Experts of the Committee on the Rights of the Child Commend Lithuania’s Legislation on Violence against Children, Ask About Measures to Prevent the Abandonment of New-Borns and Reduce Child Poverty
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its consideration of the combined fifth and sixth periodic report of Lithuania, with Committee Experts praising the State’s legislation on violence against children, and raising questions about measures to prevent the abandonment of new-borns and reduce child poverty.
One Committee Expert said the State party should be commended for adopting comprehensive legislation on violence against children. What funding was provided to civil society to prevent such violence?
Luis Ernesto Pedernera Reyna, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Lithuania, said Lithuanians still practiced deliveries of anonymous new-born children. What measures were in place to discourage this practice and address its underlying causes?
Another Committee Expert said that recent data showed fluctuating rates of child poverty in Lithuania. How did the Government intend to address the lack of awareness and availability of State support services in rural areas?
Introducing the report, Vilma Augiené, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania and head of the delegation, said Lithuania completely prohibited all forms of violence against the child, including corporal punishment in the family and other environments. The Government financed "One Stop Centres" for families that were run by non-governmental organizations. Through the Child Rights Line established in October 2022, children and adults could consult on all issues concerning children's rights and report possible violations of children's rights.
The delegation said Lithuania was strengthening measures to help families during and after births to prevent the abandonment of children. Among these was the introduction of State-funded individual care employees, who worked with socially at-risk families. A plan to prevent the abandonment of children had been devised, which included awareness raising measures promoting support services, and measures to train social workers to identify and support at-risk families. Lithuania was also discussing measures to promote the confidential delivery of children.
On measures to address child poverty, Ms. Augiené said that in 2023, the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Child Guarantee for 2023 to 2030 in Lithuania was approved. It included 38 measures aimed at combatting child poverty and social exclusion, paying special attention to vulnerable groups of children. In 2023, all basic social benefits were increased by 42 per cent compared to 2018. The approved universal child benefit for all children significantly reduced child poverty in Lithuania compared to the European Union average.
In closing remarks, Mr. Pedernera Reyna thanked the delegation for the abundant and carefully organised information that it had provided. The Committee would draft recommendations that would benefit Lithuanian children based on the topics discussed during the dialogue. It hoped that these would be transmitted to children in an accessible format and language and be implemented by the State party.
In her concluding remarks, Ms. Augiené said that the constructive dialogue was an opportunity to assess Lithuania’s legislation and practice concerning children. The recent achievements shared during the meetings showed that Lithuania was on the right path. The State party would take proper notice of the Committee’s remarks and suggestions.
The delegation of Lithuania consisted of the Deputy Police Commissioner General and representatives from the Ministry of Social Security and Labour; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Interior; and the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Lithuania at the end of its ninety-fifth session on 2 February. Those, and other documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, will be available on the session’s webpage. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public this afternoon at 3 p.m. to consider the combined third to sixth periodic report of South Africa (CRC/C/ZAF/3-6).
Report
The Committee has before it the combined fifth and sixth periodic report of Lithuania (CRC/C/LTU/5-6).
Presentation of Report
VILMA AUGIENÉ, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania and head of the delegation, said ensuring and protecting the rights of the child was one of the main priorities of Lithuania. In 2022, Lithuania ratified the Optional Protocol on the communications procedure, thus taking on more accountability in the achievement of access to justice for children. The first individual communication under this Optional Protocol had already been received.
Lithuania completely prohibited all forms of violence against the child, including corporal punishment in the family and other environments. Reports on possible violations of children's rights were responded to 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure children's safety. Support and assistance mechanisms had been created for children and families in crisis. Awareness-raising activities focused on non-violent child upbringing. A variety of measures had been implemented to help parents and other caregivers raise children without violence, including free counselling through the Parent Line, and positive parenting training and programmes. The Government financed "One Stop Centres" for families that were run by non-governmental organizations. Through the Child Rights Line established in October 2022, children and adults could consult on all issues concerning children's rights and report possible violations of children's rights. To fight against sexual violence against children more effectively, the five institutions of the country had renewed a cooperation agreement on actions taken by the State in the face of this type of violence.
