Distr.

GENERAL

CRC/C/SR.90
5 October 1993

ENGLISH
Original: FRENCH
Summary record of the 90th meeting : Sudan. 05/10/93.
CRC/C/SR.90. (Summary Record)

Convention Abbreviation: CRC
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Fourth session

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 90th MEETING

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva,
on Wednesday, 29 September 1993, at 3 p.m.

Chairperson: Miss MASON


CONTENTS

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 44 of the Convention (continued)

Report of the Sudan (continued)







______________________________________________________________________________

This record is subject to correction.

Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Official Records Editing Section, room E.4108, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Any corrections to the records of the meetings of the Committee at this session will be consolidated in a single corrigendum, to be issued shortly after the end of the session.


GE.93-18650 (E)
The meeting was called to order at 3.03 p.m.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE CONVENTION (agenda item 8) (continued)

Report of the Sudan (continued) (CRC/3/Add.3 and Add.20)

1. Mrs. BELEMBAOGO said that as some of the replies to the questions raised at the previous meeting had not been as precise as the Committee might have hoped, she wished to pursue a number of points relating to the judicial system. She took it from the Sudanese delegation's reply to an earlier request for information on special juvenile courts and judges that the Sudan had a long way to go, particularly in the training of judges for juvenile cases and the establishment of juvenile courts. In that connection, therefore, she requested further information on the administration of juvenile justice. On the question of civil legislation, the delegation had stated that civil and criminal law based on the Shariah only applied to Muslims, and she wished to know whether there were special provisions for non-Muslims or whether there were separate criminal and civil codes for the non-Muslim minority. Had there been any difficulties in imposing laws based on the Shariah even on the Muslim population? Did the population agree with the unrestricted application of the Shariah and the use of religion as the primary basis for civil law?

2. Mrs. SANTOS PAIS said that judging by paragraphs 30 and 33 of the report (CRC/C/3/Add.3), there was no one age below which children were presumed not to have the capacity to infringe the penal law. Given that the Criminal Law Act of 1991 established punitive measures for a child of seven years of age, she wished to know, in the light of article 1 and article 40, paragraph 3, of the Convention, what was meant by criminal responsibility in the Sudan. A further area of concern was that the use of puberty as a reference point seemed to discriminate on the ground of sex and was accordingly incompatible with article 2 of the Convention. The new penal laws applicable only to Muslims might also be said to discriminate between the Muslim population in the north of the country and the non-Muslims of the south because of the different degrees of protection or different safeguards which might result. The Committee was particularly concerned therefore that under that jurisdiction the provisions and principles of the Convention should be applied equally in different parts of the country and to different population groups. The different steps which had been proposed in the area of the administration of juvenile justice had been encouraging. It was particularly important that articles 37 and 40 of the Convention should be fully reflected in any new legislation and particularly the use of the deprivation of children's liberty only as a measure of last resort, the provision of special legal assistance and other appropriate assistance in the light of the age and special needs of the child, and the need for a prompt court decision in children's cases. It was therefore to be hoped that the committee of which the head of the Sudanese delegation was chairman would consider those issues in depth in the course of its work.

3. Mr. HAMMARBERG said that reports had drawn attention to the presence of very young children with their mothers in Sudanese prisons or detention centres, and to the removal of young people between the ages of 8 and 18 to adult prisons where they were kept with adult prisoners. He therefore wished to know what was the Sudan's policy with regard to the imprisonment of mothers with young children, whether there were any provisions which would ensure that they did not spend time in prison during such a crucial stage of a child's life, and what efforts were being made to ensure that juveniles were not placed with adult detainees with all the consequences which such placement implied.

4. Mrs. EUFEMIO asked whether any psychological or other counselling was given to delinquents and their families which would facilitate rehabilitation on release from detention.

5. Mr. ABDELHALIM (Sudan), replying to the points raised by Mrs. Belembaogo, said that there were no special civil or criminal codes for non-Muslims. Penalties based solely on the Shariah did not apply to non-Muslims, but other forms of punishment existed, such as fines or imprisonment, which were not based on the Shariah and were applied as in any other legal system. A Muslim code existed in respect of succession, but again did not apply to non-Muslims who followed their own religious customs in that respect unless they chose to initiate legal proceedings when the civil law applied. On the question of whether Muslims agreed that the Shariah should be the primary source of law, he explained that the Shariah and custom had been the primary sources of legislation, until the 1973 Constitution, when it had been established that the Shariah and custom should be among primary sources of legislation. Legislation based on the Shariah alone did not apply to non-Muslims whatever their place of residence. The system might be complex but was not discriminatory as it did not impose the Shariah or any other law on tribes which followed their own customs and traditions.

