COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD EXAMINES REPORT OF CAMEROON

The Committee on the Rights of the Child today reviewed the second periodic report of Cameroon on how that country is implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Introducing the report, Catherine Bakang Mbock, Minister of Social Affairs of Cameroon, drew attention to achievements at the national level for children, including the entry into force in 2007 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which improved the system of administration of juvenile justice and took into account international standards in the area. Also highlighted was the total restructuring of the Government in 2004, according to which activities for the promotion and protection of children's rights was now accorded to nine ministerial departments. Also in 2004, the National Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms had been transformed into the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, with a view to aligning that institution with the Paris Principles, strengthening its independence and its effectiveness, and children could lodge complaints directly with the Commission. In addition, the Ministry of Social Affairs had been reorganized in 2005, with the creation of a Directorate for the Social Protection of Children.

Ms. Bakang Mbock underscored that the Government was particularly concerned about the emergence of phenomena such as street children, trafficking in children, violence against children, and the situation of AIDS orphans. In 2008, three re-education centres had been renovated for street children, in Bétamba, Buéa and Yaoundé, and pilot projects launched in March 2008 in Yaoundé and Douala had identified 467 street children. Regarding trafficking, sale and exploitation of children, a law had been passed in 2005 sanctioning that practice, and activities were being carried out in conjunction with the International Labour Organization to combat it. A national plan to combat trafficking and sexual exploitation had been adopted in July 2009, which aimed at prevention, as well as rehabilitation and social reinsertion of victims. With regard to children affected by HIV/AIDS, the Government had identified some 183,000 AIDS orphans, of whom 65,000 had been taken in charge as of 2008 within the framework of government projects and programmes. And, in August 2009, the Government had passed a national policy framework document on the integrated development of young children, which clearly outlined the actions needed between 2010 and 2012, notably in the priority areas of health, education and protection. Ten programmes had been selected, which would cost over 20 billion CFA francs, or over 30 million euros.

In preliminary concluding observations, Committee Expert Agnes Akosua Aidoo, who served as Rapporteur for the report of Cameroon, noted that the high-level delegation had demonstrated Cameroon's overall commitment to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In concluding observations and recommendations, the Committee would certainly highlight, among others, the need to adopt and enforce legislation; coordination of efforts to achieve maximum impact; the provision of adequate resources for children; and disparity, and the reduction and the removal of discrimination against children for any reason, whether because of gender, geographical location or other. Health indicators were also of concern to the Committee, in particular indicators on nutrition and child mortality. It was hoped that there would be a focus on reducing malnutrition at the community level, and that the reduction of malnutrition would be included in Cameroon's poverty reduction strategies.

Other Experts raised a series of questions pertaining to, among other things, the need for data about the various different groups living in the country; the need to ensure that services for children were equally distributed throughout the country and among boys and girls; and work with the media to disseminate information and values regarding children's rights. Experts also asked about measures taken by the Government to strengthen the activities of civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations working with children; whether adolescents had access to confidential health and counselling services; and about legal provisions for children to be consulted on decisions affecting them. A particular concern was the low allocation, just 20 per cent, for social services in the Government budget, and that budgetary allocations for education, including basic education, had decreased. Other concerns included violence and abuse in the family, and mechanisms to protect children at risk; major child health challenges, including continuing high rates of child and infant mortality, malaria, HIV/AIDS infection and malnutrition; and the expanding phenomenon of child labour in Cameroon, where 4 out of 10 children were already economically active, according to the report.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Committee Chairperson extended her sympathy and support for the victims and families of the (earthquake) disaster affecting Haiti. Many colleagues had also been victims of that disaster. A minute of silence was observed.

The Committee will release its formal, written concluding observations and recommendations on the report of Cameroon towards the end of its three-week session, which will conclude on 29 January.

Other members of the delegation included Anatole Fabien Marie Nkou, Permanent Representative of Cameroon to the United Nations Office at Geneva, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice, and the Permanent Mission of Cameroon in Geneva.

As one of the 193 States parties to the Convention, Cameroon is obliged to present periodic reports to the Committee on its efforts to comply with the provisions of the treaty. The delegation was on hand throughout the day to present the report and to answer questions raised by Committee Experts.