Legislative changes made it faster and easier to appoint a representative for any unaccompanied minor. An algorithm for the reception of children had been developed, which ensured a safe environment, comprehensive care and necessary assistance for them. Since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, Lithuania had been taking care of the most vulnerable children. Around 83,269 Ukrainian refugees had been registered, of which 26,615 were children. Currently, 11,805 Ukrainian children were registered in Lithuanian educational institutions. The State aimed to take care of all unaccompanied minors and other children in migration who arrived in Lithuania. When determining the legal status of children in Lithuania and making decisions, the best interests of the child were always considered.
The State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service protected children's rights at all levels. The funds allocated to the Service were increased every year, and additional funds were allocated to mobile teams that helped families and children in crisis, to raise the competencies of specialists working in the field, and to activities aimed at awareness raising on children’s rights issues.
In 2023, the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Child Guarantee for 2023 to 2030 in Lithuania was approved. It included 38 measures aimed at combatting child poverty and social exclusion, paying special attention to vulnerable groups of children. The Family Policy Strengthening Development Programme provided a series of measures aimed at strengthening families raising children, including in crisis situations.
Great progress had been made in the field of deinstitutionalisation. Currently, almost 80 per cent of children in the foster care system were cared for in a family environment. Another 17 per cent were in community care. Lithuania continued to make efforts to develop professional foster care. It provided consultations to the countries of the region, primarily Ukraine, related to deinstitutionalisation. Foster Care Centres had been established in all municipalities, providing services and support to foster parents, adoptive parents, professional foster parents, and children growing up in their families. Awareness raising campaigns had been held to encourage foster care and adoption.
Lithuania aimed to reduce poverty. In 2023, all basic social benefits were increased by 42 per cent compared to 2018. The approved universal child benefit for all children significantly reduced child poverty in Lithuania compared to the European Union average.
Psychological well-being and mental health strengthening services were launched in 2020 and were currently provided in all municipalities. Funding for child and adolescent mental health services had increased by 48 per cent over the past five years, amounting to 19.4 million euros, and the budget for the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund for personal health care services for children had increased from 184.38 million euros in 2019 to 220.82 million euros in 2022.
The Government had developed an education reform plan that prioritised the quality and accessibility of education. More than 150 million euros would be invested for the period of 2023 to 2029 to strengthen schools in the field of inclusive education. The Millennium Schools Programme had been approved to create integrated, optimal and high-quality educational conditions by 2030; 210 million euros would be allocated to this programme. Compared to 2015, more Roma children were currently attending preschool and pre-primary education, there was a more even distribution of Roma students by classes in general education schools, and the number of students over 16 years old was increasing.
Questions by Committee Experts
LUIS ERNESTO PEDERNERA REYNA, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Lithuania, said that the Committee welcomed recent legislative changes for children in Lithuania. Had the State had problems in implementing this legislation? What measures were in place to raise awareness about the legislation? The State party had many plans for children, but no overarching strategy. What were the results of the 2018 assessment of the Wellbeing Strategy? Was the State party considering designating an office to coordinate policies for children? How was the social services law being implemented?
The Children’s Ombudsman had a structural human resources issue, with reportedly 24 staff openings that had not been filled. Its budget had been increased, but increases were out of sync with inflation. Were there plans to strengthen the institution’s human and financial resources?
What measures had the State party taken to address practical issues in birth registration for asylum seekers? How was the State party ensuring that children born to parents seeking asylum were registered? Lithuanians still practiced deliveries of anonymous new-born children. What measures were in place to discourage this practice and address its underlying causes?
Children in Lithuania reportedly spent too long looking at phones and other digital devices. How was the State addressing this? What support mechanisms were available to victims of online harassment?
Another Committee Expert asked about methods used to determine age when exact dates of birth were unknown. Marriages were permitted from 16 years of age in certain circumstances, such as when the female partner was pregnant. Were measures being planned to bring the age of marriage to 18 without exception? How was the State party working to prevent discrimination against minority children, including in access to education?
The best interest of the child was enshrined in State legislation and training efforts had been carried out for legal officials regarding the best interest of the child. Was there a monitoring mechanism that ensured that the principle was being implemented?