6. On the administration of juvenile justice, the Protection of Minors Act of 1983 made provision for the establishment in each province of juvenile courts headed by judges or magistrates who could call upon experts in juvenile affairs, such as social workers and legal representatives, if their assistance was deemed to be in the general interest. Cases of delinquency or homelessness were examined by the court on the basis of social reports. Proceedings were held in camera, but parents of the delinquent were allowed to attend as were representatives of the Council for the Welfare of Young Persons, and any other person whose presence might be relevant. Instead of being placed in detention centres, children could be returned to their parents or guardians as a protective measure prior to a further court appearance. Any examination of the delinquent's mental or physical health which the court deemed necessary would be carried out prior to sentence and might result in a child being placed under supervision in an appropriate place until a further decision could be taken. Persistent offenders could be placed in juvenile detention centres for periods not exceeding five years. To that extent, deprivation of liberty was a last resort measure.

7. On the question of the definition of the child and the age of criminal responsibility, the most recent penal legislation defined a juvenile delinquent as a boy or girl under the age of 18. Both the Protection of Minors Act of 1983 and the Criminal Law Act of 1991 had upheld the Shariah as the basis of law for Muslims; they considered a person to be an adult if he had attained puberty and also reached the age of 15, but in any event at the age of 18 whether or not puberty had been reached. Puberty was therefore not an absolute requirement in determining adulthood.
8. On the question of possible discrimination in law between people in the north and the south, he said that taking into account the culture, civilization, doctrine and convictions of certain segments of the population, the system was not discriminatory but in fact protected against discrimination by enabling people to follow their own cultures rather than being forced to adopt that of the general majority.

9. On the question of the imprisonment of mothers and children he said that pregnancy and breast-feeding were considered as attenuating circumstances in the passing of sentences and it was generally accepted that a pregnant woman who was sentenced to imprisonment should not go to prison until her child was weaned, which was taken to be at two years of age. Nevertheless such consideration could not be guaranteed. Cases also occurred in which a child could not be given the necessary protection outside the prison and had to be imprisoned with its mother. Although there was no special remedy for such cases, they were given special consideration on occasions such as independence celebrations when an order might be given for their release. Their sentences might also be reduced or terminated by special administrative decree issued by the Head of State. The provision of special areas for children within the prisons had been discussed but had not been considered a satisfactory solution, and the authorities were ready to listen to any proposals which the Committee might have to make in that connection.

10. With regard to the detention of juveniles, while there might have been cases in which it had been necessary to place juveniles with adults, such placements were no longer permitted. In the absence of an appropriate place of detention for juveniles, arrangements would be made for a property to be rented or otherwise taken over for the purpose.

11. On the question of counselling and family support, although social workers and other experts examined the case of each child to determine the sort of help that was needed, the extended family system which prevailed in the Sudan was usually relied upon to exert, by virtue of its customs and mores, the necessary positive influence and protection to enable a delinquent to return home both in a remand situation and on release. More sophisticated support outside the family was beyond the financial possibilities of most people. The Sudan, like most developing countries, was anxious to accept and ratify international instruments but did not have the means to attaining the objectives, which such instruments established.

12. Mr. HAMMARBERG said, in the context of laws inspired by the Shariah and their application to non-Muslims, that there had been reports that in the Khartoum area an instruction had been issued that small shops, many of which were run by non-Muslim women, had to be closed by 5 p.m. as it was considered unseemly in the religious and cultural context for them to remain open beyond that time. The instruction had adversely affected the livelihood of the people concerned as well as their families and appeared to be discriminatory against non-Muslims.

13. On the question of children in prisons, he requested further information concerning implementation of national regulations, as there had been reports that a number of young children of both sexes were in prison with their mothers in Omdurman.

14. Mrs. SANTOS PAIS requested further clarification concerning the coming of age of children. All children should be equal and while it was encouraging in that respect that the Convention prevailed over national legislation in the Sudan, information provided on the criteria for determining the age of minors seemed to imply that there was a possibility that some young people of up to 15 years of age could be treated differently to others of up to 18, depending on whether or not they were Muslims. It would also be helpful if children themselves were clear as to their status.