When the Committee next reconvenes in public, at 3 p.m. on Monday, 18 January, it will consider the second periodic report of Tajikistan (CRC/C/TJK/2) in Chamber A. In Chamber B, the Committee will begin its review of reports by Ecuador under the Convention and the two Optional Protocols (CRC/C/ECU/4; CRC/C/OPAC/ECU/1; CRC/C/OPSC/ECU/1).

Report of Cameroon

The second periodic report of Cameroon (CRC/C/CMR/2) highlights a number of initiatives with a direct impact on children that have been carried out by the Cameroonian Government and partners during the reporting period, including programmes as part of a cooperation agreement between Cameroon and UNICEF for the period 2003–2007, inter alia, on basic education, supervision and integral development of young children, and participation and development of adolescents; a decree to exempt pupils at public primary schools from annual school fees; and a circular on combating violence in schools. Other major initiatives include the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, under which two projects to combat child labour were conducted between 2004 and 2005 – one to combat the exploitation of child labour in cacao tree plantations and the other to combat the trafficking of children for labour exploitation in West Africa and Central Africa; and the joint Ministry of Social Affairs/Belgian Red Cross project on the socio-economic reintegration of street children in Yaoundé, which, between July 2003 and August 2005 reached out to nearly 15,000 children through various initiatives, and rehabilitated 480 children.

With regard to young children, the report says measures under Cameroon's Poverty Reduction Strategy focus on the development and promotion of young children through preschool education, encouragement of on-site community initiatives and enhancing individual and family capacities. To that end, the Government is working to ensure the establishment of additional assistance facilities, particularly in rural areas; the involvement of local authorities, NGOs, communities and families in the financing of preschool education; the diversification of shelters through flexible comprehensive programmes; the training of supervisory staff; and the effective follow-up and supervision of the functioning of preschool facilities.

Presentation of Report

CATHERINE BAKANG MBOCK, Minister of Social Affairs of Cameroon, introducing the report, said that, during the decade covered by the report, 1996-2005, the Government of Cameroon had taken important legislative and institutional measures with a view to implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child and had undertaken numerous activities to guarantee that children in Cameroon fully enjoyed their rights.

On the legislative side, Ms. Bakang Mbock noted that Cameroon had ratified the majority of international instruments relative to children's rights, including the Optional Protocol to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; and the Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women. In addition, Cameroon had signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

At the national level, Ms. Bakang Mbock drew attention to the entry into force in 2007 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which had improved the system of administration of juvenile justice and modernized the legal regime applicable by taking into account international standards in the area. With regard to the treatment of children in conflict with the law, the primary focus was the child's re-education with a view to his reinsertion in the family and society, and incarceration was only used as a measure of last resort.

With regard to relevant institutional changes, Ms. Bakang Mbock highlighted the total restructuring of the Government in 2004, according to which activities for the promotion and protection of children's rights was now accorded to nine ministerial departments, directly responsible for implementing those rights. The National Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms had also been transformed in 2004 into the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, with a view to aligning that institution with the Paris Principles, strengthening its independence and its effectiveness. Children could lodge complaints that their human rights had been violated directly with the Commission. In addition, the Ministry of Social Affairs had been reorganized in 2005, with the creation of a Directorate for the Social Protection of Children.

Turning to activities undertaken by Cameroon to implement the Committee's prior recommendations, Ms. Bakang Mbock noted, inter alia, that the age of enlistment in the Armed Forces had been set at 18 years, and the definition of the child contained in the draft Child Protection Code was in conformity with that set out in Article One of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. By that draft Code, the age for marriage would be set at 18 years for both girls and boys.

Regarding the right of children to participate in decisions concerning them, Ms. Bakang Mbock underscored that, in addition to the Children's Parliament, which had been operational since 1998, Cameroon had, with civil society support, put in place children's governments and children's municipal councils in 4 of the 10 regions of Cameroon and planned to extend those bodies to all regions of the country.

During the decade under review, Cameroon had benefited from international cooperation and debt reduction measures that had allowed the Government to increase investment in social sectors. In that connection, the President of Cameroon had decreed a number of measures to protect children, in particular with regard to education and health, with a particular focus on vulnerable children, such as refugees and marginalized children, as well as indigenous children.

