted that the launch of the policy triggered a massive influx of women and children, who could then not be appropriately cared for, and that target beneficiaries continued to be charged in many places for services and drugs. JS1 indicated that many NGOs had documented that poor road networks were responsible for some of the "delays" that exacerbated maternal mortality. 56. WV recommended, inter alia, the expansion of the free health care package to ensure that primary health care was free for pregnant women and young children, especially for those living in rural, remote and peripheral areas. JS3 recommended, inter alia, the implementation of a long term and sustainable health financing mechanism by April 2011 to minimize aid dependence and to ensure the maximum extent of available resources to realize the child's right to survival and to health; as well as an improvement of the birth registration mechanism by April 2012. WV observed that Sierra Leone's expenditure on health remained at 8 per cent, about half of the 15 per cent to which it committed at the African Union's Special Summit on HIV/AIDS in Abuja in 2001, and recommended that it increase the allocation to 15 per cent of its annual budget. 61. According to JS3, although the payment of school fees was abolished, primary education was not free because of the wide range of charges still imposed on pupils. It added that the school environment was not conducive to learning due to inadequate physical infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, lack of furniture, insufficient and inappropriate learning materials, harmful discipline techniques, low teacher moral and inappropriate teaching methods. JS3 recommended an increase in the annual budget to 20 per cent and an improvement in education management; a review of the teachers' remuneration packages; an increase in the number of school supervisors; and the implementation of food programmes in primary schools in the most vulnerable areas, in partnership with the World Food Programme. 63. AI referred to the problem of gender discrimination in education. JS1 noted that more than 50 per cent of Sierra Leone's women were illiterate, which was a major factor impeding their active participation in the development process. It also observed that pregnant young girls were often expelled from schools. JS 3 noted that the mean age for pregnancy was 15 years old. Traditional beliefs and practices surrounding girls and boys, as well as community attitudes and perceptions about sexual reproductive health and condoms contributed to the high levels of teenage pregnancy. JS3 recommended an introduction of Family Life Education (FLE) in the primary school curriculum; and a national strategy to promote a change in attitudes towards sexual relations and practices. IRC recommended the establishment of compulsory human rights education programmes including in schools. 65. VW commended the Government for the introduction of the free health care initiative, which was intended to improve maternal and child health and drastically reduce maternal and infant mortality. 67. ICTJ explained that the civil war between several armed groups from 1991 to 2002 was characterized by grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law. Crimes included severing limbs, forcibly recruiting children into armed groups, widespread rape and coercion of women and girls as "bush wives" of combatants, burning houses, and killing and maiming of civilians. More than 200,000 people were estimated to have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more were displaced across the country. Since then, Sierra Leone had initiated reforms establishing systems of accountability for human rights and humanitarian law violations committed during the conflict and promoting rule of law and democratic governance. However, HRW noted that concern about the inadequate progress in strengthening the rule of law was exacerbated notably by the global economic crisis, high levels of youth unemployment and episodes of political violence. Accepted and Rejected Recommendations The following recommendations were accepted: A - 80.9. Develop national plans of action on children and on human rights (Australia); A - 80.16. Strengthen actions to promote and protect rights of women and child (Bangladesh); A - 80.18. Make additional efforts to enhance the role of women in public life and ensure that these efforts are combined, for girls, with the abolition of female genital mutilation, whether it is consented to or not (Senegal); A - 80.20. Take all necessary measures to prevent women and girls from suffering from harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation, early and forced marriages and teenage pregnancies (Slovenia); A - 80.21. Further improve the health care in connection with birth delivery and address other causes of maternal mortality and address other causes of maternal mortality and other related issues such as early marriages, lack of reproductive information, unsafe abortions and female genital mutilation (Sweden); A - 80.23. Intensify its efforts to protect the rights of the child, especially children in poverty, victims of child prostitution and children with disabilities; undertake a comprehensive review of national legislation to guarantee full implementation of the principle of non-discrimination as well as adopt a national strategy to mitigate against such a situation, as recommended by the Committee of the Rights of the Child in 2004; take all necessary measures to put an end to the practice of child soldiers (Spain); A - 80.24. Strengthen