COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD REVIEWS THE REPORTS OF GABON
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its consideration of the second periodic report of Gabon on its implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its initial report on the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Introducing the reports, Seraphin Moundounga, Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Human Rights, said that Gabon was making great progress in education, which had been free and compulsory since 1966. Juvenile courts had been set up across the country, which ensured that the rights of children in conflict with the law were protected. The Criminal Law abolished early and forced marriage in 1953, and provided sanctions for perpetrators and authorities who officiated the marriage. Gabon had strengthened its legislation following the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols, including the Guidebook on the Rights of the Child, which provided support material on all training activities on children’s rights.
Committee Experts commended Gabon for recognizing the importance of free and compulsory education, and the efforts to ensure birth registration, which in 2000 stood at 85 per cent and was the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The delegation was asked if discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was prohibited in law, and about measures to protect from discrimination other vulnerable groups of children, such as children living with HIV/AIDS, migrant children, and children with disabilities. Corporal punishment was banned in the criminal system and in schools, but it was still widely practiced in the country, while 40 per cent of children suffered corporal punishment at home. Incest was a true public health problem, Experts noted and asked about recourse that was open to victims and the complaint mechanism they could use. Gabonese troops which served as the United Nations peacekeepers in the Central African Republic were accused of sexual abuse of children; what action was Gabon taking to investigate these allegations and prosecute perpetrators?
On the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Experts recognized that Gabon criminalized trafficking of children and, noting that the legal provisions did not cover all activities of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, asked about the plans to define and criminalize the sale of children in conformity with article 3 of the Optional Protocol. Committee Experts expressed concern about the lack of specific studies and data on tourism-related child sexual exploitation and pornography and the absence of measures to address the commercial sexual exploitation of girls, in particular in Port Gentil, and inquired whether Gabon planned to adopt a comprehensive and targeted approach that addressed the root causes of offences under the Optional Protocol, including child poverty, child domestic labour, child marriage and children in street situations.
In concluding remarks, Suzanne Aho Assouma, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, said that the dialogue had clarified the dimension of the challenges in Gabon, especially the gap between laws and their implementation, and said that the Committee’s concluding observations would aim to further promote and protect children’s rights in Gabon.
Hatem Kotrane, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, recognized the good intentions of Gabon and stressed that legal actions must be followed up on the ground with true and overarching policy and strategy focused on children.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Moundounga noted the Experts’ recommendations related to budget allocations for education, sexual orientation of children, and the procedure of issuing birth certificates, and reiterated that Gabon would remain available to the Committee.
Closing the meeting, Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Committee Chairperson, recognized that Gabon belonged to a very small group of countries that had ratified all three Optional Protocols to the Convention, and was the only African country that had ratified the Optional Protocol on a communications procedure.
The delegation of Gabon consisted of representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Ministry of Family and Social Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of Gabon to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will next meet in public at 10 a.m. on Monday, 30 May, to consider the combined third to fifth periodic report of Bulgaria under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/BGR/3-5).
The country reviews can be watched via live webcast at http://www.treatybodywebcast.org.
Report
The second periodic report of Gabon under the Convention on the Rights of the Child can be read via the following link: CRC/C/GAB/2 and its initial report under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography via this link: CRC/OPSC/C/GAB/1.
Presentation of the Report
SERAPHIN MOUNDOUNGA, Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Gabon, introducing the report, said that Gabon was making great progress in education which had been free and compulsory for boys and girls since 1966. Law 021 of 2012 further strengthened the provisions of education, making it compulsory from the age of three, while gender parity in education, including in higher education, had been almost achieved. Progress in health was ensured by increased access to health centres which developed prenatal and postnatal care, and provided education and information on child nutrition. Juvenile courts had been set up across the country, which ensured the protection of children’s rights; children in conflict with the law were considered victims.
