[child-rights] Committee on the Rights of the Child considers first report by Guinea-Bissau

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release
22.05.02

In Preliminary Remarks, Expert Says Government Should Use Final
Conclusions as a Strategic Document to Promote and Protect Children's
Rights

The Committee on the Rights of the Child today reviewed the initial
report of Guinea-Bissau on how that country was implementing the
provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Introducing the report, Dionisio Cabi, Justice Minister of
Guinea-Bissau, said that in addition to problems created by the lack
of adequate funds in his country, there were other problems
threatening children such as drug addiction, prostitution, worst
forms of child labour and the presence of landmines. Such indicators
necessitated deep reflection on the state of children in the country.
The solution to those problems should be found in good governance,
the respect for human rights, the fight against corruption and the
implementation of measures favouring the well-being of children, he
added.

In two meetings, held this morning and this afternoon, Committee
Experts, among other things, expressed concern that 60 per cent of
school age children were not attending school, and that the rate of
school dropouts was high; adequate health services were not being
made available due to the lack of funds; and 90 per cent of the
health budget was received from external financing.

In preliminary conclusions, Marilia Sardenberg, a member of the
Committee, said that the dialogue with the members of the delegation
had been positive and the delegation deserved warm thanks for the
answers it provided to the Committee. She recommended, among other
things, that under the special measures for the protection of
children, steps should be taken to separate young offenders from
adult inmates. She also hoped that the concluding observations and
recommendations which would be released by the Committee would serve
the Government as a strategic document for its policy and actions
towards the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, and
would catalyse change in the country.

The delegation of Guinea-Bissau also included Augusto Mendes, Judge
in the Supreme Court of Justice; and Joao Augusto Mendes, UNICEF
Assistant Child Protection Officer.

The Committee will release its concluding observations and
recommendations towards the end of its three-week session to be
concluded on 7 June.

The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 23 May, when it
is scheduled to begin its consideration of the second periodic report
of Belgium (CRC/C/83/Add.2).

Report of Guinea-Bissau

The initial report of Guinea-Bissau (document CRC/C/3/Add.63[1])
states that Guinea-Bissau since its signature and ratification of the
Convention has made meaningful progress on the rights of the child.
Guinea-Bissau signed the Convention on 26 January 1990 and ratified
it on 20 August 1990. From the date of Guinea-Bissau's adherence to
the Convention, no progress was made in its application until 1997,
when the People's National Assembly approved the Bill on Child and
Women's Protection. The revision of the Penal Code concerning the
rights of the family, the labour legislation and the statute of
jurisprudential assistance to minors is still in process. These
instruments will certainly give support to the application of the
Convention.

The report states that notwithstanding some constraints, meaningful
progress has been made at the level of maternal and infant health,
especially regarding the protection of under-five children and
pregnant women through immunization campaigns against major diseases
which affect them. The national immunization coverage against major
diseases was estimated at 37 per cent in 1986 and 60 per cent in
1993. Meaningful progress was also made at the level of the essential
drugs programme, due to the regular supply of drugs to hospitals and
the normal functioning of the central drug depot.

In the field of education, the report notes that little meaningful
progress can be reported in this sector due to lack of information.
The illiteracy rate is about 70 per cent and more than 80 per cent
for women. The enrolment rate in primary school is about 40 per cent
and decreasing. The secondary-level enrolment is about 4.2 per cent
of the age group, and 3 per cent are girls. Only 2 per cent of
children attending secondary school will complete this level. Girls,
according to the practices and customs of each ethnic group, are
compelled to marry while still adolescents -- 13 and 14 years old and
of school age --, and even before the age allowed by law to work.

The report states that traditional practices and customs are causing
serious problems for children and women. The circumcision of boys
aged 9 to 13 years and female genital mutilation in girls aged
between 7 and 12 years among the Fula and Mandinga ethnic groups are
the most cruel and harmful practices. There are no effective measures
at the national level to eliminate them.

