COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD CONCLUDES DISCUSSION WITH DELEGATION FROM CÔTE D'IVOIRE

CRC
27th session
31 May 2001
Afternoon





Expert Notes Problems Concerning AIDS Orphans,
Street Children and Child Labour



The Committee on the Rights of the Child this afternoon concluded its discussion with a delegation from Côte d'Ivoire on that country’s implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In preliminary remarks on the initial report of Côte d'Ivoire, a Committee Expert said the discussion with the delegation was frank and constructive. He noted that the country faced a grave problem concerning the HIV/AIDS pandemic, especially with regard to AIDS orphans (estimated to be 600,000). It also faced other problems with respect to street children and child labour. The Expert hoped that Côte d’Ivoire could create an infrastructure with the necessary human and financial resources in order to deal with these problems confronting the country.

Formal, written concluding observations and recommendations on the initial report of Côte d'Ivoire will be released by the Committee towards the end of its three-week session which will conclude on 8 June.

As one of the 191 States parties to the Convention, Côte d'Ivoire is obligated to submit periodic reports to the Committee for its consideration and for the purpose of monitoring the country's compliance with the provisions of the treaty. A 10-member Government delegation, led by the Minister of the Family, Women and the Child, was on hand throughout the day to provide answers to questions raised by Committee members.

When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Friday, 1 June, it will take up the initial report of Tanzania.


Discussion

In response to queries raised by the Committee Experts, the delegation said that Ivorian nationality could be transmitted by either Ivorian parent to his or her children. Persons who were contending in presidential elections had to be Ivorians from their two sides -- mother and father; but in order to be elected as a deputy it was enough to be Ivorian from one parent. Any legitimate child born either in the country or abroad of Ivorian parents was entitled to Ivorian nationality. Any foreign child who was adopted by an Ivorian national could become Ivorian; and a foreign woman who married an Ivorian could acquire Ivorian nationality, unless she refused.

Concerning birth registration, the delegation said that the campaign which had been launched to promote registration had not brought the expected results. The Government had extended the delay of registration from 15 days to three months in order to encourage parents to register their babies. However, the rate of birth registration did not increase; the main reason was that people thought that the registration incurred financial implications for them. In addition, registration centres were not easily accessible to many people.

When children were held in police stations, they should be treated humanely and should be presented before a competent judge within 48 hours, the delegation said. Child law offenders were dealt with by the special brigade which was established for such a purpose. Some non-governmental organizations were also working with the brigade.

Continuing their questions, Committee Experts asked the delegation about issues pertaining to early marriages; payment of alimony by fathers who abandoned their children; the process of adoption and its follow-up; the ratification by the Government of the 1993 Hague Convention on International Cooperation and Protection in Matters of Child Adoption; the penalty against drug taking by minors; breast-feeding; the use of traditional medicines; unlawful sales of pharmaceutical products; corporal punishment; female genital mutilation; acts of rape by teachers; and overcrowding of prisons, among other things.

In response to the questions, the delegation said that due to the lack of financial resources, child law offenders were detained in the same premises as adult inmates, but they were not kept in the same sections.

Schools were not closed during the political trouble in the northern part of the country, the delegation said. The problem was rapidly resolved with the involvement of religious leaders who reconciled the conflicting factions.

The phenomenon of illegal sale of pharmaceutical products in Côte d'Ivoire was a regional problem which needed a concerted measure by those States affected by it.

Asked if Muslims were treated differently from other nationals of the State, the delegation said that the Government was aware of the sensitive situation and carefully handled any problems concerning religion. Christians and Muslims so far lived peacefully together and there were no major problems.

There were a number of refugees in Côte d'Ivoire and they were hosted in communities and not in camps, the delegation said. There were at least 25,000 refugees from Liberia whose status had been recognized in accordance with the 1953 Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was also collaborating in handling the situation of refugees in the country. Those who wanted to return to their homes had received the blessing of the authorities while those who were already integrated and were inclined to remain were accepted as such.

The Government was combatting child labour which involved about 41 per cent of children, the delegation said. In collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Government had taken further measures to tackle this problem.

A prison in Abidjan built for 1,500 persons was at present holding 6,100 inmates, the delegation said; and putting a child in such prisons might be damaging.

Concerning rape, it was a tricky issue which needed social analysis and should be dealt with case by case, the delegation said. The phenomenon of rape was not widespread in the country. However, the delegation would be happy to learn from other countries' experience in dealing with such cases.

Teachers who were involved in sexual harassment or other acts were sanctioned, the delegation said. In addition, if a victim of sexual abuse within the family came forward to complain, appropriate measures were taken; however victims were discouraged to do so for fear of vengeance.

Since 1996, there had been a campaign against HIV/AIDS, the delegation said; much had been done from that time up to now; there were about 600,000 child orphans of AIDS in the country; action had been undertaken to prevent the transmission of the disease from mother to child; and information and health education had been disseminated by a specific Ministry set up for the purpose of fighting AIDS.

In a concluding remark, the delegation said that with regard to the workers in the cocoa plantations and allegations that they included young children, they were all adults and this could be verified.


Preliminary Remarks

In preliminary remarks, a Committee Expert said the discussion with the members of the delegation was frank and constructive. He noted that the country faced a grave problem concerning the HIV/AIDS pandemic, especially with regard to AIDS orphans (estimated to be 600,000). It also faced other problems with respect to street children and child labour. The Expert hoped that Côte d’Ivoire could create an infrastructure with the necessary human and financial resources in order to deal with these problems confronting the country. He said Côte d’Ivoire had a history of good cooperation with the international community and organizations, and this should be continued; and social and cultural attitudes should be changed to be based on a child-right approach.



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