Criminal Law had abolished early and forced marriage in 1953, and provided sanctions for perpetrators and authorities that officiated the marriage. Child marriage was no longer a problem in the country. Gabon had strengthened its legislation following the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols, including the Guidebook on the Rights of the Child, which provided support material in all training activities on children’s rights. This training had been provided to teachers, judges, lawyers, as well as prison officials, which was particularly important in the light of the ongoing separation of juvenile facilities from adult facilities. Mr. Moundounga explained that Gabon, like other countries whose income depended on commodities, suffered cyclical cash shortages, which in turn influenced the translation of political commitments to reality.
Questions by the Committee Experts
JOSE ANGEL RODRIGUEZ REYES, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, asked which body within the Government was in charge of the follow up of the recommendations by treaty bodies and how civil society was involved in that follow-up. The Committee recognized the importance of the adoption by Gabon of different decrees aimed at harmonizing the legislation with the Convention and asked about the status of the adoption of the code relating to children. The Observatory for Human Rights, a very important monitoring institution, suffered from a lack of human and financial resources, did not have physical headquarters, and its mandate was not as strong as it should be. Mr. Rodriguez Reyes noted that the Population Census 2013 had not been published and stressed the importance of routine data collection by the authorities. What was the status of the National Commission for Human Rights and what was its status under the Paris Principles? With regard to non-discrimination, the delegation was asked whether the laws ensured protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and inquired about the measures in place to tackle the situation of other vulnerable groups that faced discrimination such as children living with HIV/AIDS, migrant children, children with disabilities, and others. Could a child freely choose her or his religion and also choose to follow or not religious classes in school?
SUZANNE AHO ASSOUMA, Member of the Committee and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, noted that 125 civil registration offices had been set up throughout the country and said that in 2000 the birth registration rate stood at 85 per cent, the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The delegation was asked whether birth registration and late birth registration procedures were free of charge, if measures were in place to ensure that the population from remote areas had access to birth registration centres, whether birth certificates were issued even if the cost of labour and delivery was not paid, the process in place for the registration of refugees and stateless persons, and the situation of birth registration of children born out of incest, as it had been reported that 97 per cent of them were not registered. Ms. Aho Assouma also asked the delegation to inform about the steps taken to abolish torture and ill-treatment, about the definition of ritual crimes in the law and the sanctions they carried, and whether there were specific provisions in the Children’s Code prohibiting the torture of children in all institutions. Incest was a true public health problem; what recourse was open to victims, how could they file a complaint and how was their protection in proceedings assured?
Other Experts noted that the Convention was the best known text in the country, and asked how the Convention was disseminated among the four per cent of the children who did not attend school, and also if it was translated to other languages. What was being done to ensure that the judiciary and the police were adequately trained in the Convention and its two Optional Protocols? What was the impact of resource constraints on health and education, the two most crucial sectors for children? When would the Children’s Code be adopted and how would it address the right of the child to be heard? The delegation was also asked to inform about the school cooperatives and the working and impact of the Youth Parliament, campaigns to promote the rights of the child, and access to age adequate information by children, especially marginalized children and children with disabilities. Corporal punishment was banned in the criminal system and in schools, but it was still widely practiced in the country; what measures were in place to stop corporal punishment in schools, and also to address corporal punishment at home, which was not banned, but which affected more than 40 per cent of the children?
Replies by the Delegation
The National Observatory for Human Rights had been created in 2006, but this was not a permanent body and it did not have headquarters; it met ad hoc and had numerous human resources pulled from all State institutions, but not on a permanent basis. Financial resources were made available for its meetings. The changes to ensure greater independence of the National Commission for Human Rights and therefore its compliance with the Paris Principles had started in 2013, including in the appointment of its head and the allocation of funds, which previously had been allocated by the Ministry of Justice. The internal structure of the Commission depended on its internal rules, which it could adopt independently by its plenary. The Commission could accept complaints by children or on behalf of children. There was also a possibility for non-governmental organizations to lodge a complaint on behalf of children. Children victims could access free legal aid available via the Ministry of Justice.