The Government was particularly concerned about the emergence of certain phenomena that had a negative impact on children and presented obstacles to activities undertaken in favour of children. Those included the phenomenon of street children, trafficking in children, violence against children, and especially the situation of AIDS orphans. To improve the situation of street children, the Government was fighting against social exclusion, and the President had put in place measures to strengthen the legislative and institutional framework in that regard.

For street children, in 2008, three re-education centres had been renovated, in Bétamba, Buéa and Yaoundé, and pilot projects launched in March 2008 in Yaoundé and Douala had identified 467 street children, Ms. Bakang Mbock said.

As for child labour, the Government had ordered several studies to be carried out, which had allowed them to pinpoint areas of concern in the informal sector. Regarding trafficking, sale and exploitation of children, a law had been passed in 2005 sanctioning that practice, and activities were being carried out in conjunction with the International Labour Organization to combat the practice. Furthermore, a national plan to combat trafficking and sexual exploitation had been adopted in July 2009, which aimed at prevention, as well as rehabilitation and social reinsertion of victims.

With regard to HIV orphans and other children affected by HIV/AIDS, the Government had identified some 183,000 thousand AIDS orphans, of whom 65,000 had been taken in charge as of 2008 within the framework of government projects and programmes.

Finally, in order to coordinate and make activities in favour of children aged zero to eight years more effective, on 25 August 2009 the Government had passed a national policy framework document on the integrated development of young children, which clearly outlined the actions needed between 2010 and 2012, notably in the priority areas of health, education and protection. Ten programmes had been decided on, which cost over 20 billion CFA francs, or over 30 million euros.

Questions by Experts

AGNES AKOSUA AIDOO, the Committee Expert serving as Rapporteur for the report of Cameroon, commended Cameroon for a number of significant achievements since it had last come before the Committee. Cameroon had played an active role in drafting the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which it had signed in 2008 and was preparing to ratify; it had adopted the Act on Status of Refugees (2005) and the Act Prohibiting Child Trafficking and Slavery (2005); and it had drafted three crucial bills whose passage would greatly enhance the rights of children: the Child Protection Code, the Personal and Family Code and the Gender-based Violence Act, which, among others, would criminalize female genital mutilation. Also highlighted was the National Integrated Development Policy for Young Children, adopted in 2009.

While noting those achievements, however, Ms. Aidoo was concerned that enacted laws had to wait long periods before implementing decrees were issued, and that critical laws such as the Child Protection Code, took a long time to enact. Moreover, laws passed were often not vigorously enforced due to lack of funds.

With regard to coordination, Ms. Aidoo noted that as many as nine ministries were involved in the promotion and implementation of children's rights. How was the Government going to ensure coordination among them?

Ms. Aidoo noted that there was no national action plan on children, which could be linked strategically to the major development policies and plans, such as the National Human Rights Plan, and she asked if there were any plans to change that.

Looking at civil rights and freedoms of children, Ms. Aidoo was concerned about a drop in birth registration from 79 per cent in 2004 to 70 per cent in 2006. There was also a considerable disparity between rural and urban areas, with rural areas only registering 57 per cent of children. She therefore asked what the Government planned to do to improve birth registration in underserved areas and to groups such as refugee children.

A major concern for children in Cameroon was violence that occurred in the home, school, prisons and communities, which included corporal punishment, rape, incest, sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation. Although there were circulars on violence in the schools and provisions in the Criminal Code to cover such offences, there was no indication that perpetrators were punished or brought to justice. In fact, there was no complaints mechanism, alleged cases of torture of children were reported in an informal manner and were not investigated and victims were not compensated or rehabilitated. What effective measures would Cameroon take to prevent impunity for such acts and protect children, Ms. Aidoo asked?

Other Experts then raised a series of questions pertaining to, among other things the need for good data about the various different groups living in the country so as to be able assess whether there was discrimination; what measures were being taken to ensure that services for children were equally distributed, and that there was no discrimination in access vis-à-vis children living in rural vs. urban settings or as regarded boys and girls; more information relating to the functions and achievements of the Children's Parliament and children's governments; discrepancies in legal age limits regarding children, and whether the draft children's code would unify them; what was being done to work with the media to ensure the proper treatment of children as well as to disseminate information and values regarding children's rights; and whether civil servants and public employees received mandatory training on the rights of the child, and the Convention in particular.

