Sierra Leone – Review by UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Conclusions – Gender Issues
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: September 8, 2008
WUNRN
Direct Link to Concuding
Observations of UN Committee on the Rights of the Child:
______________________________________________________________________
UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child:
______________________________________________________________________
UN Committee on the Rights of the
Child:
______________________________________________________________________
Committee on the
Rights of the Child
48th Session (19
May – 6 June 2008)
States |
Timetable |
State Reports |
Lists of Issues and Written |
Delegation List & |
Concluding |
Excerpts of Gender-Related
Issues Covered in the
Concluding Observations re: The Girl
Child in Sierra Leone:
*Birth Registration of all children.
“The Committee welcomes the various measures taken to promote birth
registration of all children. It notes with concern, however, that the birth
registration rate continues to be low, particularly in the rural areas.
*The committee is concerned, at
under-five and maternal mortality rates in the State party, which continue to
be among the highest in the world.
*The Committee, while noting efforts
by the State party to combat violence against children, is concerned
nevertheless that violence against children is still widely practiced against
children in various forms.
*Harmful Traditional Practices – The
Committee notes with appreciation that the recently adopted Child Rights Act
prohibits harmful traditional practices such as early/forced marriage, forced
initiation, child betrothal and any other harmful cultural rite, custom or
tradition that may inflict physical, psychological or emotion pain on a child
or otherwise endanger him/her and criminalizes and penalizes the commission of
such acts….The Committee notes with interest that alternative strategies are
being implemented to make practitioners of FGM and traditional secret societies
positively useful. The Committee nevertheless remains concerned about the
persistence of harmful traditional practices and expresses particular concern
that female genital mutilation (FGM) is not explicitly prohibited by law. In
this regard, the Committee reiterates the concern expressed by the Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW/C/SLE/CO/5, paragraphs
22 and 23) over the persistence and high incidence of FGM and the serious
health and social complications for girls that may arise out of this harmful
practice.
*The Committee urges
fully implementing the HIV/AIDS prevention, control and treatment plan and
continuing and strengthening implemention of the ‘Prevention of Mother to Child
Transmission’ programme……
*Education – The Committee is
concerned that despite increased enrolment and completion rates in primary
schools, enrolment is still low, in particular for girls, and that the number
of teachers, in view of the large class sizes, is too small. The Committee also
expresses concern at the practice of public schools to charge additional fees.
Finally, the Committee is concerned over reports of sexual abuse of children,
mostly girls, by teachers and the continued practice of corporal punishment in
schools.
*The Committee notes with concern
that available data on sexual abuse demonstrates a marked increase in rape,
indecent assault, and carnal abuse of children shortly after the civil war.
*The Committee notes with concern
that while the practices of sale of children, child prostitution and child
pornography are decreasing, they neverless remain prevalent in the country.
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