United nations crc

UNITED NATIONS		CRC
	Convention on the Rights of the Child	Distr. GENERAL CRC/C/DJI/Q/2/Add.1 14 August 2008 ENGLISH Original: FRENCH

COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

WRITTEN REPLIES BY THE GOVERNMENT OF Djibouti TO THE LIST
OF ISSUES RELATING TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE SECOND
PERIODIC REPORT OF djibouti (CRC/C/dji/2)¹

PART I

Question 1. Please provide further information on the establishment by the Ministry of Justice of a committee bringing together all the partners involved in the protection of child rights and responsible for coordinating and monitoring
the implementation of the Convention.

Question 2. Please inform the Committee of any efforts undertaken at State level to withdraw the declaration made by the State party upon signing the
Convention.

“The Government of the Republic of Djibouti shall not consider itself bound by any provisions or articles that are incompatible with its religion and its traditional values.” Djibouti would like to clarify this declaration for the consideration of the periodic report, and wishes to make the following reservation:

Reservation

Question 3. Please indicate whether the Convention on the Rights of the Child has been invoked directly in domestic courts, and if so, please provide examples
of such cases.

Question 4. Please briefly inform the Committee as to whether the State party intends to establish an independent monitoring mechanism in line with the Paris Principles relating to the status of national institutions (General Assembly resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993, annex) that will address child rights.

Question 5. Please briefly outline the main points of the National Children’s Policy, including when this policy will come into effect and whether it addresses
the issue of birth registration.

One of the objectives of component 1 of this policy is to “ensure the promotion of birth registration”.

The rights of the child are also taken into account in the Government’s social policy, as set forth in the National Social Development Initiative (INDS), and in the sectoral policies of the technical ministerial departments - education, health, employment, advancement of women, youth, Muslim affairs, justice - not to mention the role played by NGOs and civil society.

The Government has sought to formulate policies and plans in most sectors that will help improve children’s enjoyment of their rights, notably in the following sectors:

• 
  Health: National Health Plan 2008-2012 and medium-term expenditure framework
  
• 
  Education: Master Plan for Education 2000-2010; 2000-2005 and 2006-2008 action plans
  
• 
  Youth: national youth policy
  

• 
  The civil registration system in the Republic of Djibouti is regulated by Decree No. 73 376 of 27 March 1973 on the implementation of Act No. 72-458 of 2 June 1972
  
• 
  Order No. 127 of 12 February 1973 deals with the appointment of civil registrars and defines their territorial jurisdiction
  

• 
  Act No. 220/AN/86/1 of 23 November 1986 appoints the civil registrars (Director of Population and district commissioners) empowered to issue affidavits as substitute birth certificates
  
• 
  Act No. 24/AN/83/1 L of 3 February 1983 regulates the issuance by the competent authorities of affidavits in place of birth certificates after expiry of the deadline of 30 days after birth
  

Question 6. The Committee would appreciate receiving information on the general
census of the population that the State party intended to carry out in
2007, particularly whether or not the census was carried out and, if so, whether its results allow for the collection of disaggregated data on
vulnerable groups.

Question 7. Please briefly describe dissemination or awareness-raising activities, particularly those related to the concluding observations or the
State party’s report to the Committee, including the success
of such efforts.

• 
  Dissemination of the provisions of the Convention nationwide through brochures, debates and round tables, radio and television broadcasts, plays and the creation of a children’s parliament, with technical support from a member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Ms. Awa Ouedraogo. The extent of children’s knowledge of the Convention was assessed in 2000. The provisions of the Convention are known, but outreach activities must be strengthened in rural areas.
  

Question 8. Please briefly describe, including through examples if possible, the cooperation between the State party and civil society in the field
of child rights.

• 
  The annual celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
  
• 
  A national human rights forum held on 17 and 18 May 2004 with broad participation, on the following themes: the current situation, identifying the challenges, protection and promotion of human rights and discussion of mechanisms.
  
• 
  A national workshop on the prospects for strengthening human rights held on 11 and 12 May 2008, in cooperation with the Regional Office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and with the support of development partners in Djibouti, namely the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The workshop brought together a number of Government representatives in addition to members of civil society, the political opposition and national institutions such as the Constitutional Council and the Office of the Ombudsman.
  