The report also states that from the epidemiological point of view,
malaria remains the most frequent cause of infant and maternal
morbidity and mortality, as well as of abortions and underweight
births, estimated at 12 per cent for both genders. Severe diarrhoea
is the second cause of infant mortality due to malnutrition among
mothers and children. The constraints identified in the
implementation of the Convention are related to the economic measures
imposed by the structural adjustment policy. The administration of
the Ministry of Public Health fell by nearly 27.4 per cent since
1986, which represents some 8 per cent of the State general budget
and 13 per cent of the total expenditures of the Ministry. This
caused serious constraints, not only with regard to the functioning
of the Ministry, but also with respect to the expansion of its
services and made it dependent on external funds.

Introduction of Guinea-Bissau's Report

DIONISIO CABI, Minister of Justice of Guinea-Bissau, said
Guinea-Bissau was a small country situated in the western part of
Africa, independent since 1973, with a population of 1.2 million
inhabitants. The country was among the poorest nations in the world,
with 55 per cent of the population under 18 years of age. It ranked
169th State among the 174 countries on the human development index.
Its external debt was estimated at $ 944.5 million and that situation
had created difficulties to all investments in the social sector.
Although the needs and the necessities of the social sector were
recognized, and those needs were identified and taken up in the
programmes of the Government, they were not yet realized. The
military and political conflict of 1998 and 1999 had affected and
destroyed the infrastructure of the country, including schools,
hospitals and roads. Mainly affected by the destruction were the most
vulnerable groups: children and women.

Since the ratification of the Convention, and since the participation
of Guinea-Bissau in the 1990 World Summit on Children in New York,
the Government had taken institutional and legislative actions,
elaborated pertinent documents, and organized and participated in
meetings and consultations relating to children, the Minister said.
One of the results of such consultations was the creation in 1991 of
the national commission for the coordination of action plans and the
implementation of the International Declaration on the Survival,
Protection and Development of the Child. In 1992, the commission
received a mandate to implement the decisions of the World Summit on
Children and to create an inter-ministerial committee to deal with
children's issues.

The inter-ministerial committee for children had elaborated a plan
that was approved as Guinea-Bissau's national plan of action for the
child, Mr. Cabi said. The national plan had been presented in 1992 in
Dakar during the meeting relating to assistance to African children.
During the same year, a ministry had been created for women's
promotion that was also charged with realizing activities concerning
children. The ministry had supported the creation of a committee
against harmful practices, such as female circumcision. In addition,
the Government had declared 16 June as a day of African children.

The Minister also said that the country's parliament had created a
commission to deal with children's and women's issues. The commission
also had a duty to coordinate the harmonization of national
legislation for women and children. In 2000, an institute for women
and children had been created to ensure coordination of policies and
actions aimed at the protection of children. In 2001, the National
Assembly had ratified the two Optional Protocols to the Convention,
which concerned the involvement of children in armed conflict, and
the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

In conclusion, the Minister said that in addition to problems created
by lack of adequate funds, there were other threats against children:
drug addiction, prostitution, worst forms of child labour and the
presence of landmines. Such indicators necessitated deep reflection
on the state of children in the country and the implementation of
urgent measures in order to preserve the future and the well-being of
children. It was a huge task that the Guinean society had to
accomplish without delay and with limited resources. The solution to
those problems should be found in good governance, the respect for
human rights, the fight against corruption, and the implementation of
measures favouring the well-being of children.

Questions on General Measures of Implementation of the Convention and
Definition of the Child

An Expert thanked the delegation for the presentation of the report
and said it was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the
Committee. She said the civil war of 1998 and 1999 had had a negative
impact on the general situation in the society. After the political
instability, it seemed that there was relative peace now. What
measures were being taken to advance the cause of children?
Guinea-Bissau had ratified a number of international human rights
instruments. What general plan was being adopted to uphold human
rights in the country? How was the country progressing in collecting
data for the formulation of its policies? Which organ of the
Government was in charge of the implementation and monitoring of the
Convention in the country? How did the Government coordinate the
international cooperation offered to Guinea-Bissau?

