Summary Records - CRC - Netherlands

Distr.

GENERAL

CRC/C/SR.801
12 June 2002

Original: ENGLISH

Summary record of the 801st meeting : Netherlands Antilles. 12/06/2002.

CRC/C/SR.801. (Summary Record)

Convention Abbreviation: CRC

COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Thirtieth session

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 801st MEETING

Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva,
on Wednesday, 5 June 2002, at 3 p.m.

Chairperson: Mr. DOEK

CONTENTS

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF STATES PARTIES (continued)

Initial report of the Netherlands Antilles (continued)

The meeting was called to order at 3.15 p.m.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF STATES PARTIES (agenda item 4) (continued)

Initial report of the Netherlands Antilles

continued

1. At the invitation of the Chairperson, the members of the delegation of the Netherlands Antilles took places at the Committee table.

2. Ms. de BODE-OLTON (Netherlands Antilles) gave a brief description of the country's legal system, which comprised national ordinances, adopted centrally by Parliament, and island ordinances, adopted by the island Governments: all were binding on all members of the community and enforceable through the courts. The new Civil Code took account of all the international human rights instruments ratified by the Netherlands in the past 15 years and Netherlands Antilles legislation in general was also affected by European Court of Human Rights judgements. Judgements by the Supreme Court in the Hague applied throughout the Kingdom and in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

3. The revised Civil Code had been publicized in a special bulletin for lawyers and would be disseminated more widely in summary form, with particular emphasis on children's rights.

4. Ms. ROMERO (Netherlands Antilles) said the territory's currency was the Netherlands Antillean guilder.

5. Each of the islands had its own annual budget, adopted by its Executive Council. The central budget was prepared annually on the basis of submissions from the various ministries, each of which had its own budget, and adopted by Parliament.

6. Measures had been taken to cut the budget deficit with technical assistance from the Netherlands. Outstanding taxes were being collected; civil service staff cuts had been made at both the central and the island levels; and a civil service pay freeze had been instituted.

7. Financial accounting and management was carried out by each island's finance services and, at the central level, including monitoring of external aid, by the Department of Finance and the Central Bank. Independent monitoring was carried out by the Dutch Board of Auditors and a Netherlands Antilles foundation. European Union funds were monitored through the Central Bank, the Department for Development Cooperation and the European Court of Auditors.

8. Ms. van EERSEL (Netherlands Antilles) said Curaçao and Sint Maarten had implemented island ordinances on minimum standards for infrastructure, health and hygiene, and staff conditions and qualifications, for day-care centres for children aged 0 to 4. Sint Maarten had established a monitoring committee for day-care centres, comprising representatives of the education and youth health-care departments and a non-governmental organization.

9. There were four types of health insurance: a State scheme for those with low incomes; a civil service scheme; a "social insurance" scheme based on joint contributions from employers and employees in the private sector; and a private scheme. Not all residents were covered, however, and the Government was looking into the idea of a general health insurance scheme.

10. Certain preventive health-care services, such as vaccinations and health education, were provided free of charge to all children. In reply to a question by Ms. Tigerstedt-Tähtelä, she confirmed that that included undocumented migrant children. Vaccination information was available in various languages. The baby and toddler clinics reached all children aged 0 to 4 and the youth health-care services catered for those aged 4 to 12, through schools. On Sint Maarten there were a number of schools the Government had been unaware of, some of them attended by undocumented migrants, but as soon as such schools were discovered they were included in the preventive health-care programme.

11. With regard to the risk involved in allowing a 12 to 16-year-old to insist on a medical operation despite parents' refusal to give their consent (report, para. 40), she said the situation had never in fact arisen, but the Government would look into the question of how to protect children in that situation.

12. Ms. KARP suggested that one way of protecting children in such situations was to train social workers who could intervene where children and parents were not in agreement.

13. Ms. van EERSEL (Netherlands Antilles) said the Government would discuss the matter further.

14. With regard to the main causes of death of children aged between 1 and 4, she said the only information available was for Curaçao for the years 1991 to 1993. During that period 13 children had died, 5 of them from genetic defects and 4 from traffic accidents. Legislation on seat belt use was now in place, backed up by information campaigns and monitoring. For young people aged 15 to 24 the main cause of death in Curaçao for the same period had been homicide (22 out of a total age group of some 20,000). A foundation had been established to help children with emotional problems.