Gabon did not believe that children had sexual orientation, and also did not believe that children should have sexual relations or marry; issues of sexual orientation and marrying were applicable to adults only. Sexual orientation or marriage for all was not an issue in Gabon as yet and no one had as yet asked for it. Social concerns in Western Africa were not the same as in the developed world, it was concerned with HIV/AIDS, and finding a cure for Ebola and cancer.
In order to counter discrimination against children born out of wedlock, legislation had been amended three years ago, giving all children the same rights and protection, regardless of whether they were born in or outside wedlock. There was no discrimination against children living with HIV; the information about the seropositive status was kept confidential, and all those living with AIDS received health care through more than 900 health centres.
“Ritual crimes” were considered to be unnatural offences and were a major concern, particularly because of physical mutilation which often led to death. It was important to put this crime in context and recognize that over the past three years, only seven ritual crimes had appeared before the courts. Following the protests in March 2013, work was ongoing on amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to include harsher sentences for “ritual crimes”, to ensure that the crime did not have a statute of limitations, and to also target criminal networks which were often behind the crimes.
Gabon was a secular State and all public institutions were secular. Parents were free to choose whether or not to send their children to religious or secular schools, and it was parents who passed down religion or culture. There were no serious concerns in this regard.
The delegation confirmed that birth certificates were issued free of charge. Gabon received a great number of immigrants and refugees from neighbouring countries, and waves of migrants continued to arrive. Gabon applied all provisions of national and international law in dealing with illegal immigrants, from contact with consular services of their country of origin, to repatriation. Unaccompanied migrant children were repatriated with other children in compliance with diplomatic standards, and Gabon did its utmost to reunite them with their parents. Children born to illegal migrants in Gabon had the right to request Gabonese nationality up to a year before reaching majority.
Responding to questions concerning violence against children, and torture in detention centres and in police custody, the delegation said that the Criminal Code 1963 and the Napoleonic Code from 1810 provided for a life sentence for torture, regardless of how it was carried out; if victims complained, the criminal code and criminal sanctions applied. The delegation was unable to provide statistics on the number of cases because people seldom complained. Corporal punishment had been practiced in schools for a long time; schools had been introduced as a part of the colonial project and they used corporal punishment. The law now formally prohibited corporal punishment in schools, although smacking at home was still being debated.
There were not many cases of incest reported; the few that had been reported involved mentally deranged people, or were between two minor children. Relevant perpetrators were prosecuted. Gabon was working on introducing compulsory modules on children’s rights and human rights into regular training of the judiciary and the police, and Gabion asked for the Committee’s guidance in this regard.
Questions by the Committee Experts
SUZANNE AHO ASSOUMA, Member of the Committee and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, raised several issues concerning the health situation in the country, and asked about budgetary allocations for health, vaccinations and nutrition and measures taken to ensure that health professionals were uniformly spread across rural and urban areas. Only 3 per cent of pregnant women had access to insecticide-treated bed nets, and only 20 per cent of pregnant women had access to services to prevent transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child. There were reports of Gabonese soldiers who were members of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic committing sexual violence against children; what steps were being taken to investigate the allegations of those crimes?
JOSE ANGEL RODRIGUEZ REYES, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, said that free and compulsory education was extremely important and acknowledged the efforts of Gabon to identify key problems in the education of children, including dropping out, quality of education, and others. Which proportion of the national budget was allocated to the education sector, and what measures were in palace to address frequent strikes by the teachers?
Another Expert remarked on the almost complete absence of alternative care; children were often taken care of by extended family members, without any monitoring by the authorities. International adoption was not regulated and the delegation was asked what plans were in place to ratify The Hague Adoption Convention.
On children with disabilities, a Committee Expert noted the lack of data on this group of children and wondered about the process of policy creation in the absence of reliable data. Action for children with disabilities was focused in the capital, where half the country population lived, but what about action for children with disabilities living in rural areas? What was the status of inclusive education, particularly for children with intellectual disabilities?
Other Experts wondered how Gabon intended to implement its national plans and policies in the area of education, especially considering that the budget for education, both in real terms and in terms of the proportion of gross domestic product, was stagnating since 2007. They noted that some 750 children trafficked to Gabon had been repatriated, but not a single trafficker had been identified, and not one prosecution or court case had been initiated.
