Home
| Databases
| WorldLII
| Search
| Feedback
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child - States Parties Reports |
UNITED NATIONS
|
|
CRC
|
|
Convention on the Rights of the Child |
Distr. GENERAL CRC/C/65/Add.17 6 December 2001 ENGLISH Original : ARABIC |
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE
CHILD
CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES
PARTIES
UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE CONVENTION
Periodic
reports of States parties due in 1997
SUDAN *
[7 July 1999]
________________________________
* For the initial report submitted by the Government of Sudan, see
CRC/C/3/Add.3, CRC/C/3/Add.20; for its consideration by the Committee,
see
documents CRC/C/SR.69-72 and 89&90 and for the Concluding
Observation’s see CRC/C/15/Add.6 &
CRC/C/15/Add.10.
GE.01-45071 (EXT)
INTRODUCTION
1. This report has been made under article 44, paragraph 1, of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child with the aim of affirming
a number of facts, inter
alia:
(a) The question of the family and child is a critical area of
concern and a strategic objective that forms part of all development
plans and
programmes;
(b) The importance which the State attaches to children stems
from its concern for the future of its children and its efforts to secure
that
future. The Sudan has recently undergone progress in the fields of government,
administration, politics and peace, thus widening
the scope for national unity,
political participation, public freedoms and the move towards rural development,
which has had a positive
impact on children’s affairs.
2. The Sudan
welcomed the observations and recommendations made by the Committee on the
Rights of the Child and has endeavoured to
respond by means of this report,
which covers the themes contained in the general guidelines regarding the form
and contents of periodic
reports, adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the
Child at its thirteenth session in October 1996. The report was prepared
in the
following manner:
(a) By a decision of the Minister of Social Planning
made on a recommendation of the Secretary-General of the National Council for
Child Welfare dated 26 February 1996, a national committee, chaired by the
Secretary-General, was formed to prepare the report.
The membership of the
committee included representatives of the competent ministries, such as the
Ministries of Health, Education,
Interior, Labour, Finance, Social Planning,
Foreign Affairs and Culture and Information. It also included representatives
of competent
bodies, such as the judiciary, the Office of the Public Prosecutor,
the Advisory Council for Human Rights, the National Council for
Peace, the
Population Council, the Zakat Office, the Office of the Commissioner for
Humanitarian Aid, the Central Office of Statistics,
the National Water
Authority, the Federation of Sudanese Voluntary Organizations and the Sudanese
Human Rights Organization, as well
as national and international organizations
and associations, organizations of the United Nations and prominent national
figures
concerned with children’s affairs;
(b) The national
committee then formed a number of working groups to deal with eight main themes,
as follows:
(i) General measures of implementation;
(ii) Definition
of the child;
(iii) General principles;
(iv) Civil rights and
freedoms;
(v) Family environment and alternative care;
(vi) Basic health
and welfare;
(vii) Education, leisure and cultural
activities;
(viii) Special protection measures;
(c) Questionnaires
were drawn up and circulated to all states, ministries and organizations for the
purpose of gathering information;
(d) The eight working groups received
intensive training in the processes of gathering information and preparing
reports. Each working
group then used a standardized method for gathering the
information and material relating to its work;
(e) For their sources of information, the working groups relied on the
competent ministries, the Central Office of Statistics, the
Office of the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Sudan and the World Health
Organization (WHO), as well as on the
results of field surveys and the replies
to the questionnaires collected from the different states;
(f) A number
of workshops were held on various topics, including the role of the judiciary in
implementing the Convention on the Rights
of the Child and the effect of the
Peace Agreement on children. Other workshops were also held in several states
with a view to
promoting the concept of the rights of the child;
(g) After the working groups had submitted their reports, a drafting group
consisting of specialists in their respective fields was
selected to prepare the
initial draft of the report;
(h) The draft report was discussed in a
national workshop involving politicians, executive officers and child experts,
as well as
representatives of international organizations, local and foreign
voluntary organizations and the media. The workshop produced observations
and
amendments which were incorporated into the report at the second drafting
stage;
(i) The report was submitted to the coordinating committee for
child action, the membership of which includes under-secretaries of
the
competent ministries, whose observations were also incorporated at the third
drafting stage, following which the report was approved
by the
committee.
3. Details of the themes addressed are as
follows:
(a) General measures of implementation
The
section on this theme deals with the legislative, administrative and information
measures adopted by the Government with a view
to implementation of the
Convention, with reference to constitutional decrees and amendments made to
domestic legislation in that
context. This theme covers the status of the
Convention in the forthcoming constitution and the mechanisms established to
ensure
implementation of the Convention. It also covers the activities
undertaken to raise awareness of the Convention and disseminate
its principles
and its provisions, including training for the groups
concerned.
(b) Definition of the child
The section on this
theme provides information on the concept of the child in Sudanese law, the
civil rights of the child, medical
counselling and the end of compulsory
education. It also provides information on the child labour laws and the age of
marriage in
the context of the discussion concerning the marriage of Muslims and
non-Muslims, in addition to information on voluntary enlistment
in the armed
forces, conscription into the armed forces, participation in hostilities,
criminal responsibility, capital punishment,
life imprisonment, the testimony of
the child in court and the right of the child to lodge complaints, seek redress
and participate
in administrative and judicial procedures affecting him or
her.
(c) General principles
The section on this theme
deals with the principle of non-discrimination and the steps taken in that
connection, as well as the steps
taken to reduce disparities and combat
discrimination against different groups. It also provides information on the
consideration
given to the principle of the best interests of the
child in administrative, legislative and social terms, including measures of
a legislative and administrative measure taken to ensure
the protection of the
child.
(d) Rights of the child and civil freedoms
The
section on this theme comprises information in regard to the consistency between
the articles of the Convention and the rights
stipulated in Sudanese
law.
(e) Family environment and alternative care
The
section on this theme contains information on the family structures in Sudanese
society and the measures adopted to ensure respect
for the rights of the child,
with reference to the laws and procedures which safeguard those rights. It also
contains information
on the available family counselling services, awareness
campaigns for parents and children and the support programmes which the
Government
provides for poor families. It further discusses the measures
adopted to ensure that the child is not separated from his or her
parents and to
guarantee family reunification. In addition, it contains information on the
concept of adoption and kafalah of Islamic law and concludes with a
discussion of the administrative measures adopted by the Government in
connection with the family
environment.
(f) Basic health and
welfare
The section on this theme covers the policies, laws and
statutes relating to health in general and to maternal and child health in
particular, with reference to the obstacles impeding achievement of the desired
objectives. It also refers to the measures adopted
in regard to general
facilities in the field of preventive health and treatment, with emphasis on
maternal and child health facilities
in rural and urban areas. Moreover, it
covers the role of international organizations and local and foreign voluntary
organizations,
as well as the situation of disabled children, health and social
insurance and standard of living.
(g) Education, leisure and cultural
activities
The section on this theme deals with the policies and
objectives aimed at recognizing the right of the child to the various forms
of
education and discusses the measures adopted to ensure that right. It also
provides information on innovative projects supported
by international
cooperation, together with information on the development of public education
and the measures taken to ensure respect
for the liberty of individuals and
organizations to establish educational institutions. It additionally refers to
the difficulties
encountered in connection with the educational process in the
Sudan.
(h) Special protection measures
The section on this
theme covers the definition of the word “refugee” under
international instruments, the distinct and
firmly established policies of the
Sudan towards refugees and the services provided by the Government of the Sudan
for refugee children,
as well as the efforts of the State to find permanent
solutions to the problem of refugee children. It also covers international
conventions and the measures adopted by the State to ensure the rights of the
child in the armed conflict zones, including recovery
and social reintegration.
In addition, it discusses legislative measures and laws relating to the
administration of juvenile justice,
together with the Sudanese child labour
legislation and the measures adopted by the Government to protect children
against the use
of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Also discussed
are the Sudanese legislative enactments dealing with the sexual abuse,
exploitation and forced labour of the child and the situation of children
belonging to minorities.
I. GENERAL MEASURES OF IMPLEMENTATION
(arts. 4, 42 and 44,
paragraph 6)
4. The steps and measures adopted by the Government of the Sudan with a
view to implementation of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child stem from
its faith in the human values and inherited traits which God bestowed as an
honour on the human race. They are
also linked with the Sudan’s
commitment to all international human rights instruments and treaties; it has
already signed and
ratified several of these and arrangements to complete
signature and ratification of the remainder are under way. Given the obstacle
to
the safeguarding and protection of human rights posed by the situation of armed
conflict in some areas of the country, the Government
of the Sudan took on board
the task of preparing an appropriate climate for a final end to that conflict
with a view to enabling
individuals to enjoy the full rights guaranteed to them
under the national laws, the provisions of which are consistent with those
of
the various international treaties and instruments to which the Sudan has
acceded. The end of the conflict and fighting in the
country signals a true
beginning for the protection of human rights and for guaranteed security,
stability and socio-economic growth,
bearing in mind that the population of the
Sudan numbers 27.4 million inhabitants, approximately 14 million of whom are
children
under the age of 18.
5. Forty-two years of civil war in the
Sudan have destroyed the basic infrastructures of health, education, social
services and agriculture
in the rebel areas. The peace efforts in the Sudan are
therefore accorded utmost priority in the policies of the State.
6. The
national conference for dialogue on peace issues, followed by rounds of peace
talks with rebel factions, led to signature of
the Peace Charter, which formed
the core of the Khartoum Peace Agreement between the Government and a number of
the factions engaged
in the fighting in southern Sudan. The subjects covered by
the Peace Agreement include fundamental freedoms and guarantee of the
human
rights stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Agreement
also adopts the principle of citizenship as
the basis of rights and duties,
without distinction on grounds of religion, race or culture, together with the
principle of the fair
distribution of wealth and power among the states of the
Sudan. With the entry into force of this Agreement, the country began to
witness positive changes which are still taking place and which will have
far-reaching effects. These changes include the following:
(a) De facto
implementation of the Peace Agreement with the promulgation of the Fourteenth
Constitutional Decree;
(b) The formation of a committee to draft a
permanent constitution for the Sudan, which was put to a referendum of the
people and
is now at the approval stage;
(c) The creation of an open
political climate that will effectively promote and establish human rights with
the promulgation of numerous
legislative enactments relevant to implementation
of the Peace Agreement;
(d) Improvement of the country’s economic
performance, the growth rate having reached an average of 5 per cent as a result
of
the measures taken to reduce the rate of inflation. Trade in imports also
fell by 64 per cent, while trade in exports rose. The
inadequacy of
international aid to the Sudan, however, has been highly detrimental in terms of
the essential services available to
Sudanese citizens and children, despite the
endeavours of the Government to provide the funds needed for that purpose and
despite
the valuable efforts made at the grass-roots level to complete economic
and social projects.
7. The President of the Republic promulgated Constitutional Decree No. 97 of
1994 establishing an advisory council to monitor human
rights questions in the
Sudan under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Justice and with the membership
of the National Council for
Child Welfare and a number of relevant bodies,
namely:
(a) The judiciary;
(b) The Ministry of Justice;
(c) The
National Assembly;
(d) The security apparatus;
(e) The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs;
(f) The Ministry of Interior;
(g) The Ministry of
Labour;
(h) The Ministry of Culture and Information;
(i) The National
Council for Child Welfare;
(j) The Office of the Commissioner for Relief
Operations;
(k) University faculties of law;
(l) The Lawyers’
Union;
(m) The Office of the Commissioner for Refugees;
(n) National human
rights organizations.
8. The Council is competent to:
(a) Counsel
and advise the Government in the field of human rights;
(b) Conduct the
necessary research and studies in the field of human rights and step up the
efforts made to secure those rights;
(c) Collate the necessary
information and data furnished by the organs of State;
(d) Participate in
relevant local and regional scientific conferences and
committees;
(e) Organize and arrange visits to the Sudan by relevant
delegations, individuals and organizations.
9. It is worth noting that
that the Sudan has signed and ratified 12 international human rights
instruments, of which there are 24
in all, and that the State legislature has
promulgated numerous laws to ensure their application.
10. National laws
were therefore instituted on the basis of the provisions and articles of those
instruments, which are as follows:
(a) The International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights;
(b) The International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights;
(c) The International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
(d) The International
Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of
Apartheid;
(e) The International Convention against Apartheid
in Sports;
(f) The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and
Degrading Treatment;
(g) The Convention on the Rights of the
Child;
(h) The Slavery Convention;
(i) The Protocol amending the Slavery
Convention;
(j) The Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave
Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery;
(k) The Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees;
(l) The Forced Labour Convention, the
Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention and the Employment Policy
Convention
of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
11. In
addition to the above are the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of
Civilian Persons in Time of War, the Geneva Convention
relative to the Treatment
of Prisoners of War, the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition
of the Wounded and Sick
in Armed Forces in the Field and the African Charter on
Human and Peoples’ Rights.
12. The Advisory Council for Human
Rights has formulated a plan aimed at raising citizens’ awareness of their
rights as provided
for in various instruments. Human rights education
committees were also formed in the 26 states of the Sudan.
13. On 24 July
1990, the Sudan signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which it then
ratified on 3 August 1990 by a law
promulgated pursuant to the Third
Constitutional Decree of 1989 by the Revolution Command Council.
14. By
means of the above legislative procedure and in accordance with the Sudanese
legal system, the Convention became part of national
legislation and
consequently entered into force as a binding law on all parties, including the
bodies and institutions of the State.
As a result, the Sudanese judiciary is
aware that the provisions of the Convention must be applied and may be invoked
in court.
Proceedings may also be instituted in connection with its provisions
and compensation may be claimed in the event of their violation.
In that regard
and pursuant to the Constitution, the Constitutional Court plays an essential
role in protecting the fundamental rights under the Convention and may examine
all appeals
in their connection in accordance with the Administrative and
Constitutional Courts Act of 1997.
15. As for the legislature or National
Assembly, in accordance with article 53 of the regulations governing its
activities, its specialist
committees are entrusted with the task of examining
the effects resulting from application of the laws and policies adopted and of
ensuring compliance by the executive body with those policies and legislative
enactments. As a matter of course, the Convention
is incorporated into the
high-ranking framework represented by the National Assembly. On 25 June 1996,
moreover, the National Assembly
issued its resolution No. 29 in which it called
for the adoption of further constitutional measures, thus affirming its
commitment
to the protection of the child and its efforts to create conditions
conducive to his or her enjoyment of the rights set forth in
the
Convention.
A. Measures adopted for incorporation of the Convention
into the Constitution
16. Following the Revolution of National Salvation, the Sudan entered
a transitional stage which will continue until the permanent constitution
is
further developed and approved. During this period, the affairs of government
are regulated by constitutional decrees initiated
by the President of the
Republic and approved by the National Assembly (Parliament). Pursuant to these
decrees, all fundamental
rights, freedoms and guarantees are assured, as
follows:
(a) The State is responsible for the welfare of children
(article 7 of the Seventh Constitutional Decree of 1993);
(b) Freedom of
belief and worship is guaranteed (article 1 of the Seventh Constitutional Decree
of 1993);
(c) Discrimination on grounds of religion, race, wealth or social status is
prohibited (article 9 of the Seventh Constitutional Decree
of
1993);
(d) Freedom of expression is guaranteed (article 9 of the Seventh
Constitutional Decree of 1993);
(e) Citizens have the right of political
participation and are guaranteed equal opportunities (article 3 of the
Fourteenth Constitutional
Decree concerning the Khartoum Peace Agreement of
1997);
(f) The enactment of legislation prejudicial to the fundamental
rights and freedoms of citizens is prohibited (article 3 of the Fourteenth
Constitutional Decree of 1997);
(g) The sovereignty of the rule of law is
guaranteed, as is the independence of the judiciary (article 61 of the
Thirteenth Constitutional
Decree of 1995);
(h) Respect for different
cultures and religions is guaranteed (article 3 of the Fourteenth Constitutional
Decree of 1997);
(i) The right of appeal to the Supreme Court is
guaranteed in cases where fundamental freedoms are violated (articles 9 and 25
of
the Thirteenth Constitutional Decree of 1995).
Article 69 of the
Thirteenth Constitutional Decree of 1995 also provides that the President of the
Republic must draft the constitution
on the basis of the articles of the
constitutional decrees in force and include additional provisions which remain
consistent with
the spirit of those decrees and the constitutional experience.
In other words, the next constitution will not emerge from a vacuum
but will be
based on established principles and guidelines contained in the constitutional
decrees in force, including the above-mentioned
provisions.
17. An
analysis of the Convention reveals that its provisions are divided into two
sections. The first of these relates to fundamental
rights and freedoms
enshrined in the Constitution, such as equality, non-discrimination, freedom of
thought, expression and religion and freedom of organization. As already
stated,
these rights are generally covered by the constitutional decrees in
force and will be shifted into the permanent constitution. The
second section
relates to rights under ordinary law, which are covered by a wide number of
Sudanese legislative enactments, as mentioned
elsewhere in this
report.
18. It should be stated that the Government of the Sudan has
adopted an approach to rule in which every effort is made to lower the
administrative profile, achieve a fair distribution of wealth and power and
broaden the base of participation. The former Transitional
National Assembly
– now the Sudanese Parliament – promulgated the Twelfth
Constitutional Decree, which is regarded as
the core legal document and
constitutional term of reference for the federal system pursuant to which the
Sudan is divided into 26
states, each with its own executive and legislative
authority. The Decree provides for the distribution of power and authority into
three separate lists:
(a) A special federal list pertaining to matters
within the mandate of the central authorities;
(b) A state list pertaining to
the state authorities;
(c) A joint list pertaining to both federal and state
authorities; as well as
(d) A list pertaining to the remaining
authorities.
19. Financial resources are also divided among the three
federal, state and local levels. A federal government office under the
supervision
of the President of the Republic was also established and charged
with the task of coordinating among the different states and authorities and
ensuring the exchange of experiences.
B. Indicators contained in laws and legislative enactments for the development
of policies guaranteeing children’s enjoyment of their full rights
20. With the aim of implementing the Convention on the Rights of
the Child, the Minister of Justice formed a high-level committee
to review the
Sudanese child-related laws in order to ensure their conformity with the
provisions of the Convention. The committee
then produced a report on the
subject, which made it clear that the State had long ago put in place the
guarantees needed to ensure
child rights, as demonstrated by the Labour Act of
1997, the Public Health Act of 1975 and the Juvenile Welfare Act of 1973. Each
of these laws contains provisions on child rights, all of which relate to the
basic principles found in the Constitution. Article 7 of the Seventh
Constitutional Decree concerning constitutional principles, systems and
developments stipulates that society
is built on the spirit of piety, public
education, guidance and free progress and grows with the spread of culture,
science and sports.
It also stipulates that children, young people, women, men
and families have a part to play in society and in ensuring that decent
morals
and customs prevail. With a view to illustrating the conformity of Sudanese
laws with the Convention, the following table
shows the laws relating to child
rights and the articles of the Convention to which they correspond. Some of
these laws were promulgated
long before the Convention came into being but are
consistent with its provisions nonetheless.
No. Law Article Corresponding articles
number of
the Convention on the
Rights of the
Child
1. Public Health Act of 1975 44, 45, 57, 58,
68, 24
69, 71 and 72
2. School Health Act of 1974 4, 8 and
12 24
3. Registration of Births and
Deaths Act of 1972 5 7 and
8
4. Juvenile Welfare Act of 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 13 24
1983 14, 17,
18 (excluding
paragraph (f)), 19
and 20
5. Sudanese Nationality Act 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 10, 8
of 1993 11, 12, 13 and 14
6. Asylum Act of
1974 2 20
7. National Council for Child 5 20
Welfare Act of
1991
8. Personal Status of Muslims 81 (1), 82, 84 27
Act of
1991 and 109
9. Penal Code of 1991 9 40, paragraph 3 (a)
No. Law Article Corresponding
articles
number of the Convention on
the
Rights of the Child
10. Criminal
Procedures Act 47 37
of 1991
11. Child Welfare Act of 1971 4 34
and 35
6 3
7 3
10 40, paragraph
4
11 40, paragraph 4
13 40, paragraph 3
17 40, paragraph 1
12. Civil Transactions Act of 54, 55 and
62 4
1984
13. Civil Procedures Act of 10 (b), (g) and
(h) 27
1983
14. Public Education Act of 4 29, although the Act
seeks to
1992 a greater degree to realize the rights of
the Sudanese child
15. Welfare of Disabled
Persons Act of
1984
16. Copyright Act of 1993
17. Press and Publications
Act
of 1996
18. Labour Act of 1997
C. Mechanisms for follow-up and monitoring of the implementation
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
21. In September 1991, the President of the Republic issued a decree forming
the National Council for Child Welfare, on the strength
of the National Council
for Child Welfare Act, as a high-level national institution with independent
prerogatives which enable it
to remain untrammelled by bureaucracy. In
accordance with the decree, the chairmanship of the Council is vested in the
President
of the Republic and its membership consists of state governors and
federal ministers concerned with children’s affairs, their
positions as
such forming the basis of their appointment to the Council. The Council is
competent to:
(a) Fulfil the obligations of the Sudan in connection with
the instruments which it has signed, in particular the Convention on the
Rights
of the Child, the Charter on the Rights of the Arab Child and the Charter on the
Rights and Welfare of the African Child,
and follow up their implementation;
(b) Raise awareness of children’s issues and design ways and means of
mobilizing the public;
(c) Enhance the security of family life and ensure
the family’s basic needs with a view to creating the stable environment
required
for the sound upbringing of children;
(d) Provide full
preventive health care and treatment for children;
(e) Establish
development-led social services for all children;
(f) Establish education
centres for particular categories of children;
(g) Coordinate the efforts
of government bodies, voluntary societies and grass-roots associations involved
with children and follow
up and evaluate children’s
activities;
(h) Issue internal regulations governing the activities and
meetings of the Council;
(i) Establish a statistical database on the
situation of children, provide a reference base from which everyone may benefit,
including
decision-makers and researchers, and undertake research and studies to
determine the needs of children, diagnose their problems and
propose
alternatives in a bid to improve their circumstances;
(j) Organize
meetings and discussion seminars for researchers and decision-makers, review the
situation of children, develop projects
and assist in outlining the
implementation of follow-up methods;
(k) Assist in running training
courses and workshops aimed at improving the performance of children’s
organizations and devise
training materials for that purpose.
22. In
conformity with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the State prepared a
national plan of action after convening a number
of national conferences and
also developed a number of sectoral plans. With a view to implementing the
provisions of the Convention,
the National Council for Child Welfare is able to
call upon the following mechanisms:
(a) The General Secretariat of the
National Council for Child Welfare: This is the executive and
administrative body of the Council, headed by a secretary-general who ranks as a
minister of State;
(b) State councils for children: These consist
in child welfare councils at the state level and in children’s committees
at the provincial and local district
levels. State councils are formed under
the chairmanship of the state governor (wali) and with the membership of
the ministers concerned with children’s affairs, the commissioners and
three other people with
an interest in children’s affairs. Each state
council also establishes a general secretariat, which serves as its
administrative
and executive body. The state councils for children play a part
in implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as they
encourage the
child services units to fulfil their role. They also supply the National
Council for Child Welfare with information
relating to children, follow up and
monitor implementation of the Convention and organize all children’s
activities in the
states, thus playing a role similar to that of the Council.
In all, 21 state councils have hitherto been established, as shown in
the
following table:
State Date of
establishment
1. Gezira 1993
2. North
Darfur 1993
3. Khartoum 1993
4. River Nile 1994
5. Bahr
al-Jabal 1994
6. South Kordofan 1994
7. Kassala 1994
8. Upper
Nile 1995
9. West Darfur 1995
10. West Bahr
al-Ghazal 1995
11. White Nile 1995
12. Sennar 1994
13. South
Darfur 1995
14. Jonglei 1996
15. Lakes 1996
16. West
Kordofan 1996
17. Gedaref 1996
18. East Equatoria 1997
19. West
Equatoria 1997
20. Red Sea 1997
21. Blue Nile 1997
In the
provinces, the children’s committees are arranged in the same way as those
at the state level under the chairmanship
of the commissioner and with the
membership of the directors of the ministries concerned with children’s
affairs.
(c) The Technical Advisory Committee of the National Council
for Child Welfare: This was formed in accordance with the Council of
Ministers Resolution No. 400 of 18 September 1995 on the basis of article 10 of
the National Council for Child Welfare Act. This Committee, which comprises
representatives of all the ministries, government departments
and units
concerned with children’s affairs, is charged with outlining general
policies and drawing up national child welfare
plans and programmes. It is
regarded as a follow-up mechanism, as it has the opportunity to carry out
sectoral follow-up work through
its special branch committees, which provide
additional information on children and the type of services available to
them.
(d) The Coordinating Committee for Voluntary Societies:
This Committee, which comprises all the children’s societies, was
established to coordinate national and foreign voluntary
efforts in order to
avoid duplication and channel the resources available for children in the best
direction. The regulations governing
its work were issued under the signature
of the President of the Republic in November 1994. One of its offshoots is an
executive
committee, chosen through free and direct elections, which deals with
seven critical areas of
concern:
(i) Law;
(ii) Health;
(iii) Education;
(iv) Social
welfare;
(v) Finance;
(vi) Information;
(vii) Emergency situations.
23. In addition to the above mechanisms,
the General Secretariat of the National Council for Child Welfare took to making
field visits,
one of the most useful ways of discovering the reality of a
situation, with a view to determining the amount of progress achieved.
Such
visits were conducted by teams headed by the Minister of State and the
Secretary-General of the Council.
24. On 24 November 1996, the President
of the Republic issued a directive declaring the National Council for Child
Welfare as the
official umbrella for the coordination of all child-related
activities in the Sudan. The Council of Ministers also issued its Resolution
No. 145 of 16 March 1997 in which it designated the National Council for Child
Welfare as the counterpart of the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF)
in all matters relating to children’s projects and programmes, both
official and voluntary, in the Sudan.
25. With a view to promoting
awareness of the provisions of the Convention and rallying the public, the
National Council for Child
Welfare made efforts to publicize and disseminate the
Convention at the federal and state levels by circulating 11,000 copies in
Arabic and English to senior politicians and executives, grass-roots and
voluntary organizations, judges, teachers, children and
families. It also
organized seminars and workshops in Khartoum and in various states, as
illustrated in the table below.
C. Problems, obstacles and future outlook with respect to implementation
of the Convention
26. Despite the substantial progress achieved in implementing the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, the drain of the war on the economy
stands as a major obstacle to further improvement, especially when coupled with
the lack of assistance provided on that score by
the international community.
In this context, the National Council for Child Welfare has made efforts to:
− Improve its performance level by recruiting suitably qualified personnel with a view to achieving the desired structure, as approved by the Council of Ministers;
− Prepare an integrated project for a core database to provide information on all child-related matters at the national and federal levels;
− Activate the state councils with a view to ensuring that they each convene during the current year;
− Heighten the involvement of the Government, voluntary organizations and grass-roots efforts in order to broaden the scope of programmes aimed at raising awareness of children’s issues;
− Conduct scientific surveys and prepare studies on children, in which connection a study on child employment has now been drafted;
− Formulate plans to step up teaching in the field of child welfare at both the federal and state levels;
− Begin preparing an ambitious service scheme in order to recruit greater numbers of personnel who are qualified for work relating to children.
27. The introduction to this report provides
information on the process of its preparation, the extent of the participation
in that
process, the steps taken to publicize and translate the report and the
measures adopted to ensure wide dissemination of the concluding
observations
adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in relation to the previous
report of the Sudan.
Seminars and workshops introducing the Convention on the
Rights of the Child
Activity
|
Date
|
Place
|
Target group
|
---|---|---|---|
1. Seminar on implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child
|
1993
|
Khartoum
|
Senior executives from the sectors of health, education, social welfare,
culture and information and water.
|
2. Workshop to promote understanding of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child
|
1993
|
Khartoum
|
As above
|
3. Seminar on implementation of the national plan and the child welfare
strategy
|
1994
|
Madani
|
As above in Madani in Gezira state (formerly the Central region)
|
4. Workshop on mobilizing society on children’s affairs
|
1994
|
Al-Obeid
|
As above, plus voluntary societies and organizations
|
5. Workshop introducing the role of voluntary organizations in the
dissemination and implementation of the Convention on the Rights
of the
Child
|
1994
|
Khartoum
|
Children’s societies and organizations
|
6. Workshop on nutrition for mothers and children
|
1994
|
Khartoum
|
Senior executives in the sectors of health, education, social welfare,
culture and information and water, plus voluntary organizations
|
7. Seminar on the effect of armed conflict on children
|
1995
|
Khartoum
|
As above
|
8. Education of the Sudanese child
|
1995
|
Duwaym
|
Children and teachers
|
9. Ways of mobilizing grass-roots involvement in children’s
affairs
|
1995
|
Juba
|
Senior executives in the sectors of health, education, social welfare,
culture and information and water, as well as voluntary children’s
organizations
|
10. Seminar on child employment
|
1995
|
Khartoum
|
Senior executives in the sectors of health, water, education, social
welfare, culture and information
|
11. Workshop on mobilizing the involvement of society in children’s
affairs
|
1996
|
Fashir
|
As above
|
12. Workshop to promote the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
1996
|
Madani
|
Executive sectors
|
13. Meeting of children from Khartoum (during the international broadcast
for children)
|
December 1996
|
Khartoum
|
Children
|
14. Seminar on the role of the National Assembly in implementing the
Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
23 June 1996
|
Khartoum
|
Members of the National Assembly (senior legislators and monitors)
|
15. School seminar on issues relating to disabled children
|
October 1996
|
Khartoum
|
Disabled children, as well as official bodies and organizations concerned
with disabled children
|
16. Training seminar on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
November 1996
|
Hotel Qasr al-Sadaqa
|
|
17. Training seminar on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
November 1996
|
Hotel Qasr al-Sadaqa
|
|
18. Discussions of the Khartoum State Council of Ministers concerning
implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
Council session of 16 March 1997
|
Council of Ministers/Khartoum
|
Khartoum State Council of Ministers
|
19. Discussions of the Khartoum State Council of Ministers concerning
implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
April 1997
|
Khartoum/Khartoum state
|
Khartoum State Council of Ministers
|
20. Discussions of the Gezira State Council of Ministers concerning
implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
9 July 1997
|
Madani
|
Gezira State Council of Ministers
|
21. Workshop of the committee assigned to write the report on the
Convention
|
11-14 August 1997
|
Khartoum
|
National committee assigned to write the report of the Sudan
|
22. Workshop on the role of the judiciary in implementing the
Convention
|
11 July 1997
|
Khartoum
|
Judges and lawyers
|
23. Workshop on the effect of the Peace Agreement on children
|
10 August 1997
|
Qa’at al-Sadaqa (Hall of Friendship), Khartoum
|
Senior politicians and executives
|
24. Discussions of the Bahr al-Jabal Government Council, the Parliament and
the secretariat of the National Congress
|
18 August 1997
|
Juba
|
Senior politicians and executives
|
25. Discussions of the East Equatoria Government Council
|
17 August 1997
|
Juba
|
Senior politicians and executives
|
26. Discussions of the West Equatoria Government Council
|
17 August 1997
|
Juba
|
Senior politicians and executives
|
27. Briefing and mobilization of the secretariat of the National Congress
of Gezira State in regard to the role of the political system
in implementing
the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
7 August 1997
|
Madani
|
Senior politicians and executives
|
28. Training seminar on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child
|
February 1997
|
Khartoum
|
Agency for student activities in the states
|
29. Training seminar on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child
|
February 1997
|
Khartoum
|
Information officers
|
30. Conference on children’s culture
|
1993
|
Khartoum
|
Senior executives
|
31. Seminar on follow-up of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
1995
|
Al-Obeid
|
Cultural, social and information sector
|
32. Participation in a conference of psychiatrists (promotion of
psychiatric services for children)
|
October 1997
|
Madani
|
Senior health officers and health executives
|
33. Commemoration of World AIDS Day (Children Living in a World of
AIDS)
|
December 1997
|
Khartoum
|
Senior executives and voluntary organizations
|
34. Workshop on the Charter on the Rights of the Arab Child
|
November 1997
|
Khartoum
|
Senior politicians and executives, judges, lawyers and doctors
|
35. Workshop on harmonizing the Charter on the Rights of the Arab Child
with the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
November 1997
|
Khartoum
|
Senior politicians and executives, judges, lawyers and doctors
|
36. Workshop to promote understanding of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child
|
December 1997
|
Kassala
|
Senior politicians and executives, community leaders and mothers
|
37. Workshop to promote understanding of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child
|
December 1997
|
Gadaref
|
Senior politicians and executives, community leaders and mothers
|
38. Workshop to promote understanding of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child
|
December 1997
|
Damazin
|
Senior politicians and executives, community leaders and mothers
|
39. Workshop to promote understanding of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child
|
December 1997
|
Gadaref
|
Senior politicians and executives, community leaders and mothers
|
40. Workshop to promote understanding of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child
|
December 1997
|
Damazin
|
Senior politicians and executives, community leaders and mothers
|
41. Training workshop on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
7-8 January 1998
|
Khartoum
|
Students from the Police Academy
|
42. Training workshop on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
12-16 January 1998
|
Khartoum
|
Police officers
|
43. Training workshop on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
10-12 February 1998
|
Omdurman
|
Students from the Faculty of Education at the University of Khartoum
|
44. Training workshop on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
1-4 March 1998
|
Khartoum
|
Doctors and administrators at the Ministry of Health
|
45.Training workshop on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
10 March 1998
|
Omdurman
|
Midwives and nurses
|
46. Training workshop on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
16 March 1998
|
Khartoum
|
Medical assistants
|
47. Training workshop on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
|
19 April 1998
|
Khartoum
|
Pre-school education instructors
|
II. DEFINITION OF THE CHILD
(art. 1)
28. Sudanese legislative acts employ a variety of words to refer to
children, depending on the rights to be safeguarded. This discussion
of the
definition of the child will begin with an overview of the concept of the child
and then proceed to highlight the substance
of Sudanese laws on the
subject.
