Submitted by crinadmin on
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.
Suriname - 11th Session - 2011 Scroll to: 43. Within the Ministry of Justice and Police, a Bureau for Women and Children has been established. This bureau coordinates the Women and Child policy of all divisions within this Ministry and is also executing projects to implement the Conventions: CEDAW, Belem do Para and the Convention on the Rights of Children. 47. The Moral Law is now formulated gender neutral, in order to protect men and women. The Moral Law has been revised in line with the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime including protocols regarding prevention. Elimination and Punishment of Trafficking in Persons in particular in women and children and in accordance with the Convention on Cybercrime. 65. In 1993 Suriname ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and thereafter reported to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. 66. In 2007 the Ministry of Justice and Police established the Bureau Women and Child Policy with the main task to coordinate the policy on women and child issues. 67. Physical and sexual abuse of children continued to be challenges. 68. In 2010 police received reports of 223 cases of sexual abuse of children compared to 265 in 2009 and 338 in 2008. 69. The Police Youth Affairs Office conducts 3 visits per week to different schools in Paramaribo and the surrounding areas on a rotating schedule to provide outreach and raise awareness about child abuse and to solicit and investigate complaints. The Youth Police also raises awareness about sexual abuse, drugs and alcohol through a weekly television program. 70. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Housing has formulated a plan of action (2009–2013) which momentarily is being implemented; it also raises awareness about safe environment and quality standards for childcare and other children's rights through television programs such as children with a handicap, dropouts, perpetrators of child's abuse, revised legislation, juvenile delinquencies, outdoors activities for juveniles delinquents, education in the interior, sexual abuse, health and the long term planning of the Ministry. A KAP study has been done about children's knowledge about children's rights and workshops for parents and caregivers in all districts. 71. Other best practices of this ministry are: • There has been a new MICS survey in 2010; • In collaboration with UNICEF there has been a situation analysis of children in 2006; • On November 17, 2010 there was a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, focused on prioritizing the discussion about the law on children's shelter. 72. Various laws are used to prosecute perpetrators of sexual abuse and several cases regarding sexual abuse against minors came to trial. Sentence averaged three years in prison. 73. There are several orphanages and one privately funded shelter for sexually abused children. 74. In July 2009 the Criminal Law was revised to include penalties against child's prostitution. The maximum penalty is six years imprisonment and the maximum fine is about USD 35,714. The law also prohibits child pornography which has the same maximum years imprisonment and a fine of about USD 17,857. 75. A law on children's right to be heard (de wet hoorrecht) was approved in 2007. Collaborations with international organizations 76. UNICEF continued operating with the government in providing training to officials from various ministries dealing with children and children's right. 77. The government operates the 1-2-3 telephone hotline for children, provides confidential advice and aid to children in need. In 2008 about 5,998 children used this opportunity and in 2009 there were 9,788 children. 78. In 2009 a national commission on the Elimination of all forms of Child Labor was installed which consists of government officials, persons of the private sector, labor union, NGO and the university. This commission is not only building awareness among the stakeholders but also writing terms of reference to conduct a research to all forms of child labor country –wide. 79. In 2009 there were 109 cases where children were granted a legal guardian. From January 2010–July 2010 there were 119 cases. In the same period there are 999 cases pending. 80. Trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of minors are challenges which the government faces. The other challenges are: • -unavailability of data of children living in the districts bordering the neighboring countries. • -no legislation on shelter for children (momentarily the law is at Parliament to be enacted). • -not enough awareness from people of the interior with regard to children's rights. 81. As CARICOM member state Suriname holds the portfolio on Youth policy. Youth movements in Suriname dates back from the early years when it was a colony of The Netherlands. The youth organizations in Holland and internationally had its counterpart in Suriname. The first youth parliament was installed in May 1972, but was not a success and lasted for some months. In 1999 the National Youngster Institute was established (S.B.1999 no. 75) and Suriname established the National Youth Institute (NYI) by the power of the State Resolution, February 19th 2004, concerning the installation of the National Youth Institute. The purpose of the NYI is to express and to have a full experience of the right on participation of the youth on governmental level, so that the youth policy will be effective and efficient. 