Replies by the Delegation
The budget for health had been tripled over the past several years, and had significantly surpassed the budget allocated to education. Gabon was one of the few countries in Africa which had mother and child health teams set up throughout the country, resulting in a relatively low rate of infant mortality. The Gabonese health system did not make prevention a priority, but was heavily focused on treatment. Gabon was proud to have a fully-fledged hospital in each of the provincial capitals, a medical centre in every one of its 50 departments, and at least a dispensary in every village cluster. Additionally, efforts were continuing to establish a university hospital, and specialized centres for cancer and trauma treatment. There were no charges for giving birth in hospitals – State run and private alike - the costs of which were covered by the National Social Security Fund.
Until 2012, nursery schools had been optional, and then pre-primary education had been made compulsory. There were nine High Courts in Gabon, and each had a court of first instance, and this widespread judicial coverage meant that juvenile justice applied to all children in conflict with the law in all parts of Gabon. In recent years, Gabon had shifted its educational approach, from academic to more vocational, which would enable greater numbers of children to receive education they were interested in, and would improve retention rates. The Government ensured that all children in street situations received vocational training, and also that all children in detention could pass their school exams and obtain adequate certificates. The Criminal Code, which had been passed a long time ago, set criminal responsibility at the age of 13. With regard to the lack of investigation and prosecution of child traffickers, the delegation said that none of the more than 700 children rescued from trafficking had been able to identify the culprits. There was a criminal network behind this operation and Gabon was still conducting investigations in cooperation with neighbouring countries.
Gabon participated in the African Union’s Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMA) and had in place specialized mother and child wards in each hospital, while there were plans to transform one of the hospitals into a specialized hospital for maternal and child health, which would also offer assisted reproduction services. The Government had systematically collected the views of women from all over the country, which would be used to inform the drafting of policies. Gabonese United Nations peacekeepers who had been accused of sexual abuse of children in the Central African Republic would be investigated, and if needed, prosecuted and brought to justice. To this end, Gabon was working with the United Nations to establish the truth. So far, it appeared that those allegations were unfounded, but it would be up to the judiciary to review the evidence and establish the truth, in conjunction with the United Nations.
In follow-up questions, the delegation was asked about the situation of Bantu and other indigenous people, including their access to basic services and birth registration; about monocultures, deforestation and forest management; and about access to caesarean procedures for pregnant women as well as measures in place to prevent early pregnancies, including through the education of children and access to contraceptives. Experts also asked about the cooperation of Gabon with the United Nations investigation into the allegations of the rape of a girl in the Central African Republic by Gabonese soldiers, sanctions for this crime, redress for the victim, and the training in children’s rights for the troops which participated in the United Nations and international peacekeeping missions.
Responding the delegation explained that a distinction must be drawn between deforestation and logging by commercial companies. The Forestry Code was in place which defined the process and rhythm of forest exploitation. Bantu and indigenous populations did not live in forests but in villages; they coexisted with other people and enjoyed equal access to services. Gabon was specializing in certain crops and had a long-standing tradition of palm oil production. Palm plantations were located only in the savannas; no primary forests were being cleared for palm plantations. Intensive monoculture only took place in secondary forests and around villages. As part of the response to climate change, Gabon was supporting organic agriculture.
In the wake of tragic events in Rwanda and in Congo Brazzaville in the 1990s, many refugees had been hosted in Gabon; with the return of peace and security to those countries, the Government was working on their return. Since then, there had been no major increase in the number of asylum requests.
Rape was a crime and Gabon had sought to clamp down on the crime by removing the statute of limitations, but this provision was not retroactive. A Special Court Martial had been established for the Gabonese United Nations peacekeepers in the Central African Republic; the Court had been appraised of the situation and would be taking the matter forward. The head of the delegation stressed that in line with the separation of powers, the accused must enjoy presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Concerning the situation of child labour, the police and gendarmerie undertook spot checks of various establishments; if minors were found working in night-clubs, the public prosecutor would immediately launch a prosecution of the owner. Children working in sand quarries were not employed by anyone; they often went there on their own to quarry sand and sell it.