29. The word “infant” or “child” applies
to any young being from the time of emergence from the mother’s
womb until
the age of puberty. The word appears in the Quran: “It was He who
created you from dust, making you a little germ,
and then a clot of blood. He
brings you infants into the world; you reach full maturity, then decline into
old age.” It is
therefore a term that is clearly used to refer to an
individual from the time of birth until puberty or full maturity is attained.
Childhood is thus the period between birth and puberty.
30. The maturity
which signals the end of childhood is attained when an individual becomes fully
rational and discerning (mumayyaz) and acquires intellectual, mental and
physical maturity. In the view of jurisprudents, maturity is marked in two
ways: the first
is the appearance of the usual outward “signs of
maturity”, such as puberty, the growth of pubic hair and, in the case
of
young girls, menstruation and the ability to conceive. The second is the
attainment of full legal age, a subject on which jurists
hold differing views
and on which other positive laws are also at variance.
31. As for the
concept of the child in Sudanese law, an examination of the child-related laws
reveals that they employ different terms,
such as “infant”,
“minor”, “young person” or “juvenile”,
“delinquent”,
“sexually immature youth” and
“pupil”. The absence of a specific definition or term for the child
is clearly
attributable to the fact that the types of protection developed by
the legislature vary according to the age of the child and the
rights and
obligations involved. This is consistent with article 1 of the Convention on
the Rights of the Child, which defines a
child as “every human being below
the age of eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the child, maturity
is attained
earlier.” This provision provides scope for national
legislations to determine the age of a child as being no higher than
18 years.
Clearly, there is no difference between Sudanese legislative acts and the above
article 1 of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child.
A. Minimum legal age and the rights of the child in the
Sudan
1. Legal and medical counselling without parental
consent
(a) Legal counselling
32. Article 22 of the
Civil Transactions Act of 1984 stipulates that any person having attained
18 years of age is fully competent
to exercise his civil rights and that
any person who lacks discretion on account of his young age (below seven years)
or who is demented
or insane is incompetent to exercise his civil rights. It
also specifies that any person having attained the age of discretion who
has not
reached full legal age and is profligate or negligent is incompetent as
prescribed by law. A person who is legally incompetent
is, according to
circumstance, subject to the provisions on guardianship, tutorship and
custodianship. On that basis, articles 116
to 120 of the Civil Procedures Act
of 1983 stipulate that civil procedures on behalf of a minor who is a plaintiff
or a defendant
in any lawsuit must be conducted by the guardian appointed by the
court for that purpose. Any measures taken against a minor without
the
appointment of such a guardian are deemed invalid. Similarly, a minor having
attained 15 years of age may, before he reaches
the full legal age of 18,
administer his property with the permission of his guardian or tutor, provided
that he first obtains leave
to do so from the court. In that case, he is
legally competent
insofar as those matters for which he has received authorization are
concerned and has the right to seek legal counselling, in accordance
with the
provisions of the law.
(b) Medical counselling
33. The
right of the child to enjoy protection and care should not be prejudiced by the
provisions concerning the guardianship of
individuals and property, which aim to
protect children from their own vulnerability, immaturity and lack of reason. A
guardian
has the duty of care and bears social responsibility in the first
instance for any failure of that duty, as well as legal responsibility
in
accordance with article 76 of the Penal Code of 1991. It is therefore clear
that the child should not receive medical counselling
except in the presence of
his guardian or tutor or any person standing in the place of either. The
child’s father, legal guardian
or custodian is responsible for taking care
of his health, as affirmed in article 44, paragraph 1, of the Public Health Act
of 1975,
pursuant to which the child’s father, guardian, custodian, school
principal or health officer is responsible for ensuring that
the child receives
all initial and subsequent inoculations.
2. End of compulsory
education
34. Promulgated in 1992, the Public Education Act specifies
the different stages of education and provides for continuation of the basic
stage for eight years instead of six. Basic
education begins with the
pre-school stage at the age of four, which means in principle that primary
school enrolment takes place
at the age of six. One of the educational policies
adopted is to ensure that compulsory basic education is universally available
by
2000, in which connection sovereign decrees were promulgated with a view to
encouraging all families to enrol their children in
school at the basic stage.
Educational regulations were also issued, specifying six years as the age of
school admission, although
pupils may still be admitted up to the age of nine
years. In other words, compulsory education ends at the age of 14 years for
pupils
admitted at six years of age and at the age of 16 years for pupils
admitted at eight years of age.
3. Admission to employment or work,
including hazardous work, part-time work
and full-time
work
35. Formerly, there were several different laws on child
employment, each of which dealt individually with one particular aspect of
the
question. In view of the identical subject matter, however, it was considered
appropriate to amalgamate them into one law, namely
the Labour Act of 1997, the
provisions of which regulate the method of admission to employment or work and
cover hazardous work,
part-time work and full-time work, as
follows:
(a) The Act stipulates that children under 18 years of age are
not permitted to work, with the exception of those employed in government-run
training schools, in non-profit-making training workshops or in family-owned
businesses in which only other family members are employed
under supervision of
the owner, and those employed under an industrial
apprenticeship;
(b) The Act defines a “young person” as any
individual under the age of 16 years;
(c) The Act prohibits the
employment of young people in jobs which are hazardous or harmful to health or
which are physically demanding
and in jobs or occupations which are detrimental
to their morals, pursuant to article 21 of the Labour Act of
1997;
(d) The Act stipulates that young people may not be employed at
night between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., nor may they work overtime
or
during official or weekly holidays or for longer than
seven hours, a period which must be interspersed with one hour’s rest
with pay. Moreover, young people may not work for more
than four hours
continuously.
4. Marriage and sexual
consent
(a) Marriage of Muslims
36. Given that the
basis of marriage is consent, article 34 of the Personal Status of Muslims Act
of 1991 stipulates that a guardian
may give a mature woman in marriage if she
consents to the husband and to the dowry. Her statement of her maturity is
accepted unless
it is conspicuously false. Information has already been
provided on how maturity is determined, namely on the attainment of puberty
or
the appearance of unmistakable physical signs. Article 40 of the Act
nevertheless permits the marriage of a person of discretion;
in accordance with
paragraph 2 of the article, discretion is acquired at 10 years of age. A
10-year-old male is therefore permitted
to marry if it is demonstrated that the
marriage is likely to be in his interest. A guardian may not, however, give a
10-year-old
girl in marriage without the consent of the judge, which is based on
the considerations of advantage and good reason, provided that
the husband is
suitable and the dowry equals that of the girl’s
peers.
(b) Marriage of non-Muslims
37. The marriage of
non-Muslims is regulated by the Marriage of Non-Muslims Act of 1926,
article 10 of which stipulates that the competent
court may invalidate a
marriage entered into under the Act by a male under 15 years of age or a female
under 13 years of age.
38. As for minors, the Act stipulates that their
consent is required for marriage. Article 29 provides that if either one of the
couple to be married is under 21 years of age and is not widowed or divorced, it
is essential to obtain the written and signed consent
of the father, or of the
mother if the father is deceased, delinquent or outside the country, or of the
guardian if both parents
are deceased, delinquent or outside the country. In
all cases, if the party in question has no parent or guardian resident in the
Sudan who is qualified to consent to the marriage, the judge of the court may
give his written consent if, after interviewing the
couple, he is persuaded that
the marriage is appropriate. In such cases, his consent has the same effect as
the consent given by
a father or mother. The Sudan recognizes no sexual
relationship or consent outside the marital relations defined by the divine laws
and governed by the above-mentioned laws.
5. Age of voluntary
enlistment in the armed forces, conscription into the armed forces
and participation in hostilities
39. It is well-known
that the Sudan’s compliance with humanitarian law and the Convention on
the Rights of the Child derives
from its practice of ratifying any convention
which it signs with a law, pursuant to which the convention in question becomes
an
internal law of the State that must be constitutionally and legally
respected. Consequently, the People’s Armed Forces Act
of 1986 stipulates
the conditions for recruitment to the ranks of the armed forces, namely that the
person concerned must be sufficiently
fit and healthy to withstand the rigours
of military service. Article 10, paragraphs 4 and 5, stipulates that all
those capable
of bearing arms are regarded as a reserve force and that the
President of the Republic may call upon them to serve in any branch
or unit of
the armed forces whenever the need arises. Paragraph 5 also stipulates that,
without prejudice to the provisions of paragraph
4, the President of the
Republic may require any person who is capable of bearing arms to undergo
military training and thus be prepared
as a member of a reserve force in
accordance with the conditions specified by any law or decree in force. The
Popular Defence Act
of 1989 was accordingly promulgated and provides that any
person volunteering for the Popular Defence Forces must be no younger than 16
years of age and medically fit. The National Conscription
Act of 1992 also
stipulates that any Sudanese person having attained 18 years of age and who is
no older than 33 years of age may
be subject to conscription, which is
consistent with the provisions of article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child.
6. Criminal responsibility
40. Article 8 of the Sudanese Penal Code of 1991 stipulates that criminal
responsibility applies only to persons who are legally obliged
to fulfil the
precepts of the law and also capable of exercising free choice. In regard to
acts of minors, article 9 provides that
a minor who has not attained maturity is
not deemed to have perpetrated an offence. The measures of care and reform
stipulated in
the Code must, however, be applied in the case of all such persons
over seven years of age, as the court deems fit. Accordingly:
(a) A
person having attained seven years of age has no criminal
responsibility;
(b) Article 3 stipulates that “a mature
person” means any person showing the unmistakable physical signs of proof
that
he has reached puberty, which could apply to a person having attained
15 years of age. Any person having attained 18 years of age
is considered
mature, even if he shows no such signs of maturity;
(c) Pursuant to
article 3, a child is not considered responsible for a criminal act, although he
is subject to the measures of care
stipulated in article 47, pursuant to which
the court may apply such measures to a young suspect who was over 7 and under 18
years
of age at the time of perpetration of the criminal offence, as well as
reform measures intended to improve and correct behaviour.
7. Capital
punishment
41. The Penal Code contains provisions relating to capital
punishment. Article 27, paragraph 2, for example, stipulates that, apart
from
crimes of hadd (doctrinal punishment) or qasas (retribution), no
person under 18 or over 70 years of age may be sentenced to death. Article 27,
paragraph 2 (f), deals with the
criminal responsibility of persons between the
ages of 7 and 18. For crimes of murder or qasas (retribution), they are
pardoned or ordered to pay blood money to the relatives of the victim. The
death penalty is not enforced
unless the latter refuse to accept the blood money
or agree to a pardon.
8. Life imprisonment
42. Article 33,
paragraph 3, of the Penal Code of 1991 stipulates that, except for crimes of
brigandry, a sentence of life imprisonment
may not be handed down to any person
under 18 years of age.
9. Giving testimony in court in civil and
criminal cases
43. The testimony of a discerning child is admissible
pursuant to the Evidence Act of 1993, article 24 of which stipulates that
any rational person who is discerning in regard to the facts about which he is
testifying
is competent to give testimony.
10. Lodging complaints and seeking redress before a court or other
relevant authority without
parental consent
44. The
Criminal Procedures Act of 1991 defines a complaint as a verbal or written
allegation made by a person against whom or against
whose property an offence
has been committed. There is nothing to prevent the courts from admitting any
complaint lodged by children
to the effect that an offence has been committed
against them.
11. Participation in administrative and judicial
proceedings affecting the child
45. There are no legal obstacles to
the appearance of a child before a juvenile court, whether as a complainant or
as a witness.
46. The law does not permit a child in the
Sudan to change his name or modify family relations, adoption and guardianship
until he
has reached full legal age.
13. Having access to information
concerning the biological family
47. The Personal Status Act of 1991
stipulates that legal proceedings may be instituted with a view to establishing
a blood relationship.
Such proceedings may establish paternity or filiation
alone or may secure other rights in addition. The Act also stipulates that
the
acknowledgement of a blood relationship other than paternity, filiation or
maternity applies to no one other than the person
making the acknowledgement
unless substantiated or given as testimony. The Act further stipulates that a
blood relationship may
be established by means of testimony, common knowledge
and hearsay (articles 97, 102 and 103 of the Personal Status of Muslims Act
of
1991).
14. Legal capacity to inherit, to conduct property transactions
and to create or join associations
48. The capacity of a child to
inherit is established before birth. The Personal Status of Muslims Act of 1991
stipulates that the
larger share of an estate should be bequeathed to the unborn
child until it is known whether the child is male or female.
49. As for
the conduct of property transactions, the financial dealings of a discerning
young person over seven years of age are valid
if they are wholly beneficial to
him and invalid if they are wholly detrimental to him. Dealings which are a
combination of the
two may be invalidated in his interest in accordance with the
provisions of article 55 of the Civil Transactions Act of 1984.
50. The
Act of 1957 which previously regulated the creation and joining of associations
specified 18 years as the minimum joining
age. The Act of 1995 promulgated
in its place, however, specifies no joining age, which means that there is
nothing to prevent the
child from joining social leagues within his or her own
vicinity.
15. Choosing a religion and attending religious school
teaching
51. Sudanese laws specify no minimum age for choosing a religion. The birth certificate contains no details of a child’s religion, although it states the father’s religion. The child is therefore born with a natural disposition and acquires whatever denomination it might be from the initial environment in which he thrives. The religion acquired by a child therefore depends on his early upbringing. Pursuant to the
Public Education Act and the School Regulations, a child has the right to
attend religious classes in accordance with his creed and
denomination.
16. Consumption of alcohol and other controlled
substances
52. All children are forbidden to handle and consume
alcohol. Any child who does so is in breach of the law in accordance with the
provisions of articles 78, 79 and 80 of the Penal Code of 1991. Articles 15 and
20 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Act of 1994 also fully
prohibit the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic
substances.
17. How the minimum age for employment relates to the age
of completion of compulsory
schooling, how it affects the rights of
the child to education and how relevant international
instruments are taken in to account
53. Without
question, the extension of schooling to the age of 16 years, mentioned earlier,
enables children to complete the basic stage
of education, which, as stated in
paragraph 34 of this report, will be compulsory. The right of a child to
education is consequently
unaffected.
18. Cases where there is a
difference in the legislation between girls and boys
54. In
accordance with the law, the basis for marriage is maturity, the definition of
which is given in this report. In Sudanese
law, there is no difference between
girls and boys in regard to the legal marriageable age, which is 10 years.
There is a difference,
however, in that, for the marriage of a discerning young
girl, the law additionally requires that the judge must give his permission,
the
husband must be deemed suitable and the dowry must equal that of her peers.
This requirement is stipulated out of concern for girls and in order to
prevent any form of exploitation.
III. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
A.
Non-discrimination
55. Non-discrimination is a binding principle in Sudanese legislation.
The Twelfth Constitutional Decree of 1995 provides for the
distribution of
federal powers under chapter III, article 6 of which stipulates that the federal
authorities may implement legislation
and generally make plans, including in
connection with the matters covered in paragraph (e) concerning nationality,
immigration,
passports and alien affairs. These provisions affirm the
importance of matters of nationality in that they affect all rights of
citizenship and equality before the law.
56. Recently promulgated, the
Fourteenth Constitutional Decree giving effect to the Peace Agreement of 1997
sets forth guiding principles
in chapter II, article 3, paragraph 3 of which
provides that legislation which prejudices the fundamental rights and freedoms
of
citizens may not be enacted. Paragraph 3 (f) also provides that citizenship
is the basis of public rights and duties. By virtue
of their citizenship, all
Sudanese participate on an equal footing in political, economic, social and
cultural life. The Fourteenth
Constitutional Decree of 1997 therefore enshrines
the principle of public freedoms and duties and the fundamental rights of
citizens,
which all Sudanese share by virtue of their citizenship. Article 3,
paragraph 1, of the Fourteenth Constitutional Decree stipulates
as
follows:
“1. The Sudan is a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-faith State.
Islam is the religion of the majority of the population
and Christianity and
other African beliefs have a considerable number of followers.
“2. Freedom of religion and belief is universally guaranteed, as is the freedom to practice religious ceremonies, engage in missionary activity, preach and offer spiritual guidance. No citizen may be coerced into embracing any religion or belief.”
57. The foregoing is one of the principal steps taken to ensure that
discrimination is prevented and combated, in both law and practice,
including
discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, language, religion, politics
or other opinion, national, ethnic or social
origin, property, disability or
birth. Consequently, there is no discrimination in the Sudan, in conformity
with the provisions
of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child.
Measures adopted to reduce economic, social and geographical
disparities
58. Article 3, paragraph 9, of the Fourteenth
Constitutional Decree of 1997 stipulates that the State must endeavour to ensure
development
at the state level and eliminate the disparities in basic services
among the different states by drawing up a comprehensive social
and economic
plan. It also stipulates that priority should be given to the least developed
states.
59. In regard to children with disability, the Welfare of
Disabled Persons Act of 1994 (annexed hereto), which is a general law for
disabled persons, including children, was promulgated. It encompasses all the
provisions necessary to ensure that disabled persons
experience no
discrimination owing to their condition of health or their
affliction.
60. As for children born out of wedlock, the Child Welfare
Act of 1971 (annexed hereto) guarantees their enjoyment of a decent life
and of
non-discrimination. It also regulates adoption and foster placement for
non-Muslims, as well as the establishment of homes
which provide such children
with shelter.
61. Homeless children are catered for under the Juvenile Welfare Act of 1983
(annexed hereto), which defines and puts in place the
necessary safeguards for
their benefit, including social and legal remedies, in order to ensure that they
are not subjected to discrimination
after they leave a care
institution.
62. The Asylum Act of 1974 (annexed hereto) stipulates
compliance with all conventions and treaties granting asylum to which the Sudan
has acceded. In no aspect of life is there any discrimination against refugee
children, to whom Sudanese laws apply in the same
way as to Sudanese
children.
63. Gender-based differences, exclusions and preferences are
non-existent in law and in administrative practices, labour relations,
education
and health. On the contrary, all children have equal rights. This report
contains detailed information on the groups
of children mentioned above and the
laws regulating the measures adopted in that connection. In every aspect, one
of the most important
child welfare measures adopted was the establishment of
the National Council for Child Welfare, which is responsible for following
up
implementation of the Convention and the child-related laws in force, in
conjunction with the relevant authorities. The Constitution and Sudanese laws
guarantee that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination,
punishment and harm on the basis of
the status of the activities, expressed
opinions or beliefs of the child’s parents, legal guardians or family
members. Substantial
progress has been made in disseminating programmes to
raise awareness of the Convention and the laws and international instruments
relating to non-discrimination and human rights, a purpose for which the Sudan
is in need of further technical and material assistance.
B. Best interests of the child
(art. 3)
64. The Sudan devoted attention to the best interests of the child long
before the Convention on the Rights of the Child came into
being; both before
and after its signature of the Convention, various laws were promulgated to
guarantee the fundamental rights of
the child to development and to respect for
his or her being from the moment of birth, rights for which the States continues
to show
due regard in all economic and administrative matters. The National
Child Welfare Act of 1991 (annexed hereto) was promulgated following
the
Sudan’s signature of the Convention. A number of other laws also contain
provisions which affirm the State’s concern
for the best interests of the
child. Some of these provisions have a direct impact and others an indirect
impact. They include:
The Penal Code of 1991 (annexed
hereto)
65. The indirect effects include those covered by the provisions
contained in chapter IX, entitled “Offences relating to public
health and
safety”, in accordance with which some acts, namely those which endanger
life and property, are treated as offences
punishable by law with a view to
preserving public health and safety. These acts include pollution of water and
the environment,
negligence which endangers life and property, denial of
assistance and breach of the legal obligation towards disabled persons.
As
already discussed, the Code guarantees protection for children by determining
the age of criminal responsibility. It also provides
for the punishment of any
person who incites a minor to commit suicide (article 34), as well as for the
punishment of abortion and
acts leading to abortion or causing the death of the
foetus. In addition, it covers the measures prescribed for juveniles (article
47).
The Civil Transactions Act of 1984 (annexed
hereto)
66. The interests of the child are covered under articles 54 to
56, which accord to minors the right to conclude contracts. The provisions
cover contracts involving minors who are capable of discretion or discernment
and minors who are not. Article 54 stipulates that
a minor who is capable of
discretion has no
right to dispose of his property and that all of his transactions are
invalid. The meaning of a person who has the discretion to
conclude contracts
has already been discussed. Article 56 also stipulates that 18 years is the
full legal age, subject to any other
restriction of capacity prescribed by law,
including the legal restrictions of capacity mentioned earlier. The Labour Act
of 1997
(annexed hereto) also provides for measures of care which are in the
best interests of the child, as already discussed.
67. As stated in
connection with the definition of the child, the Juvenile Welfare Act provides
for the establishment of juvenile
courts and a juvenile police force. The Chief
Justice recently issued an ordinance establishing juvenile courts in every state
of
the Sudan in accordance with the Juvenile Welfare Act of 1983 (annexed
hereto).
Administrative measures in the best interests of the
child
68. One of the main characteristics of federal government in
the Sudan that is has a low administrative profile. In that connection,
the
Twelfth Constitutional Decree of 1995 (annexed hereto) and the Fourteenth
Constitutional Decree of 1997 (annexed hereto) both
guarantee social welfare,
which, under the stipulation of their provisions, is one of the responsibilities
of the state governments.
It is the task of the administrative authorities to
fulfil that responsibility at the state level, to which end the Local Government
Act of 1995 (annexed hereto) was promulgated.
The administrative
authorities
69. Health is covered under chapter V of the Local
Government Act of 1995, while security and public order is covered under chapter
VI, the first part of which is entitled “`Access to guidance,
education
and employment for juvenile delinquents”. Chapter VII covers national
education and the establishment of basic schools,
literacy and adult education
classes, the supervision of sports and cultural clubs and the establishment of
nurseries. This clearly
reflects the importance which the administrative
authorities attach to children and the priority devoted to ensuring their best
interests.
70. Planning and development policies also take into
consideration the best interests of the child, incorporating as they do a
strategy
for children into the national housing policy insofar as the number of
children constitutes a priority in matters of land allocation,
the aim being to
achieve stability for the family and consequently for the child. Students also
enjoy the special concession of
reduced fares when travelling on public
transport. As for the environment, there is an environmental health law aimed
at creating
an environment conducive to ensuring the development of the child.
Voluntary organizations are active in the field of environmental
health and a
court was recently established to examine environmental offences in order to
preserve the health of the environment.
71. In regard to adoption and
foster placement (kafalah), the laws regulate the latter in accordance
with the Islamic Shariah, while adoption is regulated by the laws of non-Muslim
confessions.
The Personal Status Act also caters for the best interests of the
child inasmuch as it includes a provision for bequests that may
be applied to
foster children. Islam prohibits adoption and, in accordance with the
provisions of the Islamic Shariah, foster children
cannot inherit. They may,
however, be saved from destitution on the death of their foster carer by means
of such bequests, a subject
which is covered under articles 315 and 316 of the
Personal Status for Muslims Act. This type of bequest is defined in article 315
as “a bequest enabling a person who is not entitled to inherit to acquire
a specific share of the estate of the testator”,
which is unquestionably
in the interests of the foster child.
(a) The administration of juvenile justice
72. The
administration of justice is guaranteed for all citizens in the Sudan, including
children in any of the State institutions
of justice, in accordance with the
relevant laws. In view of the particular status of children, the Juvenile
Welfare Act of 1983
(annexed hereto) was promulgated in order to ensure that
they receive justice in every respect in the event that they have perpetrated
an
offence or crime. Justice is enforced by the competent authorities, such as the
police, the Office of the Public Prosecutor,
the juvenile courts, probation
offices and educational and care institutions, as stipulated in the Act. There
are now four courts
which deal specifically with juvenile cases: three in
Khartoum state and one in Al-Obeid in North Kordofan state. The Chief Justice
also recently issued a directive (annexed hereto) on the establishment of courts
in all states of the Sudan. Where none of the special
authorities stipulated in
the Juvenile Welfare Act is available, the Office of the Public Prosecutor and
the competent public courts
are jointly responsible for taking legal action,
with due regard for all aspects of the status of juveniles. Under the Prison
Regulations,
juveniles remanded in custody are also accorded special status in
that they are segregated from adult detainees.
(b) Placement and care
of children in institutions
73. The existing institutions for the
placement of children are in need of refurbishment. It is now time to carry out
such refurbishment
and to establish care homes for young people who are
homeless. Despite the efforts of the legislative and administrative
authorities,
the difficulties encountered in implementing such programmes
prevent attainment of the desired objectives. In particular, the low
level of
support provided by foreign voluntary organizations and the relevant United
Nations agencies working in the Sudan has an
adverse affect on the performance
of those authorities.
(c) Social security
74. The basic
elements of the social security channelled to children through the family
include:
− Medical care;
− Sickness and unemployment benefits;
− Maternity allowances;
− Invalidity and old-age benefits;
− Benefits for poor and productive families;
− A maintenance allowance for orphans.
(See paragraph
35 of this report, which discusses the safety and health standards in connection
with the care and protection of children.)
75. In brief, the fundamental
problems encountered in guaranteeing the best interests of the child are the
embargo, both declared
and undeclared, against the Sudan, the civil war, the
interferences of neighbouring countries, the external debt burdens, poverty
and
the inadequacy of foreign aid and assistance. The Sudan very much hopes that
international organizations will assist in implementing
the programmes
formulated in that connection and in implementing the Convention in
general.
C. The right to life, survival and
development
(art. 6)
76. The State has adopted the measures needed to guarantee the child’s right to life and to create an environment conducive to ensuring the survival and development of the child, including physical, mental, spiritual, moral and psychological and social development, in a manner compatible with human dignity.
This it has done by devising a strategy for children which consists of both
short-term and long-term programmes. The right of the
child to life, survival
and development is also affirmed in a number of different laws.
77. As
for measures taken to ensure the registration of the deaths of children, there
is a law governing the registration of deaths,
namely the Registration of Births
and Deaths Act of 1992 (annexed hereto).
78. The measures adopted to
prevent suicide in children include the Penal Code of 1991 (annexed hereto),
which stipulates that: “Any
person who incites a minor or a person who is
immature, insane, intoxicated or mentally disturbed to commit suicide shall be
sentenced
to a term of imprisonment of not more than one year. If suicide is
committed as a result of the incitement, he shall receive the
penalty prescribed
for pre-meditated murder.” The Code thus punishes the incitement of a
child to commit suicide, as well
as any breach of the legal obligation towards a
disabled person.
D. Respect for the views of the
child
(art.12)
79. The legislation in the Sudan emphasizes the right of children freely to
express their opinions in all matters affecting them;
the former Constitutions
enshrined the right of all Sudanese, including children, to express their
opinions and many of the legislative
enactments and regulations promulgated
under those Constitutions are still in force.
80. The legislation
provides the opportunity for children to be heard in judicial and administrative
proceedings affecting him them
and stipulates the situations in which the child
may intervene directly or through a representative or an appropriate body. It
also
stipulates the right of the child to institute legal proceedings through
his or her legal guardian in accordance with the Civil Procedures
Act of 1993
(article 116). The Evidence Act further stipulates the right of children to
give testimony (article 24).
81. The information requested in
paragraphs 43, 44 and 45 of the general guidelines regarding the form and
content of periodic reports
(CRC/C/58) can be found in paragraphs 94-101 of this
report, while the information requested in paragraph 46 of the general
guidelines
can be found in paragraph 352.
IV. CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
(arts. 7, 8, 13-17 and 37
(a))
82. The Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified by Act No. 80 of
1990 and published in Special Annex No. 1542 of 15 August
1990. Having been
ratified by the legislative authorities in accordance with the legal and
constitutional system in the Sudan, it
acquired the same force as other laws and
its implementation is consequently binding on all executive and judicial bodies
and authorities
at the federal and provincial levels.
A. Name and nationality
(art. 7)
83. The right to a proper name from birth is a legal right. Accordingly,
every child born alive is given a name during the week after
birth and is
attributed to his or her father.