The suicide rate was quite high among adolescents in Lithuania. What was being done to increase access to counselling services? Contraceptive methods were scarce and there was no reimbursement for contraception. What measures were in place to increase access to reproductive health information and contraception, especially for Roma girls?
One Committee Expert said the State party should be commended for adopting comprehensive legislation on violence against children. How many children had participated in setting up and elaborating the State’s action plan on preventing violence against children? What funding was provided to civil society to prevent such violence? How did the State party plan to ensure that all services supporting victims of violence were available in rural areas?
Lithuania had ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture in 2014 and had put in place a national preventive mechanism. To what extent was the national preventive mechanism specialised to support children? Did it have the mandate to investigate all places of detention of children, including detention centres for migrants?
There had been an increase in corporal punishment cases reported in recent years. Was this due to increased awareness of its prohibition and reporting mechanisms? How was the Government promoting the law that prohibited corporal punishment? Had violence against children decreased since the law was introduced? How would the State party assess the achievements made by this legislation?
Lithuania had put in place support centres for child victims of sexual and gender-based violence in 2016. This was very welcome. What were the results of reviews of these centres? How did the State plan to expand access to these centres in rural areas? How had child-friendly rooms contributed to protecting children within the justice system? Lithuania had a tool that used artificial intelligence to identify online sexual abuse of children. How effective was this tool? Was legal aid free for children? To what extent were lawyers and judicial officials trained on children’s rights?
A Committee Expert said that recent data showed fluctuating rates of child poverty in Lithuania. How did the Government intend to address the lack of awareness and availability of State support services in rural areas? There was an increasing number of families accessing positive parenting programmes. What measures were in place to evaluate such programmes? How was the Government ensuring that resources were allocated to parent counselling services in rural areas?
Children with development issues over 10 years of age were more likely to be in care institutions than family environments. How was the State party addressing this? It was very commendable that only seven per cent of children with disabilities were in care homes. What measures were in place to devote resources to inclusive care centres to increase the capacities of staff in such homes? What programmes were in place to support children staying with their mothers in prison?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that the month of November was dedicated to awareness raising about violence against children. In 2022, a free Children’s Rights Line was established, which received about 50 phone calls daily.
The Children’s Rights Ombudsperson’s funding had increased by the same amount as other budgetary institutions. Increased funds directly targeted services for children and families.
In 2021, the law on nationality was amended to ensure that births were registered and to establish a procedure for registering stateless children. Children of persons without a nationality immediately acquired Lithuanian nationality. As of 2022, there were no stateless children in Lithuania.
Lithuania was strengthening measures to help families during and after births to prevent the abandonment of children. Among these was the introduction of State-funded individual care employees, who worked with socially at-risk families. In 2024, there would be over 230 such employees. Nurses also visited families raising children under age two at home as part of a pilot project in certain municipalities. There were plans to extend this programme nation-wide. A plan to prevent the abandonment of children had been devised, which included awareness raising measures promoting support services and measures to train social workers to identify and support at-risk families. Lithuania was also discussing measures to promote confidential delivery of children.
Screen use and internet use was growing among children in Lithuania. On non-school days, children spent around six hours per day in front of screens. The Government was providing training to parents and teachers to limit children’s screen time. A website for children providing information on mental health issues caused by prolonged screen time and gaming addiction had been developed. Helplines and messaging services had been developed for reporting online sexual abuse and cyber bullying. Community police officers were holding grassroots meetings to raise awareness about internet safety. Virtual monitors of social networks identified hate speech and sexual abuse of minors online.
Lithuania’s Life Skills Programme provided social and emotional education for children, aiming to prevent drug addiction, bullying and unwanted pregnancies in children through education. It was implemented in all schools. A “bullying letterbox” had also been set up to allow school children to report bullying issues.
Persons whose ages were unknown were considered children until proven otherwise. A taskforce was working to reform the age determination process to include visual assessments, interviews, psychological assessments and x-rays implemented as a last resort. The State party was ensuring proper living conditions for unaccompanied minors to allow them to integrate into the community.