Another Expert asked about the difficulties concerning the
coordination of the various activities for children. How effective
was the Guinean League of Human Rights? How would the Government
design its next plan of action? Would it be the same as the previous
one? Did the ad hoc committee on women and children review laws? What
measures were being taken to disseminate the provisions of the
Convention at the grass-root level.

There were major issues that could have been rectified in a very
short period after the conflict, an Expert said. The report had said
it was sometimes difficult to practice some of the written laws. What
measures were being taken to rectify such deficiencies? The National
Commission for Women and Children had major difficulties in being
operational; what measures were being taken to resolve the financial
difficulties the Commission was facing?

An Expert asked about the ability of the authorities to implement the
provisions of the Convention. What was the role of the various
institutions concerning the rights of the child, including the
National Commission for Women and Children? Were there duplications
in the work of the several institutions concerning children? How did
children participate in the Children's Parliament? Was it a permanent
body? Were its decisions taken seriously by the authorities? Concern
was expressed about the existence of a colonial customary law on
early and forced marriage, which was not consistent with the
Convention. Was the Government taking measures to change this
situation?

Guinea-Bissau had ratified the Convention in 1990 and a bill had also
been adopted on the rights of children in 1997, an Expert said,
observing that there was a gap between the ratification and the
adoption of the bill. How did the Government implement the Convention
during that period?

It was a positive sign that the initial report was prepared in
collaboration with UNICEF and non-governmental organizations, another
Expert said. However, the report said nothing about the national
budget and the situation of the external debt. Also, it did not
mention the financial implications of the conflict. He observed that
some of the written laws were not in conformity with the country's
Constitution. In the penal code, sexual intercourse with anyone under
18 years was prohibited; however, the customary law had lowered that
age. In addition, the infant mortality of under-five was high. The
report had said that the rate of 124 per thousand had decreased, but
did not precise by how much. Did the Government set in its
legislation the best interest of the child? Was there a special
structure for children for judicial recourse?

What mechanisms were in place to collect data, asked another Expert.
The country had had a devastating time as a result of the armed
conflict and now it was in the process of reconstruction. Were
children who were involved in the conflict demobilized and integrated
into the society? The report did not say much about the 1997 bill on
Children; could the delegation provide further information on the
contents of that bill? Which were the main subjects of conflict
between customary and positive laws? Were community leaders involved
in ironing out differences in the event of conflict between those two
laws? Was the plan of action on children part of the general strategy
for the eradication of poverty? What attempts were being made to
create a special division for children in the envisaged national
human rights institution?

Adding her voice to the previous speakers, an Expert said that the
political instability that the country had suffered from and the lack
of resources had been the main problems facing the Government. There
was also a decline in external funding and direct foreign investment
had been slowing down. What was the Government doing to empower the
National Council for Children to carry out its mandate? The presence
of so many ethnic groups could be a factor for instability; what
measures were being taken to reconcile customary practice and the
written law? Guinea-Bissau's Constitution defined a child differently
from the Convention. The report revealed that NGOs were actively
participating in the country but there was lack of coordination. Did
the activities of the NGOs serve the Government as catalysts in its
efforts to promote and protect the rights of children?

How high on the agenda were the rights of children placed, asked
another Expert. Was the cause of children prioritized? Was there any
policy of distribution of resources to the poor? Did the strategy on
poverty eradication include children?

Country Response

The delegation of Guinea-Bissau, responding to the questions raised
on general measures of implementation of the Convention and
definition of the child, said there were a number of questions raised
by Experts that needed responses. The plans elaborated to promote
children's rights had been discarded because of lack of resources.
The Institute for Women and Children had been set up at a difficult
moment after the conflict. Not much had been done to make it fully
operational, however, efforts were now being made to inject
additional resources to allow it to function properly.