84. The State has long attached
importance in its laws to the registration of births. At the time of submission
of the initial report
of the Sudan, the relevant law in force was the
Registration of Births and Deaths Act of 1972. In the context of the federal
government
system which now prevails in the Sudan, however, the Act was reviewed
in order to overcome the chief impediments to its application
in practice. As a
result, the Registration of Births and Deaths Act of 1995 was promulgated,
pursuant to which the Act of 1972 was
abolished. The basic measures established
to ensure that every child is registered at birth are as
follows:
(a) The registration of births is now compulsory in accordance
with the provisions of article 5 of the above-mentioned Act, to which
end
registration at the state level is now carried out in conjunction with the
health authorities, to which end the provinces are
divided into registration
districts. The Act also stipulates that, in every state, a registrar of births
must be appointed by the
wali (governor);
(b) Under the Act,
every legal midwife attending a birth in the Sudan is required to give
notification of the birth, as are the ‘umdah (village chief), the
shaykh (village elder), the civil marriage officer, the father, if
he was present at the birth, the mother, unless she is indisposed, and
any adult
living in the same house as the mother at the time of birth. In order to ensure
that children are registered at birth,
the Act stipulates that penalties are to
be imposed on any of the afore-mentioned persons who fails to notify a
birth.
85. Potential social and administrative obstacles have been
overcome by ensuring that the administrative procedures for notifying
a birth to
the registrar are applicable to each district in every state, beginning with the
local government areas and extending
to include the ‘umdah (village
chief), the shaykh (village elder), the civil marriage officer and the
people’s committees. The registration of children born in any state,
including
children born to nomadic groups, displaced persons or refugees, is
therefore unavoidable. Further information on this subject is
provided
elsewhere in this report.
86. In regard to respect of a child’s
right to the preservation of his or her identity, article 10 of the Registration
of Births
and Deaths Act of 1995 stipulates the information to be provided at
the time of notifying a birth, which must be done immediately.
The elements of
a child’s identity required by law are shown on the relevant forms,
annexed hereto, and are as follows:
(a) The name of the newborn child,
if alive at birth, and the male or female gender of the child;
(b) The full name of the father (consisting of four elements) and his age,
occupation, domicile, nationality and religion, as well
as the name and family
name of the mother, the place of birth and the date of the
certificate.
87. The law stipulates that that this information must be
included in the register and that a certificate must be issued accordingly.
If
the information is not registered, the medical authorities issue certificates of
age estimation on request. These certificates
have the same force as evidence
provided by witnesses. Consequently, all children born in the Sudan, whether
registered or not,
are able to prove their identity. This form of information
prevents any kind of stigmatization or discrimination in regard to the
child.
88. The measures adopted to ensure the child’s right to
know the identity of his parents and receive their care are set forth
in
paragraph 51 of the initial report. The subject is regulated under chapter III
of the Personal Status of Muslims Act of 1991.
89. The Sudanese
Nationality Act of 1957 was abolished on promulgation of the Sudanese
Nationality Act of 1993 (annexed hereto), article
3 of which defines the word
“parent” to include the mother of a child born out of legal wedlock
or whose filiation is
unacknowledged. It also defines the word
“child” as a legitimate child, which includes the adopted child and
children
of either spouse. Measures taken to ensure the child’s right to
acquire a nationality include the provisions contained in
article 4, paragraph
2, which stipulate that: “A child born following the entry into force of
this Act is Sudanese by birth
if, at the time of his birth, his father was
Sudanese by birth.”
90. Paragraph 3 of the same article stipulates
that: “A person born to parents who are Sudanese by naturalization shall
be
Sudanese by birth if the parents acquired Sudanese nationality by
naturalization prior to his or her birth.” Paragraph 5 of
the same
article also stipulates that: “A minor of unknown parents who is found
abandoned shall be regarded as Sudanese by
birth until it is proved
otherwise.” Article 7, paragraph 4, further stipulates that the minister
may, on request, include
the names of minor children on any certificate of
Sudanese naturalization granted to their responsible parent and that each of
those
minor children is regarded as Sudanese by naturalization from the date
when his or her name is entered on the certificate of naturalization.
Under
article 9, the President of the Republic is vested with the authority to grant a
certificate of Sudanese naturalization to
any alien, even where the law provides
otherwise.
91. It is clear from the above that the Sudanese laws provide
considerable opportunity for children born out of wedlock and for asylum-seeking
and refugee children to acquire nationality.
B. Preservation of identity
(art. 8)
92. It is well-known that the Sudan is a multi-ethnic, multicultural and
multi-faith State, a situation for which the Fourteenth Constitutional
Decree of
1998 (annexed hereto) has due regard in that article 3, paragraph 1,
thereof stipulates that: “The Sudan is a multi-ethnic,
multi-cultural and
multi-faith State. Islam is the religion of the majority of the population and
Christianity and other African
beliefs have a considerable number of
followers.” The approach adopted in this Decree affirms the wording in
the preamble
to the Convention in which the international community signals its
agreement to the content, taking into account the importance of
the traditions
and cultural values of all peoples as a guarantee of the protection and
harmonious development of the child. The
individual pieces of federal
legislation also take into account the specific situation in each state with a
view to preserving the
identity of its people and children. Constitutional and
legal protection is thus provided with a view to the preservation and
establishment of all elements of a child’s identity. It is also
prohibited by law to take children out of the country, to conceal
or occasion
their disappearance and to substitute them with other children.
93. Article 9 of The Seventh Constitutional Decree of 1993 (annexed hereto)
states that the rights of citizens include freedom of
public expression,
participation and adherence to the law. Paragraph 2 of the article stipulates
that: “A citizen has the
legal right of freedom of belief without
coercion and freedom of worship without impediment, as well as the right of
freedom from
injustice or discrimination in public rights by reason of his or
her personal religious faith.”
C. Freedom of expression
(art. 13)
94. Article 3, paragraph 3, of the Fourteenth Constitutional Decree of
1997 stipulates that: “Legislation which prejudices
the fundamental
freedoms and rights of citizens may not be enacted.” This provision
therefore guarantees the protection of
fundamental freedoms and rights,
including freedom of expression for all adults and children. In addition, the
aims of education,
as articulated in the Public Education Act of 1992 (annexed
hereto), are, inter alia, to “exercise the minds of young people,
educate them in the sciences, infuse them with experience, develop their bodies
through
exercise, further their integrity through customs and morals and teach
them to be scrupulous in their thoughts, actions and treatment
of others.”
The same Act states that one of the strategic aims of education is to
“encourage creativity, develop abilities
and skills, provide opportunities
for training in modern technology and develop and adapt that technology in order
to further justice,
good and probity through the optimum use of resources with a
view to the achievement of comprehensive development.”
95. The
School Regulations (annexed hereto) also state that main school activities
should include morning parades, school broadcasts,
the production of newspapers
for posting on walls, activities run by artistic, literary and scientific
societies and drama activities,
all of which provide children with full
opportunities to express their views and develop their abilities and
talents.
96. It is well known that rights usually obtain without
restrictions on their exercise within the framework of compliance with the
law.
Any such restrictions, however, should not prevent exercise of the right of
freedom of expression, as stated in the above-mentioned
Constitutional Decree.
Restrictions to which the exercise of this right may be subjected are no
different from those spelled out
the Convention as being necessary in the
interests of, for example, the protection of the rights and freedoms of others,
the protection
of national security or of public order (ordre publique),
or of public health or morals, in addition to restrictions in the interests of
the rejection of any call to violence.
97. In actual practice,
therefore, children in the Sudan freely express their opinions through every
medium and in school activities,
without impediment, restriction or distinction
other than as stated above in exhaustive detail.
D. Freedom of thought, conscience and
religion
(art. 14)
98. The Sudanese legislative enactments in this field are in concert with
the innate character of the human being, on which basis
freedom of thought,
conscience and religion for children in the Sudan is rooted in instinct, as
affirmed by the fact that the family
is the first physical environment inhabited
by the child. The family therefore has a major impact on the formation of the
child’s
thought, conscience and religion. In prescribing the
child’s right to the preservation of identity, consideration must be
given
to the fact that, owing to his or her vulnerability and immaturity, the
child’s thoughts and beliefs are shaped by the
customs, culture and
religion of his or her earliest environment. This is confirmed in article 3,
paragraph 2, of the Fourteenth Constitutional Decree of 1997 (annexed
hereto), which stipulates that: “Freedom of religion,
belief and worship
is guaranteed for all, as is the freedom to practice preaching, missionary
activity and spiritual guidance. No
citizen may be coerced into embracing any
religion or creed. Freedom of religion is embodied in the public practice of
the ceremonies
of all religions and the creation of a climate conducive to
ensuring the practice of ceremonies of worship. Legislation which prejudices
the religious rights of any citizen may not be enacted.”
99. This
unequivocal provision represents a constitutional safeguard of the right of the
child to manifest his or her religion or
beliefs. Moreover, in accordance with
the Penal Code of 1991 (annexed hereto), any person who contravenes the
provisions of articles
125 and 127 thereof is held accountable and punished,
including any person who destroys or defiles any place intended for worship
or
anything held sacred by any group of people or who opposes or disrupts a
religious gathering. Sudanese legislation thus punishes
actions which are
liable to cause overt injury to religious sentiment.
100. In regard to
the measures taken to guarantee respect for the child’s right in relation
to any religious teaching in public
schools or institutions, the objectives of
public education stated in the Public Education Act of 1992 (annexed hereto) and
in the education strategy are, inter alia, that the State should
endeavour to “instil religious belief and morals in young people, impart
to them the teachings and heritage
of religion and lead them to embrace the path
of religion in order to build a faithful, God-worshipping and civilized
individual
who is capable of bearing responsibility and implanting social values
motivated by devoutness and piety.” The School Regulations
of 1993
(annexed hereto) proceed along the same lines, stating that children in Sudanese
schools should receive instruction in their
respective religions. This freedom
is subject only to those limitations set forth in the Convention and
internationally recognized
as controls on the exercise of fundamental freedoms
and rights. On that basis, the Sudan has overcome the major obstacle preventing
implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Differences of
religion therefore pose no obstacle to the protection,
development and survival
of children.
E. Freedom of association and peaceful
assembly
(art. 15)
101. Freedom of association and peaceful assembly is guaranteed by
Sudanese legislative enactments and protected by the Convention
inasmuch as it
is a national law. Freedom of association is guaranteed for children in
schools, student unions and universities
in accordance with the Public Education
Act of 1992 (annexed hereto) and the School Regulations of 1993 (annexed
hereto), article 17 of which stipulates that school activity
is an essential
part of the curriculum, as the two are mutually complementary in both theory and
practice. Such activity breaks
down the barriers and divisions between the
school and the surrounding environment, develops and refines talents and
aptitudes, deepens
the spirit of community and sense of responsibility and
ensures that leisure time is fruitfully spent in useful pursuits. Article
18 of
the School Regulations also stipulates that school associations should be
established for different types of religious, cultural,
social, scientific,
sporting and artistic activity, each on the basis of the child’s
inclinations, desires and potential.
It is thus affirmed that Sudanese
legislative enactments meet the requirement of article 15 of the Convention on
the Rights of the
Child and categorize the principles articulated therein as
fundamental rights.
102. All associations registered in accordance with
the law enjoy a legal personality, financial protection and the right of legal
action. This liberal framework has encouraged the establishment, in all states
of the Sudan, of various non-profit-making associations
which are essentially
geared to offer children’s activities in the fields of health, education,
sports, culture, art and science.
Although continuous
efforts are being made on this score, further support is needed, particularly
in the areas of civil war in the south.
103. Freedom of peaceful assembly
is guaranteed by law, unless such assembly leads to unrest or a breach of peace
and public security,
in accordance with articles 67 and 69 of the Penal Code of
1991 (annexed hereto).
F. Protection of privacy
(art. 16)
104. The previous report referred to the protection of this right under
the Penal Code of 1991, specifically chapter XVI, article
166, thereof. In
addition, articles 158 and 159 punish slander and defamation of reputation and
article 160 punishes the use of
abusive and insulting language.
105. The
law provides protection against any interference in privacy and against
slurs on honour and reputation by prescribing the penalty of imprisonment
and a fine for any person who commits such offences in contravention
of the
provisions of the aforementioned articles. The Penal Code of 1991 also
stipulates the inviolability of homes and provides
that they cannot be searched
without the permission of the occupants, a judge or the competent representative
of the Office of the
Public Prosecutor, in accordance with the rules and
procedures specified by law. The remedies made available to the child entail
following the procedures for reporting a complaint under the Code, which
protects these rights and punishes their violation.
G. Access to appropriate information
(art. 17)
106. The Public Education Act of 1992 (annexed hereto) stipulates that
the aims of public education and the education strategy are to encourage
creativity, develop
abilities and skills and provide opportunities for training
in modern technology. The fundamental freedoms and rights articulated
in the
Peace Agreement of 1997 (annexed hereto) also include the freedom to express and
develop culture and language. There is now
a significant move in the country
towards the production and dissemination of children’s books, together
with the transmission
of radio and television programmes for children and the
family.
107. Obstacles and difficulties posed by the high cost of
producing children’s newspapers and books nevertheless continue to
hinder
the flow and dissemination of information. Efforts to seek international
cooperation for the production, exchange and dissemination
of information and
material of social and cultural benefit to the child remains an utmost
imperative; the limited amount of international
assistance provided to the Sudan
in this connection and the consequences of the undeclared economic and political
embargo against
it affect the development of the child’s creative
abilities and potential. In regard to the protection of the child from
information
and material injurious to his or her well-being, Sudanese laws in
general protect Sudanese culture and morals and public decency.
The Press and
Publications Act of 1996 (annexed hereto), for example, prohibits the
publication of anything which offends public
decency, damages social customs or
fuels dissension.
H. The right not to be subjected to torture or other
degrading treatment or other cruel,
inhuman or degrading
treatment
(art. 37 (a))
108. Chapter IV of the Penal Code of 1991 (annexed hereto), entitled
“Welfare and reform”, stipulates that a court may
discipline a
juvenile suspect who has attained the age of 10 years by ordering that he should
be flogged, although the number of
lashes may not exceed 20. Article 190,
paragraph 1, of the Criminal Procedures Act of 1991 provides that sentences must
be immediately
enforced, even if an appeal is lodged, except in the case of
sentences including, inter alia, flogging. The provisions of article
194, paragraph 1, also stipulate that, in executing sentences such as flogging,
the state of
health of the person so sentenced must be taken into account, as
must the appropriate time for enforcement, with a view to ensuring
that the
individual concerned endures no greater harm than intended by the
punishment.
109. Article 197, paragraph (b), determines how flogging is
to be carried out by stipulating that a medium-sized whip must be used
to
administer each lash in a single moderate stroke which breaks neither skin nor
bone and which is directed away from the face,
head and vital areas of the body.
Paragraph (c) of the same article also provides that the judge must order a halt
to the flogging
if it becomes apparent to him while it is being carried out that
the offender’s state of health will no longer enable him to
withstand the
remainder of the punishment.
110. Article 15, paragraph (l), of the
School Regulations of 1993 (annexed hereto) provides that a teacher has a duty
to refrain from
disciplining pupils by means of verbal insult, which is
distasteful and undignified, and from reprimanding pupils in
anger.
111. Article 16 of the School Regulations also provides that a
teacher has a duty to abide by the following principles of reward and
punishment:
(a) He must desist from rudeness, control his anger and
excuse the errors of pupils;
(b) He must bear in mind the factors which
determine the efficacy and suitability of the type of reward and punishment,
namely the
child’s age, economic and social status, individual conformity
and personality;
(c) He must lean towards moderation in punishment,
exercise caution and care and avoid making mistakes and wounding
pride;
(d) He must carry out the punishment in segregation and hand out
rewards in front of other pupils as an incentive;
(e) He may not cane or
kick pupils or strike them on the face or head;
(f) He may not subject
pupils to collective punishment, such as flogging or verbal insults and abuse.
In boys’ schools, any
punishment of flogging which it is found necessary
to impose must not exceed four lashes, although the matter must first be taken
up with the school principal and consideration given to the pupil’s state
of health;
(g) He must refrain from punishment when in a state of anger
and irritation.
112. It is clear from the above that the intention behind
any measure taken against a child is not to inflict torture, cruelty or
insult
or even simply to impose punishment. On the contrary, the intention is to
correct and discipline. The Ministry of Education has adopted a programme to raise teachers’ awareness of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the National Council for Child Welfare has also carried out training and awareness-raising activities for personnel in institutions, services and facilities working with and for children aimed at preventing any form of ill-treatment. In conclusion, the attention paid to the civil rights and freedoms of children in the Sudan, the type and extent of which vary as to the strength of their impact and the connection between means and ends, ensures that such rights, whether moral or material in substance, permeate all aspects of human life.
V. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND ALTERNATIVE CARE
(arts. 5; 18,
paras. 1-2; 9-11; 19-21; 25; 27, para. 4; and 39)
A. Parental
guidance
(art. 5)
113. The structure of the family in Sudanese society is made up of
the father and mother, who represent the smaller family of the child
in
accordance with the inherited Sudanese social tradition. The wider family is
the child’s extended family and includes brothers,
sisters and so on.
This structure is affirmed in various laws, such as the Personal Status
of Muslims Act of 1991 and the Penal Code of 1991, which stipulate the rights
and duties of parents and other
persons legally responsible for the child in
providing appropriate direction and guidance to the child in a manner consistent
with
the child’s evolving capacities.
114. The various laws and
measures adopted in the Sudan offer numerous opportunities for the provision of
family counselling services
and the conduct of awareness campaigns on the rights
of the child within family life. The most significant of these is the Adult
Education Act, pursuant to which those who missed out on education are able to
enrol in specific programmes aimed at teaching them what they need
to know in
order to fulfil their duties towards their children. The establishment of
numerous voluntary organizations under the
Voluntary Work Act of 1995 similarly
provided extensive training opportunities to large numbers of social workers
with a view to
helping them to disseminate information to such families. Here,
it is worth mentioning that the provision of sufficient funding
for the
organizations and bodies engaged in this work enables them to increase their
activities in the communities in question.
Technical and material support also
furthers the efforts to pinpoint the ideal method of conveying knowledge and
information about
child development and the evolving capacities of the child to
parents or other persons responsible for the child.
B. Parental responsibilities
(art. 18, paras. 1-
2)
115. The Penal Code of 1991 (annexed hereto) devotes particular attention
to the legal responsibility of parents towards their children
in an effort to
ensure compliance with and fulfilment of that responsibility. The provisions of
the Personal Status of Muslims Act
of 1991 (annexed hereto), which are
consistent with Muslim beliefs, emphasize that priority and preference should be
given to the
interests of the child by providing food, clothing, shelter and a
sound upbringing. The laws regulating public health and education
also emphasize
the joint responsibility of parents for the upbringing and development of the
child. These laws further stress compliance
with the principles of
non-discrimination and respect for the child’s views in accordance with
his or her level of development.
The government authorities, voluntary
organizations and social funds in the Sudan provide parents, or legal guardians
in the absence
of one or both parents, with the assistance needed to help them
fulfil their responsibilities in regard to child upbringing and very
frequently
shoulder the full costs. On assuming its responsibilities towards children in
the Sudan, the National Council for Child
Welfare immediately proceeded to draw
up a list of the institutions involved in working with children and ensure
coordination among
them. These institutions are as
follows:
Institution Type of Type
of
institution service
1. Council for the
Welfare Government Coordination among
of Orphans and Widows organizations
involved in orphan care
(educational, health and
social
services, material and
moral support and
productive family
projects)
2. Zakat Office Government
3. Solidarity Fund (project
for Government
carers and their charges, child
welfare
homes)
4. Orphan Care Homes Government
5. Savings and Social
Development Bank for the poor
Bank
6. Sudanese Islamic Bank Private
sector
7. Bank of the Two Niles for Government
Industrial
Development
8. Al-Shahid Organization Voluntary
organization
9. Sudanese Association for Voluntary
organization
Children’s Villages
10. Muwwaffaq Charitable
Voluntary organization
Organization
11. Ithar Charitable
Organization Voluntary organization
12. Salsabil Charitable
Organization Voluntary organization
13. Islamic Relief Agency Voluntary
organization
14. African Maternal and Child Voluntary
organization
Welfare Society
15. World Health Institution Voluntary
organization
16. International Women’s Centre Voluntary
organization
17. International Endowments Body Voluntary
organization
18. Al-Ayna’ Charitable Society Voluntary
organization
116. A further 54 voluntary associations also provide children’s
services in their respective areas of activity. It should
be mentioned that
that these agencies, voluntary organizations and banking institutions operate at
the federal and state levels,
without distinction. Despite the valuable
services which they offer, however, such institutions are unable to expand and
increase
their activities due to lack of resources. They therefore require
financial support from international sources, coordinated under
the auspices of
the National Council for Child Welfare, with a view to the delivery of
humanitarian services and social support to
children displaced by the armed
foreign aggression waged against Sudanese territory on three
fronts.
117. At the federal and state levels, the Government is now
formulating and implementing programmes to provide cash and material support
to
poor families in addition to the support provided by social solidarity funds and
other institutions. An example of the support
provided to orphans by voluntary
organizations follows below. The foster placement and care of orphans and
their families is handled
by social centres established for that purpose. These
centres look after the educational and health interests of orphans. The groups
who benefit from these services include fostered orphans and their families
(widows and siblings) and poor families living in the
vicinity of such
centres.
1. Services provided
118. These include
maintenance payments for orphan families and assistance in the form of food and
clothing, as well as other essential
needs secured for orphans by way of their
monthly allowances.
2. Programmes
119. A summary of the
different programmes available to all recipients, with the exception of the
monitoring programme for orphan
families, is as
follows:
(a) Kindergarten programmes
These cater for
fostered orphans and their siblings under six years of age, as well as for
children from poor families and some children
from middle-income families, who
pay for any extras provided by the kindergarten (food, toys, etc.). These
kindergartens offer a
curriculum which includes classes in memorizing short
chapters of the Quran, elementary Arabic, recreational excursions, free play
and
video screenings.
(b) Educational programmes
These
programmes include classes in memorizing the Quran, Islamic jurisprudence,
public morals and the biography of the Prophet Muhammad.
They are offered to
orphans, widows and poor families at centres or learning camps for
orphans.
(c) Learning programmes
These consist of extra
classes in academic subjects for orphans and literacy classes for widows and
mothers of poor families.
(d) Income development
programmes
These consist of training in a variety of skills with a
view to enabling widows and orphans to acquire other means of earning an
income.
Widows, for example, may take courses in tailoring,
dressmaking and handicrafts, orphans may attend vocational training centres
and families may be supplied with production facilities
to the extent permitted
by the maintenance allowance.
(e) Monitoring
programmes
These programmes cater for orphans and their families and
entail:
(i) General monitoring: Families receive home visits aimed at identifying and resolving their problems and monitoring the impact of the programmes offered at the social welfare centres on all the individuals in the family of the foster orphan;
(ii) Academic monitoring: This is carried out in conjunction with the schools attended by orphans with a view to monitoring the academic standard and general behaviour of the orphans and encouraging the teachers to carry out such monitoring;
(iii) Health monitoring: This is aimed at monitoring the health of
orphan families, performing the necessary health checks and dispensing
treatment.
C. Separation from parents
(art. 9)
120. The measures of a legislative nature contained in chapter IV of the
Personal Status of Muslims Act of 1991, which relates to
custody, set forth the
legal safeguards preventing separation of the child from his or her parents,
except where such separation
is necessary for the best interests of the child.
Even when separation is necessary or unavoidable, the competent court, in this
case the personal status court, makes the decision as to the child’s place
of residence in accordance with his or her interest.
Adopted from Sudanese
custom, this is now an established legal principle. Under the laws regulating
court proceedings, all parties
to a lawsuit, including children, are given every
opportunity to make their views known.
121. The measures adopted to
ensure the right of the child who is separated from one or both parents to
maintain personal relations
and direct contact with both parents on a regular
basis are founded on Sudanese traditions and values. They are also found in
Sudanese
legal precedents based on the Shariah and customary law, which are the
sources of legislation in cases where no explicit provisions
exist. The
judgements rendered in these precedents take into account the views of the
child, except if they are contrary to his
or her best interests, as affirmed by
the Personal Status of Muslims Act of 1991. As for Christians, their affairs
are settled by
application of the laws particular to them.
122. The
Personal Status of Muslims Act of 1991 (annexed hereto) stipulates the
arrangements for the child in cases where the parents
separate. The parent with
custody may not prevent the other from visiting the child or enquiring about his
or her condition (article
109). The parent without custody has the right to
receive visits from the child, if requested, unless the courts decide otherwise
in accordance with the best interests of the child (article 123). Sudanese law
punishes any non-compliance with custody orders.
If parents commit acts of
violence against a child or if their normal behaviour places the child at
physical, moral or psychological
risk, they lose legal guardianship and the
child is removed from their care, in accordance with the provisions of the
Personal Status
of Muslims Act of 1991. In this case, the court may entrust the
care and maintenance of the child to a person whom it deems fit
for that purpose
in accordance with the provisions of the law.
123. It is difficult to
supply any further detailed information on this subject. It should be stated,
however, that National Council
for Child Welfare has established a child
information centre and that a
database on all matters relating to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
is being completed. The Sudan is highly dependent on
external financial,
material and technical assistance for the centre, the aim being to ensure the
future availability of more accurate,
detailed and comprehensive information
classified on the basis of the features and criteria requested by the Committee
on the Rights
of the Child and the criteria for the overall development of the
child.
D. Family reunification
(art. 10)
124. The application of article 10 of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child does not conflict with Sudanese laws, as freedom of
movement and residence
is guaranteed for all Sudanese and aliens alike in accordance with the
provisions of the Passport, Travel
and Immigration Act of 1993. This report
discusses the efforts of the Sudan to reunify abducted and displaced children
with their
families. It also contains information on unaccompanied children and
refugee children. The law provides that parents resident outside
the Sudan may
freely visit any children of theirs who are resident in the Sudan in a manner
consistent with the rules of Sudanese
legislation.
E. Illicit transfer and non-return
(art.
11)
125. On the basis of paragraph 65 of the initial report of the Sudan,
submitted in September 1992, concerning the transfer of children
abroad, we
should like to highlight the key facts and information in regard to the children
abducted by the rebel movement and transferred
abroad. We should also like to
emphasize the trouble, deceit, duplicity, double-dealing, prevarication and
political dishonesty
which the Sudan encountered and the violation of
international treaties and charters which it saw take place during the process
of
repatriating those children to the Sudan and reunifying them with their
families.
126. These children have now endured repeated tragedy for 10
years and more, ever since the start of the last rebellion in the Sudan
in 1983.
They were either abducted from their homes and held by the rebel movement in the
remote forests of the south or sought refuge
in Ethiopia after trekking long
distances on foot in intolerable conditions. Some are seized in towns such as
Nasir, Fashala, Bakok,
Kapoeta and Torit during the course of their return to
the Sudan, while others are obliged to travel to Narus on the Sudanese-Kenyan
borders or seek refuge in the Kenyan town of Lokichoggio or return to Narus
where they are forced to carry arms and fight in the
ranks of the rebel
movement.
127. The rebel movement has forced groups of children to travel
to Cuba for weapons training with a view to forming the nucleus of
the so-called
Red Army. Some of these children have returned to Uganda, where they are traced
by the rebel movement to the Sudanese
refugee camps in the north of the country
and forced to join its ranks. Other children, however, escaped to the Sudan to
tell the
tale of the suffering to which they were continuously subjected for
eight years.
1. Effects of child detention
128. The
abduction and detention of children by the rebel movement and their compulsory
recruitment into the ranks of its Red Army
has caused them serious harm, which
can be summarized as follows:
(a) Children in their tens of thousands
perished from hunger, thirst and disease or in attacks by wild animals during
their exhausting
journey, to which there was never any end;
(b) Thousands of the children forced to carry military supplies over long
distances died as a result of the sheer effort involved,
which was more than
their energy could sustain;
(c) Tens of thousands of children thrown
into battle by the rebel movement were placed in danger and many were captured
in the fighting
between the Government and the rebel movement in the states of
South Kordofan and Kordofan and in the southern part of Blue Nile
state;
(d) The detention of children by the rebel movement deprived
those who survived of the most basic rights of family care and education,
as
well as of all the fundamental rights guaranteed by the divine religions and
international instruments, including those relating
to the rights of the
child;
(e) The children detained by the rebel movement were forced into
orphanhood, the psychological and social effects of which they continue
to
suffer to this day.
2. Current situation of child detainees
129. The issue of
children held by the rebel movement still continues to plague society almost
10 years after the problem first began
in 1984. The children abducted from
their relatives can be categorized as follows:
(a) Sudanese refugee
camps in Kenya
130. The reports of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the other organizations working in this
field indicate
that there are about 20,000 unaccompanied children in Kakuma camp
in northern Kenya.
(b) Sudanese refugee camps in
Uganda
131. The reports indicate that there are large groups of
unaccompanied children in the following camps:
− Ogudebe camp;
− Koboko camp;
− Mbokolo camp.
(c) Sudanese refugee camps in
Zaire
132. The information available indicates that there are large
groups of unaccompanied children in Dungu camp.
(d) Refugee
children in Cuba
133. The information available indicates that there
are some 4,000 unaccompanied children in Cuba. Eight years ago, these children
were sent by the rebel movement to receive military training in Cuba, the
intention being that they would form the nucleus of the
rebel movement’s
Red Army. A small number of these children returned to Uganda, which
repatriated them to the Sudan. The
children returning from Cuba were fully
debriefed and confirmed the above-mentioned facts. They also stated that large
numbers of
children were still in Cuba awaiting help from the international
community to enable them to return the Sudan.
(e) Children detained in the southern Sudan
134. The rebel
movement continues to hold large numbers of unaccompanied children in some areas
of southern Sudan. These children
are constantly brain-washed and also undergo
regular military training. Balatoka, Narus and Mayot are examples of places
where children
are being held.
(f) Children fighting in the ranks
of the Red Army
135. The situation of this group is the worst and
most dangerous of any to which children detained by the rebel movement are
subjected.
The precise locations and numbers of these children are not known.
It is certain, however, that the rebel army includes substantial
numbers of
children and that their detention and recruitment to the ranks of the rebel army
are continuing uninterrupted. Recently
available information indicates that the
rebel movement has been actively abducting and recruiting children in some areas
of southern
Sudan. This information confirms that the rebel movement has no
qualms about punishing families who refrain from handing over their
children by
imposing heavy fines, seizing their cattle or threatening to set fire to the
villages where they live.
3. Position of international organizations
concerning the question of detained children
(a) UNHCR
136. The Government of the Sudan has communicated
with UNHCR headquarters in Geneva and with its offices in Khartoum, Nairobi and
Kampala on numerous occasions. Its efforts, however, have failed to motivate
UNHCR to assume a positive role in resolving the problem
of detained children.
In particular, it has done little to protect the children detained in the
refugee camps in neighbouring countries,
especially Kenya and Uganda, a subject
which will be discussed in detail in a later paragraph.