82. The main tasks of the NYI are to provide the Government information and insights in order to establish a harmonious youth policy that is relevant to the community and to monitor and supervise the execution of the youth policy. Other tasks of the NYI are: (a) To lay down the points of views concerning youth affairs to the Government; (b) To nominate the Youth Ambassadors; (c) To consult the relevant persons and organizations responsible with youth (d) Responsible for the organization of the annual National Youth Congress; (e) To draw up an agenda for the National Youth Congress; (f) To process the results of the National Youth Congress in a note in favor of the Government. 85. According to the available information on the 2009 situation Primary and Secondary School participation is as follows: Out of all the children who are of primary school entry age (age 6) in Suriname, 92 per cent are attending the first grade of primary school. Although compulsory education is legally established at 7 to 12 years, the enrollment of the age group 4 to 12 is relatively high and in line with the region. There are no significant differences by gender in primary school enrollment at national level. However when the figure is disaggregated by rural or internal districts almost 1 out of 3 children aged 6 are not in school (MICS 2006). 86. Gender disparities are a major problem in education. Especially at the junior secondary level the participation of boys is less than that of the girls. The dropout occurrence among boys in education starts in the last grade of the primary education. For the secondary and higher education streams, male participation in education is significantly lower than the female participation. 87. Despite the relatively high accessibility (in urban areas) of primary education in Suriname the ultimate result is unsatisfactory. Education in the hinterland, where enrollment is lower, faces serious problems. The accessibility of education in the interior is generally hampered by a lack of transport facilities, adequate school buildings, educational schools and material, qualified teachers and teacher's accommodation. 88. The percentage of women aged 15–24 years that are literate is 91.9, with considerable geographic disparities. According to the MICS 2006 report, the (female) adult literacy figures for the Urban Coastal, Rural Coastal and Rural Interior were 96.2 per cent, 94.2 per cent and 45.0 per cent respectively. Although the overall national figure for literacy is high, the major challenge is getting the rural and interior districts on track. Literacy programs are mostly being offered in Paramaribo. It is a major challenge for the people living in the interior to enroll in these programs. The Ministry of Education and Community Development has started to take actions to decentralize the literacy programs in order to make them more accessible for everyone. 89. During the internal strife (1986–1992) many schools in the interior were destroyed or badly damaged. Education was therefore discontinued and disrupted in many villages. This was a major setback in education. The interior is still struggling with a lack of school buildings (especially kindergarten) and qualified teachers, willing and motivated to work in remote areas. Recruiting teachers for the interior was a problem, but two years ago the teacher training colleges implemented a program to motivate teachers to work in the interior. This program is like an internship in which the student teacher in an early stage visits the interior in order to get acquainted with the people, the environment, the culture and the tradition of the local people. 90. Actions taken to support education in the interior: (a) Suriname has implemented a construction program wherein the building of schools in the interior is of high priority. In 2010 we can say that a lot of the school buildings and the houses for the teachers have been renovated. (b) Suriname moreover supports the initiative of the "Leri for Life Program" which is executed by an NGO. The purpose is to introduce early schools in the interior. In this regard the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Commission has taken upon the task to establish District Focal Points to ensure the implementation of the government ECD Policy Plan. (c) Suriname started training sessions for Remedial Teaching and has completed the KALBOBIS Project. It has been evaluated and the recommendations are included in the Education Implementation Plan for the Interior 2008- 2015. (d) Suriname also started the second phase of the Child friendly School project in the interior in 2008. This included the Water and Sanitation Facilities Project. (e) Suriname has conducted an evaluation of the Mother-tongue Approach. The results are available and the Ministry of Education and Community Development will execute follow-up activities. 101. On June 9, 2009, a judge sentenced a Dutch man and two Guyanese women who were arrested in September 2008 for trafficking an underage Guyanese girl and forced her to work as a prostitute. The Dutch man received two years imprisonment, one women received 9 months' imprisonment and $1,071 fine and the second women received 18 months imprisonment and $3,571 fine. The two women appealed the decision. On December 22, 2009 they were released from prison after having served two third of their sentences. 103. There are three prisons which hold female and male prisoners separately. There are also 28 smaller jails or temporary detention centers in police stations throughout the country. Most of these facilities are sometimes overcrowded. The main pretrial detention can hold 600 persons. There is one juvenile detention facility, Opa Doeli, for boys and girls under the age of 18. This facility is located in Paramaribo, the capital, and is considered adequate; it provides educational and recreational facilities and less than the maximum capacity is occupied. Visits of independent human rights observers are permitted. 