The implementation and monitoring of the Convention were being
carried out by a Government body, the delegation said.

On the issue of coordination, the delegation said the Government had
been endeavouring to strengthen coordination among NGOs. A body was
established for that purpose. In addition, a committee had been
created to increase awareness, particularly in the rural areas, about
the danger of female circumcision and other harmful practices.

At the Government level, an inter-ministerial committee had recently
been established to bring together all questions regarding the rights
of the child, the delegation said.

Guinea-Bissau's legislation enabled the State to fully incorporate
the provisions of the Convention, the delegation said, adding that
international treaties became part of the domestic law in accordance
to the Constitution. If a conflict arose in the application of
certain provisions, the Convention prevailed over domestic law. The
Constitution did not allow the distinction between women and men;
however, in the rural setting, the situation was different because of
the application of customary law. The Constitution mainly outlined
the main rights and it was not applied in some ethnic societies. On
the right to inheritance, for example, some tribes interpreted the
right differently from other tribal societies. Despite an
awareness-increasing campaign, such practices continued. In some
villages the rate of boys in the school was higher than girls, thus
boys received a better education for their future. The Government
continued to fight to rectify this situation.

In the penal system, a child from the age of 16 was responsible for
criminal acts he or she committed, the delegation said; that legal
position was taken from the colonial period.

On the situation of human rights, the delegation said that currently
there was stability and the United Nations had taken appropriate
measures in that regard. The representative of the Secretary-General
had come to verify the situation, as did representatives of so many
other countries. Any citizen could rise up and ask for his rights,
unfortunately there was no clear structural arrangement to channel
complaints. The report of the Human Right League on the human rights
situation had been favourably accepted by the Government.

Radio dissemination of the rights of the child had been helpful, the
delegation said. For example, families used to "lend" their children
to other families for financial gain, but now there was a tendency
not to do that. The mistreatment of children was also starting to be
seen as a violation of the rights of the child. Even neighbours were
involved whenever there was incidents of ill-treatment of children by
their own parents.

On the principle of priority, the delegation said the Government was
doing all it could to give priority to the promotion and protection
of children.

There were legal mechanisms that protected the rights of women in
their work and guaranteed they were not discriminated against, the
delegation said. In the event of a violation of the rights of women,
court procedures could be initiated by the person claiming to be a
victim.

Tribunals were not everywhere in the country, the delegation said,
adding that in some places the police could act as a judge.

Asked how the Government was dealing with decentralization up to the
village level, the delegation said the Government was still in the
process of implementing decentralization which was started in 1997
and which was interrupted by the military conflict. However, there
was no law enacted on the issue since 1997.

With respect to the Children's Parliament, the delegation said that
although it was in place, it was not functional. The Parliament was
composed of 150 child-deputies from 8 administrative regions.
Financial difficulties were among the factors for the non-functioning
of the Children's Parliament. A number of NGOs and UNICEF were
working to promote the rights of the child and to make people
conscious of the rights relating to children. In a recent survey, 70
per cent of those who were asked responded that they were aware of
the rights of the child.

Questions on General Principles and Civil Rights and Freedoms

An Expert said that there was no official translation of the
Convention in the country. She wanted to know if there were plans to
translate it into Creole, the local vernacular. What was the
situation of albino and twin children? Had the Government taken any
action to launch birth registration? The report had recognized that
children's opinions were not taken into consideration; had the
Government taken any initiative in that regard? Another Expert joined
the previous Expert in asking about the special circumstances in
which albinos and twins lived.

Another Expert asked about the conditions in which disabled children
were murdered. Were there any measures being taken against
infanticide? Were children protected from harmful videos and films
which were imported? Was the practice of the separation of children
from their parents widespread in the rural areas? Was the practice of
informal adoption a common practice? Was inter-country adoption
regulated by law?