(b) UNICEF
– Operation Lifeline Sudan
137. The United Nations established
Operation Lifeline Sudan under the supervision of UNICEF to deal with the
problems of citizens
adversely affected by the war in the Sudan. Despite the
obvious difficulty of the children detained in southern Sudan and the fact
that
they are detained in locations within the mandate of UNICEF-Operation Lifeline
Sudan, none of the required effort has been made
to deal with the problem. In
many instances, UNICEF did no more than simply monitor events, whereas it should
have made serious
efforts to bring the problem to an end, especially since it is
chiefly in charge of Operation Lifeline Sudan in the places under
rebel
control.
(c) International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC)
138. ICRC is engaged in searching for missing persons in the
areas of armed conflict, which entails the following:
− Identification of missing persons;
− Exchange of correspondence;
− Family reunification.
ICRC conspicuously neglected
to carry out the role within its mandate in regard to the issue of child
detainees. It has shown only
limited cooperation with the Government of the
Sudan, whereas it should have stepped up it efforts to resolve the problem of
child
detainees.
(d) Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
139. Some NGOs,
such as Action against Hunger (France) and Save the Children (Sweden), have
endeavoured to provide assistance to the
children being held in detention camps
in Ethiopian territory (Gambella) and in towns such as Fashala, Nasir and Mayot.
Although
the provision of assistance to these children in any location is
undoubtedly merits appreciation, some children’s organizations
have very
noticeably refrained from providing the Sudanese authorities with the
information in their possession, which, if made available,
may assist in the
formulation of plans and remedies aimed at ending the children’s
misfortune.
(e) Abduction of children from Sudanese refugee
camps
140. Those concerned with the question of child detainees are
following with increasing concern the abduction of children from the
Sudanese
refugee camps in neighbouring countries. In fact, the transfer of Sudanese
children to neighbouring countries has failed
to provide them with safe refuge,
as the rebel movement has persistently tracked them down in the Sudanese refugee
camps, from where
it has abducted them for recruitment into the ranks of its Red
Army and forced them to take part in military action. It is reported
that the
operations to abduct children from refugee camps have never ceased. On the
contrary, they are occasionally stepped up on
the basis of the military
situation in southern Sudan. The rebel movement apparently treats the Sudanese
refugee camps as a reserve
camp of fighters from which it takes both men and
children alike to put into the killing fields. Given the recurrence of this
phenomenon
in recent years, it is essential to pinpoint examples, some of which
are cited below.
141. Some 5,000 children were abducted from the Sudanese
refugee camps in Kenya at the beginning of 1992. Immediately thereafter,
the
national committee assigned to deal with the issue of abducted children in the
Sudan wrote to UNHCR, which, in a reply dated
19 June 1992, asserted that all
the children were enjoying care and protection in the refugee camps in
Lokichoggio in northern Kenya
and that arrangements to move them to safe camps
deep inside Kenyan territory were proceeding smoothly. Uncomforted by this
news,
the committee treated the UNHCR statements with the utmost caution. It
then received firm information indicating that approximately
5,000 Sudanese
children had been smuggled out of the refugee camps in Kenya to be returned once
more to Sudanese territory to take
part in the aggressive military operations of
the rebel movement, in which regard their position was identical to that of the
children
who took part in the invasion of South Darfur.
142. Information
received from Uganda indicates that children are regularly abducted from the
Sudanese refugee camps in northern Uganda
and forced to go to the training camps
run by the rebel movement near the Sudanese borders.
143. Reports from
Zaire say that children in the Sudanese refugee camps in northern Zaire are also
regularly abducted for recruitment
into the rebel movement.
144. Local
and international news agencies have recently reported the abduction of large
numbers of children from the Kakuma camp
for Sudanese refugees in northern
Kenya, where there are about 20,000 unaccompanied
children.
145. Accountability for the continuing abduction of children
from the Sudanese refugee camps in neighbouring countries undoubtedly
lies with
UNHCR, as it has proved incapable of fulfilling its responsibilities, spelt out
in its charter, to protect refugees.
146. This was stated in the response
of the rebel Richard Molla aired by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
on 15 August 1992,
in which he held UNHCR responsible for transferring children
from Ethiopia to Fashala when it was in rebel hands and then from Fashala,
when it was freed, to Kenya. UNHCR then abandoned them
again once they became
refugees for which it had responsibility.
147. Following the above
review of the problem of children who are either detainees, refugees or
recruited as soldiers in the areas where
military operations are taking place,
the relevant points can be summarized as follows:
(a) These children are
Sudanese for whom the Government of the Sudan is responsible;
(b) These
children are in a special situation which requires special
treatment;
(c) Bearing in mind their immaturity, these children should
be repatriated and reunified with their families.
F. Recovery of maintenance for the child
(art. 27,
para. 4)
148. Article 81 of the Personal Status of Muslims Act of 1991 provides for
child maintenance and the rules which apply. Minors who
have no assets must be
maintained by their father. A female child must be maintained until she
marries, whereas a male child must
be maintained only until he reaches the age
at which his peers are capable of earning a living, unless he is a student, in
which
case he must continue to receive maintenance for as long as he continues
to pursue his studies with success. Measures adopted to
ensure respect for
non-discrimination, the best interests of the child and the right to life,
survival and development are dealt
with elsewhere in this report.
G. Children deprived of their family
environment
(art. 20)
149. The Personal Status of Muslims Act of 1991 regulates alternative care
for the child who is temporarily or permanently deprived
of his or her family
environment or who, in his or her best interests, is not permitted to remain in
that environment. Chapter IV
provides for custody, which entails the
maintenance, education, upbringing and care of the child in a manner consistent
with the
rights of the guardian and the interests of the minor. It specifies
the persons who may take custody, the conditions which those
persons must
satisfy and all matters relating to the child concerned. The question of
children whose parents are unknown and the
means of dealing with such children
are governed by the Child Welfare Act of 1971, which stipulates that social
workers must be appointed
to undertake all the procedures in their regard and
find an appropriate and competent person to care for them. The carer must share
the same religion as the child.
150. The law requires that the carer must
care for the child humanely and love the child as his own. He must also provide
the child
with suitable accommodation, food, clothing, medical care and
education. The Act further stipulates that the child is regarded as
part of the
carer’s family from every point of view and that the Muslim child does not
have the right to inherit from or make
bequests to his carer, a provision which
is not construed as preventing the carer from leaving a part of his estate to
the child
in his will.
151. Children who remain in care institutions are
provided with all the basic elements needed for a decent lifestyle. At the
state
level, the Ministry of Cultural and Social Affairs runs institutions which
take in children of unknown parents, to whom the same
law applies. Supervised
and monitored by the competent government agencies, a number of voluntary
organizations and NGOs, such as
the Sudanese
Society for Children’s Villages, also offer shelter to children who are
orphaned or deprived of or separated from their families.
152. Major
obstacles include the inadequacy of the budgets allocated to care institutions,
the lack of trained personnel and the increasing
numbers of disabled persons.
The targets set for the future are to set up investment projects in order to
finance care institutions
and to attract funding from solidarity and social
welfare funds and from national, regional and international charitable bodies
and
organizations in order to ensure that these institutions fulfil their role
of caring for such children and offer them a decent lifestyle.
H. Adoption
(art. 21)
153. Sudanese legislative enactments, laws and customs specify the procedures
for and effects of kafalah of Islamic law in order to ensure that the
child cared for under the kafalah system is protected from ill-treatment
and exploitation. Islamic law prohibits adoption under any circumstance. It
does, however,
encourage the kafalah system of caring for children, as
explained in the above paragraph. Children cared for under that system do not
have the right to
inherit, although bequests may be made to them. As for
Christians, the adopted child enjoys all the rights and duties stipulated
in
that connection in their own religious law. Further details on this subject are
found in paragraph 62 of the Sudan’s initial
report.
I. Periodic review of placement
(art. 25)
154. Sudanese legislative enactments regulate the periodic review of
placement in accordance with the Child Welfare Act of 1981 and
the Juvenile
Welfare Act of 1983, as well as the health laws and the laws and regulations on
prisons and on public and private hospitals
with a view to ensuring the
child’s care, protection and treatment. In some cases, the periodic
review is subject to legal
monitoring. Information on this subject is contained
in paragraph 68 of the initial report of the Sudan.
J. Abuse and neglect (art. 19), including physical
and psychological recovery
and social reintegration (art.
39)
155. Sudanese legislative enactments, including chapter XIV of the Criminal
Code of 1991, ensure that children are protected against
ill-treatment,
violence, harm and deprivation. They also include measures offering care,
reform and supervision for child offenders.
Mild flogging is stipulated
essentially for the purpose of reforming, educating and disciplining children at
this stage of their
lives as an alternative to sending them to social care
institutions or prison. The Juvenile Welfare Act also contains provisions
and
measures for the recovery and reintegration of child delinquents and vagrants.
For that purpose, a delinquent means a child
of not less than 10 and not more
than 18 years of age who commits an act contrary to the provisions of any
criminal law and a vagrant
means a child vulnerable to delinquency who is
usually either homeless or unable to specify his place of residence, state who
is
the person responsible for him or provide adequate information about himself
and who sleeps on the streets or is unemployed or engages
in begging and is
without a family provider or has escaped from the control of his parents or
carer.
156. Arrangements for delinquents are made in accordance with the
provisions of the law through the competent court, which may order
measures of
reform and send the delinquent to a correctional home for a period of not more
than five years in order to provide supervision,
care, training, appropriate
recovery and all physical, medical and mental needs. Arrangements for the
reform of vagrant children
are made by
the court, which may hand the child over to one or both parents or to the
child’s legal guardian or to the person responsible
for the child’s
care. Alternatively, it may entrust the child to a charitable society catering
to young persons or to a care
institution or it may put the child on probation
on the basis of a social report compiled by the competent authorities. In
addition,
the Public Education Act of 1992 and the Public Health Act of 1975
include measures for review aimed at positively improving the care, protection
and treatment
of the child and eliminating all violence and cruelty. It should
be stated that the Ministry of Justice conducted an earlier review
of all
child-related laws in the Sudan in order to harmonize them with the provisions
of the Convention. In this respect, the Government
carried out a
ground-breaking experiment to rehabilitate vagrant children, reunify them with
their families and provide economic
support for the families by supplying them
with the means of production to guarantee them a decent
livelihood.
157. The State has adopted various administrative measures in
connection with the family environment, some of which are mentioned
elsewhere in
this report. In addition, important political decisions and ministerial
ordinances have been adopted on this same subject,
including:
(a) Ministerial Ordinance No. 11 of 1993 forming a council to
coordinate projects for productive families and the environmental industries,
issued by the Minister of Social Planning;
(b) Ministerial Ordinance No.
18 forming a council to oversee the care of orphans under the kafalah
system and care for widows, also issued by the Minister of
Planning;
(c) Republican Decree No. 26 of 1994 forming the National
Council for Clothing Provision, issued by the President of the
Republic;
(d) Ministerial Ordinance No. 18 of 1994 forming the Communal
Marriage Council, which is responsible for formulating policies, plans
and
programmes to facilitate marriage and combat the social difficulties in its way,
as well as plans for fund-raising and investment
for that purpose. It is also
responsible for elaborating the rules and principles for providing assistance to
those entering into
marriage and for seeking the best means of implementing
these policies in the states and provinces.
158. In addition to the
information contained in paragraph 26 of the Sudan’s initial report of
1993, details of the progress
achieved in the field of care for vagrant children
are as follows:
The difficult circumstances in which vagrant children
live demands special attention and care, a topic which has been discussed at
length. The Sudanese experience in caring for such children has established
that the family and the community offer the best form
of care and that
institutional care should be used only as a last resort, since, regardless of
the attention devoted to care institutions
and irrespective of their resources
and professional capabilities, they can never compensate for the love of a
family and the affection
of a mother and father. Sudanese society therefore
strives to mend the suffering of vagrant children by offering social facilities
for their care and protection that also play a role in safeguarding the heritage
of the nation and ensuring that it is perpetuated
for generations. In order to
achieve these goals, it is vital to strengthen the capabilities, resources and
status of the family
so that it is able to pursue its roles at home and in the
community.
159. The main traits of the families of vagrant children are
as follows:
− The overwhelming majority of them are young, 85 per cent of their members being under 40 years of age, and most migrated to towns during the 1980s;
− Males are in the large majority in vagrant families, accounting for 64 per cent of their members as opposed to females, this being a particularly distinctive feature of migrant or displaced families;
− The high rate of dependency in these families forces some children to enter the labour market or become professional vagrants;
− Another distinctive feature of these families is their size, each family having an average of six children;
− These families typically consist of many members who are lacking in the skills and expertise demanded by the nature of the employment in urban areas.
Measures to tackle vagrancy
160. With a
view to resolving the problem of vagrancy, a decision was taken to reduce the
period of time spent in rehabilitation and
in vocational training institutions
and to use those institutions to meet the needs of children who cannot be
returned to their families.
It is essential to trigger the role of social
institutions in the different towns and states in monitoring children to ensure
that
they settle in well with their families after reunification. It is also
essential to implement productive projects of a communal
nature in preference to
those of an individual nature and develop the exiled communities by
strengthening education and health services,
building the capacities of
vulnerable families, promoting and mobilizing the energies of local communities
and raising their awareness
in order to ensure that they fulfil their duties in
caring for their children.
Rehabilitation of vagrant
children
161. The rehabilitation of vagrant children is the
responsibility of the State, whereas the responsibility for implementing the
programmes
concerned is shouldered by voluntary associations and national
organizations, which are assisted by the United Nations and donor
organizations
under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Planning in accordance with the
strategies and policies of the State.
This activity is aimed at shaping the
behaviour of children, reforming their inborn character and enabling them to
live in harmony
with their families.
The Federation of
Societies
162. A federation of the societies involved in the care and
rehabilitation of vagrants was established with a view to ensuring that
their
activities are coordinated and carried out in a scientific manner. The
societies belonging to the federation are essentially
those working mainly in
this field, since they already enjoyed close ties.
163. The Federation of
Societies for the Care and Rehabilitation of Vagrants (UNICEF), which includes
the African Maternal and Child
Welfare Society, the Friends of Children Society
(Amal), the Sabah Society, the Saint Mansur Society and the Popular Sudanese
Committee
for Relief and Reconstruction, provides services for children at the
reception centre in conjunction with the Ministry of Social
Planning, the
Ministry of Social and Cultural Affairs (Khartoum state) and the relevant
government bodies. The first group taken
in by the centre, which has estimated
capacity of 1,000, consisted of 200 children from the Hijayr camp. The children
remain at
the centre for a maximum period of six months for the purpose of
social and psychological recovery that is intended to free them
from the street
life and pave the way for a natural return to their families.
164. The
first group of vagrant children was taken in on 23 February 1997. The children
were transferred from Hijayr Abu Dum camp,
situated north of Omdurman, to the
centre belonging to the African Maternal and Child Welfare Society. The group
consisted of 200
children, as illustrated in the following table:
Children reunited with their families through family
reunification
Children collected from the centre by their families Children reunited with their families in Khartoum state with the help of ACS Children reunited with their families outside Khartoum state Children who dropped out of the centre Children still at the centre |
25
15 14 7 31 108 |
12.5 per cent
7.5 per cent 7 per cent 3.5 per cent 15.5 per cent 54 per cent |
Total
|
200
|
100 per cent
|
Source: Ministry of Social Planning.
The centre also took in
a second group consisting mainly of street children, whose movement was as
follows:
Children failing to fulfil the admission criteria
Children collected from the centre by their families Children who dropped out of the centre Children still at the centre |
19
4 41 30 |
20 per cent
4.2 per cent 43 per cent 32 per cent |
Total
|
94
|
100 per cent
|
The third and final group of 144 children was brought from Hijayr on 10
June 1997 and its movement was as follows:
Children reunited with their families through family
reunification
Children collected from the centre by their families Children reunited with their families in Khartoum state with the help of ACS Children reunified with their families outside the centre Children still at the centre |
-
13 - 15 116 |
-
9 per cent - 10.4 per cent 80 per cent |
Total
|
144
|
100 per cent
|
Source: Ministry of Social Planning.
The overall intake of
vagrant children amounted to 438, as illustrated in the following table showing
the movement of children between
23 February and 10 July 1997:
Total number admitted to the centre
Number from Abu Hijayr camp on 23 February 1997 Number delivered by the police on 13 April 1997 Number from Abu Hijayr camp on 10 June 1997 Total intake Total reunited with their families Total number of drop-outs Number released for non-fulfilment of the admission criteria Current number of children |
438
200 94 144 438 78 87 19 254 |
Source: Ministry of Social Planning,
1997.
The following table shows the daily activities at the centre:
Daily activities and routine chores
|
Changing timetable of activities
|
Social and psychological follow-up
|
Personal hygiene (shower and wash)
|
Indoor physical exercise
|
General supervision of activities
|
General cleaning of rooms and premises of the centre
|
Recreational programmes (videos, games, assembly and construction,
etc.)
|
Indoor group activity (discussion of problems)
|
Three meals
|
Outside activities
|
Guidance and counselling
|
Announcement of prayer times
|
General weekly cleaning day
|
Completion of forms and writing of case reports
|
Break times
|
Academic follow-up (education)
|
Follow-up of cases of illness
|
Medical examination and treatment
|
|
Reception of families and family visits
|
Source: Ministry of Social Planning, 1997.
The vagrant
children accommodated clearly suffer from health problems, as shown in the
medical report. The following table illustrates
the illnesses prevalent among
vagrant children:
Illness
|
Number of children
|
Cough
Ringworm Malaria Bilharzia Mumps Dysentery Tuberculosis Eye disease Worms Anaemia Night-blindness Pneumonia Malnutrition |
55
46 4 20 - 2 68 - - 10 - 4 1 |
Source: Ministry of Social Planning.
The following team
of medical personnel has been provided to work at the reception
centre:
Paediatricians 1
Medical assistants 1
Nutritional
officers 2
Drivers 1
General practitioners 2
Project
coordinators 1
Social
workers 6
Nurses 2
The following table shows the medication supplied:
No.
|
Name of medication
|
Quantity
|
1
|
Amoxil capsules
|
6 000
|
2
|
Amoxil syrup
|
500 phials
|
3
|
Erythromycin tablets
|
5 000
|
4
|
Erythromycin suspension
|
400 phials
|
5
|
Septrin syrup
|
500 phials
|
6
|
Septrin tablets
|
4 000
|
7
|
Chloroquine syrup
|
250 phials
|
8
|
Chloroquine injectable
|
300 ampoules
|
9
|
Chloroquine tablets
|
3 000
|
10
|
Empty syringes
|
5 000
|
11
|
Penicillin solution
|
6 000 injections
|
12
|
Procaine penicillin
|
400 phials
|
13
|
Eye ointment
|
200 tubes
|
14
|
Fansidar tablets
|
1 000
|
15
|
Sutures
|
5 cartons
|
16
|
Panadol tablets
|
4 000
|
17
|
Panadol syrup
|
300 phials
|
18
|
Disinfectants
|
Unspecified
|
19
|
Cotton wool and bandages
|
Unspecified
|
Source: Ministry of Social Planning, 1997.
The table below
shows the donor contributions to the centre:
Donor
|
Contribution
|
Amount in stock
|
GOAL
|
350 cartons of soap
392 cloths 169 pairs of shoes 350 cartons of fresh milk Stationery and sports equipment |
300
Available - - |
ADRA
|
80 x 50 kg. SFSG
7 x 50 kg. sacks of lentils 27 x 20 kg. cartons of vegetable oil |
-
- - |
World Food Programme (WFP)
|
23 x 25 kg. sacks of DSM
68 x 50 kg. sacks of sugar |
22
65 |
Ministry of Social Planning
|
2 sacks of onions
64 x 1-litre cans of oil 4 sacks of Egyptian beans 2 sacks of Egyptian beans 8 sacks of Egyptian beans 25 x 90 kg. sacks of wheat 5 x 90 kg. sacks of wheat Other spices |
-
4 4 1.5 4.5 25 5 Available |
NUCRVC
|
2 x 25 kg. sacks of DSM
1 x 50 kg. sack of sugar (for tuberculosis patients) |
-
- |
Médecins sans Frontières (France)
|
Quantity of medicines
|
-
|
Source: Ministry of Social Planning, 1997.
The table below outlines the budget of the centre and the donor
committee:
No.
|
Amount in Sudanese pounds
|
Donor
|
1
|
55 000 000
17 000 000 13 500 000 10 500 000 16 841 360 112 841 360 |
Federal Office of Zakat
Zakat Office – Khartoum Ministry of Social and Cultural Affairs, Khartoum state Federation of Societies GOAL Total |
Source: Ministry of Social Planning, 1997.
165. Paragraph
33 of the addendum to the initial report of the Sudan (CRC/C/3/Add.20) referred
to the future plan in this connection
and efforts are still continuing to
implement the objectives of this plan.
166. In brief, the difficulties
encountered concern the funding of such programmes and the lack of humanitarian
assistance directed
to the country. Material and technical support is needed
from the international community if the social reintegration of these children
is to become a national priority.
VI. BASIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
(arts. 6; 18, para. 3; 23;
24; 26; 27, paras. 1-3)
A. Disabled children (art. 23)
167. The attention devoted to disabled children by the State began in
1970 in the form of social welfare activities. Numerous societies
were
established for disabled persons with hearing, visual, physical or mental
impairments, including:
(a) The Society for the Hearing and Speech
Impaired;
(b) Al-Nur Society;
(c) The Sakina Society for the Physically
and Mentally Disabled;
(d) The Sabah Society;
(e) The Amal
Society.
168. These societies were formed in the capital and later
established branches in the states, as in the case of the Amal Society,
which
moved into the states of Gezira, North Kordofan, River Nile and Bahr al-Jabal.
In 1982, the State began to provide health
care for disabled children in
cooperation with the British Embassy, the University of Khartoum and Suba
University Hospital, where
the Cheshire Institute for Disabled Children was
established to provide medical care for physically and mentally disabled
children.
Paediatricians are in attendance weekly to offer health and medical
care and Suba University Hospital carries out operations on
children with
poliomyelitis.
169. Some voluntary organizations, such as the Sakina
Society, also began to open health clinics for disabled children and keep
records
on every child. The State undoubtedly helped by setting up a factory to
make prosthetic limbs for disabled children and by working
for the social,
educational, vocational and physical rehabilitation of disabled children with a
view to their social reintegration.
A special department was created in the
Ministry of Social Planning to cater for disabled persons, in accordance with
the comprehensive
national strategy. This department conducted a study on
disabled children in the relevant centres and institutions, the findings
of
which were as follows:
Number of disabled children 90
248
Males 52 906 58.6 per cent
Females 37 342 41.4 per cent
In urban areas 27 587 30.6 per cent
In rural areas 62 661 69.4
per cent
The breakdown by disability is as follows:
Physical 38
390 42.5 per cent
Hearing and speech impaired 20 749 23 per
cent
Blind 7 233 8.1 per cent
Multiple disability 3 175
3.5 per cent
Mental 13 069 14.5 per cent
Other (psychiatric and
genetic) 7 208 8 per cent
Unspecified 442 0.4 per
cent
170. The number of disabled children in Khartoum state amounted to
12,297, of whom 7,057, or 42.6 per cent, were males. The number
of disabled
children successfully rehabilitated in Khartoum state amounted to only 2,682, or
31.8 per cent, which is naturally attributable
to the high cost of educating a
disabled child, the small number of institutions and centres catering to
disabled children and the
inability
to start up extra classes in the existing institutions. In 1996, there were
620 children, or 23.5 per cent, in the institutions offering
rehabilitation in
Khartoum state and the number of children previously rehabilitated stood at
2,051, or 76.5 per cent. Of the 11
institutions in Khartoum state, two are
government-run and the remainder are voluntary institutions or centres run by
societies or
individuals.
The number of disabled children in
institutions offering rehabilitation in Khartoum state is as follows, by
disability and age:
Disability
|
Number
|
Males
|
Females
|
Under 6 years
|
6-12 years
|
12 years and above
|
Mental
Hearing Visual More than one disability Total Per cent |
129
325 86 180 620 100 |
89
123 60 119 400 64.5 |
31
102 26 61 320 35.5 |
28
10 - 45 83 13.4 |
72
169 40 93 374 60.3 |
29
46 36 42 163 26.3 |
It should be pointed out that physically disabled children are not
shown in the table, as there were none attending the institutions
concerned
owing to the fact that they are mainstreamed into regular
schools.
171. The number of personnel working with disabled persons in
these centres is extremely small, amounting to a total of 91. Despite
the
scarcity of resources, however, comprehensive services are provided within the
centres, as follows:
Type of
service Number Percentage
1. Rehabilitation
and education 11 23.4
2. Vocational training 1 2.1
3.
Psychological counselling 11 23.4
4. Family training 5 12.9
5.
Financial assistance - -
6. Protection services 7 14.9
7.
Early intervention 5 10.6
8. Employment 1 2.1
9. Transport
5 10.6
Total 47 100
172. Despite the efforts of the Government and
voluntary organizations, the following difficulties are encountered in regard to
health
care for disabled persons:
− The activities of the organizations concerned do not extend to other states;
− Accurate statistics and data on disabled persons are unavailable;
− The different pieces of equipment and apparatus for disabled children are unavailable;
− Transport is unavailable and the curricula, training and information are inadequate;
− The cost of prosthetic limbs is extremely high.
173. In order to reduce the incidence of disability, the State has
endeavoured to:
− Ensure the success of expanded immunization programmes, particularly those aimed at eradicating poliomyelitis in children;
− Implement a project to supplement table salt with iodine.
174. The progress achieved in prenatal, perinatal and
post-natal services with a view to forestalling any potential causes of
disability
in the child during these stages is illustrated in tables 9-1, 9-2,
and 101, 10-2 and 10-3 concerning disabled children.
B. Health and health services
(article 24)
1. Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the
field of health care
175. The Sudan began to apply numerous primary
health care policies early on and has a exceptional body of health personnel,
such
as medical assistants, who, together with village midwives, are mainly
responsible for providing rural health services, as has been
the case since
pre-independence days.
176. Following the Alma Ata Conference in 1978,
the State made an undertaking to adopt policies focusing on primary health care
in
order to achieve health for all. It consequently began to establish
administrative bodies and provide resources in the form of personnel,
personnel
training and health units. The assistance received from United Nations agencies
at that time had a great impact on the
implementation of primary health care
programmes, which initially achieved good results until 1990, when international
support for
these programmes began visibly to diminish, a factor which has
hitherto continued to have major implications by disrupting the flow
of
achievement of the desired results and set targets.
177. It is should be
stated that the impressive results recently attained in the field of primary
health care and immunization in
particular were due to the valuable support
provided by the Government, despite difficult economic and social circumstances
and the
lack of foreign aid from various organizations, and to the effort of
those working in that field.
178. In view of the above circumstances, the
objectives of the primary health care programmes designed to reduce morbidity
and mortality
are still far from attainment, taking into account the spread of
epidemics and water-borne diseases such as malaria (see the table
below), which
affects many inhabitants and kills enormous numbers of children, and the effects
of the ruinous war on the situation
of children. Children are thus deprived of
their basic health, educational and social rights, as well as their rights to
survival
and development, particularly bearing in mind the geographical location
and physical features of the Sudan, which is frequently stricken
by drought and
desertification or by torrential floods, its extensive surface area and the
ensuing communication difficulties. Despite
the obstacles mentioned, however,
the State has taken measures to address these challenges by decentralizing and
ensuring the fair
distribution of resources in order to lower the administrative
profile and consequently transfer the authority for development planning,
including health planning, to the local government areas, which, being the
geographical unit for the health district, can provide
and train personnel.
With input from the public, a health district policy was also outlined to ensure
the integration of health
services with the other relevant services. By1996,
there were 53 health districts and efforts are now under way to form health
districts
in all the local government areas in every state, which inevitably
requires considerable support from all
authorities. The Ministry of Health also adopted a project to integrate
treatment of the five child-killer diseases, namely malaria,
diarrhoea, acute
respiratory disease, malnutrition and measles.
179. In order to promote
overall development and thus enable the delivery of health care services to all,
the State embarked on the
construction of various interstate roads, such as the
Western Salvation Highway and the Northern Challenge Highway, the aim being
to
ensure that development encompasses the whole country, including children.
180. A major enhancement has been the strengthening of the radio and
television broadcasting network, as a result of which all citizens
have access
to information, including information on health and on maternal and child health
in particular.
181. The overall strategy for development includes a
health strategy aimed at providing universal access to primary health care and
according priority to child and maternal care, a priority to which the State is
committed at the highest levels. It should be pointed
out that several
amendments have been made to the health laws to accompany achievement of the
targets set in the fields of primary
health care and the rights of the child
(see the laws annexed hereto). Moreover, the Khartoum Peace Agreement brought
an end to
the war which had violated all the fundamental rights of the child
stipulated in articles 6, 7, 8, 9, 19, 24, 27 and 28 of the
Convention.
2. Overall demographic and health
indicators
182. The information below was obtained from the Federal
Ministry of Health, the National Health Information Centre, the Sudanese
Survey
of Maternal and Child Health, the 1993 Arab Project for the Advancement of
Children and “The State of the World’s
Children” (UNICEF,
1997).
Number of children (in millions)
Under 18
years of age Under five years of
age
14.2 4.7
41.6 per cent 13.3 per cent
Source: Arab Project for the Advancement of Children, 1993.
Annual population growth rate
(percentage)
1995 2.9
Source: Central Office of Statistics.
Crude mortality rate per thousand Crude
birth rate per thousand
1995 13 1995 29
Source: Central Office of Statistics.
Percentage of urban population Annual
increase in urban population
1995 25 1965-1980 5.6
1980-1995 4.8
Mortality rate per thousand among infants under one year of age
1993** 110
1995* 69.5
* Source: “The State of the World’s Children”
(UNICEF, 1997), the Sudanese Survey of Maternal and Child Health and the Arab
Project for the Advancement of Children, 1993. For further details, see table 2
annexed hereto.
** Source: Population census of 1993, Central Office
of Statistics.
Under-fives mortality rate per thousand
1995 112.6
Source: Arab Project for the Advancement of Children,
1993.
− It should also be stated that infant and child mortality rates are extremely high in states such as Darfur and those in eastern Sudan.
− The annual number of births is 1,099,000.
− The annual number of deaths among the under-fives is 126,000.
Percentage of births supervised by qualified personnel
Source: Arab Project for the Advancement of Children,
1993.
− Maternal deaths during pregnancy and birth amount to 379 per 100,000 (Source: Arab Project for the Advancement of Children, 1993);
− The pregnancy rate in the Sudan is 40 per cent, or in other words, about one million pregnant women every year;
− Married women and mothers account for approximately 20 per cent of every 100,000 inhabitants, or in other words, about 5 million.
Overall fertility rate
Source: Arab Project for the Advancement of Children,
1993.
Percentage of contraceptive use
Source: Arab Project for the Advancement of Children, 1993.