15. Ms. BREWSTER (Netherlands Antilles) said migration was a major influence on the size and structure of the population. An entry permit was needed, but there were many who overstayed. In order to obtain an overview of the numbers involved, the island Governments had recently announced that, for a certain period, undocumented migrants could register and would be allowed to stay. Legislation had also been introduced prohibiting the employment of undocumented migrants.

16. In adoption cases the court heard all children aged 12 or over and, in certain cases, children aged under 12 if they objected to the adoption and were considered capable of giving a reasonable and objective opinion. The Guardianship Council had an important advisory role, notably submitting a report in cases where a child was to be placed in an institution. All children were heard and their views taken into account in that report; they also had the right to call a special hearing before the final decision and to put additional objections to the court and the Guardianship Council.

17. Funding had been requested from the European Union for a youth development programme that included training in listening to children for field staff, including volunteers. Similar training was also being provided to members of the Guardianship Council and a government task force had been established to train police and social workers to listen to children in the specific areas of domestic violence and victim care.

18. Complaints committees existed in all detention facilities. They were on 24-hour call, could hear complaints in private and were authorized to take whatever steps were necessary in a given situation. In other institutions, complaints could be submitted directly to a court or to the Guardianship Council.

19. The Guardianship Council acted as mediator in recovery of maintenance and, in cases where a court judgement existed, was authorized to make direct deductions from a defaulter's pay.

20. Ms. TIGERSTEDT-TÄHTELÄ asked what happened if the father had no money.

21. Ms. KARP asked whether the Netherlands Antilles had ratified the Hague Conventions concerning maintenance.

22. Ms. BREWSTER (Netherlands Antilles) said that fathers sometimes actually left their job in order to avoid paying maintenance. The Guardianship Council was looking into the possibility of confiscating property in such cases. If the father went to the Netherlands, the Council cooperated with the Dutch authorities to trace him.

23. Ms. de BODE-OLTON (Netherlands Antilles) said the issue was of major concern but there was no effective mechanism, particularly where a father subsequently left the Netherlands to go elsewhere. The mother was nevertheless entitled to financial support to help meet the family's needs.

24. The Netherlands Antilles had not yet ratified the relevant Hague conventions for financial reasons: ratification was one thing, implementation was quite another.

25. Ms. BAKHUIS (Netherlands Antilles) said that the Government was taking steps to review the system of education because it had become apparent that the current system was insufficient. The duration of compulsory basic education would be extended to cover all children between the ages of 4 and 15 and partial compulsory education would be introduced for 16-18 year olds. One of the Government's priorities was to introduce measures to encourage involvement of children in decisions affecting their education. A pilot scheme had been introduced to promote "safe and sound schools", which gave priority to student participation in schools.

26. Many children attended schools for children with special needs. However, under the new system of education, the Government would encourage the integration of children with special needs into mainstream schools.

27. Antillean civil law provided some protection to children who were victims of abuse. A commission had recently been established with the task of preparing a national ordinance to create a "one-window system" for providing youth, health and voluntary care, to ensure that adequate care could be given to victims of abuse as swiftly as possible. It would take at least five years to set up an effective system, but the initial steps had been taken. Significant efforts would be made to provide training for professionals working in that field, including teachers.

28. Ms. SARDENBERG said it would be useful to know whether teachers would be provided with training on the provisions of the Convention. She would be interested to learn whether there were any problems with discipline in schools; how did the Government respond to such problems? The reporting State should indicate whether children facing disciplinary action had the right to be heard. It was unclear whether pregnant teenagers were allowed to continue their schooling. Further information should be provided on "makeshift" schools.

29. Ms. TIGERSTEDT-TÄHTELÄ said that the State party should provide more information on foundation-based schools. What were the objectives of such schools?

30. Ms. KHATTAB asked whether migrant children had the opportunity to attend "makeshift" schools; it would be interesting to know whether vocational training was provided. She expressed concern that the teenage pregnancy rate was high despite the Government's efforts to provide sex education in schools. She would like to know whether any outreach programmes had been established to address the problem. Had any changes been made to the school curriculum, in order to draw attention to the problems relating to teenage pregnancies and to raise awareness of family obligations? The State party had a very good record of cooperation with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the field of leisure, recreation and cultural activities; could that cooperation be extended to other areas? Civil society should be encouraged to play a significant role in promoting the Government's new drug-control policy.

