Lists of Issues - CRC - Oman - CRC/C/Q/OMA/1 (2001)

List of issues : Oman. 02/02/2001.

CRC/C/Q/OMA/1. (List of Issues)

Convention Abbreviation: CRC
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
27th Session
Pre-sessional Working Group
29 January -2 February 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
Oman (CRC/C/78/Add.1)

PART I

Under this section the State party is requested to submit in writing additional and updated information, if possible before 6 April 2001:

A. Data and statistics, if available

1. Please provide demographic data of the under-18 population, including non-Omanis, disaggregated by region, sex, ethnic and religious background.

2. Please provide specific disaggregated data on national budgetary allocation and spending for social needs for the last three years, in percentages. In particular, how much was spent on:

c) child protection (for example institutional or foster care); and
d) juvenile crime prevention.

3. Please provide the following information about children deprived of a family environment, and separated from parents, disaggregated by sex, and age for the last three years:

c) how many children are placed with relatives, in kafala, and in welfare institutions.

4. Please specify for the last three years, the enrolment and completion rates, disaggregated by sex, age, and region, in percentages, in:
a) kindergarten;
b) elementary;
c) intermediate;
d) secondary;
e) vocational; and
f) religious schools.

5. Please specify the number of children with disabilities, disaggregated by sex and age:
a) living with their families;
b) in institutions;
c) attending regular schools; and
d) attending special schools.

6. Please provide the following statistical data of children (disaggregated by sex, age, type of crime, type of sanction) for the last three years:
a) number who committed a crime which was reported to the police;

b) number who were sentenced by Courts to sanctions, and the nature of the sanctions imposed (imprisonment; community service; other);

c) number of suspended sentences;

d) where the sanction is deprivation of liberty, please further specify the period of imprisonment; and

e) percentage of recidivism cases.

B. General Measures of Implementation

1. i) In relation to the reservations:
a) please identify "all the provisions of the Convention that do not accord with Islamic law and the legislation in force in the Sultanate";
b) in light of the reservation to article 21 of the Convention, which expressly refers to those States that Arecognize and/or permit@ the system of adoption, and therefore does not apply to the State party because it does not recognize adoption, what reasons prevent the State party from withdrawing its reservation;
c) with respect to the reservation to article 9(4) of the Convention, please specify what circumstances would justify withholding information about absent family members from a child for reasons of "public safety";
d) with respect to the reservation to article 7, please specify what restrictions exist to prevent a child from acquiring Omani nationality; and
e) with respect to the reservations to article 14 and 30 of the Convention, please specify the rationale for them.

ii) In light of the recommendations adopted in the Declaration and Plan of Action of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights (1993), please indicate what consideration has the State party given to the possibility of reviewing its reservations to the Convention with a view to their withdrawal.

2. The report indicates that the National Committee for Child Care is entrusted with monitoring and co-ordinating efforts to implement programmes and projects related to child issues. The report also indicates that the National Implementation and Follow-up Committee is charged with the task of implementing the Convention.
i) Please indicate what role each of these institutions plays with respect to:
a) intersectoral co-ordination and co-operation of policies and programmes affecting children at and between central, and local levels of government;
b) monitoring the implementation of the Convention at central and local levels;
c) receiving and addressing complaints of violations of child rights; and

iii) Please specify their operating resources, including budget, and human resources.

3. i) How effective have the State's public awareness-raising campaigns of the Convention been, particularly with respect to professionals working for and with children (eg. of Government officials, legislators, community-based organizations, religious leaders, the mass media), and the public-at-large, including children themselves.
ii) Please describe any ongoing human rights training and education activities for professionals, especially those working for and with children.

PART II

Please provide the Committee with 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 spoken, 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, and other issues may be raised in the course of the dialogue.

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

1. Implementation of the general principles of the Convention, such as non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, and the right of the child to express views and have them taken into consideration.

2. Measures taken by the State party to eliminate discrimination of girls and women in personal status matters (ie. marriage, divorce, inheritance, maintenance, and child custody upon separation), as well as children born out of wedlock.

3. Legislative steps taken to ensure the right of a woman to pass on her nationality to her child where she is married to a foreign national (ie. in situations other than where the father is stateless, or unknown).

4. The effectiveness of State's measures to address disparities in the enjoyment of rights, particularly access to health services and education, of rural children, and children living in disadvantaged regions of the country.

5. With respect to ill-treatment of children, issues such as:
a) legal provisions to protect children from being ill-treated in homes, schools, care and other institutions, and by the police;

6. With respect to children with disabilities, issues such as:

7. In the area of health, issues such as:

8. In the area of education, issues such as:
a) effectiveness of measures to address drop-out rates, especially among boys;
b) effectiveness of measures to address repetition rates, especially among boys;
c) expansion of pre-school education; and
d) progress in the education reform programme.

9. In the area of child labour, issues such as:
a) compatibility of the articles 75-79 of the Labour Law with the Convention, and international standards, such as ILO Convention no. 138 on minimum age of admission to employment, and ILO Convention No. 182 on prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour;
b) role and effectiveness of the labour inspectorates, in this regard; and

c) consideration given to ratify the relevant ILO Conventions.

10. With respect to the treatment of juvenile offenders, issues such as:
a) the low age of criminal responsibility, which is set at 9 years;
b) measures to ensure contact between the child and his/her family;
c) conditions of children in deprived of their liberty and how they are monitored;
d) independent and effective complaint procedures to deal with issues such as ill-
treatment;
e) availability of education, health, and other social facilities; and
f) availability and effectiveness of services for the recovery and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders.

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