Percentage of pregnant women not immunized against tetanus
1990-1996 65
One dose 18
Two
doses 10
Source: Arab Project for the Advancement of Children, 1993.
Percentage of the population with access to clean water
1993 60 20
1996 84 41
Percentage of children fully immunized at the age of one year
1992-1995 Tuberculosis Triple
vaccine Poliomyelitis Measles
88 76 77 74
The 10 main causes of deaths in children (0-5 years)
admitted to hospital in 1989
No. Cause of death Number of deaths Annual
percentage
1. Diarrhoea 743 24
2. Pneumonia
473 15
3. Malaria 367 12
4. Malnutrition
299 10
5. Meningitis 157 5
6. Anaemia 144
4
7. Other respiratory diseases 104 3
8. Rheumatic fever
62 2
9. Cardiac failure 60 2
10. Non-specific symptoms
46 1
Total deaths from disease 2 455 80
Other deaths
611 20
Overall deaths in the category 3 066
Source:
Federal Ministry of Health - National Centre for Health
Information.
The 10 main causes of deaths among children (0-5 years) admitted to hospital in 1993
No. Cause of death Number of deaths Annual
percentage
1. Diarrhoea 777 26
2. Malaria
575 20
3. Pneumonia 480 16
4. Malnutrition
366 12
5. Dehydration 128 4.4
6. Anaemia 100
3.4
7. Meningitis 90 3
8. Cardiac failure
58 2
9. Typhoid 43 1.4
10. Poor blood circulation
41 1.4
Total deaths from disease 2 568 88
Other deaths
340 12
Overall deaths in the category 2 908
Source: Federal
Ministry of Health - National Centre for Health Information.
The 10 main causes of death among children (0-5 years) admitted to hospital in 1995
Malaria 777
Pneumonia 542
Diarrhoea 377
Blood poisoning
306
Dehydration 294
Malnutrition 224
Anaemia
148
Meningitis 102
Cardiac disease 84
Other respiratory
diseases 51
Total 2 905
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for
Health Information.
The 10 main causes of hospital admission among children aged 0-5 years in 1995
Cause Cases
Malaria 35
459
Pneumonia 22 654
Diarrhoea 8 910
Malnutrition 3
134
Anaemia 2 509
Other respiratory diseases 2 178
Dehydration
1 914
Abcess 1 292
Accident and injury 967
Eye disease
877
Total 89 925
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for
Health Information.
3. Measures adopted to implement article 24 of the Convention
183. Children have the right to the highest
standard of health and medical care and the State is particularly obliged to
provide primary
health care and protection, spread health awareness and reduce
child mortality rates.
(a) Medical care of the
child
184. The State has made commendable efforts in this respect by
promoting and developing all medical resources in the form of health
facilities,
personnel and medication. In so doing, it has given fair and equal priority to
rural children, the vast majority of
whom are vulnerable to disease, a matter
which will be discussed in detail.
(b) Health facilities
(Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for Health
Information)
185. The combined efforts of the State and the public have
had an impact on the development of various health facilities, with emphasis
on
those dedicated to mothers and children, especially in rural areas, as the
following tables clearly illustrate. Table 3 illustrates
material and human
resources in 1992 and 1995-1996. The number of health facilities generally
increased, as follows:
1992 1996
Hospitals 216 253
Beds 20
135 22 444
Dispensaries 1 271 1 478
Clinics 1 285 1
558
Health units 3 115 2 916
Health facilities in the Sudan (1992-1996)
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Hospitals 216
216 228 240 235
Beds 20 135 20 435 21 024 21 827 22
444
Health centres 426 470 477 521
571
Dispensaries 1 271 1 344 1 346 1 400 1 478
Clinics
1 285 1 317 1 388 1 412 1 558
Primary health care
units
3 115 3 012 3 013 3 007 2 916
The annual increase in the
number of hospitals, beds, health centres, dispensaries and clinics can be
noted.
186. The gradual increase over the years in the number of
hospitals, beds, health centres, dispensaries and clinics is clear. The
evident
fall in the number of primary health care units, on the other hand, is due to
the fact that some were upgraded to clinics
or dispensaries.
The
following table shows the rate of increase in the number of beds per 100,000
inhabitants between 1992 and 1996.
1992 1996
Beds 7.6 8.5
The following table also shows the type of hospital
and type of services available:
Teaching hospitals Public
hospitals
Consultants Specialist Total Consultants Specialist
General Total
fields fields
20 16 36 37 7
138 253
A careful analysis of the material and human resources
illustrated in tables 3, 4 and 5, together with the information on the health
facilities available for mothers and children, shows that these facilities have
progressively increased and are evenly distributed
throughout the rural and
urban areas of each state, thus affirming the success of the policy to
decentralize and seek the fair distribution
of resources.
187. The
appalling decline in these facilities is also noticeable in the southern states,
where the war has destroyed the entire infrastructure.
Children are
consequently denied their fundamental rights, which can be realized only with
peace and through increased local and
foreign efforts aimed at reconstructing
and renovating such facilities.
(c) Health education institutions and
health personnel
(Source: Federal Ministry of Health and National Office for Health
Information)
188. The steady growth is an inevitable result of the
development of a number of health education institutions (see table 6 on
material
and human resources). In the context of the revolution in education
now taking place throughout the country, various medical schools
and colleges
for other health personnel have been established, along with the National
Sudanese Council for Specialist Medicine.
In addition, numerous specialisms are
already taught in the Universities of Khartoum and Gezira. It should be pointed
out that
substantial numbers of doctors and specialists returned after studying
abroad. The number of health personnel increased as follows:
1992 1996
Consultants 578
609
Registrars 166 184
General practitioners 1
189 991
Housemen 281 449
Dentists
190 205
Total number of doctors 2 354 2 438
Pharmacists
228 290
Medical assistants 4 745 5
247
Technicians 1 400 1 633
Nurses 16 354 17
182
In 1996, the ratio of health personnel to inhabitants was one
doctor for every 100,000 inhabitants.
Category Consultant Dentist All
doctors
Number 609 205 2 438
Ratio 0.2 0.1 0.9
Ratio of medical and assistant health personnel
Category Technicians Medical assistants Health
inspectors Nurses
and officers
Number 1 529 4 918 250 14
211
Average 0.7 2.2 0.1 6.4
189. It should be pointed out here
that there is a close link between children’s health and an increase in
relevant personnel,
such as nurses, village midwives, trained midwives, health
visitors, medical assistants, immunization technicians, gynaecologists,
obstetricians and paediatricians. It is noticeable from examining the
distribution of these personnel throughout the different states
that there are
very few of them in the southern states owing to the war (see tables 3, 4 and
5).
(d) Essential medicines
190. According to the fourth
national list of medicine requirements for 1995, there were 454 essential
medicines, excluding vaccines.
The State has adopted a national policy on
essential medicines, the focus of which is to cover the needs of citizens at the
lowest
cost. In 1996, a project was launched to provide free medical treatment
in the accident departments of government hospitals, in
which context
73 types of medicine were earmarked for availability free of charge in
emergency cases.
191. In order to meet the need for medicine at
reasonable prices, the State took the following steps:
(a) The
Pharmaceuticals, Toxins, Cosmetics and Medical Supplies Act of 1997 was
promulgated;
(b) The regulations concerning the registration of
pharmaceutical preparations and the principles for determining need, safety,
effectiveness,
quality and cost were redrafted and the number and prices of
registered preparations were listed;
(c) Measures and principles in
connection with the import of medicines were adopted;
(d) Binding rules
for pharmaceutical establishments were issued;
(e) Regulations concerning
the registration of medicinal plants and pharmaceutical preparations made from
such plants were issued,
together with regulations for inspection, sampling and
analysis;
(f) In order to reduce the cost of medications, a system of
people’s pharmacies was established under which 295 pharmacies were
established by 1997, increasing to 3,000 by the year 2000;
(g) In order
to ensure an adequate supply of pharmacists, several pharmacology faculties were
established at various universities,
producing between 40 and 150 graduates
annually, in addition to those graduating from universities abroad;
(h) In this connection, the National Drug Testing and Analysis Laboratory
received support in the form of the qualified personnel
and equipment needed to
carry out such testing and analysis.
(e) Drug
manufacture
192. The country now has 15 operational drugs factories
which annually produce 15 types of medicines in order to cover the national
list
of medicine requirements. The State has taken the initiative to waive customs
duties on medicines in order to encourage the
private sector to start
manufacturing drugs.
(f) Private pharmacies
193. Private
pharmacies supply 97 per cent of medicines through importation. The value of
imported medicines rose from $4 million
in 1990 to $40 million in 1997. Through
banks, some states have begun to set up small enterprises and companies in order
to purchase
medicines in addition to those provided by the Government, in which
connection the Bamako project is also being implemented throughout
the
Sudan.
(g) Primary health care
194. Articles 6 and 24 of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child relate to the survival and development
of the child and to the
provision of primary health care, one component of which
is nutrition. Article 27 also recognizes “the right of every child
to a
standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual,
moral and social development”. In that
connection, the following has been
achieved:
(h) Nutrition
(Source: Federal Ministry of Health, Department of
Nutrition)
195. The indicators for nutrition in the Sudan are as
follows:
− Children with low birth weight during the period 1990-1995: 15 per cent;
− Children exclusively breastfed from birth to 30 months: 94 per cent;
− Children taking solids to supplement breast milk between the ages of six and nine months: 45 per cent;
− Children still breastfeeding between the ages of 20 and 23 months: 44 per cent;
− Children underweight (emaciation and dwarfism):
1992-1996
Underweight Emaciation Dwarfism
24
per cent 13 per cent 24 per cent
(See table 7 on
nutrition)
Goitre among children between 6-10 years of age
Percentage of Darfur White Eastern Khartoum
Northern Southern
families consuming Nile states
states states
iodized salt
0.03 87
78 69 17 24 30
(i) Trace
elements (iron deficiency)
196. Anaemia brought on by iron deficiency
is one of the 10 main causes of hospital admission, as well as one of the 10
main causes
of hospital deaths. Accordingly, between 1995 and 1995, in
conjunction with the WHO and experts from the Diseases Control Center
in
Atlanta, the National Department of Nutrition conducted a study to measure the
amount of haemoglobin in under-fives and their
mothers, the findings of which
were as follows:
Anaemia in under-fives and their mothers in nine states (1995-1996)
No. State Percentage of children with Percentage of mothers with
less than 11 grams of less than 12 grams
of
haemoglobin per millilitre haemoglobin per millilitre
1. Northern (Merowe
province) 68.3 84.5
2. Khartoum 73 89.2
3. Sennar 78.9 95
4. Kassala 81.7 37.4
5. Gezira 82.9 55.6
6. North
Kordofan 90.8 44.9
7. South Darfur 86.4 39.2
8. Red
Sea 89.1 56.4
9. River Nile 92.1 53.1
By examining the table
below, in which the figures are arranged in descending order, it can be seen
that child anaemia is most prevalent
in the River Nile, North Kordofan and Red
Sea states, and least prevalent in Khartoum state and Northern state, while the
southern
states of Darfur, Gezira and Kassala are in between. As for maternal
anaemia, it is most prevalent in Sennar, Khartoum and Northern
states, and least
prevalent in North Kordofan, South Darfur and Kassala states, with Red Sea,
Gezira and River Nile states in between.
197. This geographical
disparity and the disparity in the prevalence of anaemia in children and mothers
requires further study with
a view to identifying whether anaemia has an
environmental cause, is caused by illness, intestinal worms, malnutrition or
eating
habits or is attributable to cultural or educational causes. Appropriate
programmes can then be devised to deal with these causes
and eradicate
anaemia.
No. State Percentage of children State Percentage of
mothers
with less than 11 grams of with less than 12 grams
of
haemoglobin per millilitre haemoglobin per
millilitre
1. Nile 92.1 Sennar 90.5
2. North
Kordofan 90.8 Northern 84.5
3. Red Sea 89.1 Khartoum 89.2
4. South
Kordofan 86.4 Red
Sea 56.4
5. Gezira 82.9 Gezira 55.6
6. Kassala 81.7 River
Nile 53.1
7. Sennar 78.9 North Kordofan 44.9
8. Khartoum 70.3 South
Darfur 39.2
9. Northern 68.3 Kassala 37.4
(ii) Iodine
deficiency
198. Studies have confirmed that illnesses resulting from
iodine deficiency, particularly goitre, are common throughout every state
in the
Sudan. These studies produced the following findings:
Percentage of illnesses resulting from iodine deficiency,
particularly goitre
Darfur sector 87
Eastern sector 13.5
Khartoum 78
Other states
17.5
In order to tackle this health problem, in 1995 the State
distributed potassium iodide tablets to primary schools in South Darfur,
as well
as injectable iodine and tablets to the worst affected areas, thus benefiting
two million people in Darfur and While Nile.
Iodine was then added to well
water in North Kordofan and lastly, table salt was iodized, beginning in 1995,
with the aim of eradicating
illnesses caused by iodine deficiency by the year
2000 in accordance with the recommendations of a world conference on the
elimination
of nutritional deficiencies of trace elements, including iodine,
held in Canada in October 1991. In December 1995, a contract was
signed to
install the necessary machinery in Port Sudan, following which factories began
operation and the factory workers received
training in the production of iodized
salt to the agreed specifications. The distribution of iodized salt to the
different states
has now started. Using the facilities of the Sudan Railways
Corporation, an initial 150ton batch of iodized salt was supplied to
Kordofan
sector from the factory in Port Sudan.
199. A project is currently under
way to supplement table salt with iodine in the Darfur sector, which is in the
west of the country
and has five million inhabitants. According to the 1993
census, there are 2,152,466 inhabitants and 12 million heads of livestock
(according to the state veterinary authorities). Health problems caused by lack
of iodine, such as birth defects, still births,
miscarriages, mental
retardation, speech impairment, low intelligence and learning difficulties in
children, are remarkably common.
In some parts of West Kordofan state, for
instance, their incidence is as high as 95 to 99 per cent. Experts from the
National
Department of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health and the
political, legislative and health authorities in the state of South
Darfur state
were consequently moved to promote and support a private sector initiative by
the company Baskam, which came forward
to tackle this health problem on the
basis that society should play a part in resolving its own health problems,
which is the concept
behind primary health care. The company set up a factory
in the town of Nayala, installed
three salt iodization machines and staffed the factory with the necessary
engineers, chemists and technicians. Training was provided
for administrative
and supervisory staff and production began on 6 September 1997. Each
machine has a daily production capacity
of 15 tons, thus amounting to 45 tons
for all three machines. There are three phases to the project:
Phase
1: Iodized salt production.
Phase 2: Packaging of the salt in plastic
containers.
Phase 3: Refinery and washing of salt in order to eliminate impurities and packaging of the iodized salt in small plastic bags of one kilogram or half a kilogram.
200. In cooperation with the state’s veterinary authorities, the
company will supply iodized salt for animals. The company
is expected to
develop and increase production to cover all states and subsequently export salt
to neighbouring countries such as
Chad and the Central African Republic. In
future, the Government also intends to develop the factory’s chemical
laboratory
into a quality control laboratory for food and drinking water in the
western sector of the country (Source: Federal Ministry of
Health, National
Department of Nutrition, 1997).
(iii) Vitamin A
deficiency
201. Vitamin A deficiency is a common nutritional problem
throughout the Sudan, as illustrated by the percentages in the table
below.
Year State Age Number Night- Clouded Dryness
blindness vision
1992 Eastern Under
- 2.8 1.1 0.05
region 5 years
1989 White Nile Under
- 2.8 3 -
5 years
1992 Khartoum Under
2 - -
(displaced 5 years
-
persons)
1992 Kordofan Under - 1.9 0.9 -
5
years
1989 Red Sea 6 years 2001 1.1 0.7 0.05
1991 Blue
Nile Under - 0.8 0.9 -
5 years
1989 North
Darfur 6 years 1919 0.25 0.1 0.1
The table below
shows the findings of the study conducted in 1995-1996 on the distribution of
vitamin A capsules and the percentage
of night-blindness in children aged 6-24
months.
No. State Percentage of vitamin A Percentage of
night-
Distribution blindness
1. Northern
Darfur 92.6 No information
available
2. Sennar 53 0.5
3. Gezira 83.1 0.26
4. Khartoum 78 0.2
5. Kassala 110.4 0.01
6. Red
Sea 54 1.2
7. White Nile 44.6 0.2
8. Upper Nile –
Nasir
region 24 0.08
9. River
Nile 96.1 0.36
10. Gedaref 63.2 0.15
Source: Federal
Ministry of Health, National Department of Nutrition.
In general,
the rates of vitamin A deficiency are remarkably high in most areas of the
Sudan, which has prompted the Government to
distribute vitamin A capsules as a
preventive measure to children under two years of age with the aim of covering
80 per cent of
children in the areas where vitamin A deficiency is prevalent.
Vitamin A capsules have been distributed for such preventive purposes
as
follows:
− 200,000 capsules twice annually for children aged 6-24 months;
− 100,000 capsules for children aged 6-11 years;
− Capsules to be taken by nursing mothers as a preventive measure for the first six weeks after delivery.
Vitamin A capsules were also
distributed to treat cases of night-blindness.
(i) General
measures
202. It should be pointed out that the State has adopted
general measures for nutritional health, aimed in particular at providing
food
and combating poverty and diseases of malnutrition, as outlined
below:
(a) Increase in areas cultivated with agricultural
crops
1991/92 1995/96
Sorghum 18 123 14
663
Pearl millet 6 241 8 157
Wheat 807 23 563
(b) Increase in food crops (thousands of
tons)
1992/93 1995/96
Sorghum 4 042 2 450
Pearl
millet 449 385
Wheat 445 527
Maize - 21
Rice
- 1
Total 1 336 3 344
(c) Increase in oil seed crops
(thousands of tons)
1992/93 1995/96
Sesame 97
160
Peanuts 180 714
Sunflower 11 57
Cottonseed 179
164
Total 467 1 095
(d) Pulses (thousands of
tons)
1992/93 1995/96
Lentils 1
4
Beans 4 16
Broad beans 65 90
Other pulses
2 7
Total 72 117
(e) Animal production
(millions)
1992/93 1995/96
All grazing
livestock 58.2 125.5
(f) Milk production
(tons)
1992/93 1995/96
Milk 283 900 6 885
000
(g) Poultry meat production
(tons)
1992/93 1995/96
Poultry meat 22 500 31
000
(h) Egg production
(tons)
1992/93 1995/96
Eggs 34 500 36
000
Source: Statistics of the Arab Organization for Agricultural
Development.
(i) Percentage of food in total
imports
1992/93 1995/96
22 18
(j) The
State contributed by supplying food to Operation Lifeline Sudan. It also used
every expedient to ensure delivery of the food
supply, particularly to children,
in which connection it frequently overlooked violations of its sovereignty in
order to ensure the
flow of food to children, without distinction, in the areas
concerned;
(k) A project has been implemented to subsidize the cost of
workers’ food;
(l) Workers’ salaries have been supplemented
with a child allowance;
(m) A target for the improvement of household
food security has been set within the framework of the Government’s
agricultural
policies, development programmes and socio-economic
programmes;
(n) Small farmers have been able to acquire agricultural
facilities through social development banks;
(o) Activities and projects
to raise the income of urban and rural families living in poverty have been
promoted;
(p) Food centres have been established in states such as
Sennar, North Kordofan, Kassala, Red Sea, White Nile, South Darfur and
Gezira;
(q) In times of emergency and disaster, such food centres have
been set up to distribute food, monitor the growth and development
of children
and provide other preventive services and treatment;
(r) Natural
breast-feeding.
Source: Sudanese Survey of Maternal and Child
Health; Arab Project for the Advancement of Children, 1993.
203. The
State devoted attention to encouraging breast-feeding and spreading awareness of
its benefits, in which context maternal
and child health workers received
appropriate training. A guide to supplementary feeding for children aged four
months was published,
together with another guide to children’s diets.
Substantial time slots have been allocated to the subject of health education
on
both radio and television, in which connection expansion of the broadcasting
networks has had an influential effect, as 96 per
cent of infants up to the age
of three months are now breast-fed, 45 per cent of infants aged 6-9 months are
fed solids in addition
to breast milk and 44 per cent of infants aged 23-24
months are still breast-fed.
(j) Immunization measures and achievements
(Source: Federal Ministry of Health, Department of
Immunization)
204. In the Sudan, immunization against disease began with
an experimental programme in 1976. In 1980, a plan was drawn up to immunize
80
per cent of children between the ages of three months and three years in towns
supplied with electricity. By the end of 1984,
the plan had accomplished a
success
rate of 16 per cent. A five-year plan for the years 1986-1990 was then
devised to immunize 80 per cent of children under the age
of one year as a
global target, which was achieved. In the northern states of the Sudan, 62 per
cent of all children were immunized.
This rate, however, fell to 51 per cent
between 1991 and 1993 as a result of declining foreign support, thus prompting
the State
to lend generous support to the immunization programme. The rate in
all states consequently leapt to 80 per cent by the end of 1996
(see table 8 on
immunization). As a result, the number of measles cases 678 per 100,000
inhabitants in 1976 to 53 per 100,000 inhabitants
in 1996. The number of cases
of diphtheria and whooping cough also fell.
(i) National campaigns to
eradicate poliomyelitis among the under-fives in the
Sudan
205. Results of the first national campaign in
1994
− First round coverage rate of 88 per cent;
− Second round coverage rate of 65 per cent.
Results of the second national campaign in
1996
− First round coverage rate of 81.67 per cent;
− Second round coverage rate of 84.2 per cent.
Results of the third national campaign in
1997
− First round coverage rate of 87 per cent;
− Second round coverage rate of 90 per cent.
Cases of poliomyelitis in children consequently fell from 252 in 1993 to 51
in 1996.
(ii) Combating tetanus in newborn
infants
206. Information concerning tetanus immunization is as
follows:
− All 1,562 women targeted in the province of Boram in South Darfur state were immunized in 1995;
− The first round produced a coverage rate of 84.5 per cent;
− The second round produced a coverage rate of 80.7 per cent.
(iii) General measures
207. The results
of the general measures adopted are as follows:
− The number of permanent immunization centres in southern Sudan increased from three in 1993 to 35 in 1996;
− The number of immunization centres in rural areas increased from 149 in 1989 to 325 in May 1997;
− The capacity for vaccine storage increased, as eight states were supplied with eight large refrigeration chambers;
− Solar energy was used in the refrigeration chain and the number of refrigerators increased from 175 in 1990 to 325 in May 1997;
− A subsidy was given to the Parasitology Unit at the National Testing Laboratory, which was also refurbished, and the virus for child poliomyelitis was isolated;
− Between 1989 and 1997, a total of 21,066 personnel received training in the expanded immunization programme (see table 8 on immunization).
(iv) Immunization in the areas at highest
risk
208. During the national immunization campaign to eradicate
child poliomyelitis, a single dose of measles vaccine was also given.
A
coverage rate of 62 per cent was achieved among children under five years of
age. Under-fives in the areas of displacement are
given an additional dose of
measles vaccine and children under one year have a first inoculation against
measles at the age of six
months and a booster injection at nine months, as a
result of which the incidence of measles has declined in these areas.
209. The overall result of the measles immunization campaign was that the
numbers of those contracting the disease fell from 678 per
100,000 children in
1976 to 53 per 100,000 in 1996. The interval between measles epidemics also
grew, producing a noticeable transformation
in the number of over-fives (aged
between 5 and 12 years) contracting the disease, this being the age group at the
highest risk.
As measles epidemics are now concentrated in children between
those ages, a further dose of the vaccine should be given at the age
of five
years.
(k) Family and reproductive health (arts. 6 and 24)
(Source: Federal Ministry of Health, Department of Maternal and Child
Health)
210. In earlier years, the State, in conjunction with WHO and
UNICEF, provided training for health personnel, expanded the base of
services
and the information system and improved the curriculum for maternal and child
health. Between 1992 and 1993, training programmes
in the field of maternal and
child health were conducted in four health districts in the eastern states. A
five-year plan was formulated
in which the basic staffing and equipment
requirements were determined with a view to extending maternal and child
services countrywide
and providing information on family planning, prenatal care
and traditional practices harmful to mothers and children, in particular
female
circumcision. The plan also determined the requirements of obstetric
departments in rural hospitals for the treatment of
high-risk cases, emergencies
involving mothers and newborn infants and miscarriages. It further specified
the training needed by
personnel working in maternal and child health clinics,
who were provided with information on sexually transmitted diseases and their
treatment.
211. It should be pointed out that the implementation of these
programmes is seriously hampered by a number of difficulties, which
can be
summed up as follows:
(a) Unavailability of the materials and consumable
items needed by fully trained midwives, such as thread, anaesthetic and iron
tablets;
(b) Unavailability of the instruments, equipment and first aid
items needed by many maternity hospitals and hospital maternity
wards;
(c) Unavailability of outreach services for distribution of the
items needed for maternal and child health to other hospitals and
rural health
facilities.
(l) Drinking water and sanitation
212. The Sudan has an
abundance of water resources, including surface water. The capacity of the 100
or so ditches, dams and reservoirs
providing these resources ranges between
50,000 and 250,000 cubic metres, in addition to which there is an estimated 900
billion
cubic metres of artesian water. Nevertheless, only 35 per cent of the
population has access to clean drinking water. It is a well-known
fact that 90
per cent of diseases are water-borne, as in the case of malaria and Guinea-worm
disease, and that 40 per cent of deaths
among children under five years of age
are caused by diarrhoea resulting from lack of access to water or the
contamination of clean
drinking water. The number of cases of diarrhoea can
rise to 30 million annually, of which 35 per cent are treated with dehydration
salts or with plant preparations. A child has a daily requirement of 20 litres
of safe clean water, which should come from a source
situated no further than
one kilometre away from his or her home. According to the 1993 census, 60 per
cent of urban inhabitants
have a clean water supply to their homes, which is
true for only 20 per cent of rural inhabitants. Further details are provided
in
the tables below on the basis of information obtained from the National Water
Corporation. The following table shows the percentage
of water consumption from
different sources in 1993.
Source Northern states Southern
states
Rural areas Urban areas Total Urban
areas
Distribution grids 20.03 65.8 35.33 7.02
Wells (water
stations) 19.62 20.25 43.93 55.16
Rivers and canals 56.12
2.25 10.06 30.01
Weirs 14.09 0.59 3.35 0.24
Ditches and ponds
4.78 7.17 3.94 5.40
Other sources 1.39 3.82 3.92
1.74
Unspecified sources 3.97 0.11 0.08 4.30
Total 100
100 100 100
The following table shows the percentage of citizens with
access to means of sanitation.
Type of service Northern
states Southern
States
Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total
areas areas areas areas
Sewage
system 0.2 2 0.8 - 0.5
Cesspools 38.5 56.9 44.7 -
22.5
Other 14.5 19.2 16.4 - 25.6
None 46.4 21.9 38.1 -
51.4
Total 100 100 100 100
In 1997, therefore, no more than 24 per cent of inhabitants had access to means of sanitation. It is also worth mentioning that, in 1996, the Sudan had 114,772 cases of Guinea-worm disease, amounting to 78 per cent of all cases worldwide, whereas two years earlier they had amounted to only 32 per cent. The daily consumption of clean drinking water is 20 litres for urban inhabitants and 8 litres for rural inhabitants. Here, it should be pointed out that it is young girls who have the task of fetching water, usually from faraway, and that they manage to obtain only one-third of the amount of water which they need.
213. The measures adopted to provide access to
clean drinking water include efforts to:
− Reconstruct and overhaul water systems;
− Plan programmes to construct wells and install manual pumps with low running costs, particularly in rural areas;
− Train technicians to manufacture water equipment locally, the plan for which was half-completed in 1997, as a result of which the consumption of drinking water in urban and rural areas increased as follows:
1993 1996
Urban areas Rural areas Urban areas Rural areas
60 20 84 41
214. Similar activities were also carried out by Save the Children-UK.
In urban areas, homeowners built their own means of sanitation.
A small
percentage of inhabitants in Khartoum use the public sewage network. At this
juncture, it should be said that there are
no statistics on government funding
of rural sanitation projects. The limited funding available for rural areas is
provided by international
organizations, voluntary bodies and local
organizations.
(m) Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
(Source: Federal Ministry of Health, AIDS Office)
215. The State
has devoted particular attention to this disease; in 1988, it formed a national
committee to combat AIDS under the
patronage of the President of the Republic,
the membership of which includes all the competent authorities (see annexes).
The committee
formulated plans and strategies for the prevention of HIV/AIDS,
concentrating on the following four areas:
− Raising health awareness based on guidance from the teachings of religion;
− Conducting regular field surveys to determine the number of people with HIV/AIDS;
− Requiring all health establishments to test blood from donors before it is used in order to ensure that it is virus-free;
− Adopting arrangements for the treatment of AIDS patients and HIV-carriers (for further details, see the annexes on AIDS).
At 30 June 1997, the extent of the problem was as
follows:
AIDS cases between 1986 and July 1997
1986-1979 1978 1988 1989 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
2 2 64 122 130 184 191 201 250 221 87
For an analytical breakdown and information concerning the type and
means of infection, reference should be made to table 11 on
AIDS, annexed
hereto. Laboratory tests were conducted on a total of 14,801 individuals, 186
of whom were found to be carrying HIV
(see table 3 on AIDS, annexed hereto). It
is noticeable from the following table that the disease is concentrated among
young people
and is virtually non-existent in children, even though there are
children who carry the virus. The table forecasts the potential
increase in the
number of people carrying HIV (1992-1998).
Age group 1992 1998
5-14 years 1 700 10 200
15-19
years 10 300 61 800
20-49 years 91 510 200 000
Over 50 years 1 400
8 400
It can also be seen from the table that a high increase is
anticipated in the number of HIV-carriers among both children and adults.
In
1992, an estimated average of 14,800 children lost parents to AIDS. This figure
clearly indicates that the number is likely
to increase in 1998.
(n) Female circumcision
(Source: The Sudanese Society for the
Elimination of Harmful Traditional Practices and
the 1993 Sudanese Project
for the Promotion of Maternal and Child Health)
216. There has long been
a general consensus among clerics, community leaders, lawyers and doctors that
there are drawbacks to female
circumcision and that it has no connection with
religion. In 1979, the Babakar Badri Women’s Association was formed and
thereafter
made active and concerted efforts to combat this harmful traditional
practice scientifically and through the media. In 1980, a government
committee
was also established at the Ministry of Interior in order to target female
circumcision as a harmful practice to be uprooted
from society. This was
followed by the birth of the Sudanese Society for the Elimination of Harmful
Traditional Practices in 1985
following the African Regional Conference, held in
Dakar, and the World Conference to Review and Approve the Achievement of the
United
Nations Decade for Women, held in Nairobi. The President of the Republic
signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the
New York summit meeting
in 1992, following which one of the basic objectives forming part of the overall
national strategy was to
combat female circumcision. A number of international,
foreign and local voluntary organizations, as well as various federations,
then
joined in activities to combat this harmful social custom, which were also
incorporated into the curriculum for the basic stage
of education.