The Civil Code stipulated that persons aged 18 or older could enter into marriage. Courts could reduce the age to 16 if there were special circumstances, such as pregnancy. Courts decided whether reducing the marriage age was in the best interests of the minors concerned. This year, courts had assessed only 11 cases concerning reduction of the marriage age.
Health care services for children were paid for by the State. Girls from 15 to 20 years old could access contraception pills for free. Abortions, which were regulated by the State, had to be carried out in a legal, safe manner. The number of abortions in Lithuania had decreased in recent years.
Through prevention efforts by the State, the number of child suicides had decreased from 28 cases in 2018 to 10 cases in 2022. In 2022, the State had updated guidelines for institutions providing psychosocial support for children. Over 400 assessments of at-risk children had been carried out in 2023, with support services provided to children determined to be at-risk. Online portals had also been developed to provide young people with information on mental health. In 2021, the State provided funding to increase the number of psychological counsellors by more than 100.
Lithuania ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture in 2015, appointing the Ombudsperson as the national preventive mechanism. The Ombudsperson made regular visits to places of detention of children.
Lithuania had banned corporal punishment in all environments. Authorities that worked with children were required to report any suspected violence against children. The increasing number of reports of corporal punishment was an indication that authorities and the public were more aware of the prohibition of corporal punishment and the reporting mechanism. The State was making efforts to raise awareness about the prohibition of corporal punishment. In 2023, the Children’s Rights Authority received over 800 reports concerning violence against children. A survey of parents indicated that the percentage of parents who applied corporal punishment had decreased between 2021 and 2023.
State authorities were exerting efforts to investigate and prevent sexual abuse of children. Mobile teams were providing help to child victims as quickly as possible. Child-friendly rooms in courts had had a positive impact, ensuring that children were interviewed only once. Specialised lawyers who were trained in working with minors represented child victims. The State was ensuring legal aid for children in various crisis situations.
Lithuania had reduced the child poverty rate from 25 per cent in 2015 to around 17 per cent in 2022. The child poverty rate was now lower than the European Union average.
Questions by Committee Experts
One Committee Expert asked follow-up questions on the different functions performed by the children’s helpline and the parenting helpline; and plans for implementing the State’s forthcoming programme promoting inclusive education. How did Lithuania plan to address the lack of specialists in the field of mental health? How was the State supporting children to access mental health support and education about health? Could doctors provide medical care for children without the authorisation of parents? What suicide prevention programmes were in place? More children were using drugs and psychiatric substances. How did the State address, including from a judicial perspective, children’s substance abuse? What measures were in place to protect children’s access to a healthy environment? How were children involved in developing plans to reduce child poverty?
One Committee Expert asked about measures to end the detention of child asylum seekers and provide alternatives to child imprisonment. Could migrant families access core social services and dignified housing? How did the State determine the best interests of unaccompanied minors? Were there child courts with specialised personnel? Were there specialised services to support children in conflict with the law with mental health issues?
Another Committee Expert said school dropout rates were high. How had surveys assessing the issue informed policies to prevent dropouts? Had State policies promoted increased enrolment of minority groups in schools? Was there a mandatory course on human rights within the school curriculum?
Children who participated in the Child Welfare Council reportedly did not receive child-friendly materials and were not consulted on key issues discussed by the Council. How much of a say did children have on issues affecting their lives?
LUIS ERNESTO PEDERNERA REYNA, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Lithuania, asked about standards the State had developed regarding the activities of businesses that affected children. What mechanisms were in place to identify children who were involved in armed conflict abroad, to support such children to integrate into society, and to train officials to identify such children? What had the State done to implement the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, including measures to ensure that children who were victims of trafficking and child pornography were not criminalised?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said mothers serving sentences had the right to raise children up to the age of three in specially adapted accommodation. Permits for raising children in such facilities could be prolonged until the child reached age seven. Five mothers were currently raising children in prisons in special cells, while six other detainees were raising children outside of prisons in State accommodation. Primary health care services were available to mothers within p risons, and they could access additional services outside of prisons as necessary. Children could receive preschool education in prisons.