Experts also asked about measures taken by the Government to strengthen the activities of civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations working with children; whether adolescents had access to confidential health and counselling services; and what measures were taken to ensure that children were protected from having access to inappropriate or harmful information. While noting that children of 16 had to be consulted on adoptions, an Expert asked if there were provisions in other laws for children to be consulted on decisions affecting them, such as in assigning custody following a divorce. A particular concern was the low allocation, just 20 per cent, for social services in the Government budget, and that budgetary allocations for education, including basic education, had decreased.

An Expert also noted that, while the Government had put in place an initiative on bullying in the schools, it appeared to focus on punishing child perpetrators, rather than holistically dealing with the situation. There was also no child helpline for child victims of violence in the schools, and it was wondered if the Government had any plans to establish one in future.

Response by the Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, with regard to cultural differences, the delegation noted that Cameroon was very diverse, and was made up of numerous different ethnic and linguistic groups, but that that attribute had always been seen as positive. Tolerance of others was a traditional value in Cameroon.

Regarding slow implementation of legislation, the delegation said that diversity and density of population in Cameroon had required long periods of canvassing legislation before it was adopted. With regard to the Family Code and the Code on Nationality, work on those was ongoing. That was part of a long-term vision for the country, which was looking and planning up to 2035. It was important that such laws did not become obsolete in just a few years' time.

On budgetary questions, the resources being asked from the Government for children had been stated in the presentation. Those were impressive commitments that the Government was being asked to make, the delegation judged. It had also been decided to put a focus on funding programmes for young children, as it was felt that resources spent for that segment of the population would bring the best return on the investment.

As for rural and urban disparities in birth registration, the Ministry for Social Affairs was raising awareness within the Government about that problem, and brainstorming as to how to raise public awareness on the issue. The Ministry had discussed this concern in one area of the country, and reported back on work done, and they were also looking at getting tribal chiefs involved in the process.

Numerous efforts were being undertaken with regard to combating female genital mutilation. While a bill had been prepared to ban the practise, it had been held up because of the enormous costs it would entail. Therefore, the Government had been focusing its efforts on education and awareness-raising campaigns to change attitudes, which was at the root of the problem.

On the National Commission on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which had been strengthened and made independent in 2004, the delegation said the Commission could follow up on cases referred to it by the Ministry of Justice, and also published a report, submitted to the Government, in which it made recommendations in the sphere of human rights. Experts interjected at this point their continuing concerns about the independence of the new institution, and asked how members were chosen. The delegation replied that members were nominated by the President's Office, and included a number of ministers, including the Minister of Justice.

Turning to measures to help vulnerable groups, one of the implementation strategies of the new Presidential framework established to help vulnerable children was partnership with the various mechanisms. The framework made it possible at the level of the Education and Health Ministries to ensure that children's rights were observed. The Ministry of Social Affairs had also made arrangements with the media to ensure that the public was aware of the various international texts.

The principle of non-discrimination with regard to resources was primordial, the delegation said. In that regard, the budget for basic education had passed from 84 billion CFA francs in 2004/05 to almost 160 billion CFA francs.

Regarding collaboration of the Government with non-governmental organizations, the delegation said that the Government based its activities on a policy of cooperative participation. The NGOs played an important role in that. The Government had good relations with NGOs, and the Government had a number of partners, more than 500, working in the area of early childhood issues.

The problem with regard to statistics and data was simply one of lack of resources, the delegation observed here. In that connection, the Government collaborated with a number of NGOs in gathering such information.

Further Questions by Experts

During the second round of questions, the Rapporteur noted that the health strategy to 2015 covered issues of adolescent health, but more information was needed. Were their targeted adolescent services for street children, girls and other groups, for example, and were there programmes for children regarding alcohol or drug use? What was being done to combat the traditional practise of "breast ironing", which was carried out on adolescent girls to stop their bodies from developing allegedly with a view to protecting them from rape, and which was not just a violation of their right to bodily integrity, but was a form of discrimination against women.

The rapporteur was also concerned that there were four regions of the country – Adamawa, East, Far North and North – which had considerable disparities with regard to enrolment, which was about half the national average, and where the enrolment rates for girls were as low as 25 per cent. In that regard, what programmes did the Government have or intend to put in place to address gender disparity in education?