School cooperatives were fora for the development of children in all aspects, which allowed children to decide how they were organized, with the support of some teachers. Cooperatives could undertake cultural and economic activities in order to develop children into good citizens who could freely express their opinion. The President of the Republic had decided on a quota for the youth: 30 per cent of elected posts were reserved for youth. Thanks to the concept of African solidarity, there were almost no homeless persons in Gabon. It was not true that there were 658 street children in Gabon; those had been found on the streets, and after being picked up by the police, they were returned to their families. Currently, 15 per cent of the overall State budget was allocated to education, with plans to increase it to 20 per cent.
With regard to access to education by children with disabilities, the delegation said that children with speech or hearing impairments could attend the State schools, and even board there. There was one such State school with some 50 children, from all over the country. For the past 20 years, Foundation Horizons Nouveax had run a private establishment which was declared to be of public utility – for which the State provided teachers and the budget - for children with severe disabilities, such as blind children, children with Down syndrome or bipolar children.
Polygamy was not the cause of children being found in streets. Polygamy had its good and its bad sides; but it was legal and the law reflected the popular will. There were countries which allowed same sex marriage and it was yet to see how this provision impacted human rights and the future of humanity.
In another round of follow- up questions, Committee Experts remarked that the latest assessment on disability dated back to the 1970s and wondered how it was possible to make policy without reliable data. The Committee did not request States parties to set up specialized schools for children with disabilities, but it called for efforts to put in place inclusive education, with adequate support for children with disabilities to join mainstream schools. Victims of female genital mutilation in Gabon were usually foreign nationals, but still the responsibility to stop this practice and sanction perpetrators rested with the Government.
The last survey on persons with disabilities dated back to 1973, but the Government had learned about children with disabilities, their number and type of disability from the general survey of the population and households. Based on this information, a special school had been set up in Libreville, with appropriate staff; based on resources and demand, another such institution might be opened inland. There were efforts to put in place inclusive education, but the difficulty was that the education system in Gabon was set up in classes and teachers were trained to work with classes rather than with individual children.
Female genital mutilation was not part of traditional Gabonese culture, which was practiced by other cultures. This practice was seen as violence against women and torture, and was outlawed in 2010.
The United Nations system had expressed deep concern about Gabon’s consideration of sexual orientation, and Gabon took note of the concerns expressed by the Committee in this regard. A birth certificate stated the sex of the child, and children – boys and girls – received the same secular education.
Gabon allowed international adoptions but was aware that some countries trafficked children under the guise of international adoptions. The Nationality Act of Gabon provided protection for adopted children. Based on the broad range of consultations with non-governmental organizations, religious organizations, human rights institutions, provincial and central authorities, children and others, the preliminary draft of the Children’s Code had been prepared. The first draft would soon be adopted in the Cabinet and then presented to Parliament for approval. The Code would strengthen the protection of children‘s rights, including stateless children. Following its adoption, Gabon would consider acceding to The Hague Convention on International Adoptions.
Consideration of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
Questions by the Committee Experts
HATEM KOTRANE, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, noted with satisfaction the ratification by Gabon of other international instruments of relevance to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, as well as the prohibition of the work of children under the age of 16 in the 2011 Labour Code and the establishment of a special system of legal aid for children in 2010. The Committee was concerned about the lack of detailed information on a number of reported cases of offences covered by the Optional Protocol and the number of prosecutions and convictions. Trafficking of children was prohibited under law N°9 of 2004, but neither the law nor the draft Children’s Code fully covered all the offences prohibited under the Optional Protocol. Did Gabon plan to adopt a comprehensive and targeted approach that addressed root causes of offences under the Optional Protocol, including child poverty, child domestic labour, child marriage and children in street situations?