The difference between the two hotlines operated by the State were that the Children’s Hotline, established in 1997, provided emotional health support for children, while the Children’s Rights Line, established in 2022, received reports of violations of children’s rights. The State party had conducted awareness raising campaigns to inform the public about the functions of the two hotlines.
Inclusive education was a priority for Lithuania. The law on education and the national progress plan promoted inclusive education. Within five years, funding for education had increased 2.5-fold, and the number of teachers had tripled in the last six years. Enrolments in pedagogical courses had increased ten-fold in the same period. Universities offered courses to train teachers to support children with disabilities. Three-fourths of schools had been adapted for children with physical and eyesight disabilities. Nursing assistants were being placed in preschools to support children with disabilities.
The number of psychiatrists currently available for children was in line with overall trends in the European Union, but supply was forecast to be 20 per cent below demand for the coming years. In 2023, additional financing was allocated for employing children’s psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, and for raising these specialists’ salaries. There was an eight per cent gap between supply and demand for paediatricians, so the Government was also implementing measures to support more doctors to become paediatricians. Most costs for children’s medical devices and medications were reimbursed by the State, as were health care and vaccination costs for children. In 2024, the budget of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund would be increased by 13.5 per cent. Currently, vaccination rates were decreasing due to misinformation circulating about vaccines. The State was exchanging best practices with other European Union Member States regarding the promotion of vaccinations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of children had deteriorated. The State had drafted a plan for strengthening mental health services. Overall funding for children’s mental health services had grown by 35 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels. Psychological welfare services were provided for children starting 2022, and over 5,800 children were expected to use these services in 2024. The State planned to implement suicide prevention measures using European Union funds, including training for counsellors. Reform plans for mental health services had been drafted, including plans to reduce stigma of young people and increase the capacities of mental health services.
The State party was currently drafting a strategic document aiming to decrease the use of psychotropic substances and their availability. This plan would be improved in the coming months. The Life Skills Programme and other education programmes included education for students discouraging the use of psychotropic substances.
Lithuania was working to ensure that families with children could exercise their right to a clean and safe environment. A Children’s Council meeting discussed how children could contribute to a safer and cleaner environment. In 2015, Lithuania approved a business and human rights plan, which encouraged the responsible evaluation of business activities. The plan would be reviewed and updated this year.
The Child Welfare Council, which included children, monitored the implementation of the Child’s Guarantee Plan. Information for children participating in the meetings of the Council would be provided in child-friendly formats in future to encourage their participation.
In Lithuania, the detention of asylum seekers was a last resort, implemented when the asylum seeker posed risks to national security. There were special guidelines concerning the type of accommodation and guardianship provided to children who were asylum seekers. The State cooperated with non-governmental organizations to search for the parents of unaccompanied minors and helped such minors to stay in the country. The Government had registered 23 such minors in 2023, and would continue to work to reduce this number. Unaccompanied minors had the right to legal aid and all health, education and welfare services. The State provided such children with foster parents or placed them in refugee centres. All Ukrainian children and other refugee children could avail themselves of all services available for Lithuanian children, including children’s benefits and foster care benefits.
The State party was encouraging the specialisation of legal professionals to work with children and adapting court facilities to accommodate children. Children could only be interviewed once and were entitled to free-of-charge secondary legal aid. Training courses were provided for judges on children’s rights. Psychologists took part in interviews of minors in criminal proceedings.
There was not a high number of early school leavers in Lithuania – in fact, the State had the lowest rate of early school leavers in the European Union, at 5.6 per cent. A large percentage of school leavers left Lithuania, such as Ukrainian refugees who returned to Ukraine. The State provided education in ethnic minority languages in specialised schools, which received additional State funding. The civic education subject provided in schools addressed human rights and the Convention. School councils that included students who were 18 years old or over considered school education and development policies.
Businesses were encouraged to establish child-care centres within their premises. The national action plan on business and human rights had been approved in 2015. Working groups with civil society representatives and the business community had been formed to develop the second iteration of this plan. The State party was encouraging corporate social responsibility activities and working to prevent the exploitation of children by businesses.