31. Ms. BAKHUIS (Netherlands Antilles) said that the current system of education was based on traditional methods of classroom teaching. The Government had adopted a plan for foundation-based education, consisting of an uninterrupted path of education in three consecutive cycles. The aim was to reduce the school dropout rate and allow students to develop at their own pace. Teachers would be seen as "coaches" and emphasis would be placed on encouraging pupils to be proactive. The curriculum would comprise eight main areas of education, ranging from mathematics to health and physical education, which would include reproductive health. Social development was another subject area, which aimed, inter alia, at raising awareness of family obligations. The Government recognized that the only way to change deep-rooted attitudes was through education.

32. Each school had its own policy regarding teenage pregnancies. In some schools, pregnant teenagers were expelled. The Government was conducting a dialogue with school boards to encourage them to allow pregnant teenagers to continue their studies and to allow girls to return to school after giving birth. However, some boards were opposed to the idea, which they feared would set a bad example to other girls. An institution in Curaçao provided accommodation for pregnant girls who received no support from their families.

33. The lack of discipline in schools was a serious problem and was being addressed by the Government. An action plan had been introduced to address the growing problem of violence in schools.

34. "Makeshift" schools were private schools that had first been established as a temporary measure in Sint Maarten to cater for the unexpected influx of immigrant children. Children could attend "makeshift" schools until they obtained a place at a mainstream school. They were not official schools and were not inspected by the Government. It was difficult to monitor exactly where the schools had been established, as they operated according to demand. The target group could not always afford the high fees.

35. In reply to a comment by Mr. Citarella, she said that women in the Netherlands Antilles rarely had more than one partner at a time and could not be described as "polygamous"; fathers often roamed for long periods and had several families in different households. It was not unusual for a woman to meet another man and have children by him if she had been abandoned by her previous partner. The Government promoted the belief that children had a right to be loved and to receive guidance from both parents. Unfortunately, in reality, that right was not always guaranteed.

36. Ms. TIGERSTEDT-TÄHTELÄ said it was inappropriate to refer to "polygamous" women in the case of the Netherlands Antilles, particularly as it was common for men to have a number of partners.

37. Mr. AL-SHEDDI said that the State party should indicate whether there was any legislation outlining the obligations of roaming fathers. Further details should be provided on the status of their children.

38. Mr. CITARELLA expressed concern about the fact that it was culturally acceptable in some parts of the country to have more than one partner. It was difficult for a roaming father to recognize his children and women were being left to carry the burden of bringing up children alone. The Government did not provide any financial assistance to such families.

39. Ms. TIGERSTEDT-TÄHTELÄ asked whether the women's movements in the State party had taken any action to help abandoned mothers.

40. Ms. KHATTAB said it was a major challenge for the Government to change the deeply-entrenched cultural values regarding family structure and to promote the concept of a nuclear family.

41. Ms. BAKHUIS (Netherlands Antilles) said that the situation was, without doubt, difficult for women. However, the fact that fathers left home did not mean that they did not recognize their children. The Government acknowledged the need to change attitudes in that field. The situation had improved; for example, the law no longer distinguished between legitimate and illegitimate children. Replying to a question by Ms. Khattab, she said that the Government considered it important to focus on both girls and boys.

42. The general health insurance system adopted in 1997 had greatly improved the situation of children with disabilities. All disabled persons, including children, were entitled to receive nursing care; special medical services for disabled people were being put in place. Efforts were being made to install ramps and other facilities in the homes of disabled persons, to improve their quality of life. Improvements had also been made to the education system; for example, schools had taken steps to recognize the special needs of disabled pupils. However, a significant amount of work remained to be done to promote the integration of disabled persons into the community. A national ordinance had been adopted stipulating that all new public buildings had to be accessible to disabled persons. It would be difficult to facilitate access to all existing buildings.

43. Ms. AL-THANI said the State party should provide further information about centres for disabled children. While she welcomed the introduction of general health insurance, much more needed to be done. She expressed concern that there was a disparity between the services provided on the different islands; a disabled child might have to travel to a different island and be institutionalized in order to benefit from the services. The Government had introduced a plan of action from 1994-2000 to improve the situation; what had been achieved since then? She wondered whether any more centres for disabled children had been built. An integrated plan of action was needed that would encompass, inter alia, prevention, health and education. Accurate statistics should be made available.

