CRC/C/OPAC/VEN/CO/1
Below is a short summary of some of the key issues from the Committee on the Rights of the Child's 67th session concluding observations for Singapore's initial report on the Optional Protocol to the CRC on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
You can find other documents related to the Committee's 67th session (including alternative reports submitted by NGOs and the Committee's concluding observations for other States reviewed in this session) on the Committee’s session page.
Child recruitment: the Committee was deeply concerned about numerous and consistent reports that children, including girls, have been recruited and/or used by non-State armed groups from a neighbouring country in border areas and reminded the State party of its obligations under the Optional Protocol to take all necessary measures to prevent effectively the recruitment or use of children by non-State armed groups, in particular refugee, asylum-seeking and indigenous children, as well as those living in poverty or rural areas.
Military education in regular schools: The Committee urged the State party to explicitly prohibit the Pre-Military Instruction in regular schools and vocational education and amend the 2011 Ministry of Defence resolution enacting a Comprehensive Military Education Plan with the aim to ensure that training related to military issues is removed from the curricula of regular schools and that all subjects in the curricula are delivered by qualified civilian teachers.
Criminal legislation: The Committee strongly recommends that the State Party amend its criminal legislation to explicitly criminalize all forms of recruitment and use of children in hostilities under the age of 18 by the armed forces and non-State armed groups, including private security companies. The Committee was further concerned that, in spite of the legal prohibition of providing children with arms, cases of children accessing firearms have been documented.
Protection of the right of child victims: The Committee urged the State party to take all necessary measures to urgently and thoroughly investigate cases of recruitment and/or use of children by non-State armed groups from a neighbouring country, prosecute the alleged perpetrators and compensate the victims.
Physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration: The Committee recommends that the State party establish an identification mechanism for children who may have been recruited and/or used in hostilities, including refugee and asylum-seeking children, take all necessary measures to ensure that child victims of the offences covered under the Optional Protocol are provided with adequate assistance for their physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration. Such measures should include careful assessment of the situation of these children, reinforcement of the legal advisory services available for them and the provision of immediate, culturally responsive, child-sensitive and multidisciplinary assistance for their physical and psychological recovery and their social reintegration in accordance with the Optional Protocol and guarantee that all child victims and their families have access to adequate procedures to seek, without discrimination, compensation for damages.