104. Opa Doeli a Juvenile facility is the first of its kind in the Caribbean. Although the law permits children of the age of 10 to be convicted, in practice the youngest is 12. The youth police is working in conformity with the Convention on Children Rights. The administration of Opa Doeli has a software exchange of data among various actors such as youth police, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Housing etc. There are various organizations working with the personnel of Opa Doeli for capacity building in order to support the juvenile delinquencies. Weekend leave of these youngsters has turned into vacation leave. 110. Suriname has a generalized epidemic and HIV is prevalent in all layers and groups of society. It is estimated that approximately 1.1 per cent of the adult population (age 15–49) is infected with HIV (UNAIDS 2009 estimation workshop). Since registration of the first case of HIV in 1983, there has been an upward trend until 2006. 610 new HIV cases were reported in 2005 and 740 in 2006. From 2007 there is a decline in the number of new HIV cases seen with respectively 683 and 601 new cases in 2007 en 2008. (see country report on the UNGASS on HIV/Aids, January 2008–December 2009). The number of report of women with HIV, in comparison with men with HIV, has continued to increase and is even higher than in 2003. The increase in the number of registered HIV infected among young women is remarkable. From 2001 to 2005, in age group of 15–24, there were more registered HIV- positive women than men. 133. The core principals of the CRC regard survival, protection, development and participation. The government has formulated its policies based on these principals. The development of a policy plan was a major achievement. This policy plan include health, education, legal protection and security, gender mainstreaming, people with disabilities and HIV/AIDS. Its commitments towards the Early Childhood Development (ECD) was made visible due to the formulation of an ECD policy plan and communication strategy. 135. In November 2010 Suriname received the 'Malaria Champion of the Americas award' at the Headquarter of the PAHO in Washington DC. Suriname has a 99 per cent free from Malaria environment. Some challenges are: (a) There are not enough qualified teachers in the interior. People in the interior also lack secondary schools, universities and schools for adults. Not every village has a school, so children have to travel by boat to other villages were there are schools; (b) Despite the relatively high accessibility in urban areas of primary education in Suriname, the ultimate result is unsatisfactory. Education in the interior, where enrollment is lower, faces serious problems: the accessibility of education is generally hampered by a lack of transport facilities, adequate school buildings, educational tools and material, qualified teachers and teachers, accommodation. 137. Teenage pregnancy is a real challenge. Programs have been developed for these teenage mothers in order to re-enroll school or become junior entrepreneurs. 4. In 2010, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) noted that the Raamwet Opvang, a key legislation package for childcare, had been drafted in 2009, but not yet signed into law by Parliament.19 UNCT indicated that the new Government elected in 2010 had highlighted children's rights as a key priority for its administration and it was therefore expected that the passage and implementation of key legislation would be high on the new agenda. 6. In 2007, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recommended that Suriname establish as soon as possible an ombudsperson or other independent body for monitoring the implementation of the Convention, in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles).22 In 2010, UNCT reported that the Government was in the process of preparing to establish an independent ombudsman for children as well as a monitoring and tracking system for children in institutional care. 7. With reference to the National Gender Action Plan 2006-2011 developed by the Government, UNCT stated that the key challenge was to strengthen the capacity of the Gender Bureau and improve networking with other organizations, in particular the recently established Bureau for Women and Child Policy of the Ministry of Justice and Police. 9. In the United Nations Common Country Assessment (CCA) on Suriname of 2006 it was stated that a deeply rooted system of patron-client relationships impeded the empowerment of local communities and the development of general policies.27 UNCT indicated that Suriname had approved a National Action Plan for Children (2009–2013), which remained to be implemented28 and that the national youth policy was in draft form. 14. In 2010, UNCT noted that in practice various groups such as Maroons (descendants of African slaves) and indigenous peoples suffered certain forms of discrimination.40 In 2007, PAHO reported that 1 in 10 Surinamese, most of them indigenous peoples and Maroons, lived in the country's interior.41 Grievous inequities in terms of socio-economic development, health status, and access to health care existed between the inhabitants of the interior and those living on the coast, including: only 18 per cent of households in the interior had piped water in their homes, and only 31 per cent had sanitary excreta disposal services; women in the interior were among the poorest groups in the country; one in five Maroon deaths were HIV/AIDS-related; children there were at the highest risk for chronic malnutrition; and fewer than half of all children in the interior lived with both their parents and one in eight lived with neither parent.42 CERD, CRC and UNCT raised similar concerns. 