List of issues : Aruba, Netherlands. 27/10/2003.
CRC/C/Q/NLD/2. (List of Issues)

Convention Abbreviation: CRC
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
35th session
Pre-sessional Working Group
6-10 October 2003


IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

List of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of
the second periodic report of THE NETHERLANDS (CRC/C/117/Add.1) including
the initial report on ARUBA (CRC/C/117/Add.2)


Part I

Under this section the State party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if possible, before 28 November 2003:


A. Data and statistics

1. Please provide disaggregated data (by gender, age groups, minority and ethnic groups, urban and rural areas) for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 on the number and proportion of children under 18 living in the Netherlands and Aruba respectively.

2. In light of article 4 of the Convention, please provide additional disaggregated data for 2001- 2003, on budget allocations and trends in both the Netherlands and Aruba (in percentages of the national and regional budgets or GDP) allocated to the implementation of the Convention in the following areas:
a) education (different types of education, i.e. pre-primary, primary and secondary education);
b) child care services, including day care centers and crèches;
c) health care (different types of health services, i.e. primary health care, vaccination programmes, adolescent health care and other health care services for children);
d) programmes and services for children with disabilities;
e) support programmes for families;
f) support for children living below the poverty line (please also specify the criteria for 'poverty');
g) the protection of children who are in need of alternative care including the support of care institutions;
h) programmes and activities for the prevention of and protection from child abuse and child sexual exploitation and child labour;
i) juvenile justice.
Please also indicate the expenses of the private sector, in particular for health and education.

3. With reference to children deprived of a family environment and separated from parents, please provide disaggregated data (by gender, age groups, minority and ethnic groups, urban and rural areas) for the last three years on the number of children in the Netherlands and Aruba who have been:
a) separated from their parents;
b) placed in institutions;
c) placed with foster families;
d) adopted domestically or through inter-country adoptions.

4. Please specify the number of children with disabilities, disaggregated by sex, age ethnic and minority group, for both the Netherlands and Aruba for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002:
a) living with their families;
b) in institutions;
c) attending regular schools; and
d) attending special schools.

5. Please provide data on number of children abducted from or to the Netherlands.

6. With reference to child abuse in the Netherlands and Aruba, please provide disaggregated data (by age, gender, minority and ethnic group and types of violations reported) for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 on the:
a) number of reports received per year in the last three years;
b) number and percentage of reports which have resulted in either a court decision or other types of follow-up.

7. Please provide disaggregated data (by gender, age groups, minority and ethnic groups, urban and rural areas) for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 and for both the Netherlands and Aruba on:
a) the enrolment and completion rates in percentages of the relevant group in pre-primary schools, in primary schools and in secondary schools;
b) number and percentage of drop-outs and repetitions;
c) ratio of teachers to students.

8. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by gender, age groups, minority and ethnic groups, urban, and rural areas) on infant and child mortality, early pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), youth suicide, drug, alcohol and tobacco use for the Netherlands and Aruba for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. Also, please provide numbers of health professionals working in the health care services for children in the Netherlands and Aruba.

9. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (including by gender, age groups, minority and ethnic groups, urban and rural areas) on children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in the Netherlands and Aruba as well as information on programmes implemented to address the problems of these children.

10. Please provide appropriate disaggregated data (including by gender, age, minority and ethnic groups, and type of crime) for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 for both the Netherlands and Aruba, in particular on the number of:
a) minors, who have allegedly committed a crime, reported to the police;
b) minors who have been sentenced and type of punishment or sanctions related to offences including length of deprivation of liberty;
c) persons under the age of 18 who have been tried as adults;
d) detention facilities for juvenile delinquents and their capacity;
e) minors detained in these facilities and minors detained in adult facilities;
f) minors kept in pre-trail detention and the average length of their detention;
g) reported cases of abuse and maltreatment of minors during their arrest and detention.

11. With reference to special protection measures in the Netherlands and Aruba, please provide statistical data (including by gender, age, urban/rural areas) per year between 2000 and 2002 on:
a) the number of children involved in sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography and trafficking;
b) the number of children involved in sexual exploitation who received assistance in recovery and counseling;
c) the number of unaccompanied minors and asylum-seeking and refugee children, as well as the number of children awaiting expulsion.


B. General Measures of Implementation

1. The Committee would appreciate receiving information on intended or planned activities related to recommendations contained in the Committee's previous concluding observations on the initial report of the Netherlands (CRC/C/15/Add.114, 26 October 1996) which have not yet been implemented, in particular those related to cooperation with civil society (para. 8), the system of alternative care (para. 16), female genital mutilation (para. 18) and human rights education (para. 21).

2. Please indicate whether the State party is considering withdrawing its reservations to articles 26, 37 and 40.

3. Please explain why the State party has not extended the application of the Hague Conventions No. 23 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions relating to Maintenance Obligations (1973), No. 24 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations (1973), No. 28 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (1980) and No. 33 on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (1993) to Aruba.

4. Please provide updated information on efforts to coordinate policies for children and the implementation of the Convention. In the case of the Netherlands, please indicate whether there are plans to develop a national plan of action or a comprehensive strategy for children and youth. In the case of Aruba, please indicate whether the youth policy programme (2001-2005) covers all areas of the Convention, and if not, please inform the Committee of intentions to develop a comprehensive policy on children covering all rights under the Convention.

5. Please provide additional information on data collection mechanisms in the Netherlands and Aruba.

6. Please provide additional information on the complaints mechanisms available and accessible to children in the Netherlands. Please indicate whether there are any plans to establish an independent monitoring body in Aruba, which would be able to receive and investigate complaints from children.


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, the State party is to briefly (3 pages maximum) update the information provided in its report with regard to:

- new bills or enacted legislation
- new institutions
- newly implemented policies
- newly implemented programmes and projects and their scope


Part IV

The following is a preliminary list of major issues (that does not contain issues already covered in Part I) 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.

1. Discrimination in particular with respect to immigrants, undocumented migrants, refugees and asylum-seeking children in the Netherlands and Aruba.
2. Corporal punishment in schools, institutions and the home in the Netherlands and Aruba.
3. Birth registration in Aruba.
4. Reporting of child abuse and the provision of counselling and recovery services for child victims in both the Netherlands and Aruba.
5. Alternative care in the Netherlands and Aruba.
6. Inter-country adoptions and the monitoring and control of adoption agencies in the Netherlands.
7. Adolescent health in the Netherlands and Aruba.
8. Programmes and services for children with disabilities in the Netherlands and Aruba.
9. Undocumented migrants in Aruba, and their access to education and other basic services.
10. Refugee and asylum-seeking children in the Netherlands, and their access to services including education and housing.
11. Sexual exploitation of children in the Netherlands and Aruba.
12. Street children in Aruba.
13. Juvenile justice in the Netherlands and Aruba.


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