measures of prevention and fight against phenomena affecting the rights of the children, particularly child labour and violence against children (Morocco); A - 80.25. Undertake efforts to enforce the prohibitions on child labour, especially in its worst forms (Poland); A - 80.26. Take measures to tackle the exploitation of children, including domestic work, hazardous labour, especially in the mining sector, commercial sex and trafficking, starting with the ratification of the ILO Minimum Age Convention No. 138 and the ILO Convention No. 182 on Worst Form of Child Labour (Slovenia); A - 80.27. Amend the 2007 law on the rights of the child for a uniform and increased minimum age for work, and ensure, through dissuasive or repressive measures, notably within the framework of a law on human trafficking, that arduous work similar to the worst forms of exploitation is not given to this vulnerable category of people (Senegal); A - 80.31. Take effective measures to reduce overcrowding in prisons and lengthy pre-trial detention as well as strengthen the judicial system including for juvenile offenders (Austria); A - 80.37. Maintain the efforts to guarantee equal access to education, particularly for women and children (Chile); A - 81.1. Explicitly prohibit by law and criminalize the use of children in hostilities by the armed forces and the recruitment and use of children in hostilities by non-State armed groups (Poland); A - 81.2. Explicitly prohibit by law and criminalize the use of children in hostilities by armed forces and the recruitment and use of children in hostilities by non-State armed groups (Slovenia); A - 81.3. Adopt and implement a national plan for children that includes legislative measures, such as the prohibition of the use of children in armed conflicts (Costa Rica); A - 81.17. Maintain efforts to promote and protect the rights of children, young people, persons with disabilities and women, and seek to overcome the low representation of women (Cuba); A - 81.18. Implement further policies to ensure gender equality and the promotion of the rights of women and children throughout society (South Africa); A - 81.24. Take all appropriate measures to address violence against women effectively and more specifically to eliminate FGM, including by making its performance a criminal offence (Austria); A - 81.25. Introduce an effective system towards the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) and develop governmental policy in this regard (Japan); A - 81.26. Facilitate an inclusive national dialogue on female genital mutilation and put in place, in cooperation with tribal chiefs, religious leaders and women's groups, effective measures to eliminate the practice (Canada); A - 81.27. Abolish FGM and as a first step support those initiatives from within the country which call for prohibiting FGM at least for minors of under 18 years age (Germany); A - 81.28. Adopt legislation to prohibit FGM and, at the same time, promote an open dialogue on this issue (Switzerland); A - 81.29. Fully prohibit and criminalize female genital mutilation, as it represents a clear human rights violation (Portugal); A - 81.30. Specifically prohibit, sanction and effectively prevent the practice of female genital mutilation for children under the age of 18 (United Kingdom); A - 81.31. Spread information about the negative consequences of female genital mutilation, also in cooperation with relevant international organizations and United Nations agencies (Italy); A - 81.33. Implement measures to ensure girls' and women's access to all levels of education and ensure a higher level of women's participation in public life (Norway); A - 81.36. Put in place effective measures to implement the Child Rights Act and protect children from sexual and gender-based violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and the worst forms of child labour (Canada); A - 81.37. Continue its endeavours to reduce the illiteracy rates and eradicate forced labour, especially child labour (Azerbaijan); A - 81.38. Monitor the reintegration of former child combatants, particularly girls, with the aim to ensure that appropriate assistance is provided and suitable measures are implemented (Japan); A - 81.47. Take steps to eliminate child labour and forced labour and enhance respect for the rights of workers, particularly those in the mining sector. Ways to accomplish these objectives include amending the current labour laws to align with the internationally recognized fundamental worker rights, and taking measures to effectively enforce the labour laws (United States); A - 81.51. Allocate more financial resources to improve access to and quality of education in the country. (Indonesia); A - 81.52. Give special attention particularly to the education of girls and women (Turkey); A - 81.53. Incorporate human rights education and awareness training into the school curriculum through cooperation with and assistance from the international community (Indonesia); A - 81.54. Seek the assistance of the ILO to combat child labour (Brazil); A - 82.5. Continue to adapt the legislation to ensure the full implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and, in particular, expressly prohibit and criminalize female genital mutilation (France); A - 82.12. Establish a strategy to seek the elimination of practices of discrimination against women and eliminate female genital mutilation (Costa Rica); No recommendations were rejected. No recommendations were left pending.
5th May, 2.30pm to 5.30pm
UN Compilation
Stakeholder Compilation
Accepted and rejected recommendations