15. In 2007, CRC expressed concern that discrimination against certain groups of children still existed in practice, particularly with regard to girls in general, children with disabilities, children living in poverty, children infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV/AIDS, and children belonging to ethnic minorities or indigenous peoples, recognizing the particular vulnerability of girls in these categories.44 The Committee urged Suriname, inter alia, to expedite the establishment of the Equal Opportunity Commission and to adopt a comprehensive strategy to eliminate discrimination on any grounds and against all vulnerable groups. 17. In 2007, CRC stated that it remained concerned at incidences of police brutality and the use of force against children in detention. In 2004, the HR Committee stated that it remained concerned that incidents of ill-treatment of detainees continued to be reported.49 Suriname, in its follow-up response, provided information about the authorities entrusted with the task of dealing with allegations of ill-treatment as well as on the number of complaints in the period 2005-2007. Suriname further stated that available facilities for detainees were still insufficient, most locations were overcrowded and that measures were being taken to redress this situation as a priority. 18. UNCT noted that, while hard data was lacking, based on reports to the school inspectorate, children were subjected to corporal punishment and psychological ill-treatment in schools. CRC recommended that Suriname explicitly prohibit by law all forms of violence against children, including corporal punishment, in all settings, including in the family, schools, alternative childcare and places of detention for juveniles, and that it implement those laws effectively. 22. UNCT indicated that reliable data on child abuse and sexual violence against children was lacking, although recent data from the Ministry of Justice and Police showed alarming numbers of minors being victims and perpetrators of sexual violence. PAHO reported that in the first half of 2005, 139 cases of child sexual abuse and 59 cases of cruelty to children were reported to police. Children of Creole and Maroon descent represented two thirds of those cases. CRC reiterated its recommendation that all appropriate measures be taken to introduce mandatory reporting of abuse, including sexual abuse, of children. 23. UNCT stated that Suriname was a destination, source and transit country for children and women migrating, legally or irregularly, internally or internationally.61 PAHO reported on human trafficking, especially for the purpose of sexual exploitation, such as commercial sex work in the mining camps in the country's interior and CCA reported on women and girls from abroad who were brought to casinos, "clubs" and the streets of Paramaribo to work as commercial sex workers. CRC expressed concern over reports of rape of girls belonging to indigenous and tribal groups in regions where mining and forestry operations have been developed. CEDAW urged Suriname: to adopt necessary legislation and develop a comprehensive anti-trafficking strategy and plan of action to combat that phenomenon; and to pursue a holistic approach in addressing the question of prostitution and, in particular, to provide women and girls with education and economic alternatives to prostitution. CEDAW recommended that, in those matters, Suriname pay special attention to the situation of Maroon women. 24. CRC urged Suriname to take concrete action to address the reasons behind child labour, including through the creation of educational opportunities in the interior and support to low-income households.66 In 2010, the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations requested Suriname to take effective and time-bound measures as a matter of urgency to improve access to free basic education to all children, especially those living in the interior areas and those belonging to indigenous and minority groups. 29. CRC urged Suriname to ensure that juvenile justice standards are fully implemented and recommended that Suriname take the necessary steps to ensure that the revised Penal Code, which raises the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years, is adopted without further delay and that this revision include the introduction of alternative measures.74 UNCT reported on children who had been in conflict with the law receiving counseling and follow-up guidance and support, but noted that this was not always available for repeat offenders.75 UNCT indicated that regional disparities regarding children in conflict with the law were apparent;76 and children were not always separated from adults in detention, partly due to limited facilities. The Government was constructing a separate child and youth prison that was due to open in 2011.77 30. CRC remained concerned that a disparity between the minimum age of marriage for boys and girls still existed78 and recommended that Suriname bring the minimum age for both to the same internationally acceptable level of age 18. 31. On birth registration, CRC recommended that Suriname continue and strengthen its efforts to register all children, especially in the remote areas of the interior, including providing the opportunity for late registration free of charge. 32. CRC welcomed the various legislative and other efforts made to provide care and protection to children without parental care and shared the State's concern over the high level of institutional care.81 The Committee expressed concern that most children infected by HIV or affected by HIV/AIDS were placed in residential care facilities,82 and that children of families in crisis situations (e.g. due to poverty), particularly in female-headed households, might end up in care facilities or police detention facilities.83 UNCT reported that children in institutional care were at risk of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. 