Other Experts asked further questions on topics including, among others, violence and abuse in the family, and mechanisms to protect children at risk; major child health challenges, including continuing high rates of child and infant mortality, malaria, HIV/AIDS infection and malnutrition; future measures planned to address the situation of street children, including whether a helpline would be set up; and the expanding phenomenon of child labour in Cameroon, where 4 out of 10 children were already economically active, according to the report.

Noting that the Government was unable to fully implement free basic education, an Expert asked what further measures were anticipated to bridge the gap. Experts also asked a number of questions about alternative care facilities for children and on the framework and monitoring conducted for national and inter-country adoptions. An Expert noted that, according to the report, 22 per cent of children in Cameroon between the ages of 2 and 9 were considered to have some form of disability, which would place Cameroon among the countries with the highest prevalence of children with disability in the world. However, it was unclear how this figure had been arrived at and what criteria were used for determining disability, so more information was requested.

Response by Delegation

Responding to those and other questions, the delegation said, with regard to statistics on disabled children, that those used in the report had come from the United Nations Children's Fund. She thought that the figure cited was too high and was wrong. She would have to check into that and get back to the Committee. As for the criteria for establishing whether children had disabilities, these were the same as those set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and those criteria were the basis for the various plans and policies the Government was introducing.

On child malnutrition, solutions were being found. There were many different causes for malnutrition and so it had to be addressed through a number of avenues, including through awareness-raising programmes, and a focus on basic maternal and adolescent health. There was a new multisectoral committee, led by the Ministry of Health, on nutrition to coordinate such activities.

To combat malnutrition, there was both preventive care and treatment. Preventive care included combating all diseases that led to malnutrition, particularly through vaccination. The Ministry of Health had a comprehensive vaccination programme and since the beginning of the new millennium numerous vaccination centres had been opened so that now 90 per cent of children were covered. Vitamin A was also distributed free of charge to all children.

As part of the anti-malarial strategy of the Government, insecticide-treated bed nets were distributed free to children and pregnant women. There was an Anti-Malaria Programme and an Anti-Tuberculosis (TB) programme and TB had almost been eradicated in Cameroon. Unfortunately, with the advent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic there had been re-emergence of that disease.

With reference to adolescent health, the delegation said strategy documents had been drawn up for treatment of adolescents, including guidelines for healthcare provided to them. All communities had an integrated health centre where adolescents would be provided with specific services, which took into account the specific situation of adolescents – such as the need to come before or after school hours; lack of money, and others.

With regard to access and distribution of health services to all groups in the country, the delegation noted that there were very diverse groups in the country with specific needs. Nomadic groups, such as the pygmies, moved around and needed specific services that took that into account. That was why health services were implemented at the regional and district level, as the regional and district authorities were aware of such special needs.

Regarding food security and disparity among the regions, the delegation noted the incredible diversity of the country geographically. Ironically, there had been a supply problem in one of the areas where a surplus of food was produced, because farmers had been selling all their food. However, they had carried out educational programmes that appeared to have resolved that issue. To promote food security, the Government was promoting agriculture and stock-raising throughout the country.

On the issue of budgets, the delegation confirmed that the budget for basic education had not decreased. The budget for primary education in 2010 was 167 million CFA francs, and for secondary education it was 204 million. The budget for primary education in 2007 had been 121 million CFA francs and in 2008 and 2009 it had stood at around 117 million.

Concerning the scarcity of teachers, in particular for basic education, the delegation noted that Cameroon was losing teachers to HIV/AIDS. The Government had a plan that would be in place by the end of 2010, which included HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in the schools, according to which, after four years, they would have recruited over 30,000 teachers for primary education. Next year there would be 7,000 new teachers coming in. It was hoped that by 2015, the problem of the scarcity of teachers would be solved.

In terms of integrating children in the schools, given the diversity of the country and its 230 languages, schools provided teaching in the official languages, English and French, and children had there own languages and cultures at home. All the populations in the country were considered to be indigenous – there were 230 indigenous groups. All the populations had the same rights. The real problems existed with the marginal populations, such as the Baka (pygmies) and the M'bororo.