44. Mr. CITARELLA said that when the Human Rights Committee had considered the third periodic report submitted by the Netherlands (CCPR/C/NET/99/3 and Add.1) in July 2001, it had expressed concern at the sizeable backlog in the revision of outdated and obsolete legislation, in particular in the provisions of the Antillean Criminal Code, and had noted with regret that the distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate children who had not been recognized by their father, and who accordingly suffered disadvantage under inheritance laws, had not been eliminated. The State party should indicate whether that distinction persisted.

45. Ms. BAKHUIS (Netherlands Antilles) said that on Saba there were five disabled children, two visually-impaired, one hearing-impaired, one mute and one physically disabled; and on Sint Eustatius there were three children, two physically disabled and one mentally disabled. Saba and Sint Eustatius did not have the facilities that Sint Maarten, Bonaire and Curaçao had and could offer only medical care and guidance. On Curaçao there were various schools available: nine schools for children with learning difficulties, one school for children with severe learning difficulties, two schools for physically disabled children, one for hearing-impaired children, a facility for the 24-hour care of disabled children, a day-care centre for the mentally disabled, a centre for mentally disabled children where they lived in an alternative family environment, an institute for visually-impaired children and a centre offering special play materials, on loan, for disabled children. In total the institutions catered for about 1,300 children. Most disabled children remained in the care of their families and most of those aged 0-14 years attended some form of educational facility.

46. Ms. AL-THANI asked what was meant by schools for children with learning difficulties.

47. Ms. BAKHUIS (Netherlands Antilles) said she had meant learning disabilities rather than difficulties. Children with learning problems went to schools for those with learning and behavioural problems. She agreed that such children could probably be integrated into regular schools quite easily; even if physically disabled, a child could attend a regular school if the correct measures were taken. However, that was currently not possible in the Netherlands Antilles.

48. Ms. TIGERSTEDT-TÄHTELÄ asked about the final objective of the National Youth Policy Programme - preparing young people for emigration to the Netherlands - and wondered whether they should not be encouraged to stay in the Netherlands Antilles. She queried the figure for the number of children placed in foster care. She also wished to know whether the institutions into which children were placed (if removed from their parents) were private or State-run, whether there were an adequate number of them and whether there were sufficient foster families available. She also asked whether there had been any follow-up of the proposals made to the Ministry of Education as a result of the national Youth Summit held in 1998 and whether NGOs had been provided with funding to implement the proposals.

49. Ms. KHATTAB asked why young men were recruited to serve in the armed forces at 17 although they did not start military service until the age of 18. She also wondered whether the many school dropouts entered the employment market as child labour and whether there were any relevant statistics available. She noted that the Netherlands Antilles had not ratified the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) which also covered commercial and sexual exploitation of children and child prostitution, and asked what measures were being taken to protect children, given the high number of tourists visiting the Netherlands Antilles. She also wished to know whether there were any awareness programmes to discourage teenage pregnancies.

50. Ms. CHUTIKUL noted that although all the islands had pre-school institutions, many were private and did not receive State aid, meaning that there were disparities in access to pre-school education. She asked what the Government planned to do to eliminate such disparities. She also wished to know how the results of the very interesting "Youth Monitor 2000" study would be incorporated into programmes for children and how teaching and learning could be made more attractive.

51. Mr. AL-SHEDDI asked how the education system was being developed and whether the system, which was the same as that applied in the Netherlands, was appropriate for the Netherlands Antilles. He requested further information on progress made in the field of education. Although education was compulsory up to the age of 15, the dropout rate at 14 years was 23 per cent, which indicated that measures were not being taken to ensure that children completed their compulsory education. He asked for clarification. The illiteracy rate also seemed very high and was almost double among women. Given that literacy was an inherent human right, he wondered how the Government was tackling the issue. He also requested further information on discipline and forms of punishment in schools and in the family.

