Distr.

GENERAL

CRC/C/Q/MAU/1
15 June 2001


Original: ENGLISH
List of Issues : Mauritania. 15/06/2001.
CRC/C/Q/MAU/1. (List of Issues)
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
Twenty-eighth session
Pre-sessional Working Group
11-15 June 2001
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

List of Issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of
the initial report of Mauritania(CRC/C/8/Add.42)

PART I

Under this section the State party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if available, (before 1 August 2001):

A. Data and statistics

1. Please provide disaggregated data (by gender, age, minority groups, urban or rural areas) covering the years 1998, 1999 and 2000 on the:
a) number and proportion of children under 18 living in the State party;
b) rates of infant and child mortality;
c) proportion of children with low birth weight;
d) proportion of children affected by acute and chronic malnutrition;
e) number of children with disabilities either taken care at home or living in institutions;
f) number of orphans and abandoned children living either in institutions or in family placement by Kafalah.


2. In light of article 4 of the Convention, please provide additional information and disaggregated data (by age and gender) on the amount and proportion of national budget, devoted to children at central and local level, preferably in the last 3 years (1999-2001), to:
a) education (different types of education, i.e. primary and secondary education);
b) health care (different types of health services, i.e. primary health care, vaccination programmes, adolescent health care and other health care services for children);
c) children with disabilities;
d) the protection of children who are in need of alternative care including the support of care institutions
e) juvenile justice.
Please also indicate the percentages of these allocations derived from international sources.


3. Please provide disaggregated data (by age, gender and types of violations reported), on the:
a) number of reports on violations against children received by police and courts per year in 1998, 1999 and 2000;
b) number and percentage of reports which have resulted in either a court decision or other types of follow-up.


4. Please provide disaggregated data (including by gender, age, minority groups and urban/rural areas) for the years 1998, 1999 and 2000 on the:
a) rate of literacy below and over 18 years;
b) enrollment in percentage of children in primary schools;
c) enrollment in percentage of children in secondary schools;
d) percentage of enrolled children completing primary and secondary schools;
e) number and percentage of drop-outs;
f) ratio teacher per children;
g) enrollment in Koranic schools;
h) number of children with disabilities integrated in regular school.


5. Please provide disaggregated statistical data including by gender, age, minority groups and region, on adolescent health, including sexually transmitted diseases (SDTs), HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, female genital mutilation (FGM), force-feeding, and drug abuse covering the years 1998, 1999 and 2000.


6. Please provide appropriate disaggregated data (including by gender, age, minority groups and type of crime) on children in conflict with the law for the last three years (1998-2000):
a) number who have allegedly committed a crime reported to the police;
b) number who were sentenced by Courts;
c) nature of sanctions (fines, detention, community service, other);
d) number of suspended sentences;
e) where the sanction is deprivation of liberty, please further specify the period of detention;
f) percentage of recidivism cases;
g) number of reported cases of abuse and maltreatment of children occurred during their arrest and detention.


7. With reference to special protection measures, please provide statistical data (including by gender, age, urban/rural areas) per year in 1998, 1999 and 2000 on the number of children:
a) who are seeking asylum or refugee status;
b) involved in sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography and trafficking;
c) involved in substance abuse, including the number of those receiving rehabilitation treatment;
d) living in the streets, including the number of those receiving rehabilitation treatment;
e) child beggars and "talibés";
f) involved in child labour (formal or informal sectors, and domestic work).


B. General Measures of Implementation

1. Please indicate if the State party may consider withdrawing its reservation to the Convention.

2. Please provide further information on legislative measures taken to review existing laws in order to ensure compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular with regard to the status of the draft family code, the draft criminal code and the code of criminal procedure for juveniles. In addition, please indicate whether there is an intention of setting a minimum legal age for consent to marriage.

3. Please provide information on the steps undertaken to ensure effective coordination of activities between central, regional (wilaya), departmental (moughataa) and municipal authorities for the implementation of the Convention, the coordination of policies relevant to children and the monitoring of the progress achieved.

4. Please indicate whether there is an intention to introduce an independent complaints' mechanism to monitor violations of the rights of children.

5. With regard to the information provided in paragraph 2-3 of the report on the National Plan of Action for the Survival, Protection and Development of Children for the period 1992-2001, please indicate how the current Plan was implemented and whether it was evaluated. Also indicate whether a new Plan is under preparation.

6. Please provide further information on measures taken to increase awareness, including training, on the Convention among government officials, professionals working for and with children and the population in general. Please provide additional information on how governmental institutions cooperate with non-governmental organizations, especially with reference to the participation of representatives of civil society in the design and implementation of policies and programmes for children. Additionally, please outline the measures taken to incorporate the Convention into the school curriculum.


PART II

Please provide copies of the text of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in all official languages of the State party as well as in other languages or dialects, when available. If possible, please submit these texts in electronic form.

PART III

Under this section, States parties are invited, whenever appropriate, to briefly (3 pages maximum) up-date the information provided in their report with regard to:

- new bills or enacted legislation
- new institutions
- newly implemented policies
- newly implemented programmes


PART IV

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 might be raised in the course of the dialogue.

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

1. 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 general principles of non-discrimination (art.2), the best interests of the child (art.3), the right to life, survival and development (art. 6) and the right of the child to be heard (art.12).

2. Legislation, policies and programmes implemented and/or foreseen to prevent discrimination against the most disadvantaged groups of children, in particular children living in rural and remote areas, minority children, girls, children with disabilities, children from economically disadvantaged families, children living in the streets and other vulnerable groups and to ensure their rights in compliance with the Convention.

3. Steps undertaken to enforce the birth registration of children, in particular children living in rural areas.

4. Female genital mutilation and force-feeding. Programmes and measures to end these practices.

5. Poverty reduction and eradication, measures to assist families. Enforcement of recovery of maintenance for children, awareness raising and assistance programmes.

6. The situation of abuse and neglect, including sexual abuse within the family, and domestic violence. Strategies developed to prevent child abuse and mechanisms established to adequately assist both the victims and those responsible for the abuse. Further, the use of corporal punishment in families, schools, care and other institutions and whether alternative disciplinary measures have been developed to prevent and combat this practice.

7. Availability, quality and efficiency of health care services for children and mothers, in particular in rural and remote areas. Measures taken to overcome the malnutrition problem. The situation of children with disabilities.

8. Impact of measures taken to encourage regular attendance at school and to reduce the number of children not attending compulsory primary school, in particular among children belonging to more disadvantaged groups or living in remote areas. Measures to reduce drop out and repetition rates for both primary and secondary education. Koranic schools.

9. Measures to prevent and combat economic exploitation, including child labour, domestic work, and forced or unpaid child labour. Consequences of slavery on children, in particular among Haratine and Mathioudo children. Measures to protect vulnerable children, especially those living and/or working in the streets and "talibés" children exploited by their masters. Sexual exploitation and child prostitution. Ratification of ILO Conventions 138 and 182.

10. Refugee children. Measures taken for refugee children, including their access to education and health services, as well as assistance provided to these children and their families.

11. 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;
g) education, health and social services for children in detention;
h) programmes to ensure the physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of children.

©1996-2001
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Geneva, Switzerland