Question 9. Please indicate the issues affecting children that the State party considers
to be priorities requiring the most urgent attention with regard to the implementation of the Convention.

• 
  Updating and amendment of the legislation on birth registration for all children born in the Republic of Djibouti, regardless of their origin
  
• 
  Identification of child vulnerability and poverty (poverty assessment under way)
  
• 
  Care for orphans and vulnerable children
  
• 
  Creation of a juvenile justice system
  
• 
  General population census
  

PART II

New bills or enacted legislation (including Act No. 210/AN/07/5 L of 27 December 2007 on combating trafficking in human beings)

• 
  Prevent and suppress trafficking in human beings
  
• 
  Protect the victims of trafficking in human beings
  
• 
  Ensure that prosecutions are conducted in a manner respectful of human rights
  
• 
  Promote international cooperation on combating trafficking in human beings
  

Act No. 196/AN/07/5 L on the establishment of the Solidarity Fund for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS. In accordance with article 3, the Solidarity Fund is responsible for:

• 
  Implementing Government policy on orphans and children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS
  
• 
  Helping to reduce the social, economic, psychological and medical impact of HIV/AIDS on the most vulnerable populations
  
• 
  Extending financial, material, legal, medical and technical assistance to orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS through community associations or NGOs
  
• 
  Directly promoting and supporting grass-roots projects or programmes initiated by NGOs or community associations in order to improve the living conditions of orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS
  
• 
  Improving the technical and financial capacities of community associations and NGOs involved in medical, psychosocial and financial support for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS
  
• 
  Encouraging and promoting a spirit of national and international solidarity
  

National Social Development Initiative

This framework puts the Initiative at the heart of Djibouti’s new economic and social development policy. Its priorities overlap broadly with the principles expressed in the second generation Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) adopted by poor countries to improve their performance with regard to development and poverty eradication.

New institutions

State Secretariat for Solidarity

The Djiboutian Social Development Agency

Diwan Al-Zakat Foundation

Al-Rahma Orphanage, Balbala

Complaints unit for women victims of violence

Newly implemented policies

• 
  National Social Development Initiative
  
• 
  Strategic framework for the care of orphans and vulnerable children
  
• 
  National strategy to combat all forms of excision
  
• 
  National Health Development Project 2008-2012
  
• 
  National youth policy
  
• 
  Strategic sanitation plan
  
• 
  National nutrition policy
  

Newly implemented programmes and projects and their scope

Early years survival and development

• 
  Integrated management for childhood illness
  
• 
  National immunization programme
  
• 
  Treatment of malnourished children
  
• 
  Drinking water, hygiene and household sanitation programme
  

Protection

• 
  Accelerated programme to combat female genital mutilation
  
• 
  Care of orphans and vulnerable children
  

Education

• 
  Basic education and gender equality programme
  

HIV/AIDS

• 
  Prevention of HIV/AIDS among youth
  
• 
  Prevention of parent-child transmission of HIV/AIDS
  

PART III

1. The State party’s strategy to significantly strengthen the overall implementation of the Convention with particular attention to the general principles of the Convention, including article 3 (best interests of the child) and article 12 (respect for the views of the child)

2. Legislation (human and financial resources and implementation)

3. Budget allocations for children

4. Non-discrimination (girls, children with special needs and foreign children)

5. Corporal punishment

6. Protection of children deprived of a family environment (including alternative care facilities)

7. Adoption (national and intercountry adoption)

8. Abuse and neglect (legislation and penalties)

9. Children with disabilities (including juridical framework for protection)

10. Health (including adolescent health, harmful traditional practices, under-five and maternal mortality rates, malnutrition, mental health)

11. HIV/AIDS

12. Standard of living (increasing levels of poverty)

13. Education (including gender disparities, school attendance and dropouts, early childhood education)

14. Refugee children (including access to health, education, social services and family reintegration)

15. Economic exploitation, including child labour

16. Sexual exploitation and trafficking

17. Administration of juvenile justice, (including lack of a juvenile justice system and conditions in detention facilities)