List of issues : Dominica. 13/04/2004.
CRC/C/Q/DMA/1. (List of Issues)

Convention Abbreviation: CRC
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
36th Session
Pre-sessional Working Group



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 Dominica
(CRC/C/8/Add.48)

Part I

Under this section the State party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if possible, before 5 April 2004:


A. Data and statistics, if available

1. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by gender, age groups, indigenous groups, urban and rural areas) covering the covering the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 on the number and proportion of children under 18 living in the State party.

2. In light of article 4 of the Convention, please provide additional data disaggregated for the years 2002, 2003 and 2004, on budget allocations and trends (in absolute figures and percentages of the national and local budgets and/or GDP) allocated to the implementation of the Convention, evaluating also the priorities for budgetary expenditures given to the following:
(a) education (different types of education, i.e. pre-primary, 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, including social insurance);
(c) children with disabilities;
(d) the protection of children who are in need of alternative care including the support of care institutions;
(e) programmes and activities for the prevention and protection from child abuse, child sexual exploitation and child labour;
(f) juvenile justice3. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age, indigenous groups, urban or rural areas) covering the period 2001-2003 on the:
(a) number and percentage of children with disabilities;
(b) number of children with disabilities either taken care at home or living in institutions;
(c) number of children with disabilities being enrolled in regular education, how many benefit from the special education system and how many are not in school.

4. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age, urban or rural areas) covering the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 in percentage of the relevant age group on the:
(a) rates of literacy, below and over 18 years;
(b) enrolment in percentage of children in primary and secondary schools;
(c) percentage of children completing primary and secondary education;
(d) number and percentage of drop-outs and repetition rate;
(e) ratio teacher per children and number of children per class;
(f) number of children who attend pre-school education.5. Please provide disaggregated statistical data on adolescent health, including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, early marriages, drug and alcohol abuse, violence and physical abuse, suicide and mental health concerns.6. Please provide the following statistical data of children (disaggregated by sex, age, type of crime) for the last three years (2001-2003):
(a) number of persons below 18 who allegedly committed a crime reported to the police;
(b) number of persons below 18 who were sentenced and the nature of sanctions (community service; detention; other types of sanctions);
(c) the number of juveniles (under 18) detained and imprisoned, the location of their detention or imprisonment (e.g. police station, jail or other place) and the lengths of their detention or imprisonment, including pre-trial detention;
(d) reported cases of abuse and maltreatment of persons below 18 occurred during their arrest and detention.

7. With reference to special protection measures, please provide statistical data (including by sex, age, urban/rural areas) per year between 2001 and 2003 on the number of children:
(a) involved in sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography, sale and trafficking and the number of those children who were provided access with rehabilitation treatments;
(b) involved in substance abuse and the number of those children who received rehabilitation treatments;
(c) living in the streets and the number of them receiving social reintegration;
(d) involved in child labour (formal or informal sectors).B. General Measures of Implementation

1. Please provide more information on the efforts undertaken by the State party to harmonize domestic law with the provisions and principles of the Convention. Please specify the legal status of the Convention in the domestic legal order and if the Convention can be directly invoked in Courts (please provide examples).

2. Please provide more information on the Committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (its actual status, functions, budget, powers, etc.).

3. Please indicate if there is any independent monitoring mechanism which is, among others, mandated to receive and handle individual complaints from children.

4. Please provide information on the system of data collection and whether it covers all persons below 18 and all areas referred to in the Convention.

5. 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.



6. Please provide information on the dissemination of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the State party. Please also specify whether measures have been taken to sensitize and/or train professional groups working for/with children on the rights of the child.

7. Please indicate the issues affecting children that the State party considers to be priorities requiring the most urgent attention with regard to the implementation of the Convention.



Part II

Please provide the Committee with copies of the text of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in all 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 and projects


Part IV

The following is a preliminary list (that does not contain issues already covered in Part I) of major issues that the Committee intends to take up during the dialogue with the State party. They do not require written answers. This list is not exhaustive as other issues might be raised in the course of the dialogue.


1. Formulation and implementation of a national plan of action in the light of the planned Cabinet retreat.

2. Measures taken to end gender discrimination and discrimination against street children and children with disabilities (article 2 of the Convention).

3. Right to express views freely and have them given due weight in decisions which affect children, including in schools and in the family (article 12 of the Convention).

4. Measures taken to improve birth registration.

5. Violence against children, including in the context of law enforcement and acts committed by adults; in particular corporal punishment, including in the family, in public and private institutions, including schools. Measures taken to address domestic violence, sexual abuse and access for victims and perpetrators to recovery and reintegration assistance after abuse.

6. Quality of and accessibility to health services.



7. Measures taken to address adolescent health concerns, including reproductive health, mental health, HIV/AIDS and early pregnancy.

8. The access of children with disabilities to education and professional training, and physical access to public buildings. The availability of special education facilities and professional teachers for children with disabilities in need of such assistance.

9. Education and measures undertaken to make secondary education free, universal and compulsory. Progress made in improving teacher training capacity.

10. Drug abuse.

11. Economic exploitation of children, including the situation of domestic workers.

12. Sexual exploitation, including trafficking.

13. Juvenile justice.

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