Turning to juvenile justice issues, and the provisions of the new Juvenile Code, the delegation said that, although there was currently no organ specialized in the juvenile justice system, there was functional specialization. In cases involving juveniles, judges were supported by two child specialists or "assesseurs", who functioned as non-presiding judges. Provisional detention of minors was an exceptional measure and was only allowed for the most serious crimes, such as murder. The Code gave priority to returning children to their family homes or into rehabilitation centres. The authorities were also giving priority to separating juveniles from adults and to building new facilities for juveniles. In Yaoundé, Douala and Bafoussam such facilities were being built. According to the decree signed in February 2009, a new centre would be built focusing on the rehabilitation of minors in conflict with the law.

In 2009, 52 judges were trained in juvenile justice, as well as 8 judicial police officers, 8 social workers and a number of prison officers.

The phenomenon of "breast ironing" had been observed, but was not a customary practice in Cameroon. In Cameroon, violence against children would not be tolerated. That was also true for cases of breast ironing, which had occurred a few years ago. This was not a customary problem.

With regard to disabled children, parents were best able to care for their children and most disabled children were cared for at home. Centres for the disabled provided training. An investigation in 2008 had been carried out on the support the National Centre for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Yaoundé provided to persons with disabilities, and they were awaiting the results of that report, and a new National Centre for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities had been opened in Maroua in 2009.

The delegation said that the Ministry of Social Affairs had plans to draw up a "social map" with the help of the National Statistics Institute. It was hoped to establish indicators and to classify all social parties. They had NGO partners that helped orphans in distress, very young children and others. The new social map would allow the Ministry to better assess the real state of social demand and social response. It was hoped in particular that they would have much more reliable statistics with regard to disabled children than they had now.

Children without parents or with parents who could not ensure their care were placed in institutions run by NGOs. Those institutions were assessed by the Ministry of Social Affairs, which had established monitoring teams to follow up on the children, as well as regional monitoring teams who ensured that the 1977 decree on structures to protect vulnerable populations were complied with.

Regarding corruption issues (i.e. with a view to ensuring that resources allocated to children reached them), the delegation said that, at the national level, the President had established the National Committee to Fight Corruption, under the Prime Minister's Office. Each ministry also had its own anti-corruption section, and there was a national financial investigation agency, which reviewed government budgets at all levels in the country and ensured that they were allocated correctly. The results of those measures could be seen on a daily basis, as whenever there were problems they were brought before the justice system.

On violence in the schools, the delegation said that perhaps a false picture had been presented, because violence in the schools was not at a level that it appeared people thought it to be. Cameroon was a country at peace and which did not tolerate a culture of violence. As with the breast-ironing incidents, those events were marginal. Of course, any such incidents were of concern, but the major focus of the Government's political will had to be on achieving the major goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals, and to end poverty.

Preliminary Concluding Remarks

AGNES AKOSUA AIDOO, the Committee Expert serving as Rapporteur for the report of Cameroon, in preliminary concluding remarks, noted that they had a frank discussion today. The high-level delegation, led by the Minister of Social Affairs, had demonstrated Cameroon's overall commitment to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Following its review of the responses from the delegation received today, the Committee would issue concluding observations and recommendations, which it was hoped would strengthen the efforts of Cameroon in going forward. They would certainly highlight, among others, legislation, in terms of both the need for adoption and enforcement; coordination of efforts to achieve maximum impact; and the provision of adequate resources for children, and the protection of those resources in the face of the economic crisis and other challenges.

Another issue that would be highlighted would be disparity, and the reduction and the removal of discrimination against children for any reason, whether because of gender, geographical location or other. All children made up the wealth of the country. Health indicators were also of concern to the Committee, in particular indicators on nutrition and child mortality. It was hoped that there would be a focus on reducing malnutrition at the community level, and that the reduction of malnutrition would be included in Cameroon's poverty reduction strategies. The maternal mortality rate was also unacceptably high. That was a regional problem. They had to work a lot harder to ensure that women did not die when giving life. Another concern was that one third of maternal mortalities occurred among adolescents. Accelerated action was needed in that area.

The Committee had also taken note of Cameroon's call for international cooperation in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and the Committee would continue to push on that front.

Finally, Ms. Aidoo noted that the Minister had said several times that Cameroon was "Africa in miniature". That was very true. For that reason, the Committee felt that Cameroon could reinvigorate its actions for children with regard to its implementation of the Convention in a way that could make it a model for others in Africa.


For use of the information media; not an official record

CRC10/007E