15. Mrs. EUFEMIO, referring to article 20 of the Convention and the question of the care of a child whose mother was in prison and bearing in mind that prison was not an appropriate place for a child to be, asked what alternative forms of care, such as foster placement, existed in situations where a child could not be taken care of within the extended family. What arrangements were made under such circumstances when a mother was in prison for life? Would a child be adopted?

16. Mr. ABDELHALIM (Sudan) said that he was unaware of any discriminatory closing times imposed upon shopkeepers. There were, naturally, regulations governing the opening and closing times of shops in his country, just as there were in European and other countries, but they were no more determined by religion in the Sudan than in other countries.

17. On the question of religion, there were in any society those who believed that religion was all important. However, that did not mean to say that there could be no evolution or change in attitude; it was possible that over the years there might be changes in the approaches and appreciation of legislation based on the Shariah. At the same time, there must be respect for religion and an acceptance of the right of the individual to observe his religion. Having himself lived in Western Europe, he had experienced a difference in culture and civilization and had noted a tendency to adopt a different approach when discussing Western and Islamic cultures. It was important to bear in mind the Islamic perception that all was one; religion embraced every aspect of life - belief, understanding and everyday being. It would be misleading to conclude that the application of the Shariah in a country automatically had an adverse effect on the situation of women and children or that it restricted freedom. In that respect, the penultimate paragraph of the preamble to the Convention referred to the need to take due care of the importance of the traditions and cultural values of each people. It was indeed essential to listen one to the other.

18. Concerning women in prison, the situation must be seen in perspective; women in prisons were in the minority and mothers were a minority of that minority group.

19. On the question of adoption, the kafalah system was similar to adoption and ensured that children were placed within the extended family rather than with a family with which they had no ties.

20. Mrs. SARDENBERG noted that the addendum to the report of the Sudan (CRC/C/3/Add.20) referred to the Office of the Commissioner for Displaced Persons, which worked with national and international organizations, and to the Peace and Development Foundation, which was working to resettle displaced persons and restore services in many areas of resettlement. As an estimated 50 per cent of those displaced were children, it would be useful to have more information on the work of the Foundation in particular and on the impact of its work on children. Concerning disabled children, which governmental bodies had primary responsibility for special programmes to assist them? Referring to question 13 of the Committee's list of issues, on the principle of discrimination of the girl-child in educational policy, further information would be welcome on educational facilities and special rehabilitation programmes. Lastly, how was homelessness of children defined, were statistics available, on what basis were children placed in camps and did they maintain contact with their families?

21. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI noted that mention was made in the report of two major population groups - external refugees and internally displaced persons. The latter did not come within the competence of the UNHCR but under the direct responsibility of the Sudanese Government. While the situation of children in that group was described in the report, it would be useful also to have information about what was being done for them, how many children were in that situation, and how many of them were orphans or disabled.

22. Mr. MOMBESHORA endorsed the comments made by the previous speakers.

23. Mrs. BELEMBAOGO recalled the question she had raised at the preceding meeting, concerning children who were refugees, abandoned or in camps.

24. The CHAIRPERSON also drew attention to the questions raised at the same meeting by Mrs. Eufemio concerning homeless children and visits by relatives, alternative care and the reunification of the family unit, and training and employment opportunities, particularly for girls.

25. Mr. KOLOSOV asked whether the delegate of Sudan had had the opportunity to visit camps for displaced persons himself and what had been his impression and evaluation of conditions there.

26. Mr. ABDELHALIM (Sudan) said that children who were displaced were regarded as being in special need of protection. The problem of displaced persons had started in the mid-1980s as a result of drought and desertification and there had been subsequent waves of displacement from the south of the country. The Office of the Commissioner for Displaced Persons had been established some years previously in an effort to deal with the problems of such persons. Subsequently, in December 1991, the Peace and Development Foundation had been set up with the very specific role of dealing with displaced persons and related issues affecting the southern part of the Sudan.

27. As a result of the successive waves of population movement, a large number of displaced persons had settled provisionally in the Khartoum area, some in places which were unsuitable and ill-equipped to receive them. The conference held in February 1991 on displaced persons had looked at the possibility of placing such groups elsewhere. At the same time, with the restoration of peace in many parts of the country, many displaced persons had started to return to their places of origin, a trend which had led to the establishment of the Foundation as the south was particularly affected. A study had been carried out to establish the numbers of displaced persons and the conditions in camps in the Khartoum area, and to draw up criteria for medical, sanitation, education and other services. National organizations, including the Sudanese Red Crescent, and international organizations, including both United Nations bodies and non-governmental organizations, were cooperating to ensure that such services were provided as far as possible. Despite the highly sensitive nature of the problem, much had been done to improve the conditions and provide services to displaced persons, although some incidents had arisen as a result of the Government's efforts to move some of those groups to more suitable places.

