Lists of Issues - CRC - Niger - CRC/C/Q/NIG/1 (2002)

List of issues : Niger. 08/02/2002.

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

Convention Abbreviation: CRC
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
30th Session
Pre-sessional Working Group
4-8 February 2002

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 Niger (CRC/C/3/Add.29/Rev.1)

Part I

Under this section, the State Party is requested to submit in written form additional and updated information, if available (before 5 April 2002):

A. Data and statistics

The Committee is aware of the fact that the State Party is developing its data collection system. Please provide the Committee with all data as available on the issues mentioned in Part I-A-8 of this document.

1. Please provide demographic data of the number of the under-18 population, disaggregated by sex, age, and by national background

2. In light of article 4 on the implementation of the Convention, please provide additional information and disaggregated data (by age, sex, ethnic group, and region) on the amount and proportion in percentage of national budget, allocated to children at central, local levels, preferably in the last 3 years (1999-2001), evaluating also the order of priority given to these policies within the comprehensive budget, to:

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.

3. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age, minority groups or ethnic origin, regions, urban or rural areas) covering the period 1999-2001 on the:

a) number and proportion 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 and how many benefit from the special education system. In addition please indicate the number of schools and teachers involved in the inclusive policy with regard to children with disabilities and provide information on the causes of disabilities.

4. Please provide disaggregated statistical data (by sex, age, minority groups or ethnic origin, regions, urban or rural areas) covering the period 1999-2001 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 schools;
c) enrolment in percentage of children in secondary schools;
d) percentage of children completing primary and secondary education;
e) number and percentage of drop-outs, repetition and retention;
f) ratio teacher per children and number of children per class;
g) number of children in boarding schools;
h) number and location of boarding schools;
i) number of children who attend pre-school education.

5. Please provide disaggregated statistical data on the number of schools and teachers.

6. Please provide disaggregated statistical data on adolescent health, including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, early and forced marriages, drug and alcohol abuse, violence and physical abuse, suicide and mental health concerns.

7. Please provide the following statistical data of children (disaggregated by sex, age, type of crime) for the last three years (1999-2001):
a) number of minors who allegedly committed a crime reported to the police;
b) number of minors who were sentenced by Courts to sanctions; the nature of sanctions (community service; detention; other types of sanctions);
c) the number of juveniles 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) number of suspended sentences;
e) percentage of recidivism cases.

8. With reference to special protection measures, please provide statistical data (including by sex, age, urban/rural areas) per year between 1999 and 2001 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 (re-)integration;
d) involved in child labour (formal or informal sectors, and domestic work);
e) seeking asylum and provided with refugee status.

B. General Measures of Implementation

1. Please outline the measures taken to address the incompatibilities between customary law, Muslim law and statutory law and the principles and provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Please provide also information on the cases where the Convention has been invoked in courts. In addition, please also indicate the role and authority of customary courts. Finally, please provide information on the development of the work of the National Commission on the Reform of Civil and Criminal Legislation with regard to children's rights.

2. Please indicate any development and/or results of the Study on the perception of children's rights.

3. Please outline the measures taken to establish a co-ordinating mechanism to facilitate the implementation of the Convention. In that respect, please indicate the role of the National Committee for the Survival, Protection and Development of Children. Please also outline the interaction among the various National Plans of Action or strategies regarding children. Further, please provide additional information on the programmes and activities of NGOs working with and for children.

4. Please provide information on the mandate, human and financial resources, and activities of the National Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and how it contributes to the implementation and monitoring of the rights of the child. Please indicate if there is any plan to establish a complaints mechanism in the country.

5. Please outline the measures taken to introduce a more systematic and sustainable approach to training, education and awareness raising on the principles and provisions of the Convention, particularly among professional groups, including magistrates and others in the justice system, teachers, social workers, police and military personnel, community and religious leaders and parents. 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 plans of action and policies
- newly implemented programmes

Part IV

The following is a preliminary list of major issues that the Committee may 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 with the State party might include issues such as:

1. General principles of the Convention (articles 2, 3, 6 and 12) and their practical implementation by social welfare institutions, courts of law and administrative authorities.

2. Measures taken to address the effects of poverty on children.

3. Legal minimum ages marriage and sexual consent, including under customary law.

4. Birth registration. Measures to increase the rate of birth registration.

5. Forced and early marriage. Measures to prevent and discourage such marriages.

6. Children deprived of a family environment; alternative care; and adoptions.

7. The legal enforcement of maintenance orders - awareness raising and assistance programmes.

8. Child sexual abuse and neglect (art. 19 of the Convention) including, inter alia, measures to prevent and combat it; mechanisms to facilitate timely reporting; and measures to prohibit and eliminate use of corporal punishment.

9. Various aspects of basic health care including, inter alia, measures to improve vaccination rate and the rate of exclusive breastfeeding, to prevent HIV/AIDS and mitigate the impact on children, and the prevention of harmful practices. (inter alia infanticide)

10. Education, inter alia, measures to increase the enrolment rates and the participation of girls; efforts to reduce dropout and repetition rates; and development of experimental schools.

11. Measures to prevent and combat economic exploitation, including child labour, domestic work, forced child labour, and slavery.

12. Measures to prevent and combat the use of children in commercial sexual exploitation. Rehabilitative programmes and services for children. Measures to prevent the criminalization of child victims of sexual abuse.

13. Measures to prevent and combat sale, trafficking, and abduction of children. Inter-country co-operation agreements and programmes.

14. Asylum seeking and 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.

15. The situation of children affected by the recent internal conflict: programme aimed to rehabilitating these children.

16. The situation of street children and children of nomads.

17. The juvenile justice system (children in conflict with the law) with particular attention to, inter alia, the deprivation of liberty as a measure of last resort; conditions of detention; length of criminal proceedings; and the provision of legal aid.