Measures adopted to combat female circumcision
217. Efforts to
raise public awareness were intensified; each week, entire radio and television
programmes were devoted to delivering
scientific messages from experts with the
aim of combating female circumcision. In addition:
− A film on circumcision and its harmful effects was produced;
− The theatre played a role in combating female circumcision, particularly in the rural areas of Kordofan and Darfur states, where complications from circumcision are clearly implicated in the incidence of urinary problems;
− Over 200,000 copies of various printed materials were produced between 1992 and 1997.
218. Training was provided for members of
groups having a direct link with the public and with maternal and child health,
such as
clerics and midwives, with a view to effectively driving the message
home.
219. The Sudan celebrates a national day to combat harmful
traditional practices, which each year coincides with the beginning of
the
fourth week of September. All sectors join in conveying the message to society
in the form of different activities which lay
particular emphasis on the
practice of female circumcision.
220. At the congress of state governors
held in 1995, each wali made a commitment to open an office to combat
harmful traditional practices in his state.
221. A round table on female
circumcision was organized under the banner of “Language, religion, law
and custom”. Participants
included eminent Sudanese personalities in the
fields of literature, culture and law.
222. In 1992, a countrywide survey
was conducted, the findings of which were as follows:
− 80 per cent of women were in favour of female circumcision and 20 per cent were against;
− Of those in favour, 72 per cent cited reasons of custom, 16 per cent believed circumcision to be in the girl’s interest and 12 per cent believed in it on religious grounds (see the table of indicators, annexed hereto);
− In 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1997, the Netherlands Government evaluated the effect of media campaigns and other activities aimed at combating female circumcision, as did Save the Children-Sweden in 1992, as a result of which it emerged that:
Further details can be found in table 12 on harmful
traditional practices and in the table of indicators, annexed hereto.
(o) International support in the field of health (article 24)
223. Until 1990, international support was constantly forthcoming from
various organizations and from the agencies of the United Nations.
Thereafter,
however, it began to decline, signalling an enormous setback for health
programmes in that it delayed achievement of
their objectives. This support had
focused on advisory services, which increased from 3.6 per cent in 1994-1995 to
24.9 per cent
in 1996-1997.
Amount of support provided by international organizations
to the health sector
Organization Years Budget in dollars
WHO 1994-1995 4 417
600
1996-1997 4 783 600
UNICEF 1996 1 534 813
1997 2 544
154
United Nations Population Fund
(UNPFA) 1995-1996 4 013 126
United
Nations Development Fund
(UNDP) 1990-1995 600 000
Total 17 893
293
− For the amount of support provided by voluntary organizations, see table 13-1, annexed hereto.
− For the State health budget for 1991-1996 in millions of Sudanese pounds, see table 13-2, annexed hereto.
− Bilateral agreements: All bilateral health agreements signed with other States focus on the exchange of experience and information, without any specific financial commitment. Grants and donations are normally dependent on circumstance and on donor contacts and initiatives.
− It should be pointed out that WHO provides support in the form of 44 health projects, with particular emphasis on malaria, which is a major source of concern for the State; the amount of such support stood at $407,000 obtained from the budget and a further $530,000 obtained from extra-budgetary sources.
(p) The health information system: registration
of births and deaths
224. Still one of the country’s major stumbling blocks, the
registration system now includes all dispensaries, health centres
and hospitals.
Village midwives are also required to notify births to the health centres on a
regular basis. The registration rate
currently stands at 40 per cent and is
targeted to reach 100 per cent by the year 2000.
(i) Measures
adopted for the registration of births and deaths
225. Promulgated in
1992, the Registration of Births and Deaths Act stipulates that all births and
deaths throughout the country must
be entered in the general register of births
and deaths maintained by the director of the Central Office of Statistics, who
has delegated
his powers to the Under-Secretary of the Federal Ministry of
Health, as all the vital events occur in the areas under his supervision.
The
Second and Fourteenth Constitutional Decrees also state that statistics should
be maintained at the federal and state levels.
The powers vested in the Federal
Ministry of Health by the Council of Ministers in 1995 also include vital
statistics as part of
the mandate of both federal and state ministries of
health. The registration rate for urban and rural areas, however, still stands
at only 40 per cent and is particularly low in rural areas, as the registration
of births is dependent on midwives, who submit monthly
reports on village births
to the medical director of the nearest rural hospital. On that basis, they then
receive the instruments,
equipment and materials which they need to perform
deliveries, which are a rare occurrence in rural hospitals. The rate of
registration
is still low, although the requirement of a birth certificate for
school admission and for the appraisal of housing applications
may promote an
increase. The decision to conduct the Sudanese Survey on Maternal and Child
Health as part of the 1993 Arab Project
for the Advancement of Children
represented a significant measure, as the results serve as a foundation for
sound planning to improve
maternal and child health in the
Sudan.
(q) Health education
226. The expansion of the
radio and television network has helped to convey the message to the public at
large. Various personnel
have received health education training and some
states have seen the establishment and essential equipment of health education
units.
The subject of health education has also been introduced as part of the
curriculum in schools, institutes and colleges and a project
to educate parents
with a view to enhancing childcare and child development is currently being
considered by UNICEF with a view to
funding and subsequent implementation. One
of the aims of the project is to increase the knowledge and skills of parents,
families
and teachers concerning child education and development and enable them
to bring out the hidden talents of the child by means of
developmental,
educational and health practices. It also aims to educate teachers, health
personnel and social workers through the media, as well
as alert decision-makers
and executives to the substance of the subject in order to ensure that they
prioritize children at every
level of the relevant development programmes. For
a period of two years, developmental, educational, social and cultural messages
of relevance to children under eight years of age are to be transmitted on the
radio and television for half an hour each week.
In addition, publications
containing these messages will be produced for pre-school children and school
pupils to give to their parents.
The messages will also explain the techniques
and factors which help to stimulate a child’s intelligence, growth and
development.
(r) Size of the State health budget
227. The
health budget amounted to 491 million Sudanese pounds for the years 1991-1992,
rising to 32.757 million Sudanese pounds in
1996 (see the budget tables annexed
hereto). In 1997, the health sector’s share of the national income
amounted to no more
than 1 per cent. It should be pointed out here that a
substantial contribution was made at the grass-roots and sectoral levels through
the construction of health facilities ranging from clinics to hospitals; if
monitored and evaluated, that contribution would be shown
to equal State
spending on the health sector.
C. Social security and childcare services and
facilities
(arts. 26 and 18, para. 3)
1. Health insurance
228. The Health Insurance Act was
promulgated in 1994 and provides for a system of compulsory insurance in which
the amount of contribution
paid by each individual is determined on the basis of
monthly income. Under the Act, a worker and his family benefit from whatever
number of health services they require, irrespective of family size. The
initial amount of contribution is set at 10 per cent, 4
per cent of which is
paid by the worker from his monthly wage and the remaining 6 per cent of which
is paid by the employer. Workers
pay 25 per cent towards the cost of medicines.
All individual family members continue to enjoy this service until marriage in
the
case of girls and until 18 years of age in the case of boys, or 24 years of
age if they are still at university. One of the main
features of the health
insurance in the Sudan is that, in conjunction with the social solidarity funds
and the zakat (alms tax) fund, it covers treatment for the poor and needy
and for orphans and families of martyrs, without distinction as to sex,
race or
religion.
229. The compulsory nature of health insurance ensures that all
segments of society, including children, have access to and are assured
of
medical services as a right at such time as they need them, in consistency with
article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child concerning the right of
the child to life, survival and development. The principle of sharing the risk
of illness among the
greatest number of people is also achieved, as the cost of
medical treatment to the individual is reduced owing to the fact that
social
security and solidarity are shared among high-income and low-income earners on
the one hand and among those individuals who
experience few illnesses and those
who frequently attend to see medical personnel. A further factor in the
equation is that some
individuals have no family dependents but still contribute
to the health insurance system.
The objectives of health insurance in
the Sudan are, inter alia:
(a) To promote and develop health
services in line with developments in the field of medicine;
(b) To help to reduce the financial burden on the State and subsequently
channel funding into restoring the health of the environment
and fighting
epidemics;
(c) To invest the funds of the General Organization for
Health Insurance with a view to improving health services;
(d) To
attract qualified personnel to the health sector by creating an appropriate
working climate, in which connection it should
be pointed out that the Ministry
of Finance pays a monthly sum of 160 million Sudanese pounds towards health
insurance costs.
By September 1997, the health insurance system had
been introduced in 14 states, namely Khartoum, Sennar, Blue Nile, Gezira, Red
Sea, River Nile, White Nile, North Darfur, West Darfur, North Kordofan, West
Kordofan, Kassala, Northern and Gedaref, the hope being
that it will be extended
to all states. Activities and the material and financial support provided are
shown in tables 4-1and 14-2.
D. Standard of living
(art. 27, paras. 1-3)
(a) Measures
230. As for the measures adopted to ensure a
standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual,
moral
and social development, social programmes have been implemented with a
view to alleviating the burden of living costs for the poor
and vulnerable
segments of society. Various institutions have been established under these
programmes, including the Zakat Office,
the Fund for the Promotion of Shariah
Law, the Students’ Support Fund, the Programme for Productive Families,
the Fund for
Independent Traders and Small Industries and the Fund for
Agriculture and the Traditional Sector, as well the Savings and Social
Development Bank. A project has also been established to use alms tax
(zakat) for the benefit of residential districts and
villages.
231. In the past five years, pay structures have been regularly
modified with the aim of achieving a social balance and protecting
vulnerable
groups. A number of benefits and allowances were also introduced, such as the
cost-of-living allowance, the married couple’s
allowance, housing benefit
and cash benefit, and the Zakat Office began to play a more active role insofar
as 50 per cent of the
revenue from alms tax is now earmarked to provide support
for the poor and needy. In addition, the Programme for Productive Families
started to provide individual and communal projects with their own means of
production. The Savings and Social Development Bank
was established in 1995
with a view to tackling poverty and enabling small producers, craftspersons and
productive families to improve
their productivity. It now has 31 branches in
various states and finances social development plans and projects run by local
communities,
which are therefore able to make plans under the programme to
provide small industries and productive families with their own means
of
production. Such projects are additionally financed by the Zakat Fund, the
State Support Fund and various federal government
deposits intended specifically
for rural development. The use of alms tax to benefit residential districts and
villages is now an
important factor in local development and in achieving fellow
understanding and institutional solidarity. Although only recent,
this
experiment has already been quite successful, notwithstanding the obstacles
which accompanied it and the fall in real incomes
which occurred as a result of
high inflation rates. Some families have therefore managed to achieve
self-sufficiency, particularly
in food.
232. It is worth pointing out
that, in 1997, the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, the Zakat Office
and Khartoum state together
supported productive families to the tune of 7
billion Sudanese pounds (Source: Ministry of Finance and National Economy).
Similar
support was also earmarked for the poor,
the needy and students in every state of the Sudan. Social support included
help with electricity bills for poor families, food for
workers and subsidies
for workers’ economic institutions provided n association with the General
Federation of Sudan Workers’
Trade Unions. In the 1998 budget, the
estimated social support allocation rose to 11 billion Sudanese pounds,
resulting in an increase
of 47 per cent in the cost-of-living subsidy for
disadvantaged groups. This increase covers 20 per cent of
wages.
233. The family support and protection measures to be adopted in
order to ensure the right of every child to an adequate standard
of living will
take the form of supplying one million families with their own means of
production. This will take place over the
next 10 years at a rate of 1,000
productive families per year and at an annual cost of 2 billion Sudanese pounds,
amounting to a
total of 20 billion Sudanese pounds.
Table 2: Child and infant mortality rate over 10
years
Mortality rate
|
First five years
|
Last five years
|
||||
Urban
|
Rural
|
Total
|
Urban
|
Rural
|
Total
|
|
Mortality rate among infants
aged under one month Mortality rates among infants aged 1-11 months Mortality rates among infants aged under one year Mortality rate among children aged under four years Mortality rate among children aged under five years |
36.3 34.7 69.9 32.7 100.4 |
29.7 39.0 68.7 63.8 128.2 |
31.6 37.5 69.1 53.1 118.5 |
26.6 30.6 59.2 36.2 93.2 |
29.9 37.9 67.8 50.0 114.4 |
29.4 3.4 64.9 45.3 107.2 |
Malaria tables
Cases of malaria and ensuing
deaths during the period 1990-1995
Table 1
Year Number of cases Deaths
1990 295 505 215
1991
353 679 394
1992 281 359 503
1993 363 732 703
1994
246 154 575
1995 234 267 444
Total 1 769 696 2
834
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – Malaria
Office.
Measures adopted to combat malaria during the period
1990-1997
Insecticides in the period 1990-1997
Table
2
Insecticide and quantity in
tons
Source Fenitrothion Malathion DDT Abate Ritalin
Japanese
donation 200 - - - -
World
Bank - 147 - 0.24 2.8
WHO - 117 126 26 7.5
Total 200 264 126 26.24 10.3
Source:
Federal Ministry of Health – Malaria Office.
Malaria drugs
Thirty per cent of the annual budget provided to
the Sudan by WHO is allocated to combating malaria. The order for tablets,
ampoules
and vaccines of chloroquine, Fansidar tablets, quinine tablets and
vaccines and primaquine is estimated on the basis of the annual
demand.
Table 2
Child and infant mortality rates during
the 10 years preceding the survey conducted in 1993 in urban and rural
areas
Mortality rate
|
First five years
|
Last five years
|
||||
Urban
|
Rural
|
Total
|
Urban
|
Rural
|
Total
|
|
Mortality rate in infants
aged under one month Mortality rates in infants aged 1-11 months Mortality rates in infants aged under one year Mortality rate in children aged 1-4 years Mortality rate in children aged five years |
35.3 34.7 69.9 32.7 100.4 |
29.7 29.0 68.7 63.8 138.2 |
31.6 37.5 69.1 53.1 128.5 |
0.6 0.6 0.2 0.2 118.2 |
29.9 37.9 67.8 50.0 114.4 |
29.4 35.4 64.9 45.3 107.2 |
Source: 1993 Sudanese Survey of Maternal and Child Health (Arab
Project for the Advancement of Children).
3. Training in the field of
malaria
Groups trained during the period
1990-1997
Doctors Medical Technicians Health Malaria Health
assistants assistants analysts officers
350
130 632 1 520 1 287 368
Source: Federal Ministry of
Health – Malaria Office.
4. Budgets provided by WHO during the
period 1990-1997 (in thousands of
dollars)
1991/92 1992/93 1993/94 1994/95 1995/96 1996/97 Total
600
700 990 900 600 407 4 197
Source: Federal
Ministry of Health – Malaria Office.
Table 3
Information on the new states,
1995-1996
Health establishments, 1995
States
|
Hospi-tals
|
Beds
|
Hospitals offering consultant services
|
Special hospitals
|
Blood banks
|
Radiography units
|
Health centres
|
Dispens-aries
|
Clinics
|
Primary health care units
|
Federal Ministry of Health
|
18
|
3713
|
5
|
13
|
7
|
14
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Khartoum
|
18
|
1096
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
12
|
89
|
194
|
59
|
31
|
Gezira
|
36
|
2611
|
6
|
1
|
6
|
6
|
135
|
241
|
484
|
119
|
White Nile
|
14
|
1149
|
4
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
38
|
74
|
68
|
193
|
Sennar
|
11
|
1002
|
5
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
19
|
101
|
299
|
-
|
Nile
|
17
|
1259
|
4
|
-
|
2
|
3
|
91
|
97
|
89
|
73
|
Northern
|
24
|
1314
|
5
|
-
|
3
|
6
|
43
|
116
|
56
|
62
|
Kassala
|
10
|
1205
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
15
|
37
|
63
|
129
|
Gedaref
|
11
|
1016
|
3
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
15
|
57
|
79
|
107
|
Red Sea
|
7
|
847
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
2
|
7
|
32
|
23
|
201
|
North Kordofan
|
13
|
1169
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
23
|
70
|
82
|
430
|
South Kordofan
|
6
|
538
|
2
|
-
|
1
|
2
|
14
|
67
|
-
|
27
|
West Kordofan
|
9
|
633
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
18
|
38
|
51
|
252
|
North Darfur
|
8
|
650
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
15
|
40
|
4
|
221
|
South Darfur
|
7
|
598
|
2
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
12
|
52
|
16
|
289
|
West Darfur
|
3
|
210
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
5
|
41
|
66
|
144
|
Bahr al-Jabal
|
4
|
648
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
East Equatoria
|
3
|
188
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
68
|
39
|
238
|
West Equatoria
|
7
|
354
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
North Bahr al-Ghazal
|
1
|
150
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
West Bahr al-Ghazal
|
2
|
461
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
40
|
-
|
83
|
Warap
|
3
|
93
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
Lakes
|
3
|
250
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
Upper Nile
|
9
|
662
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Unity
|
2
|
131
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
8
|
55
|
-
|
41
|
Jonglei
|
2
|
200
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
253
|
22444
|
57
|
23
|
38
|
64
|
571
|
1478
|
1558
|
2916
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for Health Information.
Table 4
Type of hospitals, 1995
States
|
Teaching hospitals
|
Other non-teaching hospitals
|
Total number of hospitals
|
||||
Consultant services
|
Specialist
|
Total
|
Consultant services
|
Specialist
|
Total
|
||
Federal
|
5
|
13
|
18
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
18
|
Khartoum
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
1
|
9
|
18
|
Gezira
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
-
|
29
|
36
|
White Nile
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
3
|
-
|
10
|
14
|
Blue Nile
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
4
|
5
|
Sennar
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
4
|
-
|
6
|
11
|
Nile
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
-
|
13
|
17
|
Northern
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
-
|
19
|
24
|
Kassala
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
6
|
10
|
Gedaref
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
2
|
-
|
8
|
11
|
Red Sea
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
7
|
North Kordofan
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
9
|
13
|
South Kordofan
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
4
|
6
|
West Kordofan
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
7
|
9
|
North Darfur
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
8
|
South Darfur
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
5
|
7
|
West Darfur
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
3
|
Bahr al-Jabal
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
East Equatoria
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
West Equatoria
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
7
|
North Bahr al-Ghazal
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
West Bahr al-Ghazal
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
2
|
Warap
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
Lakes
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
Upper Nile
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
7
|
9
|
Unity
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
Jonglei
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
Total
|
20
|
16
|
36
|
37
|
7
|
173
|
253
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health. National Centre for Health Information.
Table 5
Ministry of Health and University doctors
in 1995
Doctors/Work location
|
Consultants
|
Locum tenentes
|
General practitioners
|
Dentists
|
House physicians
|
Total number of doctors
|
Pharmacists
|
Doctor Training Department
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
449
|
449
|
-
|
Federal Ministry of Health
|
315
|
181
|
274
|
90
|
-
|
860
|
154
|
Khartoum
|
33
|
3
|
130
|
40
|
-
|
206
|
34
|
Gezira
|
61
|
-
|
109
|
17
|
-
|
187
|
42
|
White Nile
|
22
|
-
|
36
|
4
|
-
|
62
|
3
|
Blue Nile
|
8
|
-
|
11
|
2
|
-
|
21
|
5
|
Sennar
|
15
|
-
|
22
|
5
|
-
|
42
|
5
|
Nile
|
20
|
-
|
34
|
9
|
-
|
63
|
2
|
Northern
|
17
|
-
|
36
|
4
|
-
|
57
|
-
|
Kassala
|
19
|
-
|
37
|
7
|
-
|
63
|
5
|
Gedaref
|
19
|
-
|
34
|
3
|
-
|
56
|
5
|
Red Sea
|
22
|
-
|
43
|
11
|
-
|
76
|
2
|
North Kordofan
|
23
|
-
|
4
|
8
|
-
|
78
|
12
|
South Kordofan
|
4
|
-
|
12
|
1
|
-
|
17
|
3
|
West Kordofan
|
4
|
-
|
11
|
-
|
-
|
15
|
-
|
North Darfur
|
9
|
-
|
39
|
1
|
-
|
49
|
4
|
South Darfur
|
13
|
-
|
27
|
2
|
-
|
42
|
4
|
West Darfur
|
2
|
-
|
10
|
1
|
-
|
13
|
4
|
Bahr al-Jabal
|
1
|
-
|
22
|
-
|
-
|
23
|
6
|
East Equatoria
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
West Equatoria
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
-
|
North Bahr al-Ghazal
|
-
|
-
|
9
|
-
|
-
|
13
|
-
|
West Bahr al-Ghazal
|
-
|
-
|
13
|
-
|
-
|
13
|
-
|
Warap
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Lakes
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Upper Nile
|
2
|
-
|
20
|
-
|
-
|
22
|
-
|
Unity
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
Jonglei
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Total
|
609
|
184
|
991
|
205
|
449
|
2438
|
290
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health. National Centre for Health
Information.
Table 5 (continued)
Technicians and their
work locations
Technicians
/ Work locations |
Laboratory technicians
|
Radio-graphy techn.
|
Ophthalmic technicians
|
Radio-therapy techn.
|
EEG
|
ECG
|
Dental Techniciens
|
Senior nurses
|
Statisticians
|
Total number of technicians
|
Federal Ministry of Health
|
133
|
124
|
51
|
6
|
1
|
5
|
9
|
267
|
132
|
769
|
Khartoum
|
19
|
13
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
13
|
150
|
200
|
Gezira
|
6
|
17
|
15
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
28
|
69
|
135
|
White Nile
|
2
|
9
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
37
|
56
|
Blue Nile
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
7
|
Sennar
|
1
|
6
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
17
|
31
|
Nile
|
-
|
7
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
9
|
20
|
45
|
Northern
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
19
|
30
|
Kassala
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
23
|
40
|
Gedaref
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
10
|
23
|
Red Sea
|
6
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
12
|
28
|
North Kordofan
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
35
|
63
|
West Kordofan
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
6
|
10
|
North Darfur
|
-
|
2
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
14
|
13
|
30
|
South Darfur
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
8
|
21
|
34
|
West Darfur
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
13
|
16
|
Equatoria
|
-
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
12
|
37
|
59
|
Bahr al-Ghazal
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
24
|
27
|
Upper Nile
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
14
|
18
|
Total
|
181
|
226
|
106
|
6
|
1
|
5
|
11
|
393
|
704
|
1633
|
The figures for the southern states represent the number of technicians posts
in 1987.
Source: Federal Ministry of Health. National Centre for
Health Information.
Table 5 (continued)
Medical assistants in
1995
Assistants/ Work locations
|
General medical assistants
|
Ophthalmic
assistants |
Dental
assistants |
Assistant neurologists and psychiatrists
|
Theatre assistants
|
Ophthalmic
theatre assistants |
Laboratory
assistants |
Assistant
pharmacists |
Assistants
anaethesists |
Physio-therapists
|
Nursing
instructors |
Primary
health care instructors |
Total
|
Federal Ministry of Health
|
1
|
29
|
-
|
9
|
326
|
30
|
120
|
138
|
117
|
95
|
57
|
-
|
932
|
Khartoum
|
299
|
98
|
53
|
2
|
28
|
-
|
68
|
73
|
17
|
2
|
15
|
4
|
659
|
Gezira
|
289
|
34
|
29
|
10
|
87
|
-
|
54
|
31
|
31
|
16
|
27
|
4
|
612
|
White Nile
|
90
|
9
|
8
|
1
|
32
|
1
|
19
|
13
|
14
|
6
|
9
|
2
|
204
|
Blue Nile
|
59
|
4
|
6
|
-
|
8
|
1
|
6
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
1
|
104
|
Sennar
|
99
|
9
|
13
|
3
|
36
|
4
|
25
|
21
|
5
|
4
|
10
|
1
|
230
|
Nile
|
106
|
10
|
11
|
3
|
30
|
6
|
23
|
22
|
12
|
8
|
12
|
2
|
245
|
North State
|
166
|
20
|
23
|
-
|
31
|
4
|
22
|
10
|
13
|
3
|
12
|
2
|
306
|
Kassala
|
100
|
16
|
19
|
3
|
23
|
-
|
21
|
24
|
14
|
4
|
17
|
4
|
245
|
Gedaref
|
67
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
20
|
2
|
16
|
9
|
12
|
3
|
8
|
2
|
151
|
Red Sea
|
69
|
14
|
2
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
18
|
7
|
18
|
8
|
8
|
5
|
183
|
North Kordofan
|
98
|
22
|
21
|
2
|
36
|
5
|
23
|
19
|
18
|
12
|
16
|
5
|
277
|
South Kordofan
|
95
|
7
|
5
|
-
|
17
|
-
|
13
|
7
|
14
|
4
|
13
|
5
|
180
|
West Kordofan
|
47
|
8
|
9
|
-
|
8
|
-
|
8
|
9
|
3
|
2
|
10
|
2
|
106
|
North Darfur
|
115
|
22
|
19
|
3
|
17
|
4
|
21
|
16
|
15
|
3
|
13
|
1
|
249
|
South Darfur
|
74
|
8
|
10
|
1
|
12
|
6
|
13
|
10
|
10
|
6
|
7
|
4
|
161
|
West Darfur
|
44
|
5
|
4
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
-
|
5
|
1
|
74
|
Equatoria
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
59
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
59
|
Bahr al-Ghazal
|
57
|
11
|
14
|
-
|
46
|
15
|
46
|
25
|
20
|
-
|
6
|
9
|
249
|
Upper Nile
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
21
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
21
|
Total
|
1875
|
332
|
250
|
39
|
795
|
78
|
611
|
445
|
338
|
179
|
251
|
54
|
5247
|
The figures represent the number of medical assistant costs in 1987. The
actual number of posts occupied in the southern states is,
however,
unknown.
Source: Federal Ministry of Health. National Centre
for Health Information.
Table 5 (continued)
Nurses in
1995
Nurses/State
|
Nurses with diplomas
|
Nursing midwives
|
Trainee nurses
|
Total number of nurses
|
Primary health care workers
|
Federal Ministry of Health
|
1,655
|
116
|
931
|
2,702
|
-
|
Khartoum
|
655
|
15
|
571
|
1,241
|
50
|
Gezira
|
1,915
|
94
|
538
|
2,547
|
111
|
White Nile
|
509
|
17
|
158
|
684
|
215
|
Blue Nile
|
140
|
12
|
170
|
322
|
83
|
Sennar
|
577
|
30
|
143
|
750
|
44
|
Nile
|
583
|
27
|
272
|
882
|
74
|
Northern
|
482
|
-
|
206
|
688
|
88
|
Kassala
|
489
|
41
|
176
|
706
|
157
|
Gedaref
|
387
|
16
|
110
|
513
|
107
|
Red Sea
|
326
|
-
|
201
|
527
|
228
|
North Kordofan
|
641
|
-
|
224
|
865
|
290
|
South Kordofan
|
343
|
-
|
109
|
452
|
126
|
West Kordofan
|
206
|
-
|
-
|
206
|
172
|
North Darfur
|
239
|
23
|
228
|
490
|
221
|
South Darfur
|
309
|
8
|
211
|
528
|
310
|
West Darfur
|
68
|
-
|
40
|
108
|
142
|
Equatoria
|
682
|
18
|
547
|
1,247
|
-
|
Bahr al-Ghazal
|
611
|
7
|
395
|
1,013
|
-
|
Upper Nile
|
309
|
37
|
565
|
711
|
-
|
Total
|
11,126
|
461
|
5,595
|
17,182
|
2,418
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for Health Information.
Tableau 5 (continued)
Other maternal and
child health care assistants in 1995
States
|
Health visitors
|
Assistant health visitors
|
Nursing midwives
|
Traditional midwives
|
Nutrition officers
|
Nutritional advisors
|
Federal Ministry of Health
|
31
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
29
|
-
|
Khartoum
|
183
|
1
|
792
|
496
|
19
|
-
|
Gezira
|
122
|
-
|
1,053
|
175
|
9
|
7
|
White Nile
|
35
|
-
|
730
|
75
|
-
|
-
|
Blue Nile
|
18
|
-
|
80
|
140
|
-
|
-
|
Sennar
|
28
|
-
|
582
|
90
|
2
|
-
|
Nile
|
38
|
102
|
386
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Northern
|
31
|
35
|
417
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Kassala
|
40
|
-
|
286
|
160
|
6
|
8
|
Gedaref
|
18
|
-
|
303
|
175
|
1
|
-
|
Red Sea
|
34
|
14
|
236
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
North Kordofan
|
62
|
-
|
493
|
173
|
-
|
-
|
South Kordofan
|
62
|
-
|
493
|
173
|
-
|
-
|
West Kordofan
|
32
|
-
|
219
|
43
|
-
|
-
|
North Darfur
|
29
|
-
|
374
|
220
|
3
|
-
|
South Darfur
|
28
|
-
|
274
|
268
|
-
|
-
|
West Darfur
|
13
|
-
|
250
|
87
|
-
|
2
|
South Sudan
|
57
|
-
|
148
|
50
|
-
|
-
|
Total
|
835
|
152
|
6,784
|
2,235
|
71
|
4
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for Health Information.
Table 5 (continued)
Environmental health
personnel
States
|
Environmental health inspectors
|
Environmental health officers
|
Environmental health supervisors
|
Assistant environmental health
supervisors
|
Main office of the Federal Ministry of Health
|
22
|
-
|
5
|
-
|
Khartoum
|
12
|
30
|
145
|
271
|
Gezira
|
23
|
26
|
120
|
-
|
White Nile
|
9
|
10
|
63
|
-
|
Blue Nile
|
4
|
3
|
13
|
30
|
Sennar
|
7
|
2
|
38
|
98
|
Nile
|
6
|
13
|
52
|
81
|
Northern
|
4
|
8
|
47
|
56
|
Kassala
|
4
|
7
|
56
|
35
|
Gedaref
|
8
|
3
|
57
|
71
|
Red Sea
|
3
|
3
|
27
|
42
|
North Kordofan
|
5
|
8
|
48
|
31
|
South Kordofan
|
-
|
3
|
29
|
-
|
West Kordofan
|
1
|
1
|
12
|
9
|
North Darfur
|
1
|
4
|
31
|
36
|
South Darfur
|
7
|
8
|
84
|
20
|
West Darfur
|
3
|
2
|
11
|
21
|
Total
|
119
|
131
|
838
|
801
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for Health Information.
Table 6
1. Technical institutes and
colleges
No.
|
Name of institute or college
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Institute of Laboratory Technicians
|
1970
|
2
|
Radiography Technicians Institute
|
1970
|
3
|
College of Nursing
|
1958
|
4
|
College of Obstetrics
|
-
|
5
|
Institute of Optical Technicians
|
1954
|
6
|
College of Health
|
1933
|
7
|
Institute of Technical Training
|
-
|
8
|
Institute of Health Statistics
|
1977
|
2. Schools for general medical assistants
No.
|
Name of school
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Omdurman School for General Medical Assistants
|
1946
|
2
|
Al-Obeid School for General Medical Assistants
|
1970
|
3
|
Port Sudan School for General Medical Assistants
|
1975
|
4
|
Atbara School for General Medical Assistants
|
1971
|
5
|
Sennar School for General Medical Assistants
|
1985
|
6
|
Juba School for General Medical Assistants
|
-
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for Health
Information.
