Under this section the State party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if possible before 1 December 2000:

1. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by gender, groups and region) covering the period 1997-1999 on:

a) the number and proportion of children under 18 living in the State party;

b) the rates of infant and child mortality;

c) the proportion of children with low birth weight;

d) the proportion of children affected by malnutrition;

e) the number and proportion of children with disabilities;

f) the number of children in domestic and intercountry adoptions; and

g) the number and proportion of children of Haitian origin and born in the State party's territory or belonging to Haitian families living in the Dominican Republic.

2. Please provide statistical data on adolescent health, including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, early and arranged marriages, drug and alcohol abuse, and violence and physical abuse.

3. Please provide statistics on the rate of literacy below and over 18 years, and the rate of enrolment in literacy classes (by age, gender, region, rural/urban areas). In addition, please specify in percentages the enrolment and completion rates for the last three years (1997-1999), disaggregated by sex and age, in a) kindergarten; b)primary; and c) secondary schools.

4. Please provide specific disaggregated statistical data on how the national budget allocated for social needs was spent per year in the period between 1997 and 1999. In particular, how much was spent on:

a) education (including allocations for primary and secondary education, salaries, preservation of school buildings, etc.);

b) health (including allocations for primary health care, vaccinations, adolescent health care and other health care services for children);

c) child protection (for example institutional or foster care);

d) juvenile crime prevention.

5. Please provide recent statistical data (including by sex, age, type of crime, type of sanction) covering the period between 1997 to 1999 on:

a) number of minors who committed a crime reported to the police;

b) number of reported minors who were sentenced by Courts to sanctions;

c) nature of sanctions (community service; detention; other types of sanctions);

d) number of suspended sentences, as described in paragraphs 287-289 of the report;

e) percentage of recidivism cases;

f) when deprived of liberty, the number of children maintaining contact with family and how often.

B. General Measures of Implementation

1. With regard to the enactment of the Code for the Protection of Children and Adolescents (1994) and other related legislation, please provide further information on the steps taken to guarantee the full implementation of this legislation, including the administrative structures required by the Code. Please also provide a copy of the above referred Code, the Law Against Family Violence (1997) and other related legislation. Please provide information on the status of the Convention in case of conflict with domestic legislation.

2. Please provide information about the implementation in practice (e.g., in court decisions, in decisions by administrative bodies, in developing national and local policies on children's issues) of the principles of non-discrimination (art.2), the best interests of the child (art.3), and the right of the child to be heard (art.12).

3. Please provide further information on coordination between the different Governmental institutions working for the implementation of the Convention. In this connection, please provide information on measures taken to strengthen the role of the Governing Body (Ente Rector). In addition, please provide further information on measures taken to ensure the monitoring of the implementation of the Convention by an independent body, such as an Ombudsperson for children's rights.

4. With regard to the implementation of article 4 of the Convention, please provide information on the implementation of the National Plan of Action for Children (1991-2000), and on how this Plan is integrated within the current National Plan on Social Development (1995). In addition, please also indicate whether an evaluation of the impact of the above mentioned plans exists, and whether new plans have been envisaged. Please indicate whether the State party has conducted an evaluation of the impact of the economic reforms on children and what measures are being taken to allocate the maximum extent of available resources for children.

5. Please provide further information on measures taken to increase awareness on the Convention among government officials, especially in relation to the implementation of the Code for the Protection of Children and Adolescent (1994), the Law Against Family Violence (1997) and other related legislation. Please provide additional information on how governmental institutions cooperate with non-governmental organizations, especially concerning the participation of representatives of civil society in the design and implementation of policies and programmes for children.

- new bills or enacted legislation

- new institutions

- newly implemented policies

- newly implemented programmes.

The following is a preliminary list of major issues that the Committee intends to take-up during the dialogue with the State party - THEY DO NOT REQUIRE WRITTEN RESPONSES. This list is not exhaustive as other issues may be raised in the course of the dialogue.

The dialogue with the State party might include issues such as:

1. Discrimination of vulnerable groups of children (e.g., children with disabilities, girls, children from Haitian migrant families, children living and/or working in the streets) and measures taken to reduce urban/rural disparities, especially concerning access to health and social services as well as to education.

2. Children of Haitian origin and born in the State party or belonging to Haitian migrant families, in particular regarding their limited access to birth registration, education, health care and other social services.

3. Measures undertaken to provide access to birth registration to all children born in the State party.

4 Measures taken regarding children deprived of a family environment, such as orphans and abandoned children and on the use of alternative care measures, such as foster care and adoption, for children deprived of a family environment.

5. Measures taken to combat and prevent child abuse, including violence and sexual abuse within the family and in the school system.

6. Specific measures undertaken, particularly in rural and marginal urban areas, to ensure access to basic services such as clean drinking-water and sanitation and to reduce infant, child and maternal mortality.

7. Reproductive health education for adolescents, including for preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS among children and adolescents. Measures taken for the protection of the rights of children with disabilities. Existing measures to address children's mental health and psychological problems.

8. Measures taken to improve school attendance rates and to reduce the high drop-out rates between primary and secondary school. The impact of the enactment of the General Law on Education (April 1997) on the education system.

9. The juvenile justice system (children in conflict with the law) with particular attention to the following topics:

a) deprivation of liberty as a measure of last resort;

b) practical provision of legal aid;

c) protection of the privacy;

d) continued contact between the child and his/her family;

e) effective monitoring of facilities;

f) the separation of children from the general prison population;

g) complaints procedures to deal with issues such as ill-treatment and violations of children's rights;

h) education, health and social services for children in detention;

i) programmes to ensure the physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of children; and

j) special protection for all children below the age of 18 years.

10. Measures taken to implement policies and programmes to combat child labour and in particular the problem of children living and or working in the streets.

11. The scope of the social phenomenon of sexual exploitation of children and sex tourism as well as measures taken to prevent and combat it.

12. Measures taken to address the situation of girls being trafficked for domestic labour into the country from Haiti; and of Dominican children trafficked out of the State party for prostitution.