An Expert said she was concerned about the situation of children
involved in armed conflict; and the fate of unregistered children in
the birth registry, because of the illiteracy of their parents. Why
were persons who abused children not brought to justice?

Poverty made discrimination against children and regions much worse,
an Expert said. She invited Guinea-Bissau to draw a plan of action on
education in collaboration with international organizations. A
well-structured campaign against female circumcision could resolve
that problem.

An Expert asked what the Government was doing about children born out
of wedlock; about corporal punishment in schools and child abuse in
the family; and the role of the extended family with regard to
children.

Country Response

In response to the questions raised on general principles and civil
rights and freedoms, the delegation of Guinea-Bissau said that the 38
sectoral regions were run by sectoral administers. Each State service
was also represented, such as the health and education services. The
chief administrators were instructed to implement the guidelines of
the central Government. The sectoral regions carried out other tasks
such as dissemination of awareness-increasing campaigns against
harmful practices.

The delegation said the Government was making efforts to translate
the Convention into Creole. So far, the Convention had been
translated into Portuguese.

Concerning twins, families used to choose the strongest twin and to
reject the weakest twin, the delegation said. That practice had
persisted as a tradition until the colonial rule prohibited it and
made it punishable by capital punishment. The prohibition was
maintained at the present time.

With regard to children with disabilities, the delegation said there
was a superstitious belief that children with disabilities might
change into serpents and disappear in the sea. So these children were
rejected from the beginning. Now, thanks to a campaign carried out by
the Government, the situation had changed and children with
disabilities were accepted.

There were only few albinos -- four in number -- and they were all
well-known in the society, the delegation said. One was a
businessman, one worked in a court and another worked in the
transportation system. There was no problem with regard to albinos
and they were not morally affected because of the society's tolerance
of their situation.

With respect to child soldiers, it was true that when there were two
parts of the army fighting against each other, children were involved
in the fight that took place in 1998 and 1999, the delegation said.
Both sides used children in their ranks, however, their number was
not known to the Government. Only 119 children were demobilized and
registered as former combatants. The Government had asked the help of
UNICEF to implement a programme of anti-trauma for former child
soldiers. In addition, the fathers of former combatants had been
receiving assistance on behalf of the children, an assistance which
was meagre.

Asked about the age of voluntary conscription, the delegation said
that during the armed conflict the situation had been different;
however, in 1992 when the Government enlisted 200 persons for police
and 2,000 for the army, their age had been 20 years and above.

With regard to registration of child birth, the idea of mobile
brigades would be expensive to operate, the delegation said. However,
the Government had implemented a fine of 2,500 Guinean Francs (15
Euros) to those who failed to register new births after the time
limit. With the help of UNICEF, the Government had launched a free
registration campaign to reduce the number of unregistered births.

There was no office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) in Guinea Bissau, the delegation said, adding that
with the armed conflict in the northern part of the country, a
considerable number of people were seeking sanctuary in
Guinea-Bissau. In addition, there were a number of Sierra Leoneans
who sought refuge in the country. The problem should be shared with
the international agencies. The Foreign Ministry had already sought
an explanation from UNHCR concerning its absence from the country.

Concerning children born out of wedlock, the Government had passed a
law in 1996 prohibiting discrimination against such children, and
they were equally treated with those born to married parents.

International cooperation would be necessary to alleviate the problem
of children with disabilities, the delegation said, adding that their
access to public transportation and buildings was a matter of concern
to the Government.

Access to discos was regulated by strict observance of the age limit
of the child, the delegation said.

People had the right to question children on the streets after 10
o'clock in the evening, the delegation said. The parents of those
children could also be questioned.

Adopting parents should be able to carry out their responsibilities
if they adopted a child, the official delegation said. Their economic
and marital status was also taken into consideration before the
process of adoption started. There were rarely cases of inter-country
adoption taking place in the country.