3. Laboratory assistants
No.
|
Name of school
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Khartoum School for Laboratory Assistants
|
1909
|
2
|
Atbara School for Laboratory Assistants
|
-
|
3
|
Port Sudan School for Laboratory Assistants
|
June 1983
|
4
|
Al-Obeid School for Laboratory Assistants
|
August 1983
|
5
|
Juba School for Laboratory Assistants
|
-
|
6
|
Wad Madani School for Laboratory Assistants
|
1984
|
7
|
Dongola School for Laboratory Assistants
|
1996
|
4. Schools for health attendants
No.
|
Name of school
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Khartoum School for General Theatre attendants
|
1966
|
2
|
Khartoum School for Ophthalmic Theatre Attendants
|
1945
|
3
|
Wad Madani School for Theatre Attendants
|
1971
|
4
|
Wad Madani School for Ophthalmic Theatre Attendants
|
1975
|
5
|
Port Sudan School for Ophthalmic Theatre Attendants
|
-
|
6
|
Juba School for Theatre Attendants
|
-
|
7
|
Al-Obeid School for Theatre Attendants
|
-
|
8
|
Dongola School for General Theatre Attendants
|
1996
|
5. Schools for medical assistants (various specialist
fields)
No.
|
Name of school
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Khartoum Institute for Nursing
|
1994
|
2
|
Khartoum School for Assistant Pharmacists
|
1973
|
3
|
Khartoum School for Assistant Physiotherapists
|
1963
|
4
|
Khartoum School for Assistant Anaesthetists
|
1965
|
5
|
Khartoum School for Ophthalmic Assistants
|
1954
|
6
|
Omdurman School for Dental Assistants
|
1962
|
7
|
Madani School for Dental Assistants
|
1995
|
8
|
Omdurman School for Assistant Psychiatrists
|
-
|
9
|
Medani School for Assistant Ophthalmologists
|
1995
|
10
|
Khartoum School for Laboratory Assistants
|
-
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for Health
Information.
6. Schools for health supervisors
No.
|
Name of school
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Khartoum North School for Environmental Health Supervisors
|
1978
|
2
|
Madani School for Environmental Health Supervisors
|
1984
|
3
|
Juba School for Environmental Health Supervisors
|
-
|
7. Midwifery Schools/Nurses
No.
|
Name of school
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Omdurman Midwifery and Nursing School
|
1920
|
2
|
Wad Madani Midwifery and Nursing School
|
1968
|
3
|
Al-Obeid Midwifery and Nursing School
|
1970
|
4
|
Fashir Midwifery and Nursing School
|
1974
|
8. Schools for health visitors and assistant health
visitors
No.
|
Name of school
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Omdurman School for Health Visitors
|
1947
|
2
|
Madani School for Health Visitors
|
1973
|
3
|
Dami School for Assistant Health Visitors
|
1972
|
4
|
Sennar School for Assistant Health Visitors
|
1981
|
5
|
Dongola School for Health Visitors
|
1996
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – National Centre for Health
Information.
9. Midwifery schools
No.
|
Name of school
|
Date of opening
|
1
|
Khartoum North Midwifery School
|
1964
|
2
|
Dongola Midwifery School
|
1978
|
3
|
Atbara Midwifery School
|
1955
|
4
|
Kassala Midwifery School
|
1957
|
5
|
Port Sudan Midwifery School
|
1969
|
6
|
Gedaref Midwifery School
|
1973
|
7
|
Al-Obeid Midwifery School
|
1948
|
8
|
Nahud Midwifery School
|
1978
|
9
|
Kadogli Midwifery School
|
1972
|
10
|
Fashir Midwifery School
|
1959
|
11
|
Geneina Midwifery School
|
1959
|
12
|
Nayala Midwifery School
|
1971
|
13
|
Madani Midwifery School
|
1953
|
14
|
Rufa’a Midwifery School
|
1983
|
15
|
Managil Midwifery School
|
1983
|
16
|
Juba Midwifery School
|
1950
|
17
|
Malakal Midwifery School
|
1958
|
18
|
Wau Midwifery School
|
1975
|
19
|
Sennar Midwifery School
|
1970
|
20
|
Kosti Midwifery School
|
1976
|
21
|
Duwaym Midwifery School
|
1974
|
22
|
Umm Ruwaba Midwifery School
|
-
|
23
|
Damazin Midwifery School
|
-
|
24
|
Yambio Midwifery School
|
Closed
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – Department of National Health Statistics.
Number of doctors graduated from the faculties of medicine
at the universities
of Kassala, Shendi, Al-Zaim al-Azhari and Bah
al-Ghazal
Kassala University
Class
|
Number
|
Males
|
Females
|
Date of graduation
|
First
|
113
|
64
|
49
|
February 1997
|
Second
|
99
|
58
|
41
|
|
Third
|
104
|
71
|
33
|
|
Fourth
|
86
|
55
|
31
|
|
Fifth
|
60
|
35
|
25
|
|
Sixth
|
50
|
31
|
19
|
|
Shendi University
Class and year
|
Number
|
Males
|
Females
|
Date of graduation
|
First – 1990
|
14
|
8
|
6
|
1997
|
Second – 1991
|
2
|
10
|
11
|
1998
|
Third – 1992
|
31
|
12
|
19
|
1998
|
Fourth – 1993
|
30
|
14
|
16
|
1999
|
Fifth – 1994
|
34
|
20
|
14
|
2000
|
Sixth – 1995
|
39
|
19
|
20
|
2001
|
Al-Zaim al-Azhari University
Class and year
|
Number
|
Males
|
Females
|
Date of graduation
|
First – 1994
|
73
|
31
|
42
|
|
Second – 1995
|
67
|
36
|
31
|
|
Third – 1996
|
67
|
19
|
48
|
|
Fourth – 1997
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Fifth – 1998
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Sixth – 1999
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Bahr al-Ghazal University
Class and year
|
Number
|
Males
|
Females
|
Date of graduation
|
First – 1994
|
28
|
18
|
56
|
|
Second – 1995
|
38
|
19
|
19
|
|
Third – 1996
|
49
|
32
|
17
|
|
Fourth – 1997
|
33
|
25
|
8
|
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – Department of Human Resources Development.
Table 7
Protein deficiency during the period
1991-1996: percentage of dwarfism
(persons of below average height ni
relation to age)
No.
|
State
|
Year
|
Severe dwarfism
|
Average dwarfism
|
1
|
White Nile
|
1992
|
2.7
|
15.9
|
|
|
1995
|
4.7
|
12.7
|
2
|
Khartoum (displaced persons)
|
1992
|
4.0
|
14.7
|
|
Khartoum
|
1996
|
4.7
|
16.4
|
3
|
North Darfur
|
1991
|
3.4
|
16.9
|
4
|
South Darfur
|
1995
|
1.7
|
6.8
|
5
|
Gedaref
|
1995
|
5.3
|
9.3
|
6
|
Red Sea
|
1995
|
9.0
|
16.2
|
|
|
1996
|
12.1
|
21.3
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – Department of
Nutrition.
Table 8
Personnel trained in the expanded
immunization programme
Personnel
|
1989
|
1990
|
1991
|
1992
|
1993
|
1994
|
1995
|
1996
|
1997
|
Total
|
Assistant doctors
|
1,869
|
1,817
|
2,121
|
-
|
348
|
220
|
272
|
242
|
23
|
6,912
|
Volunteers
|
1,415
|
2,190
|
4,370
|
-
|
86
|
142
|
0
|
48
|
0
|
8,251
|
Trainers and theatre officers
|
90
|
0
|
0
|
-
|
24
|
23
|
39
|
43
|
26
|
245
|
Refrigeration technicians
|
10
|
5
|
5
|
-
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
8
|
4
|
38
|
Solar energy technicians
|
24
|
0
|
0
|
-
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
24
|
University students
|
-
|
0
|
0
|
-
|
0
|
161
|
193
|
193
|
0
|
547
|
Total
|
6,408
|
4,945
|
7,588
|
-
|
458
|
546
|
510
|
558
|
53
|
21,066
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – Department of
Immunization.
Immunization of children under one year of age over the
past eight years countrywide
Year
|
Percentage
|
1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 |
40
62.3 62.4 52.6 51 70.7 73.6 80 |
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – Department of
Immunization.
Table 9
Disabled persons
Names of
institutes and centres, areas of activity, type of management and number of
disabled children
No.
|
Name of institute or centre
|
Area of activity
|
Type of management
|
Parent authority
|
Date of establishment
|
Current number of children
|
Number of children rehabilitated
|
1
|
Nur Institute for the Blind
|
Blindness
|
Government
|
Ministry of Education
|
1960
|
86
|
300
|
2
|
Salmabi Institute of Hearing and Communication
|
Speech impairment
|
Government
|
Cultural and Social Affairs
|
1979
|
105
|
250
|
3
|
Amal Institute
|
Speech impairment
|
Voluntary
|
National Society for the Welfare of Speech-Impaired Persons
|
1973
|
120
|
400
|
4
|
Sakina Institute for Mortal and Physical Disability
|
Mental disability, speech impairment and physical disability
|
Voluntary
|
Sakina Society for Mental and Physical Disabilities
|
1985
|
180
|
500
|
5
|
Basma National Centre for Skills Development
|
Mental disability
|
Voluntary
|
Basma Society
|
1986
|
34
|
230
|
6
|
Children’s Advisory Centre
|
Mental disability
|
Voluntary
|
Private
|
1994
|
29
|
150
|
7
|
Fursan al-Irada Centre
|
Mental disability
|
Voluntary
|
Private
|
1994
|
26
|
-
|
8
|
Ahbab Allah Centre
|
Mental disability
|
Voluntary
|
Private
|
1964
|
18
|
32
|
9
|
ABC Kindergarten
|
Mental disability
|
Voluntary
|
Private
|
1995
|
20
|
5
|
10
|
Psychiatric and Clinical Assessment Centre
|
Child intelligence and personality assessment
|
Voluntary
|
Private
|
1996
|
Indefinite
|
184
|
11
|
Centre for Young Children
|
Mental disability
|
Voluntary
|
Private
|
1996
|
15
|
-
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
631
|
2,051
|
Source: Ministry of Social Planning, 1996.
Table 10
1. Disabled children in the northern
states by gender
Gender
|
Number
|
Percentage
|
Male
|
52,906
|
58.62
|
Female
|
37,342
|
41.38
|
Total
|
90,248
|
100
|
Source: Department of Population Statistics – Central Office of
Statistics.
2. Type of disability among children in 1993
Motor
|
Speech impairment
|
Blindness
|
Multiple
|
Mental
|
Other
|
Unspecified
|
Total
|
38,390
|
20,749
|
7,277
|
3,157
|
13,069
|
7,258
|
442
|
90,248
|
Source: Department of Population Statistics – Central Office of
Statistics.
3. Type of services provided by centres for disabled
children in 1993
No.
|
Type of services
|
Percentage
|
1
|
Educational
|
23.4
|
2
|
Vocational training
|
2.1
|
3
|
Psychiatric counselling
|
23.4
|
4
|
Rehabilitation
|
12.9
|
5
|
Prevention
|
14.9
|
6
|
Early intervention
|
10.6
|
7
|
Employment
|
2.1
|
8
|
Transport
|
10.6
|
9
|
Cash
|
-
|
|
Total
|
100
|
Source: Department of Population Statistics – Central Office of Statistics.
HIV/AIDS surveillance report 1994
Country : Sudan
Date of
report : 31 December 1994
Period of report: Fourth quarter
Number of cases
|
AIDS
|
ARC
|
Asymptomatic HIV
|
Total
|
During the reporting period
|
75
|
0
|
126
|
201
|
Cumulative total
|
1,090
|
111
|
1,276
|
2,472
|
AIDS cases by year
1979-1986
|
1987
|
1988
|
1989
|
1990
|
1991
|
1992
|
1993
|
1994
|
2
|
2
|
64
|
122
|
130
|
188
|
184
|
191
|
201
|
Breakdown of AIDS cases
Age
|
During the reporting period
|
Cumulative total
|
||||||
|
Males
|
Females
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
Males
|
Females
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
9
|
2
|
0
|
11
|
5-14
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
10
|
5
|
0
|
15
|
15-19
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
64
|
21
|
0
|
85
|
20-29
|
22
|
12
|
0
|
34
|
217
|
111
|
0
|
328
|
30-39
|
24
|
6
|
0
|
30
|
374
|
109
|
0
|
483
|
40-49
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
79
|
18
|
0
|
97
|
50+
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
19
|
7
|
2
|
28
|
Unknown
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
43
|
43
|
Total
|
53
|
20
|
1
|
74
|
772
|
273
|
45
|
1,090
|
Modes of AIDS transmission
Mode
|
During the reporting period
|
Cumulative total
|
Heterosexual
|
75
|
1,065
|
Homosexual
|
0
|
0
|
Bisexual
|
0
|
0
|
Blood/blood products
|
0
|
11
|
Injecting drug use
|
0
|
0
|
Mother-to-infant
|
0
|
14
|
Total
|
75
|
1,090
|
Breakdown of AIDS cases in 1995
Age
|
During the reporting period
|
Total
|
||
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
||
0-4
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4-14
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
15-19
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
20-29
|
24
|
13
|
0
|
37
|
30-39
|
27
|
7
|
0
|
34
|
40-49
|
7
|
1
|
0
|
8
|
50+
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Unkown
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Total
|
62
|
21
|
0
|
83
|
Cumulative total
|
Total
|
||
Males
|
Females
|
Unknown
|
|
13
|
3
|
-
|
16
|
12
|
5
|
-
|
17
|
66
|
21
|
-
|
87
|
291
|
137
|
-
|
428
|
452
|
123
|
-
|
575
|
119
|
23
|
-
|
142
|
23
|
8
|
2
|
33
|
-
|
-
|
43
|
43
|
976
|
320
|
45
|
1,341
|
Mode of AIDS transmission
Mode
|
During the reporting period
|
Cumulative total
|
Heterosexual
|
80
|
1,308
|
Homosexual
|
0
|
0
|
Bisexual
|
0
|
0
|
Blood/blood products
|
0
|
12
|
Injecting drug use
|
0
|
0
|
Mother-to-infant
|
3
|
21
|
Total
|
83
|
1,341
|
HIV/AIDS surveillance report
Country : Sudan
Date : 20
January 1996
Period of report: 1996
1. Number of cases of
HIV/ARC/HIV
Number of cases
|
AIDS
|
ARC
|
Asymptomatic HIV
|
Total
|
During the reporting period
|
221
|
0
|
277
|
498
|
Cumulative total
|
1,562
|
126
|
1,790
|
3,478
|
2. AIDS cases by year
1979-1989
|
1987
|
1988
|
1989
|
1990
|
1991
|
1992
|
1993
|
1994
|
1995
|
1996
|
Total
|
2
|
2
|
64
|
122
|
130
|
188
|
184
|
191
|
201
|
257
|
221
|
1,526
|
HIV/AIDS surveillance report 1995
Number of cases
|
AIDS
|
ARC
|
Asymptomatic HIV
|
Total
|
During the reporting period
|
83
|
0
|
45
|
128
|
Cumulative total
|
1,341
|
126
|
1,513
|
2,984
|
AIDS cases by year
1979-1986
|
1987
|
1988
|
1989
|
1990
|
1991
|
1992
|
1993
|
1994
|
1995
|
2
|
2
|
64
|
122
|
130
|
188
|
184
|
191
|
201
|
257
|
3. Cases by age and gender
Age group
|
During the reporting period
|
Cumulative total
|
||||||
Years
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
0-4
|
1
|
-
|
0
|
1
|
14
|
3
|
-
|
17
|
4-14
|
4
|
-
|
0
|
4
|
16
|
6
|
0
|
22
|
15-19
|
2
|
-
|
0
|
2
|
68
|
21
|
0
|
89
|
20-29
|
63
|
31
|
0
|
49
|
354
|
168
|
0
|
655
|
30-39
|
63
|
17
|
3
|
80
|
515
|
140
|
0
|
655
|
Mode of AIDS transmission
Mode of transmission
|
During the reporting period
|
Cumulative total
|
Heterosexual
|
220
|
1,528
|
Homosexual
|
0
|
0
|
Blood/blood products
|
0
|
0
|
Injecting drug use
|
0
|
12
|
Mother-to-infant
|
0
|
0
|
Unknown
|
1
|
22
|
Total
|
221
|
1,562
|
Table 12
1. Voluntary and federal societies active in combating harmful
traditional practices,
in particular female circumcision
No.
|
Society
|
Parent authority
|
Area of activity
|
Remarks
|
1
|
Babakar Badri Society for Women
|
Ahfad University
|
National
|
Active since 1997
|
2
|
Sudanese Society for the Elimination of Harmful Traditional Practices
|
Voluntary
|
National
|
A branch of the African Society for the Elimination of Harmful traditional
Customs (IAC)
|
3
|
Hand of Woman Society
|
Voluntary
|
Darfur
|
|
4
|
Hawa Society
|
Voluntary
|
Kordofan
|
|
5
|
Working Women’s League
|
Group federation
|
National
|
|
6
|
General Federation of Sudanese Women
|
General federation
|
National
|
|
7
|
African Society for the Welfare of Children
|
Society for the African continent
|
Khartoum
|
|
Source: Sudanese Society for the Elimination of Harmful Traditional
Practices.
2. Departments and special Government programmes dealing
with female circumcision
No.
|
Department/programme
|
Parent authority
|
Date of establishment
|
Remarks
|
1
|
Government Committee to combat female circumcision
|
Ministry of Social Welfare (at that time)
|
1982
|
Voluntary societies also included in the membership
|
2
|
National Committee for the coordination of programmes to combat traditional
practices harmful to maternal and child health
|
Federal Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Planning
|
1992
|
Established by ministerial ordinance with a view to implementing the
strategy
|
3
|
National programme to combat traditional practices harmful to maternal and
child health
|
Federal Ministry of Health / Ministry of Women and Children’s
Affairs
|
1992
|
Plan of the Federal Ministry of Health, Department of Women and
Children’s Affairs
|
4
|
National Council for Child Welfare
|
Ministry of Social Planning
|
1991
|
Established by republican decree and chaired by the President of the
Republic
|
5
|
Department for the Rights of Women and the Child
|
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
|
1993
|
Plan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
|
6
|
Development information and demographic communication
|
Ministry of Culture and Information
|
1993
|
Plan of the Ministry of Culture and Information
|
Source: Sudanese Society for the Elimination of Harmful Traditional Practices.
Table 13-1
Support provided by international and
voluntary organizations
No.
|
Name of organization
|
1992-1993
|
1993-1994
|
1994-1995
|
1995-1996
|
1996-1997
|
1
|
Médecins sans frontières (The Netherlands)
|
-
|
-
|
$ 142,566
|
DM 8,900,519
|
DM 30,022,396
|
2
|
Médecins sans frontières (France)
|
-
|
$16,527,534
|
-
|
AFR 1,775,797
|
-
|
3
|
World against Hunger
|
-
|
$ 6,459,434
|
-
|
AFR 1,775,797
|
-
|
4
|
ADRA
|
-
|
$ 99,666
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
Africa in the World Church
|
-
|
$ 2,145
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
Christian Outreach
|
-
|
-
|
$ 6,958,235
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
Care International – Sudan
|
-
|
-
|
$ 473,289
|
-
|
-
|
8
|
Concern
|
-
|
-
|
DM 23,043
|
-
|
-
|
9
|
Episcopal Church of the Sudan
|
-
|
-
|
GBP 1,595
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
Ethiopian Relief Agency
|
-
|
-
|
$ 1,064,382
|
-
|
-
|
11
|
GOAL
|
-
|
-
|
$ 82,204,466
|
$ 3,817,230
|
-
|
12
|
Humanitarian Organization for Health in Africa
|
-
|
-
|
$ 1,305,544
|
-
|
-
|
13
|
International Organization for Geriatric Care
|
-
|
-
|
GBP 3,762,119
|
-
|
GBP 19,229
BKR 9,180 |
14
|
International Rescue Committee
|
-
|
-
|
$ 8,584,604
|
-
|
-
|
15
|
Call of Peace
|
-
|
-
|
$ 60,000
|
-
|
-
|
16
|
Laramba Organization
|
-
|
-
|
$ 115,948,131
|
-
|
-
|
17
|
Lower Saxony Organization
|
-
|
-
|
$ 281,188,828
|
DM 6,653,360
|
DM 5,535,000
|
18
|
Mowafag Charity Organization
|
-
|
-
|
DFL 44,278,438
|
-
|
NDK 2,029,383
|
19
|
Nile Society for Ethiopian Refugees
|
-
|
-
|
$ 1,064,382
|
-
|
-
|
20
|
Norwegian Church
|
-
|
-
|
$ 518,056
|
-
|
-
|
21
|
Save the Children (UK)
|
-
|
-
|
$ 4,441,791
|
-
|
-
|
22
|
Sudanese Organization for Development and Relief
|
-
|
-
|
$1,712,600
|
$58,980
|
-
|
23
|
Sudan Council of Churches
|
-
|
-
|
$ 197,134,745
|
-
|
-
|
24
|
Sudan Aid
|
-
|
-
|
$9,633,320
|
$ 80,710
|
-
|
25
|
Sudanese Fertility Society
|
-
|
-
|
$ 914,353
|
-
|
-
|
26
|
You and I Society
|
-
|
-
|
$ 33,922
|
-
|
GBP 585,910
|
27
|
Islamic Aid Organization
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
DM 1,190,900
|
-
|
28
|
Ockenden International
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
GBP 347,784
|
29
|
Oxfam (UK)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
GBP 1,509,010
|
30
|
Oromo Society for Refugees
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
DM 2,627,302
|
31
|
UNICEF
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
$ 116,185,923
|
$136,095,421
|
32
|
UNFPA
|
-
|
-
|
GBP 34,500
$ 20,769,335 |
-
|
-
|
33
|
UNHCR
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
DFL 80,600
GBP 431,363 |
DFL 872,530
DFL 11,251,800 $ 11,827,697 BBB 38,381 |
Source: Federal Ministry of Health – General Department of External Relations.
Table 13-2
Government health budget in millions
of Sudanese pounds for the period 1991-1996
Year
|
Budget
|
Gross domestic product (GDP)
|
1991-1992
|
491
|
415
|
1992-1993
|
2,432
|
1,525
|
1993-1994
|
5,291
|
3,433
|
1996
|
32,757
|
18,165
|
Source: Federal Ministry of Finance.
Table 14-1
Health insurance
State
|
Number of insured units
|
Number of insured persons
|
Number of cards issued
|
Number of functioning health centres
|
Number of functioning hospitals
|
Amount of support in kind in Sudanese
pands
|
Amount of ash support in Sudanese pands
|
Total support in Sudanese pands
|
Date of inclusion in the health insurance
scheme
|
Sennar
|
33
|
7,518
|
23,162
|
19
|
1
|
37,138,000
|
37,138,000
|
181,550,000
|
October 1995
|
Khartoum
|
114
|
59,449
|
26,140
|
37
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
13
|
150
|
Gezira
|
6
|
17
|
15
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
28
|
69
|
Gedaref
|
2
|
9
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
Red Sea
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
Nile
|
1
|
6
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
17
|
White Nile
|
-
|
7
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
9
|
20
|
North Darfur
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
19
|
West Kordofan
|
3
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
23
|
Blue Nile
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
10
|
Darfur
|
6
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
12
|
North Kordofan
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
35
|
Northern
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
8
|
Kassala
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
7
|
Total
|
-
|
2
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
14
|
13
|
Table 14-2
Details of priority activities and
support received in kind and in cash by state
No.
|
State
|
Number of insured units
|
Number of insured persons
|
Number of cards issued
|
Number of functioning health centres
|
Number of functioning hospitals
|
Amount of support in kind in Sudanese
pands
|
Amount of support in cash in Sudanese
pands
|
Total supporting Sudanese pands
|
Date of inclusion in the health
insurance
|
1
|
Sennar
|
33
|
7,518
|
23,162
|
19
|
1
|
37138000
|
37138000
|
181550000
|
October 1995
|
2
|
Khartoum
|
114
|
59,449
|
26,140
|
37
|
10
|
120419000
|
129419000
|
246886295
|
June 1996
|
3
|
Gezira
|
28
|
17,516
|
40,861
|
10
|
3
|
65502500
|
65502500
|
115000000
|
August 1996
|
4
|
Gedaref
|
79
|
15,787
|
41,450
|
17
|
2
|
61305300
|
61305300
|
60000000
|
August 1996
|
5
|
Red Sea
|
6
|
3,029
|
2,692
|
6
|
7
|
25773950
|
25773950
|
115000000
|
September 1996
|
6
|
Nile
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
11640000
|
11640000
|
40000000
|
June 1996
|
7
|
White Nile
|
20
|
3,395
|
6,000
|
5
|
3
|
47209567
|
47209566
|
68000000
|
February 1997
|
8
|
North Darfur
|
6
|
2,381
|
3,082
|
2
|
2
|
36176780
|
36176780
|
41500000
|
January 1997
|
9
|
West Kordofan
|
6
|
750
|
3,219
|
1
|
-
|
35556725
|
35556725
|
30000000
|
January 1997
|
10
|
Blue Nile
|
19
|
2,242
|
1,207
|
1
|
-
|
26478180
|
35478180
|
42500000
|
February 1997
|
11
|
South Darfur
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
31201000
|
26478180
|
180000000
|
April 1997
|
12
|
North Kordofan
|
4
|
6,000
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
8012135
|
8012135
|
50500000
|
December 1996
|
13
|
Northern
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
24452135
|
24452135
|
20000000
|
May 1997
|
14
|
Kassala
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
31981000
|
31981000
|
11000000
|
July 1997
|
Indicators
No.
|
Indicator
|
1996
|
2000
|
---|---|---|---|
1
|
Mortality rate among newborn infants aged below one month
|
34 per one thousand
|
17
|
2
|
Mortality rate among newborn infants aged over one month
|
34 per one thousand
|
17
|
3
|
Infant mortality rate
|
69.5 per one thousand
|
35
|
4
|
Mortality rate among children between the ages of four and five years
|
46 per one thousand
|
22
|
5
|
Mortality rate among children of five years of age
|
113 per one thousand
|
22
|
6
|
Material mortality rate
|
379 per hundred thousand
|
330
|
7
|
Pregnant women receiving antenatal care
|
54 per cent of the total number of pregnant women
60 per cent through midwives 42 per cent through doctors |
80 80 80 |
8
|
Pregnant women receiving obstetric care
|
77 per cent through midwives
19 per cent through doctors 4 per cent through relatives |
90
20 - |
9
|
Places of delivery
|
80 per cent at home
18 per cent in government establishments 2 per cent in private establishments |
-
- - |
10
|
Methods of delivery
|
80 per cent by the normal method
20 per cent by caesarian section 9 per cent experienced complications |
-
10 1 |
11
|
Pregnant women who received a single dose of the tetanus vaccine
|
64 per cent
|
90
|
12
|
Total fertility rate – births per mother
|
4.6 per cent
|
-
|
13
|
Number of children born to mothers aged 15-49 years
|
5
|
-
|
14
|
Number of children born to mothers aged 45-49 years
|
9
|
-
|
15
|
Desirable number of children
|
6
|
-
|
16
|
Mothers aged 15-49 years wishing to have more children
|
64 per cent
|
-
|
17
|
Married women with a knowledge of family planning methods
|
93 per cent
|
-
|
18
|
Married women using modern and traditional family planning methods
|
2 per cent
|
-
|
19
|
Married women using contraceptive pills
|
18 per cent
|
-
|
20
|
Married women using the coil
|
4 per cent
|
-
|
21
|
Married women
|
47 per cent
|
75
|
22
|
Divorced women
|
17 per cent
|
-
|
23
|
Women married for the second time
|
55 per cent
|
-
|
24
|
Women married to men with other wives
|
17 per cent
|
-
|
25
|
Women married to relatives
|
55 per cent
|
-
|
|
Female circumcision
|
|
|
26
|
Women in favour of female circumcision
|
80 per cent
|
40
|
27
|
Percentage of women against female circumcision
|
20 per cent
|
60
|
28
|
Religion
|
12 per cent
|
-
|
29
|
Traditional practice
|
72 per cent
|
-
|
30
|
In the girl’s interest
|
16 per cent
|
-
|
31
|
Women who experienced no problems in marriage or child delivery as a result
of female circumcision
|
82 per cent
|
-
|
32
|
Women who experienced difficulty in urinating as a result of female
circumcision
|
4 per cent
|
-
|
|
Immunization
|
|
|
33
|
Children who received the full course
|
Tuberculosis: 88 per cent
Triple vaccine: 76 per cent Poliomyelitis: 77 per cent Measles: 74 per cent |
-
|
|
Nutrition
|
|
|
34
|
Newborn infants weighing less than 2.5 kgs
|
15 per cent
|
5
|
35
|
Shortness of stature
|
17 per cent
|
5
|
36
|
Emaciation and weakness
|
31 per cent
|
5
|
37
|
Goitre in children aged 6-11 years
|
60 per cent
|
30
|
38
|
Anaemia in children
|
83 per cent
|
40
|
39
|
Anaemia in pregnant women
|
62 per cent
|
30
|
40
|
Vitamin A deficiency
|
1.7 per cent
|
0.1
|
41
|
Breastfeeding
Breast-fed infants aged 0-3 months |
|
|
42
|
Infants aged 6-9 months whose breastfeeding is supplemented
|
45 per cent
|
|
43
|
Infants aged 20-23 months who still breastfeeded
|
44 per cent
|
|
|
Disabled children
|
|
|
44
|
Disabled children aged under five years
|
598 per 100,000
|
200
|
45
|
Disabled children aged 5-14 years
|
1,238 per 100,000
|
600
|
|
Accidents in children
|
|
|
46
|
Accidents
|
2 per cent
|
-
|
47
|
Burns
|
58 per cent
|
-
|
48
|
Wounds and fractures
|
9 per cent
|
-
|
49
|
Poisoning
|
4 per cent
|
-
|
50
|
Accidents in the home
|
64 per cent
|
-
|
51
|
Accidents with lasting effects
|
35 per cent
|
-
|
|
Environment
|
|
|
52
|
Consumers of safe drinking water
|
Urban 84 per cent
Rural 41 per cent |
95
80 |
53
|
Sanitation: Users of latrines
|
Urban 68 per cent
Rural 45 per cent |
90
80 |
54
|
Users of outdoor areas, particularly in rural areas
|
48 per cent
|
20
|
55
|
Users of flush toilets
|
7 per cent
|
-
|
|
Medical treatment
|
|
|
56
|
Health establishments/hospitals
|
253
|
-
|
57
|
Beds
|
22,444
|
|
58
|
Dispensaries
|
1,478
|
-
|
59
|
Health clinics
|
1,558
|
-
|
60
|
Primary health care units
|
2,916
|
-
|
61
|
Beds per 100,000 inhabitants
|
8
|
-
|
|
Personnel
|
|
|
62
|
Consultants
|
609
|
-
|
63
|
Registrars
|
184
|
-
|
64
|
General practitioners
|
991
|
-
|
65
|
House physicians
|
449
|
-
|
66
|
Dentists
|
205
|
-
|
67
|
Total
|
2,438
|
-
|
68
|
Pharmacists
|
295
|
-
|
69
|
Medical assistants
|
5,247
|
-
|
70
|
Technicians
|
1,633
|
-
|
71
|
Nurses
|
17,182
|
-
|
|
Averages
|
|
|
72
|
Doctors per 100,000 inhabitants
|
0.2
|
3
|
73
|
Dentists per 100,000 inhabitants
|
0.1
|
2
|
74
|
100,000 inhabitants for all doctors
|
0.9
|
2
|
75
|
Technicians per 100,000 inhabitants
|
0.7
|
2
|
76
|
Medical assistants per 100,000 inhabitants
|
2.2
|
4
|
77
|
Nurses per 100,000 inhabitants
|
6.4
|
8
|
78
|
Health officers per 100,000 in habitants
|
0.1
|
3
|
|
Medical drugs
|
|
|
79
|
Essential medical drugs
|
454
|
-
|
80
|
Local medical drug factories
|
15
|
-
|
81
|
Varieties of medical drugs manufactured annually by such factories
|
15
|
-
|
82
|
Imported or locally manufactured medical drugs supplied by the private
sector
|
97 per cent
|
-
|
|
Universities, colleges and schools
|
|
|
83
|
Schools for village midwives
|
24
|
26
|
84
|
Schools for nursing midwives
|
4
|
10
|
85
|
Schools for health visitors
|
5
|
10
|
86
|
Schools for environmental health inspectors
|
3
|
10
|
87
|
Schools for general medical assistants
|
6
|
10
|
88
|
Schools for theatre attendants
|
5
|
10
|
89
|
Schools for medical laboratory assistants
|
7
|
10
|
90
|
Schools for other medical assistants
|
9
|
15
|
91
|
Colleges for technicians
|
7
|
-
|
|
Malaria
|
|
|
92
|
Malaria cases during the period 1990-1995
|
1,769,696
|
-
|
93
|
Deaths from malaria during the period 1990-1995
|
2,834
|
-
|
94
|
Education of women compared with men
|
60 per cent
|
80
|
95
|
Female adult illiteracy rate
|
1990: 17 per cent
1995: 35 per cent |
70
|
96
|
Primary school enrolment
|
1990-1995: 48 per cent
1997: 52 per cent |
80
|
97
|
Ranking of the Sudan in the list comparing progress in regard to deaths
among the under-fives in 1997
|
42
|
60
|
VII. EDUCATION, LEISURE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
(arts. 28,
29, 31)
A. Education, including vocational training and
guidance
(art. 28)
234. In conceptual terms, the right of the child to education is at once
humane, social, economic, political, cultural, scientific
and technical in
scope. Its attainment is also a paramount aim of Sudanese legislation.