33. UNCT indicated that children with disabilities faced a number of challenges. While some children were accepted and cared for by their families, others might be placed in a childcare institution. Children with disabilities faced an increased risk of violence or abuse. Parents of children who screened positive for disability were statistically more likely to report hitting them on their face, head or ears or repeatedly and as hard as one could. 34. CRC recommended that Suriname: take all necessary measures to render appropriate financial and other assistance to families in order to allow them to carry out their parenting obligations and responsibilities and to prevent children from being placed in institutions because of poverty-related problems of their parents;86 and expedite the adoption of the bill to regulate social assistance for youth and take measures for its full implementation. 38. CRC noted that despite the small population of Suriname and its large amount of natural resources, poverty remained high.92 CRC recommended that Suriname continue and strengthen the application of poverty-reduction strategies in order to provide economically disadvantaged families with, inter alia, adequate shelter, food and clothing and to specifically assist children to have access to education and health care. 39. In 2006, the CCA pointed out that women as a group were poorer than men. This was due to persisting gender inequality in the household and society. Although agriculture was the second employer of women after the public sector, the majority of families owned only small plots of land on which women and children worked without pay for family enterprises. Women of the interior were particularly vulnerable. The growing tendency of male abandonment of these communities, combined with limited development of new economic and social opportunities, had led to a rapidly worsening problem of poverty in these communities. Households headed by women often relied on support from outside their villages for financial subsistence. 40. In 2007, PAHO reported that the health sector in Suriname was confronted with a series of serious obstacles. These resulted from macroeconomic problems, the emigration of qualified personnel to other countries, shortages of essential drugs, the physical deterioration of health services infrastructure, and health-care deficiencies, particularly at the secondary level. There was inequitable access to water and sanitation services. It was reported that malaria was an important health problem in the interior, one of the leading causes of death of children under five, and a common cause of school absenteeism.96 Dehydration caused by diarrhoea was another major cause of child mortality. AIDS had become one of the leading causes of mortality for children under five and the leading cause of death among the 29–49 age group. CRC noted with concern that the majority of children hospitalized because of malnutrition were from ethnic minorities. The Committee recommended that Suriname, inter alia, continue to actively promote breastfeeding, that it address the problem of malnutrition, with special emphasis on minority ethnic groups, and that it ensure that its public-health institutions, including the Malaria Institute, receive adequate funding and resources to carry out their work. 41. The 2006 CCA reported that maternal mortality remained very high in Suriname. Limited access to contraception in the hinterland was reflected in high fertility rates and high levels of maternal mortality. CEDAW reiterated its recommendation that the laws restricting family planning activities and abortion services, which are "dead letter" laws, be repealed. It urged Suriname to take concrete measures to enhance and monitor access to health-care services for women, including in the interior and in rural areas. It requested Suriname to strengthen measures aimed at the prevention of unwanted pregnancies, especially among teenagers. Such measures should include making widely available, without any restriction, a comprehensive range of contraceptives and increasing knowledge and awareness about family planning. 42. CRC noted with concern that early pregnancy, arranged marriages, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental health concerns among teenagers were increasing rather than decreasing. The Committee recommended that Suriname, inter alia, increase its efforts to establish more programmes and services in the area of adolescent health and obtain valid data through studies on this issue. 43. In 2010, UNCT noted that while Suriname was on track nationally to meet Millennium Development Goal 2 on achieving universal primary education, there were significant geographical, gender and socio-economic disparities, with particular concern for boys and girls in the interior where progress was well below target. An assessment of these disparities indicated issues in relation to access to and availability of quality education (at all levels), children repeating years, and drop-out and retention rates.105 CRC also noted with concern the outdated school curricula, and structural inefficiencies in the training of teachers at all levels.106 UNCT noted, inter alia, that 91 per cent of teachers in Kwamalasamutu and 89 per cent of teachers in Tepu had not completed their primary education. 44. CRC recommended that Suriname: reduce socio-economic and regional disparities in access to and full enjoyment of the right to education; ensure that primary education is free of charge and free of other (additional) costs; improve the quality of education through increasing the number of well-trained and fully qualified teachers, particularly those recruited to teach in the interior, modernizing teaching and learning methods and reforming the curricula, inter alia in order to better orient education to the competencies needed for social and economic participation in a developing society; provide vocational education and training, including for children who have dropped out of primary or secondary schools; and widen the scope of second-chance opportunities for children (especially boys) who have dropped out of school and for teenage girls who have become pregnant. 