What could be done for single parents left alone by their partners to
bring up their children was an interesting issue, the delegation
said. There were cases in which fathers abandoned their five or six
children to the mothers and disappeared without leaving a trace. If
the person was a Government employee, the judicial authorities could
resolve the problem in bringing the culprit to justice and oblige him
to help his children. In other cases, the situation was not always
easy.

There were some specific cases in which the Government participated
in helping people to go abroad for medical treatment, the delegation
said.

With regards to corporal punishment, it was prohibited, even in
Koranic schools, the delegation said. Anyone inflicting corporal
punishment was criminally held responsible for his or her acts.

With regard to HIV/AIDS, the Government, in collaboration with the
international agencies, had undertaken an awareness campaign on the
disease and free distribution of condoms had been effected, the
delegation said. Other preventive measures were also undertaken by
the authorities to fight the rampant situation of the disease.

Women normally preferred to say nothing about domestic violence, the
delegation said. If a case was brought to light, and if the victim
lodged complaints, the courts were seized to rule on the issue.
However, people were used to hiding violence in the house. It was
found that the tendency to hide victimization was anchored in
illiteracy. Any reform against this situation had already met with
resistance. In domestic violence, it was always the women who were
victims.

Discussion on Preservation and Protection of the Family Environment;
Health and Well-Being; Education, Recreation and Cultural Activities;
and Special Measures for the Protection of Children

An Expert asked about the leisure activities for children when they
were not at school. Were children given any sex education in schools
or in the family, another Expert asked. What preventive measures were
being taken against teenage pregnancy? Did the Government encourage
breastfeeding? What measures were being undertaken to alleviate the
problem concerning the shortage of drinking water? With regard to
health, it was reported that the Government received 90 per cent of
its health budget from external funds; where did those funds go?
Concerning education, half of school age children were out of school;
the rate of dropout and class repetition was high; and the
information on education provided by the report was not very
complete.

Parents had lost confidence in schools and that was the reason that
they did not send their children to schools, another Expert said,
asking the delegation if the Government had undertaken an
awareness-increasing campaign together with UNICEF to alter such
attitudes.

What assistance was being provided to working children who were being
exploited, an Expert asked. The report indicated that the rate of
prostitution involving children was high and it said that the law was
less practicable in that regard; what efforts were undertaken to give
effect to the law prohibiting prostitution and to tackle the problem?
What measures were being taken against the belief that having sex
with a child would prolong one's lives?

Children had been affected by landmines after the armed conflict, an
Expert said, asking if the Government had taken preventive measures
to stop children from becoming victims. She asked why persons
attacked by certain diseases were considered as disabled, including
epilepsy and tuberculosis. What percentage of disabled children went
to regular schools? The Netherlands had been giving a lot of funds to
disabled persons; what other means did the Government find to help
disabled persons.

An Expert asked if the Government of Guinea-Bissau had considered a
priority policy on early age education in kindergartens. Parents
should be encouraged to take their children to institutions where
early age education was provided. Turning to the issue of children in
conflict with the law, the Expert wondered if judges and police were
trained to deal with such a category of delinquents. What was the
pretrial detention period for children?

The Government had taken measures to reduce the rate of illiteracy,
which was a positive aspect, an Expert said. However, the illiteracy
rate for women was 76 per cent, which necessitated further action
from the part of the Government.

Were there affirmative actions or special measures to encourage
girls' education in Guinea-Bissau, an Expert asked. The mechanism to
cover girls needed a policy that could involve NGOs and other actors.

Response of Guinea-Bissau

Responding to the last round of questions on preservation and
protection of the family environment, health and well-being,
education, recreation and cultural activities, and special measures
for the protection of children, the delegation said there was an
ongoing health programme in cooperation with UNICEF and WHO. Female
genital mutilation existed outside of the cities and the
awareness-raising campaign was continuing. A large number of children
suffered from malnutrition; recreation activities were lacking and
international cooperation was needed to increase them.