Lack of specific studies and data on tourism-related child sexual exploitation and pornography and the absence of measures to address commercial sexual exploitation of girls, in particular in Port Gentil, were of concern, said Mr. Kotrane, who also noted that the legal provisions so far did not cover all activities of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. How would Gabon go about defining and criminalizing the sale of children in conformity with article 3 of the Optional Protocol, and not limit the definition to trafficking of children? The Committee Rapporteur asked about criminal responsibility of legal persons for the offences covered by the Optional Protocol, and expressed regret that no action had been taken to establish its extraterritorial jurisdiction for the purposes of offences committed against a Gabonese citizen, or when an alleged perpetrator was a Gabonese national or resident.
Replies by the Delegation
The sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography was not a problem in Gabon, and that was why details about cases had not been provided in the report. During the period 2012-2016, there was one case involving 112 children in an operation similar to trafficking; those were not Gabonese children, but were mainly illegal immigrants. Children of illegal immigrants posed a particular challenge as their identification papers, used to cross the border, stated that they were adults. Those children were also unable to identify the perpetrators and those involved in the trafficking network. It was unknown whether those children had been sold or not.
A lot of awareness raising campaigns targeting all stakeholders involved in those issues had been implemented; 180 people throughout the country had been trained in issues relating to the sale of children, child prostitution, child pornography and child marriage. People trained included village leaders, police officers, teachers, guardians of peace, and others.
The ongoing review of the Criminal Code would address crimes of trafficking in human beings, trafficking in organs, and sale of children, and in this regard, the provisions would be brought in line with international standards. The revision would also establish extraterritorial jurisdiction of Gabon for those crimes, and would give the competence to Gabonese courts to prosecute those who had committed those crimes against Gabonese nationals abroad. The sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography were criminalized in the draft Children’s Code, which was completely aligned to the Optional Protocol.
In follow-up questions, the Committee Rapporteur underlined that the case involving 112 children was in fact a trafficking case and stressed that the law in Gabon must consider forcing children in labour as the sale of children. Was possession of child pornography criminalized?
The head of the delegation confirmed that all the definitions of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in the draft Children’s Code were harmonized with international standards, including the Optional Protocol.
SUZANNE AHO ASSOUMA, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, concerning the 750 children victims of trafficking who had been returned to their country of origin, recalled the obligations of the returning country and the country of origin to uphold the rights of the victims and asked whether there were any judges in Gabon who followed up on those files. Did Gabon have cooperation agreements with countries in the region on issues of human trafficking? There were reports of watchdog organizations in Gabon – how did they operate and what support did they receive from the Government.
The head of the delegation recalled the principle of the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and said that no reparations could be paid to the victims before the perpetrators had been found guilty and sentenced. Gabon had judicial cooperation agreements with all the countries in the region – Cameroon, Mali, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and others. Tourism was not very well developed in the country, and there was no data that indicated sexual tourism; that said, the Government would investigate allegations of sexual tourism involving children in Port Gentil.
Concluding Remarks
SUZANNE AHO ASSOUMA, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, thanked the delegation for the many responses they provided during the dialogue, noting that some of responses could have been more informative. The dialogue clarified the dimension of the challenges that Gabon faced, notably in the gap between laws and their implementation. The concluding observations by the Committee would be issued in order to further promote and protect children’s rights in Gabon.
HATEM KOTRANE, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, recognized the good intentions of Gabon and some actions that had been taken, in particular the ratification of the Optional Protocol, and stressed that legal actions must be followed up on the ground with true and overarching policy and strategy focused on children.
SERAPHIN MOUNDOUNGA, Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Human Rights, thanked the Committee Experts and said that the dialogue would clear the way for the promotion of the rights of the child. Gabon noted in particular the recommendations related to budget allocations for education, sexual orientation of children, and the procedure of issuing birth certificates. Gabon would remain available to the Experts who were seeking to uphold the rights of children.
BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for their responses and said that Gabon belonged to a very small group of countries that had ratified all three Optional Protocols to the Convention. Gabon was the only African country that had ratified the Optional Protocol on a communications procedure.
For use of the information media; not an official record
CRC16/027E