45. In 2010, UNCT indicated that indigenous children had a right to expect to integrate on their own terms, with their cultural identity preserved, rather than be assimilated into the majority culture. They should have opportunities to use their language and speak their minority language without being impeded by ignorance of the majority language, Dutch. They had the right to have their needs met in the context of their family and community culture. The education system compromised the rights of indigenous children to development through the lower quality of education available in the interior and by the lack of availability of secondary schools. Some boarding schools were very basic and did not ensure that children were cared for within a protective, supportive, or healthy environment. CERD, expressing similar concerns, reiterated its recommendation that Suriname take steps to give adequate recognition to native languages and encouraged the State to seek strategies with a view to introducing bilingual education. 46. UNCT indicated that schools often may not accept children with disabilities. There were few special schools or other provisions for children with disabilities, generally, and none for children in the interior. CRC recommended inter alia, that Suriname adopt the draft law on special education to ensure the implementation of legislation providing protection for children with disabilities. 53. UNCT indicated that Suriname had made significant progress in the field of preventing HIV transmission from mother to child and in 2008 provided 83 per cent of HIV-positive pregnant women with access to treatment that included antiretroviral medicines to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission. 58. In 2010 UNCT stated that the United Nations was "delivering as one" in Suriname with four resident United Nations agencies in the country (United Nations Development Programme, PAHO, United Nations Population Fund and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)).132 In 2009 and 2010, UNICEF supported the Ministry of Justice and Police in capacity-building for 30 judges, lawyers and public prosecutors in child rights issues and juvenile delinquency focusing on cases of children in conflict with the law, regarding the best interests of the child. 2. Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment Against Children (GIEACPC) reported that corporal punishment is lawful in the home. There is no defence for its use enshrined in law. Provisions against violence and abuse in the Code of Criminal Law and the Constitution are not interpreted as prohibiting all corporal punishment in childrearing. GIEACPC also noted that corporal punishment is lawful in alternative care settings. 3 GIEACPC hoped that the Review will highlight the importance of prohibiting all corporal punishment of children in all settings, including the home, and urge the Government to enact legislation to achieve this as a matter of priority. 9. The University of Oklahoma College of Law, International Human Rights Clinic (UO/IHRC) indicated that over 57,000 indigenous and Maroon people are living in the interior. UO/IHRC noted that Suriname spends roughly one-third of the amount per capita for health care in the interior as it spends for individuals living in cities. Children in the interior are more than twice as likely to be malnourished as children in cities. UO/IHRC made the recommendation to commence or continue building clinics in the interior and to hire more trained health care personnel conversant in local languages. 12. UO/IHRC noted that a significant disparity exists in the quality of and access to education between the general population and Suriname's indigenous and tribal peoples, due primarily to the lack of education infrastructure. Teachers in the interior are often under-qualified, and school curricula and facilities are often outdated. The lack of access is evinced by the fact that indigenous, tribal, and minority children in the interior of Suriname have significantly lower school attendance rates than the general and coastal populations. 13. UO/IHRC indicated that much debate exists over the desirability and practicality of balancing Dutch, the official language, and native tribal languages in the education of indigenous and interior children. While virtually all agree that Dutch should be taught, considerable division exists about whether other languages should be taught at all and, if so, to what extent. UO/IHRC noted that the CERD Committee has recommended bilingual education for younger children, whereas others desire Dutch as a primary focus to help facilitate future educational efforts in Suriname society. These discussions are complicated by the lack of teachers trained in multiple languages and the fact that most indigenous languages are not written. 14. UO/IHRC made recommendations to increase the quality of education in the interior of the country so that it approaches the level of education in the coastal region; to take measures, such as eliminating and/or subsidizing of school fees, to improve attendance rates for indigenous and Maroon children, especially those in the interior; to encourage and assist private efforts to provide and improve the educational environment among the indigenous and Maroons, especially in the interior of the country; to improve and publish education statistics about interior Maroon and indigenous groups; and to investigate the effectiveness and practicality of bilingual education for young children, with an eye to implementation if it proves to be possible and desirable. 