Sexual education was given by biology teachers, including information
on how to behave; wells had been dug to alleviate problems of
drinking water but not all people were profiting from such projects.
Public hospitals distributed drugs and private enterprises also did
the same but their prices were higher than that of public hospitals.

There was an awareness-increasing campaign to keep students in
schools and to reduce dropouts; and some NGOs provided lunch to
children to incite them to stay in the schools. Basic education was
free of charge. The delegation agreed on the need to increase the
awareness-raising campaign against domestic violence. A culture of
peace and non-violence had to prevail. The United Nations had
organized seminars on the culture of peace after the end of the armed
conflict; and further efforts had to be made along that vein.

The delegation did not agree with an Expert's comment that parents
had lost confidence in schools; the process of schooling continued
and parents were encouraged more than ever to educate their children.
The problem of unpaid salaries for teachers had also touched other
State sectors, and the Government was attempting to solve it
gradually.

The law prohibited children from entering into any remunerative
labour, the delegation said. However, it was difficult to estimate
the age of children working in agricultural sectors, which at times
involved children as young as 7 years of age. Legislation still
prohibited any form of child labour.

Asked about the fate of the 60 per cent of children who were not
attending school, the delegation said that what they were doing with
their time depended from case to case. In the villages, some children
were working in agricultural fields, at times for the whole day. It
was also the customary law that impeded children from pursuing their
education to make them self-sufficient financially.

Sexual relationships with a minor was totally prohibited, the
delegation said. The law of Guinea-Bissau was careful in protecting
the rights of children. With regard to the beliefs concerning having
sexual intercourse with minors, they were indeed one of the causes
for the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The delegation said that there was a severe problem of juvenile
delinquency and the Government was committed to resolving the
problem. The fact that young offenders were kept in the same prisons
as adults had created further problems and the attention of the
Government had been drawn to that.

Preliminary Concluding Remarks

MARILIA SARDENBERG, Committee Expert, made preliminary concluding
remarks, recommending that under the special measures for the
protection of children, steps should be taken to separate young
offenders from adult inmates. She said the dialogue with the members
of the delegation had been positive and the delegation deserved warm
thanks for the answers it had provided to the Committee during the
morning and afternoon meetings. She wished to emphasize some of the
positive factors, such as the fact that the State had ratified the
two Optional Protocols to the Convention, the campaign for birth
registration and the suspension of the fine for non-registration of
new births.

The Expert said that although the Committee members had focused on
the many problems facing Guinea-Bissau, the report had said that its
presentation was proof of the determination of the Government to
implement the provisions of the Convention. The lack of indicators on
education and health was a problem as indicated by the delegation.
She hoped that the concluding observations and recommendations which
would be released by the Committee would serve the Government as a
strategic document for its policy and actions towards the promotion
and protection of the rights of the child, and would catalyse change
in the country through implementation of the Convention. The
delegation had mentioned the problem of changing mentalities, and she
wished to highlight that awareness-raising campaigns on the
Convention and training of personnel working with children on its
provisions would give the Government the opportunity to implement the
treaty. She recommended that the Government finish its revision of
legislation concerning children which had been started, and that it
should work on the problem of coordination of Government activities.
It should pay special attention to the general provisions of the
Convention, especially concerning the best interest of the child.
There were so many problems affecting young people in Guinea-Bissau,
and the delegation had said that there was no document as a basic
guidance to working with young people. So maybe the Government could
work on that. And finally, with regard to the work and cooperation
with the NGOs, the Government should maybe elaborate a new law on how
to cooperate with these organizations.

Final Remarks by Delegation

In his concluding remark, Dionisio Cabi, the Minister of Justice of
Guinea-Bissau, said the presence of his delegation before the
Committee had been advantageous and beneficial. His Government would
take the recommendations of the Committee seriously and would move
beyond customary laws.