Sexual crimes against minors were prohibited by the Criminal Code. The State exercised extraterritorial jurisdiction for crimes involving Lithuanian nationals occurring abroad. The statute of limitations for sexual offences against minors was being reformed, and in future would be calculated from the time that the victim reached 35 years of age. Lithuania had detected only one to two cases per year of trafficking in children involving prostitution.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on procedures for investigating crimes of corporal punishments and punishments issued to offenders; measures to punish and prevent psychological punishment of children; the scope of public debate on corporal punishment; punishments issued to children for producing child pornography material; the validity of reports of increases in detention of child asylum seekers; efforts to bring the child justice system in line with the Committee’s general comment on the issue; efforts to inform the population on the provisions of the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict; information on cases of illegal international adoptions dealt with by the State; policies within the public school system promoting education in minority languages; plans to endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration and protect children and teachers from becoming victims of aggression; studies into the underlying causes of child abandonment; plans to convey to families the importance of vaccination; reasons why persons infected with HIV/AIDS were not seeking treatment; investigations into the implications of systems using artificial intelligence for children; and details of sexual health policies addressing teenagers.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the law on child protection stipulated that corporal and psychological punishment of children were prohibited, as were neglect and sexual violence against children. Punishments for violence depended on the damage caused to the minor, varying from fines to prison sentences of up to 10 years. Public discussions were held on corporal punishment.
The State party was reorganising its remaining five institutions into smaller, family-oriented institutions with a maximum of eight children. Continuous support was provided to foster families.
The police monitored cases of child pornography online. Liability for disseminating pornographic content started from 16 years of age. Minors who shared pornographic content solely and directly with other minors were not criminally punished.
Lithuania did not apply procedural detention of minor migrants. All minor asylum seekers were accommodated in a special institution while their applications were being processed. Courts could decide to detain migrant families; however, detention was a last resort.
Children with addictions were provided with support from social workers or sent to socialisation centres to receive treatment as necessary. Lithuania was working to reduce punishments of deprivation of liberty for minors. It provided minor offenders with counselling to reform their behaviour and reintegrate them into society.
Adoption within Lithuania was overseen by the State. The State had not identified any cases of illegal adoption. Support was available for adopted children to learn about the identity of their natural parents through courts. Adoptive families were required to provide reports about their adopted children regularly to the State.
Minority language schools were funded by the State. Children in other schools could request to receive tuition in minority languages.
Lithuania agreed with the essence of the Safe Schools Declaration. It was conducting dialogue with interested institutions regarding the implementation of the Declaration. Lithuania was determined to comply with international law regarding the protection of schools in cases of armed conflict.
The State was collecting data on abandoned children. Investigations were being carried out into the reasons for abandonment to inform response measures.
The national vaccination programme was updated every five years and would be next updated this year. Funding was provided to measures aiming to increase the scope of vaccinations, including information campaigns on the benefits of vaccinations. Drug addicts received HIV rapid testing services funded by the State. Coverage of HIV tests had increased by 25 per cent since 2019. There was also an awareness raising campaign in place aiming to reduce the stigma of HIV-positive persons. The number of HIV cases had dropped in recent years.
The European Union was developing a regulation on the use of artificial intelligence that Lithuania intended to implement. The State would adopt national measures on the issue, including training for public officials and students on the use of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence was used in effective tools designed to protect children online. The Ministry of Education had drafted recommendations for teachers on the safe use of artificial intelligence in classes.
Sexuality education was provided through the life skills programme from grades one to 10. In the programme, students were taught about contraception measures.
Concluding Remarks
LUIS ERNESTO PEDERNERA REYNA, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Lithuania, thanked the delegation for the abundant and carefully organised information that it had provided. The Committee would draft recommendations that would benefit Lithuanian children based on the topics discussed during the dialogue. It hoped that these would be transmitted to children in an accessible format and language and be implemented by the State party.
VILMA AUGIENÉ, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue, which was an opportunity to assess Lithuania’s legislation and practice concerning children. The recent achievements shared during the meetings showed that Lithuania was on the right path. The State party would take proper notice of the Committee’s remarks and suggestions. The inputs of civil society also helped the State party to implement its international obligations concerning the rights of the child.
___________
CRC.24.06E
Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the information media; not an official record.