15. UO/IHRC also noted that many interior and indigenous students have to travel to Paramaribo for high school and higher education and that reports indicate that such students experience significant problems adjusting. Such difficulties include a lack of money and pregnancy, which often lead to dropping out. UO/IHRC made the recommendation to Suriname that it assist indigenous children in their pursuit of higher education in the coastal regions. Accepted and Rejected Recommendations The following recommendations were accepted: A - 72.1. Conclude the ratification process of the relevant Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Spain); A - 72.2. Consider ratifying those main international instruments to which it is not party, particularly the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and conclude the ratification process of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Ecuador); A - 72.3. Complete its international commitments to protect and promote human rights by acceding to the relevant international instruments, in particular to the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (France); A - 72.4. Incorporate human rights education into the school curricula (Indonesia); A - 72.5. Initiate awareness-raising campaigns and programmes on human rights in general and on the rights of women and children in particular (Malaysia); A - 72.11. Continue efforts to promote and protect the rights of women, children and juveniles and overcome their vulnerability (Cuba); A - 72.16. Step up implementation and enforcement of relevant legislation and other measures to curb instances of domestic violence, child abuse and the sexual exploitation of women and girls (Malaysia); A - 72.18. Develop a comprehensive and coherent national strategy and plan of action to combat human trafficking of women and children (Thailand); A - 72.19. Pay more attention to the fight against trafficking in children and their sexual exploitation (Algeria); A - 72.21. Prohibit all forms of violence against children, in particular corporal punishment, which is still legally practised in schools (Belgium); A - 72.24. Continue implementing programmes and measures to enhance the enjoyment of the right to education and the right to health (Cuba); A - 72.25. Continue to improve both the quality and accessibility of education and related facilities (Indonesia); A - 72.26. Continue and step up efforts to improve school enrolment and the quality of education (Slovenia); A - 72.27. Continue efforts to guarantee better implementation of education plans particularly in rural areas (Ecuador); A - 72.28. Continue efforts aimed at improving access to education, particularly in the rural areas, including by, inter alia, increasing the number of teachers, ensuring adequate infrastructure, learning materials and educational tools (Malaysia); A - 72.29. Continue efforts to implement legislation that takes into account the needs of boys and girls in general, including equal access to universal primary education, as well as, in particular, that of boys and girls with disabilities (Argentina); A - 72.30. Take expeditiously efficient steps to improve access to free basic education to all children, with particular focus on those living in the interior areas and those belonging to indigenous and minority groups (Slovakia); A - 72.33. Seek out international technical assistance and cooperation and use this to consolidate the National Policy for Children and Youth with an infrastructure that meets its needs and the participation of all sectors in the society in the fight for the recognition of children's rights, with particular attention to those who are placed in a situation of extreme vulnerability (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela); A - 73.26. Introduce gender as an issue in the school curriculum in order to combat stereotypes and cultural factors to inequality (Norway); A - 73.41. Adopt swiftly the necessary legislation and develop a comprehensive anti-trafficking strategy and plan of action to combat trafficking of children and women, especially for the purpose of sexual exploitation (Hungary); A - 73.43. Take steps to ensure that the National Commission for the Eradication of Child Labour can effectively carry out its mandate (Australia); A - 73.47. Prioritize the creation of school facilities in remote areas and implement a functioning system of data collection on children living in districts bordering neighbouring countries (Norway); A - 73.48. Adopt the revised Penal Code – in keeping with the recommendation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child – which raises the age of criminal responsibility (Trinidad and Tobago); The following were rejected: R - 73.44. Prohibit explicitly corporal punishment at school, at home, as well as in any public establishment attended by children (France); R - 73.45. Adopt the necessary legal measures to prohibit all forms of violence against children, including corporal punishment in all settings, particularly in the family, schools, alternative childcare and places of detention for juveniles (Mexico); R - 73.46. Follow up efficiently on the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to explicitly prohibit by law all forms of violence against children, including corporal punishment, in all settings, including in the family, schools, alternative childcare and places of detention for juveniles, and to subsequently implement those laws effectively (Slovenia); R - 73.49. Equalize the age of consent for opposite and same-sex conduct, and adopt appropriate legislative and other measures to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (Norway); R - 73.50. Equalize the age of consent for opposite and same-sex conduct, and adopt legislative and other measures to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (Netherlands); No recommendations were left pending
6th May, 2.30pm to 5.30pm
National Report
UN Compilation
Stakeholder Compilation
Accepted and rejected recommendations