28. He had personally paid regular visits to the camps where displaced persons were living and he had worked with a number of voluntary organizations in that context. The camps provided visible proof of the important role being placed by national and international organizations. With the restoration of peace and the drift back to the south, the Sudanese authorities had adopted a policy of offering the option to the persons affected of staying or of returning to their places of origin. Those who chose not to return either remained where they were for the time being or moved to places where residential units were being made available to them. In some instances displaced persons were helped by the State authorities to build their own accommodation. Education for displaced children had been made available in the form of special schools in the camps. Currently, children at primary level whose families did not wish to move from the area where they had settled were being incorporated into existing schools in towns or villages. Displaced children in secondary education where teaching had been given in English were given the opportunity to remain in those schools until they completed their schooling. For its part, the Foundation was taking steps to develop services in cooperation with a number of organizations and agencies in order to facilitate rehabilitation and reintegration in the southern part of Sudan. Emergency relief was an essential first step and there had been excellent cooperation with a number of small organizations to provide it. However, a great deal remained to be done and a larger structure of cooperation and development was called for in the long term.

29. With regard to disabled children, he said that services existed to help such persons remain in a family environment and enable them to attend schools and receive training in industrial and commercial trades. There were also schools for the blind and for deaf mutes. Furthermore, public schools offered special programmes to lessen the isolation of disabled children. The aim was to make the public school the natural setting for such children, who attended classes during the day and then went home to their families, thereby remaining integrated in society. Concerning the question on girls, he said that boys and girls went to school together. Girls were offered housekeeping courses to prepare them for their future roles as women and wives, and they could also take training courses for later work in the textile and leather trades.

30. The camps for displaced persons were a temporary phenomenon. Children were enrolled in school, usually for six months, but longer if necessary to enable them to complete a full school year. Some children attended vocational schools, and others received training in local enterprises. Still others were sent to rural areas, where they lived in families and learned a trade in agriculture or animal husbandry. Once such training had been completed, the children returned to their families; if the family was unknown, they were placed in a charitable institution, because no one could stay permanently in the camps.
31. The refugees who had fled to the Sudan from bordering States had created a problem of enormous proportions. At one time, 10 per cent of Africa's and 6 per cent of the world's refugees had been in the Sudan. The United Nations Relief Works Agency had been of enormous assistance in providing support to those persons. The Sudan was one of the world's most progressive countries in its treatment of refugees, who were allowed to reside and work and had no restrictions on their movements. For his Government, repatriation must be voluntary and agreed to by all the countries concerned.

32. A number of Sudanese had been returning to the southern part of the country, particularly to rural areas, in the wake of conflicts in neighbouring countries. His Government was doing its best to provide those persons with assistance. Furthermore, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) had been making seed, tools, livestock and other forms of aid available to returnees, some of whom had already recovered their losses in less than one year.

33. Mr. KOLOSOV asked Mr. Abdelhalim to share with the Committee his impression on whether the children in the refugee camps appeared to be well-nourished, clean and happy.

34. Mr. ABDELHALIM (Sudan) said that conditions in refugee camps varied. It should be remembered that 1.8 million refugees had poured into Khartoum in less than one year. Needless to say, the infrastructure had been unable to accommodate so many people, and international assistance had also been overtaxed. There had been shortages of everything, apart from water and basic foodstuffs. At Sudan's first national conference on refugees and displaced persons, it had therefore been recommended that displaced persons should be transferred to other camps, new wells dug and a wider network of water distribution points set up. Over the past three years, the Government had been coordinating its efforts with a number of non-governmental organizations, which had been performing good work, and the situation in many camps had improved, although it continued to be more difficult in less accessible regions to the west and south of the Blue Nile. Recent years had brought favourable rains, enabling the refugees to move to better areas. The services in some refugee camps were even better than those available in neighbouring villages.

35. However, a number of difficulties still remained. There were no permanent structures, wells were lacking, and the distribution of water was inadequate; moreover, many of the persons uprooted from their native environment had developed emotional problems.

36. He hoped that he had made clear the extent of the refugee crisis that the Sudan had been facing.
The meeting was suspended at 5 p.m. and resumed at 5.10 p.m.

