Under this section the State party is requested to submit in writing additional and updated information, if possible before 1 December 2000:

A. Data and statistics, if available

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

2. Please provide specific disaggregated data on national budgetary allocation and spending for social needs for the period between 1997 and 1999. In particular, how much was spent on:

a) education (including allocations for primary and secondary education, salaries, preservation of school buildings, etc.)

b) health (including allocations for primary health care, vaccinations, adolescent health care and other health care services for children)

c) child protection (for example institutional or foster care)

d) juvenile crime prevention

3. With reference to paragraphs 153-158 of the report, please provide the following data, disaggregated by sex and age, for the last three years:

a) number of children separated from their parents for reasons cited in paragraph 153;

b) number of foundlings; and

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

4. With reference to the tables in paragraphs 215-218 of the report, please specify for the last three years, the enrollment and completion rates, disaggregated by sex and age, 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 (1997-1999):

a) number who committed a crime reported to the police;

b) number who were sentenced by Courts to sanctions;

c) nature of sanctions (detention; community service; other);

d) number of suspended sentences;

e) where the sanction is deprivation of liberty, please further specify the period of detention; and

f) percentage of recidivism cases.

B. General Measures of Implementation

1. In relation to the general reservation of the State party to the Convention, please identify all the relevant articles of the Convention which are in conflict with the provisions of Islamic law. In light of the recommendations adopted in the Declaration and Plan of Action of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights (1993), please indicate if the State party has considered the possibility of reviewing its general reservation to the Convention with a view to its withdrawal.

2. In accordance with article 71 of the Basic Law, please specify whether the Convention has been published in the Official Gazette.

3. The report indicates that the National Commission for Child Welfare is entrusted with monitoring and coordinating efforts to implement the Convention. To further understand the role that the Commission plays, please further describe:

a) intersectoral coordination and cooperation 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;

d) the collection and analysis of disaggregated data; and definition of the appropriate indicators in order to design policies and programmes affecting all persons under 18 years.

4. i) Please indicate the developments to establish a national human rights institution.

ii) Please specify steps undertaken to ensure that it complies with the Paris Principles relating to the status of national institutions (A/RES/48/134)?

iii) Will this body have a particular programme or focus on children=s rights?

5. i) In accordance with article 15 of the Convention, and other international standards on freedom of association, please indicate, specifying relevant legislation, the legal status of non-governmental organizations.

ii) Please describe what efforts have been made to facilitate the involvement of civil society throughout all stages of the implementation of the Convention, including in policy-making.

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

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 may be raised in the course of the dialogue.

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

1. i) if persons below 18 years at the time of commission of an offence are subject, under applicable law, to the death penalty and other judicially imposed sanctions, such as flogging and amputation

ii) rationale for not establishing a legal minimum age for marriage

2. i) legal restrictions and traditional attitudes in Saudi society concerning: the position of girls (eg. those which may restrict girls from enjoying some rights, such as attending and completing schooling, particularly in rural communities, and freedom of movement); and children born out of wedlock, particularly with respect to inheritance and maintenance.

ii) measures the State party has taken, in cooperation with religious authorities, to conduct studies, and public education campaigns to prevent and combat all forms of discrimination.

iii) developments, if any, to eliminate discrimination of women in personal status matters, including marriage, divorce, inheritance, maintenance, and child custody upon separation.

3. Legislative steps undertaken 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. a) legal provisions to protect children from being ill-treated in homes, schools, care institutions, detention facilities, and by the police;

b) mechanisms for children to file complaints, and for mandatory reporting (eg. by teachers and police), investigating, prosecuting and monitoring cases of child abuse;

c) steps taken by the State party to prevent ill-treatment of children; to raise awareness of its negative consequences; promote alternative forms of discipline; and to overcome socio-cultural barriers which inhibit victims from seeking assistance;

d) studies undertaken concerning the extent and factors underlying abuse, including sexual abuse and the ways this information been used as a basis to design policies to address this phenomenon.

5. Measures taken to ensure that adolescents have access to and are provided with information relating to physical and mental development, including education on reproductive health; and child-friendly counselling and rehabilitation services.

6. i) due reflection of articles 29 (d) and 17 of the Convention in the school curricula

ii) comprehensive assessment in relation to the relevance and quality of education

7. With respect to the treatment of juvenile offenders:

a) incorporation of international standards for the administration of juvenile justice in legislative and administrative measures

b) measures to ensure contact between the child and his/her family

c) conditions of children in detention and how they are monitored

d) independent complaint procedures to deal with issues such as ill-treatment and their effectiveness

e) availability of education, health, and other social facilities

f) availability of services for the recovery and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and their effectiveness