52. Ms. AL-THANI asked what follow-up measures had been taken as a result of the 1994-2000 national plan and whether the Government had any similar plans for the future. With regard to health issues, she was concerned about the disparity in the level of health care offered on the islands and noted that primary and preventive health care needed to be of a uniform standard everywhere. She also wished to know what the general attitude was to abortion and whether anything was being done about illegal abortions. The rates for breastfeeding were very low and although programmes had been launched to make hospitals more baby-friendly there was no recognition of its importance. The problem of inadequate education of health-care workers should be addressed. Mothers also appeared reluctant to take maternity leave for fear of losing their jobs. Consequently, it was important to make the State and the private sector more aware of the importance of maternity leave and breastfeeding. With regard to HIV/AIDS, although the numbers infected were not high there was no evidence of a decrease in the number of cases over time. Given that the most common cause of HIV in children was vertical transmission from mother to child, there was a need for improved awareness campaigns.

53. The Committee had received reports of an increase in criminality among adolescents due to drug use, resulting not just in suicides but also in homicides among young people; that issue needed to be addressed. Finally, hurricanes were a major problem for the Netherlands Antilles, provoking great fear among children, and she wished to know whether anything was being done to combat their fears.

54. Ms. OUEDRAOGO noted the absence of government policy relating to refugees. Given the problems accommodating refugees from Montserrat after the volcanic eruption there in 1996, she wished to know whether the Government had considered adopting such a policy. The Netherlands Antilles had ratified the Convention's Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts and, although there was no armed conflict going on in the country, she wished to know what measures had been taken in connection with the ratification. Drug abuse among young people appeared to be increasing at an alarming rate and the Committee was also concerned about the involving of children in drug trafficking and associated abuse. She wished to know what protection was given to children to prevent them from becoming involved in drug trafficking. Noting that the report did not contain much information on the trafficking and abduction of children, she asked whether agreements had been signed with other countries to deal with such cases. There appeared to be a problem integrating the children of unregistered immigrants from minorities or other ethnic groups into society and she wished to know whether anything was being done to meet their needs.

55. Mr. CITARELLA noted that although education was compulsory up to the age of 15, it was only free-of-charge at primary level and for children from poor families granted State subsidies. The situation therefore needed to be reviewed. He also wished to know what the language of instruction was in schools as, although Dutch was the official language, 84 per cent of the population spoke Papiamento. With regard to juvenile justice he had two major concerns: the lack of legal assistance for delinquents having committed minor offences and the fact that children were not separated from adults in detention centres. The age of criminal responsibility (12 years) seemed very low and he wondered whether there were plans to review it. He also wished to know whether it was possible to distinguish between major and minor offences under the Criminal Code. He noted that some of the minors placed in institutions were very young. For example on Sint Maarten, children aged 1-13 years were institutionalized due to "social problems" and on Curaçao children aged 4-15 years. He wondered whether children that young could really have "social problems" and requested further explanation of the statistics. Given the absence of juvenile courts he wished to know whether children charged with offences were sent before the ordinary courts and, if so, whether they received any special form of assistance or defence.

The meeting was suspended at 5.10 p.m. and resumed at 5.25 p.m.

56. Ms. BREWSTER (Netherlands Antilles) said that facilities to house children separated from their parents were either judicial or non-judicial. Judicial facilities were those operated in direct pursuance of legislation, and were funded from the central government budget. Non-judicial facilities were funded from the island territories' budgets, with a central government contribution; their occupants could include children placed there by court order. Prison facilities were government-supervised; a privatization scheme was under consideration but no decision had been taken.

57. With regard to armed services recruitment, there were two separate facilities on Curaçao. At one, run by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence, persons could be recruited for military service. Service at the other, which recruited males from the age of 17, was not strictly military but for general civil protection and emergency response measures, and the training programme included the teaching of relevant vocational skills.

58. The Civil Code contained legislation that made any form of commercial sexual exploitation of minors under 12 years punishable. In cases involving children aged between 12 and 16 years, a complaint lodged by the child could lead to arrest and punishment of the perpetrator; if the child failed to complain but someone else reported the matter, it would be investigated. With regard to the detention of young offenders, the Government's view was that, in general, all possible alternatives to imprisonment should be sough; but detention was inevitable in some cases. One facility had recently been renovated, provision having been included for a juvenile unit with space for 28 inmates. Some 50 juvenile offenders were currently in prison; efforts were made to ensure that adult prisoners in their proximity were not of a category likely to cause harm. Juvenile prisoners were provided with teaching that included vocational subjects and rehabilitation assistance; they were also encouraged to finish their general schooling. There were mandatory programmes for those convicted of narcotics offences, as well as special literacy programmes.