37. The CHAIRPERSON invited comments from the members of the Committee.

38. Mr. KOLOSOV expressed his gratitude to Mr. Abdelhalim for the interesting dialogue. Notwithstanding the efforts made by the Government of the Sudan, he was still concerned about nearly every area dealt with in the report.
Clearly, the Sudan was in a difficult situation that limited it in its choices, and it would take a long time before it complied with all the provisions of the Convention.

39. He voiced the hope that future legislation in the Sudan would include provisions setting out the duties of officials working with children, and defining the penalties for failure to fulfil those duties. If that was done, it would enable an effective monitoring system to be established that would give impetus to a further improvement in the situation of children in the Sudan.

40. Mr. HAMMARBERG said that the Sudan deserved recognition from the international community for its immense intake of refugees, a phenomenon that seemed to generate very little tension with the local community.

41. In the context of the conflict in southern Sudan, he said that the Committee was aware that children's interests were also disregarded in many cases by the groups known as the "rebel forces".

42. The information he had provided earlier regarding the decision not to allow trading in Khartoum after 5 p.m. had come from a Sudanese source. The decision had allegedly been taken in November 1992 by the Governor of Khartoum and the President of the central Governorate. If that information was incorrect, he apologized. If it was true, it related to the social problems encountered in Khartoum by displaced persons from the south of the country. The fact that most of the inmates of the women's prison in Omdurman and most of the children with them were southerners was another example of the hardship endured by that sector of the population.

43. Clarifying the substance of earlier criticism of the removal of displaced families to areas further from the city centre, he said that while he understood that random and uncontrolled building activity gave rise to sanitation and other problems, the point was that unnecessary force had been used in evicting the people concerned and that similar water and sanitation problems had often been encountered in the areas to which they had been moved.
However, the Committee welcomed the recent improvement in cooperation between the authorities, international agencies and displaced persons in the provision of emergency relief.

44. Noting the linkage between the Sudan's security problems and its major debt-related economic problems, he expressed regret that the donor community had not been more generous, especially in assisting children who were living under particularly difficult circumstances.

45. Information from the Sudan indicated that insufficient action was being taken on behalf of disabled children. Some were in institutions but others were completely neglected and deprived even of access to education. He hoped that high priority would be given to that group of children in the country's future development plans.

46. Mr. MOMBESHORA welcomed the moves towards peace in Sudan, which would allow people to return to their agricultural and other pursuits, laying the basis for an improvement in nutrition and the restoration of other services.
The Government's action in setting up committees and entering into discussions with non-governmental organizations was a good sign. He urged the Government to focus on such areas as health, education and nutrition, where there had been a breakdown in services in the past.

47. According to his own information, which was taken from WHO sources, a number of epidemics had occurred during the period of civil strife. Quoting a WHO press release, he noted that between 300,000 and 400,000 persons in southern Sudan were currently in danger of infection in what was considered to be one of the largest epidemics of leishmaniasis in recorded history. WHO had appealed to the international donor community for funds to purchase and transport desperately needed drugs and medical equipment. He urged the delegation to look into the matter on its return to the Sudan.

48. Mrs. SARDENBERG welcomed the constructive note struck by the delegation on the subject of ongoing dialogue with the Committee and the establishment of a body responsible for bringing Sudanese legislation into line with the principles and provisions of the Convention.

49. She was still concerned, however, about the problem of flogging and hoped that the draft decree would be adopted very soon and implemented to the full by the Government.

50. Noting that practices prejudicial to female health had been prohibited by law but were still common in some parts of the country, she urged the authorities to take specific action in the form of educational programmes to eliminate the problem completely.

51. She thanked the delegation for its comprehensive information on homeless, displaced and disabled children, who were the most vulnerable groups of all, and expressed the hope that more explicit measures would be taken to alleviate their plight.

52. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI noted that a society's cultural, religious and traditional dimensions had to be taken into account in addition to its legislation.

53. The Sudan had suffered both from natural disasters such as drought and famine and from man-made emergencies in the form of armed conflict. Children tended to be the main victims of such cataclysms. Hence the need to take the best interests of the child into consideration in all programmes.