59. Ms. KARP asked whether prison sentences were passed on juvenile narcotics offenders in general or on traffickers only. In her understanding, young persons aged from 16 to 18 years were treated as adults, and that minors brought before the courts had no right to legal assistance. She wondered whether those matters were being reconsidered with regard to the Convention's, provisions and the State party's reservations.

60. Ms. BREWSTER (Netherlands Antilles) said that minors were deemed not in need of legal aid because they appeared before a special commission; they were tried in the ordinary courts only for serious offences, in which cases legal aid was provided. Replying to a question by the Chairperson, she said that persons aged between 16 and 18 years were treated as adults but their age, as well as other relevant circumstances, was taken into account when sentence was passed.

61. With regard to drug abuse and drug trafficking, the Government sought a balance between repression and prevention. In January 2002 the Minister of Justice had convened a committee to consider the problem of rising drug-related crime, and the Netherlands and Aruba had been asked to cooperate. As a result, coordinated measures were in place at airports and other places of entry and exit. Preventive action, involving the Addiction Foundation, included an awareness campaign with the cooperation of the police, youth organizations and other bodies, as well as campaigns conducted by the media and awareness programmes for schoolchildren, teachers and parents. Within the Government's policy framework, each island was developing its own programme under a national monitoring arrangement.

62. Ms. de BODE-OLTON (Netherlands Antilles) said that although the Netherlands Antilles had not ratified the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees it cooperated with the Netherlands, through the Governor, in all relevant matters, including requests for asylum.

63. Although the population consisted of over 50 nationalities, there were no predominant indigenous groups.

64. Ms. van EERSEL (Netherlands Antilles), replying to a question by the Chairperson, said that although breastfeeding had not been widely encouraged hitherto, several hospitals and the Medical and Health-Care Service had recently signed a letter of intent in that regard, pursuant to a ministry initiative. The main hospitals on Curaçao were involved in promotion measures, including the upgrading of maternal and child health specialists.

65. With regard to day-care centres, those on Curaçao received subsidies but those on Sint Maarten did not. Such centres were the responsibility of the respective island governments. On Sint Maarten, a policy committee had been set up; its recommendations, and the findings of a study conducted by SIFMA, a non-governmental organization, would be submitted to the island government.

66. The Government was concerned that there was no downward trend in the incidence of HIV/AIDS. The islands were preparing their own strategic plans. That of Sint Maarten had already been completed and adopted by the island government; a plan completed on Bonaire had not yet been adopted. The intention was to incorporate all island plans in a national plan by the end of the year. The first priority envisaged was the development of policy and legislation; secondly, victim care and support; thirdly, awareness and prevention campaigns, especially for young persons; fourthly, programme and management capacity development at island and national levels. Non-governmental organizations, too, provided a significant contribution to the work carried out on the various islands. On Sint Maarten, research was being carried out in cooperation with the AIDS Foundation and the Red Cross. Programmes were planned aimed at victim support, awareness and the promotion of sexual abstinence among the young, and a programme management team was in place, financed partly by the island government and partly by an external private agency. It was hoped to establish a broadly based platform covering all five islands and involving government representatives, NGOs, youth organizations, the churches and the various linguistic communities.

67. Ms. de BODE-OLTON (Netherlands Antilles), replying to a question by the Chairperson, said that, as far as the Government was aware, there was no problem of tourism-related child commercial sexual exploitation in the Netherlands Antilles.

68. Ms. TIGERSTEDT-TÄHTELÄ said that the Committee appreciated the delegation's positive response to its questions and the transparency of the replies. The Committee noted with satisfaction the Government's approach to the various problems, including cooperation with NGOs, the rational use of funds and a holistic approach to the Convention; it particularly welcomed the innovative measures for coordination and self-monitoring. However, an independent body to hear complaints would be desirable. The Committee wished the Government well in its future efforts.

69. Ms. de BODE-OLTON (Netherlands Antilles) expressed her delegation's thanks to the Committee. The latter's useful recommendations, and its questions on the State's reservations to
the Convention, would be given due attention.

The meeting rose at 6.05 p.m.