54. With regard to the ILO Forced Labour Convention (No. 29), he quoted a passage from the 1992 report of the International Labour Conference to the effect that the Committee on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations had the impression the Sudanese Government seemed to deny the existence of slavery and forced labour despite the fact that a number of United Nations bodies had reported on such cases. In view of the gravity of the situation, the subject had been taken up again in one of the concluding paragraphs of the report. He did not expect an immediate answer from the delegation but he would be watching out for developments in the documentation that the Committee shared with the ILO.

55. Mrs. SANTOS PAIS was encouraged to note that the head of the delegation had been entrusted with the important and challenging task of law reform in Sudan. She suggested that whenever a piece of legislation came up for review, the committee on law reform should examine it from the angle of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular the principles of non-discrimination and of ensuring that the best interests of the child were taken into account. It was gratifying to note that action was being taken on the Committee's recommendation regarding flogging. In the area of administration of justice for juveniles, she urged that special consideration should be given to the provisions of articles 37 and 40 of the Convention concerning due legal process, the age of criminal liability and other safeguards. The Sudan itself would benefit from such an approach, which would reinforce children's own respect for human rights.

56. It was important, in the new era opening up in the Sudan, to invest more effort in training such professional groups as teachers, doctors and magistrates.

57. She was concerned about the long-term impact of the conflict on children in terms of trauma, abandonment and displacement. Children who had been left parentless and without any form of support were prime targets for exploitation in the form of child labour and enslavement. The authorities would have to address those problems and allocate whatever resources were needed for their solution.

58. In a country as complex as the Sudan, she hoped that the underlying spirit of the Convention would prevail - a spirit of universality, which meant that the rights of all children, regardless of language, race, origin or religion, were recognized, in particular the right to be different.

59. Mrs. EUFEMIO stressed the importance of upholding the principles of the best interests of the child and non-discrimination in all legal action. She referred in particular to such civil rights as the preservation of identity, freedom of expression, thought, conscience and religion, access to information, freedom of association and peaceful assembly and protection of privacy, which had not been covered in the national Plan of Action for Children.

60. Indicators and statistical data should be provided in the Sudan's second report to show how legal provisions were being translated into practice, for example, the number of children benefiting from particular activities and the per capita cost of those activities.

61. Mrs. BELEMBAOGO expressed appreciation of the efforts under way in the Sudan to bring peace to the country and to extend humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable groups.

62. The Government had shown its goodwill towards the Committee since the first dialogue on the Convention by introducing a number of measures, which she hoped would be supplemented by more practical action in the future, especially in the struggle against traditional practices affecting children's health and development. Stressing the universality of rights regardless of a
child's origin and religion, she expressed the hope that the Government's next report would provide concrete evidence of real progress in improving the lot of the Sudanese child.

63. The CHAIRPERSON commended the head of the delegation of Sudan on his indefatigable efforts on behalf of the Convention since the previous session of the Committee. Unfortunately, there had not been sufficient time to deal adequately with policies and strategies on education and health.

64. She emphasized the duties of officials in the context of legislative reform and the need for sanctions against those who failed to implement the practical measures required to carry through such reforms.

65. As the Committee had been assured that corporal punishment was a matter on which positive action had been taken, she trusted that the next report would reveal a major improvement in that area.

66. As knowledge was not static but constantly evolving, she saw a need for further training of those concerned with the administration of justice for juveniles. The way children were treated when brought before the law could have an enduring impact on their character in later life.

67. Mr. ABDELHALIM (Sudan) said that he viewed the Convention on the Rights of the Child as an extremely important document that deserved concerted action by individuals, private bodies, Governments and the international community to ensure its implementation. He appreciated the Committee's role as the body that monitored progress in that direction. Admittedly its members sometimes asked questions reflecting their different cultures that one found somewhat irritating, but it was all in a good cause. The Government of Sudan was happy to engage in a constructive dialogue and would continue to do so.

68. He had taken note of the demand for action and indicators in addition to strategies and plans. Although he admitted that a great deal remained to be done, he already had before him certain indicators of progress in the areas of education and health. For example, enrolment in 1992-1993 stood at 71.7 per cent, exceeding the target figure of 68 per cent. Similar figures could be reported in respect of nutrition. It was important to encourage countries and to give praise where praise was due. That would stiffen their resolve to do even better.

69. A serious effort would be made to keep the Committee informed of developments. Moreover, the report together with the Committee's comments would be disseminated as a single document among those concerned with the welfare of children. The Council for the Welfare of Young Persons was engaged in a consciousness-raising campaign among children themselves and in teacher training colleges. The Committee would be kept informed of progress on that front.

The meeting rose at 6.10 p.m.

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