Moreover, it ranks in the category of basic
needs and is intrinsic to the
established system of legislation. It is therefore a right of such key
importance that it cannot be
abolished or eradicated, a fact which is clearly
apparent in educational theory, the education strategy and the general policy on
education. It is also equally apparent from studies on human rights in general
and child rights in particular that education is
the foundation on which the
principle of absolute justice for the human being lies.
235. The
country’s education projects and programmes are therefore coherent and
consistent with the general objectives of education.
The available educational
opportunities are based on the principle of equality, right and justice, which
is regarded as a spiritual
value and not simply as a constitutional obligation
or a legal maxim. Stemming from these guidelines, laws were enacted and
educational
programmes and projects were planned and implemented, built on the
principle of absolute justice among Sudanese children without
distinction and on
full equality, whether between males and females or between religious and
non-religious communities. They also
echoed the spirit of the high ideal
embodied in international instruments, as well as the spirit of peace, dignity,
freedom, brotherhood
and justice. The underlying intention was to maintain
regard for human dignity, strike a reasonable balance between the aspirations
of
the soul and the demands of body and mind and accomplish the solidarity needed
to achieve education for all and develop communication
among the diverse
cultures, ethnicities, religions and traditional elements of Sudanese society.
It should be noted that this is
not so over-idealistic as to be impossible to
apply. As with the educational strategy and policy, the objectives of education
are
based on systematic plans which leave no room for digression, misconception
or malpractice and which instead harmonize the idealism
of the objectives with
the evolving circumstances of life in the Sudan. The legislative enactments,
programmes and projects relating
to education have accordingly acquired a
scientific character, thus simultaneously combining the idealism of purpose with
the practicalities
of implementation on the basis of the society’s own
capabilities, without coercion or restriction. The motto of education
as a
universal right therefore gradually emerged in accordance with the principal
objectives of the plan for the survival, protection
and educational development
of Sudanese children, which are as follows:
(a) To increase the
enrolment rate in basic schools to 70 per cent by 1995 and to 100 per cent by
2000;
(b) To increase the completion rate to 75 per cent by 1995 and to
80 per cent by 2000;
(c) To reduce the illiteracy rate to 50 per cent in
1995 and eradicate illiteracy by 2000;
(d) To expand early child
development services and pre-school education.
236. The provisions of the
following laws and regulations, annexed hereto, are consistent with the
provisions of the international
instruments on education in general and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child in particular. These laws and regulations
are
as follows:
(a) The Public Education Act of 1992;
(b) The National Literacy and Adult Education Council Act of
1991;
(c) The School Health Act of 1973, which covers protection from
contagious and endemic diseases, the establishment of a central health
council
to formulate public policies for school health services and determine the
acceptable minimum for such services, the organization
of research and studies
on student health and the setting of health standards for sports and physical
education;
(d) The National Centre for Curricula and Educational
Research Act of 1996;
(e) The Parent-Teacher Association Regulations of
1992, aimed at establishing a link between the home, the school and the
community;
(f) The Basic School Regulations of 1992;
(g) The
Secondary School Regulations of 1992.
Main legislative measures
adopted to ensure the right to life, survival and development, as well as the
right to enjoyment of the
highest standard of health
237. The role
played by education in implementing these measures is exemplified in the
following:
(a) The school nutrition project;
(b) The School
Health Act;
(c) The oral and dental hygiene project;
(d) The
introduction of demography as a curriculum subject in basic and secondary
schools, as well as for young people who are not
in school, with a view to
tackling reproductive health problems and harmful practices, together with the
publication of a handbook
on population, demography, health, nutrition,
development, environment and values, with the support of the United Nations
Population
Fund (UNFPA).
238. The budget allocated to education in 1996
was estimated at about 5.8 billion Sudanese pounds, representing 5.3 per cent of
the
general budget. The expenditure on basic education amounts to 44 per cent
of the overall expenditure on public education, although
this figure does not
represent the actual expenditure from the approved budget. In 1996, the
grass-roots effort represented 53 per
cent of the expenditure on public
education.
239. Financing for education must be viewed from a wider
perspective in the future. In other words, contributions should be increased
by
expanding the base to include other sectors and a variety of organizations. The
strategy consists of providing allowances designed
to alleviate the family
burden of school expenses and adopting a flexible approach that can be tailored
to local requirements, also
bearing in mind the significance which the family
attaches to the true cost of educating a child and the adequacy of the support
provided. The State is clearly concerned to guarantee access to education, in
particular basic education for all, in which connection
the measures adopted
include the following:
(a) The procurement of technical and financial
support from the local and international communities. The World Food Programme
(WFP)
incorporated basic education into the Sudan Food for Work project;
launched in 1998 and covering those areas of the Sudan which are
vulnerable to
food
shortages, the project is set to build 1,000 classrooms in five states. UNDP
is also carrying out a survey of the basic education
sector with the aim of
determining needs and providing support to meet those needs;
(b) The
promotion of grass-roots and voluntary efforts and the establishment of a
solidarity fund, a zakat fund and a fund to support productive
families;
(c) The allocation of 25 per cent of the subsidies received
from expatriate workers to the benefit of education.
240. Following the
institution of federal rule in the Sudan, one of the measures initiated as part
of the educational policy (chapter
VIII concerning policies approved by the
Council of Ministers in 1996) was to encourage local cultural communities and
tribal groups
to consider the possibility of introducing their languages into
their local schools. Sudanese individuals are keen that their thinking
and
conduct should stem from their roots, demonstrating an original approach to the
problems of childhood, which has both positive
and negative aspects, and looking
ahead to a future in which they hope to see progress and development. Questions
should be asked,
however, about the Sudanese educational attitude towards those
with special needs and those in especially difficult circumstances,
the criteria
and programmes for whom should relate to their abilities with a view to
fostering their creativity and encouraging them
to adapt to their own
circumstances and fit in with the community.
241. The education policy in
regard to children who are gifted, academically outstanding, disabled, displaced
or refugees is not simply
an abstract intellectual idea or an exercise of the
mind, a game of logic, a stimulus of emotion or nourishment for the soul. On
the contrary, in actual practice, it is also so distinctly objective in meaning,
idealistic in value, global in approach, comprehensive
in guidance and humane in
scope as to produce the ideal model of a child in word, behaviour and deed, a
unique human being capable
of pioneering leadership, who, through the
upbringing, guidance and education which he or she receives, acquires a
penetrating insight,
an original understanding, a profound awareness, a level
mind and a lively conscience. Displaced, refugee or disabled children therefore
transcend the immense horizons of humanity, beyond time, place, gender, colour,
language and culture. Without this profound understanding,
the performance of
education in meeting the requirements of children with special needs and
children in especially difficult circumstances
would be purely mechanical,
without voice, spirit, influence or purpose, and would therefore be incapable of
expressing the values
and high ideal of the education policy of the Sudan and
its overall objectives.
242. This meaning becomes clearer and deeper in
the light of the programmes, referred to below, aimed at implementing the
policies
in question. In order to devote special attention to gifted children
and exceptional pupils and enhance the care which they receive,
plans have been
made to:
(a) Develop appropriate criteria other than examination results
in order to gauge excellence;
(b) Strengthen the development of
administrative skills in schools and institutions with a view to identifying and
catering for gifted
children;
(c) Prepare special curricula and classes
for such children;
(d) Provide teacher training.
In order to
ensure that all children, including girls, children with special needs and
children in especially difficult circumstances,
have full access to an
enlightened education and adequate educational facilities, the measures outlined
below have been adopted.
Disabled children
243. The policies for disabled persons
include measures such as:
− Design and codification of the tools needed to detect different types of disability;
− The preparation and development of special curricula for the different categories of disabled persons;
− Training for teachers and instructors of disabled persons and the introduction of special allowances for such teachers and instructors.
Achievement
− There are seven special educational institutions for disabled persons, which cater to 679 students and have a total staff of 160 teachers (Source: Report of the 1996 Geneva Conference on the Problems of Refugees, Displaced Persons, Migration and Asylum Issues, p. 44);
− A nationwide count of disabled persons has been made (see annex 1).
Basic education
244. Basic education is an
essential means of acquiring the fundamental skills of reading, writing,
arithmetic and oral expression,
as well as the vital skills needed to progress
in life and make a contribution to development. The basic education provided by
the
traditional school is insufficient on its own to enable attainment of the
goal of education for all. Other alternatives therefore
came to acquire
significance in introducing new forms of education that are accessible to
children and deprived communities.
Education for young
people
245. The developments and advances made in the field of
education include the attention devoted to non-formal education as a way of
making education accessible to children of different ages who are not in school.
Special education programmes for youngsters between
the ages of 9 and 14 are run
in parallel with formal basic education, with particular emphasis on girls so
that they can pursue their
studies and enter into formal education. This
attention extends to nomads, for whom mobile schools have been established to
cater
to their educational needs.
Objectives of the youth education
project
246. The objectives of this project are as
follows:
(a) To provide educational opportunities for those in the 9-14
age group who are not in school or who dropped out of the early stages
of basic
education;
(b) To provide a type of education consistent with the needs
and circumstances of this group so that they can develop their abilities,
their
knowledge and their preferences;
(c) To open up channels linking formal
education with this type of education so that young people who wish to do so may
continue
their education;
(d) To develop flexible routes to education so that educational opportunities
become accessible to all and to girls in particular;
(e) In all, 23
centres have been opened in six states, catering to 1,161 children, including
303 females.
The assistance project for displaced
persons
247. The project aims to provide children displaced by
drought and war with access to educational opportunities in their new locations
and has done so in the case of a quarter of a million children, 40 per cent of
them female. This project benefits the southern states
and a few states in the
north.
The nomad education project
248. The education of
nomads in the Sudan is a chronic problem which been neither studied nor
diagnosed so that education officers
might explore the most appropriate
solutions to ensure that nomads receive their share of education, as befits
their needs and the
development of their communities.
249. By 1997, with
UNICEF support, 259 mobile schools had been opened for nomads, catering to a
total of 13,219 children, including
4,863 girls, in the major states of Kordofan
and Darfur. The basic aim of the project is to provide nomads with a
fundamental education
in “basic skills and knowledge” in order to
serve the following objectives:
(a) To achieve education for
all;
(b) To raise the standard of living in nomad society without
affecting the way of life. Education is essential to ensuring “the
development of respect for the child’s parents, his or her own cultural
identity, language and values....” (art. 29 of
the Convention on the
Rights of the Child). In achieving that aim, it is vital to respect the natural
environment, as well as human
rights, freedoms and principles. With the
advancement of their society, nomads are able to participate in
development;
(c) To ensure that the most up-to-date methods of animal
breeding are accessible to nomads.
The project for access to education
for all villagers
250. In response to international guidelines and in
conformity with the Jomtien World Declaration on Education for All and the 1990
International Declaration on the Rights of the Child, as well as on the basis of
the resolutions of the national conference on education
policies, held in 1990,
and the comprehensive national strategy for the education sector, the Federal
Ministry of Education is engaged
in intensive efforts to achieve the objective
of basic education for all by the year 2000. In order to achieve this
objective, plans
for the village school project were
developed.
251. During the 1980s and early 1990s, efforts in the field of
basic education ran into various difficulties epitomized by the poor
infrastructure and the scant resources set aside for education, which led to
incompetence, poor-quality education and disparities
among urban and rural
areas. This situation provoked thinking about innovative ways of intensifying
the effort and bridging the
gap in educational opportunities, resulting in the
idea of education for all villagers, which differs from the traditional method,
as follows:
(a) Planning is carried out at the village level;
(b) The local community is involved at every level of the project, from
determining and subsequently planning for needs, elaborating
suitable plans and
programmes, monitoring and evaluating their implementation and endeavouring to
ensure their continuity;
(c) The experience gained from similar
projects, such as the child-friendly villages project, is used as an
advantage.
Aims of the project
252. The aims of the project
are as follows:
(a) To promote the efforts to achieve education for all,
particularly in rural and remote areas;
(b) To promote the policy of
decentralizing education;
(c) To build capacities at the foundation
level;
(d) To ensure involvement of the local community in educational
issues;
(e) To assess the current status of education at all
levels.
Project strategy
253. The project strategy is based
on the following:
(a) Mobilization of the local community;
(b) A
comprehensive view of education of all types and for all
ages;
(c) Integration with other social and economic development
activities;
(d) Encouragement of participation by new organizations in
the project and its subsequent implementation in the states of Kordofan
and
Darfur.
Girls’ education
254. The aims of education
include reducing illiteracy among girls and women, increasing school enrolment
among both sexes, reducing
drop-out rates and narrowing the differences between
boys and girls on the one hand and between the regions and areas where
inhabitants
are concentrated. To that end, the Ministry of Education,
represented in the Educational Planning Agency, conducted a study designed
to
identify the difficulties and obstacles resulting in the abandonment of
education and assess the demand for education in the family
and the
community.
255. The study targeted the following groups:
(a) The
principals of the schools included in the study;
(b) The teachers
working in the schools included in the study;
(c) The parents of the
school pupils;
(d) Girls in the 8-18 age group having previously attended or never attended
an educational institution;
(e) Female pupils in 7-12 age group
attending the basic stage.
256. The findings of the study confirmed a
number of factors which ultimately cause girls to leave school or never to
attend in the
first place. These can be summarized as follows:
− The domestic responsibilities placed on girls;
− Poverty;
− The tendency among certain communities to oppose the education of girls;
− The distance between school and home;
− The few opportunities available for school admission and for repetition of an academic year;
− Early marriage;
− The absence of any connection between the studies followed, the local environment and the needs of society;
− Frequent absence from school.
All of these
innovative projects are supported by international cooperation in the form of
UNICEF.
257. In conjunction with UNICEF, the Ministry of Education has
also engaged in efforts to run educational seminars for parents, using
folklore
as a means of conveying the message to local communities of the importance of
education for girls. This activity began
in 1997 in the states of western
Sudan, such as South Kordofan.
258. The Ministry also made efforts to
ensure that school education services cover smaller individual areas, thereby
making them more
easily accessible to inhabitants, which also furthers the two
objectives of reducing costs and reducing the number of boarding schools
so that
girls are then able to pursue their education. This is now clearly well
established in the policy applied in local government
areas for admission to
basic education. The curriculum has also been developed to provide a variety
which is more appropriate to
local environments and yet which does not neglect
the objective of national unification, as is apparent in all the new basic
school
textbooks.
Other educational changes
Introduction
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into teacher training
programmes
259. During the current year, the Convention on the Rights
of the Child was introduced as part of in-service teacher training programmes
for the first time and implemented throughout the different states of the Sudan
in order to raise awareness of the importance of
children’s rights and
ensure that the message was conveyed at the local level.
260. Another aim
of incorporating the Convention into teacher training programmes is to ensure
that it is disseminated in the teachers’
own communities. It is also
important to associate this with the registration of births, which is
instrumental to planning, not
only for education but for all aspects of life,
and primarily vital for knowing the identity of a child. The School Regulations
refer to the role of a teacher as social supervisor and a cultural communicator
(art. 7).
Teacher-related issues
Steps taken to ensure that there are
sufficient teachers in the school system, to enhance their competence and to
ensure and assess
the quality of teaching
261. The Ministry has
devoted attention to the following aspects of teacher-related
issues:
(a) Academic qualification;
(b) Enhancement of the
professional and social status of teachers:
(c) Careful teacher selection
and the supply of schools with a sufficient number of teachers.
In order
to enhance the competence of teachers, the following steps were
taken:
(a) An open cadre was approved, with retroactive effect to 1992,
which had a major impact on teacher stability, improved the efficiency
of
education and attracted university graduates into the teaching
profession;
(b) Special allowances were created, making teachers’
salaries among the highest in the country. These allowances are as
follows:
(i) Teaching allowance;
(ii) Professional promotion
allowance;
(iii) Community development allowance;
(iv) Administrative
allowance;
(v) Hardship allowance.
These measures have now been
implemented.
262. In the field of literacy and adult education, the
following steps have been taken:
− The Literacy and Adult Education Act was promulgated in 1991;
− A comprehensive literacy campaign was launched to target eight million young and productive people in the 10-45 age group;
− A detailed literacy plan was developed by the campaign secretariat in conjunction with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The campaign was greeted with
enthusiasm by the grass roots and gained political support, while various ways
and means of achieving
its objective were established. The campaign efforts
bore fruit, 4.25 million individuals having achieved literacy by 1995-1996,
which was higher than the number envisaged at the mid-plan stage. This
achievement was accomplished through political and grass-roots
organizations and
through individual efforts. According to the fourth population census, a total
of 2,796,749 children under the
age of 18 were not enrolled in school in
1993.
Systems of non-formal education
263. The systems of
non-formal education consist in Quranic schools, schools run by the
Teachers’ Union, vocational centres
and national centres for crafts and
cottage industries. In 1995, there were 10,636 Quranic schools in the Sudan,
attended by 537,395
pupils and staffed by 11,992 spiritual
guides.
264. The Teachers’ Union established a total of 141
secondary schools, which, according to 1995 statistics, were attended by
74,411
pupils, including 32,890 girls. These schools operate in the evenings on the
double shift system and are run by Teachers’
Union.
265. There are
43 vocational and apprenticeship training centres in all. The three of these
which are for girls currently cater to
103 pupils who are studying embroidery,
drawing and packaging techniques. The number of male students in these centres
stands at
3,713. A further nine centres belonging to the Ministry of Labour are
attended by 1,616 male and female students. These centres
award a diploma after
three years, whereupon the student may continue by enrolling in higher education
or enter the labour market.
Changes that have occurred in the
education system with regard to legislation, policies and
facilities
266. In connection with the Convention of the Rights of
the Child, one of the most recent legislative enactments relevant to the
education
system is the Fourteenth Constitutional Decree embodying the Khartoum
Peace Agreement, concluded on 21 April 1997, which covers freedoms,
full
participation in decision-making and the subject of languages.
The
monitoring mechanism
267. The monitoring mechanism used is as
follows:
− A computerized education database has been developed and teachers have received training in various data entry and processing programmes, an experiment which has now extended to three states;
− The Sudanese school certificate is also computerized.
The difficulties encountered in connection with
the monitoring mechanism are the lack of trained personnel, the cost of
equipment
maintenance and supply and the poor infrastructure in connection with
electrical and other related supplies.
268. The data on education
outcomes are as follows:
− Data on the basic school certificate is compiled at the state level and detailed statistics are available;
− Of the 134,487 students who sat the secondary school certificate in 1996, a total of 88,755 passed, representing a success rate of 66 per cent;
− Examinations are an important factor in the education process and demonstrate the extent to which the teaching, the curricula, textbooks, teachers and other school facilities are effective.
269. The
development of examination systems should take the following into
account:
(a) The need to pursue a scientific approach to
examinations;
(b) The need to measure scientific and intellectual skills
and abilities;
(c) The need to ensure that laboratory and practical applications in the
various scientific fields are not overlooked.
As part of its efforts to
develop examination systems, the Sudan has embarked on training qualified
personnel to set examinations
on the basis of fixed objectives and
specifications.
The pre-school stage of
education
270. Sudanese children undergo three stages of education.
The first is the pre-school stage, from which a total of 343,767 children
benefit, representing 18.5 per cent of children in the 4-5 age group. Efforts
are required to improve this percentage. The number
of kindergartens and
Quranic schools now stands at 7,541. The larger schools have 40 pupils per
class, a high ratio which demands
greater efforts to provide more childcare.
Pre-school is an important basic stage of education for which a national
curriculum is
now being prepared to take into account cultural and geographical
diversity with the aim of developing the abilities of children
of this age.
Pre-school education employs a total of 8,897 teachers.
Table 1: Development of pre-school education for the academic years 1991/92 to 1995/96
Year Number of pupils Total Number of Number
of
schools teachers
Male Female
1991/92 115
894 137 782 253 676 4 580 6 456
1995/96 132 901 210 866 343 767 7
541 8 897
Percentage
Increase 15 53 36
65 38
Source: Federal Ministry of Public Education –
Education Planning Department, 1991-1996 (Book of Education
Statistics)
Basic stage of education
271. The basic stage
of education spans a period of eight years, which begins at the age of six
years. The number of years spent
in the basic stage has been increased in order
to impart to pupils more of the knowledge, skills and behaviours which they need
for
their future education or way in life. On completion of the stage, pupils
are at an appropriate age for entry to the employment
market. The State is
endeavouring to introduce the basic stage countrywide with a view to gradually
declaring it compulsory, beginning
in 1998. Thus far, three states, which
account for 20 per cent of the population, have declared education to be
compulsory. In
1992, the sixth year of basic education was completed by 68 per
cent, rising in 1996 to 70 per cent of all those having enrolled
in the first
year in 1991.
Secondary stage of education
272. There are
468,690 pupils enrolled in secondary education in a total of 1,361 schools, with
males outnumbering females; 53 per
cent of those enrolled are males and 47 per
cent are females.
Technical education and vocational schools
273. In all, 24,424
students are enrolled in various schools, including women’s schools, for
subjects such as business, agriculture
and industry. Student proportions are
noticeably higher for males than for females; in 1995, the proportions amounted
to 67 per
cent for males and to only 33 per cent for females.
274. The
Sudan has 89 vocational and technical schools in which 24,424 students are
enrolled. Of these, business schools account
for 14 per cent, women’s
schools for 30 per cent, agricultural schools for 21 per cent and industrial
schools for 35 per cent.
The main problems of technical education are as
follows:
(a) Vocational education is perceived as socially
inferior;
(b) Admission is based on grades rather than on a
student’s willingness and desire to study;
(c) Only a small
percentage of students have the opportunity to pursue higher
education;
(d) The facilities and curricula fail to keep pace with
modern technological developments;
(e) Unemployment is widespread among
graduates owing to the failure to create a linkage between the employment market
and the skills
acquired in vocational education.
Comments on the
development of public education
Basic
education
275. Over the past 20 years, pre-school education and basic
education have noticeably improved, as demonstrated by the statistics
on public
education for the period 1992-1996. The intake at the pre-school and basic
stages of education has risen; the number of
kindergartens and Quranic schools
increased from 6,520 in 1992 to 7,541 in 1996 and the number of those enrolled
increased from 253,676
to 343,767 over the same period, with females accounting
for 39 per cent of that number. The statistics also show that the number
of
schools in the basic stage increased from 8,288 in 1992 to 10,680 in 1996.
Moreover, the intake increased by 141 per cent for
females and 129 per cent for
males. In other words, the number of females increased at a faster rate than
males during the last
decade (see table 1). Despite this development, the
apparent intake rate among the 6-13 age group for both sexes stands at 54.8
per
cent, averaging 51 per cent for females and rising to 58.3 per cent for males
(see table 2). The statistics also reveal an obvious
disparity in the intake
rates according to gender and state.
Secondary
education
276. In the chapter of the Public Education Act dealing
with the administration of public education, articles 11, 12 and 13 define the
powers and jurisdictions of the federal and
state education authorities;
responsibility for implementing education policies falls to the states,
including the opening of secondary
schools, both academic and technical. The
education strategy aims to standardize secondary education (“the
comprehensive school”),
being an important stage and a further step along
the way to human resources planning, since it is intended to enable the
individual
to contribute effectively to the development of society and to pursue
higher stages of education. This concern is highlighted by
the rapid expansion
of secondary education; the numbers of schools leapt from 591 in 1992 to 1,361
in 1995-1996, representing an
increase of 770 schools.
277. Equality in education is a top priority of the education policy.
Despite the progress achieved in secondary education over the
past 20 years,
much remains to be done. The number of those of both sexes enrolled in
secondary education is still low compared
with the number of inhabitants in the
secondary school age group (14-16 years). According to the figures and
statistics for 1995-1996,
the apparent intake rate for both sexes stood at 27.9
per cent, averaging 27.3 per cent for girls and rising to 28.6 per cent for
boys
(see table 3).
278. The tables below show the basic and secondary school
intakes in 1995/96, the minimum age for school attendance, the maximum age
for
compulsory education and the percentages of children of school age who are
registered in schools.
Table 2: Apparent basic school intake by gender in 1995/96
6-13 age
group Total
Boys Girls
Population 2 779
183 2 610 163 5 389 346
Intake 1 619 604 1 331 678 2 951
282
Percentage 58.3 51 54.8
Source: Federal Ministry of
Education – Education Planning Department (Statistical Yearbook for the
academic year 1995/96).
Table 3: Apparent secondary school intake 1995/96
14-16 age
group Total
Boys Girls
Population 866
065 809 314 1 675 379
Intake 247 459 221 231 468
690
Percentage 28.57 27.34 27.98
Source: Federal Ministry
of Public Education – Education Planning Department, 1996
279. The
education policies approved by the Council of Ministers state the
following:
(a) Basic education should be accessible to all by the year
2000;
(b) Education should be made compulsory and legislation
promulgated to that effect (education is now compulsory in three
states);
(c) Education at the basic stage should be free of
charge;
(d) The intake at the basic stage in the northern states for the
academic year 1995/96 amounted to 54.8 per cent, falling short of
expectations
owing to the war conditions which prevailed, despite the efforts of the State to
achieve peace.
Development of secondary education
280. The number of secondary schools increased
from 578 in 1989 to 1,361 in 1995, as shown in table 4 below.
Table 4: Rise in secondary education
Stage Basic stage Secondary
stage
Years Schools Pupils Teachers Schools Pupils
Teachers
1989 7 720 2 003 317 51 520 578 251 074 6
766
1995 10 680 2 951 282 95 262 1 361 468 690 12
121
Increase
(per cent) 38 47 85 135 87
79
Annual
growth
(per cent) 5.5 6.7 10.8 15.3
10.9 10.2
Source: Federal Ministry of Public Education –
Education Planning Department, 1996.
Higher education visibly expanded
during the five years from 1993 to 1997; the number of government universities
increased to 26 and
the number of private universities and university libraries
increased to 15. The table below shows the geographical distribution
of
government universities.
Institution Name of
university State
Old universities University of
Khartoum Khartoum
Islamic University of
Omdurman Khartoum
University of Gezira Khartoum
University of
Juba Bahr al-Jabal
New universities Sudan University of Science
and
Technology Khartoum
University of the Two
Niles Khartoum
University of the Holy Quran and
the Islamic
Sciences Khartoum
Al-Za’im al-Azhari
University Khartoum
University of Kordofan North
Kordofan
Dilling University South Kordofan
University of
Kassala Kassala
Red Sea University Red Sea
University of
Gedaref Gedaref
Wadi al-Nil University River Nile
Shendi
University River Nile
Dongola University Northern
Fashir
University North Darfur
Nayala University South Darfur
Zalingi
University West Darfur
University of Bahr al-Ghazal Bahr
al-Ghazal
Upper Nile University Upper Nile
Imam al-Mahdi
University White Nile
University of Sennar Sennar
Damazin
University Blue Nile
Duwaym University White Nile
University
of West Kordofan West Kordofan
This expansion in the number of higher education institutes was accompanied
by a higher intake. The table below shows the intake
in higher education
institutes during the period
1989/90-1995/96.
89/90 90/91 91/92 92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96
Government
universities and
Institutes 5 087 11 425 19 285 21 267 25 170 26 535 25
823
National institutions 933 1 945 4 194 5 521 5 050 7 305
7 340
Total 6 080 12 370 23 474 26 788 30 220 3 284 23
193
281. In order to create a balance in educational opportunities for
children in the states and rural communities, it was decided that:
(a) 20
per cent of places in the state universities should be earmarked for children in
the state where the university is located;
(b) Places in the more unusual
specialist fields should be allocated to students from the least developed
states. The number of these
places amounted to a total of 4,556, divided among
medicine, pharmacology, dentistry and engineering.
On the above basis,
the opportunity to enter higher education is available to anyone properly
qualified to do so.
Encouraging school attendance and retention
282. The school expansion policy aimed to make
schools accessible by bringing education services closer to the vicinity of
pupils’
homes.
283. Retention is one of the problems encountered
in education, as the school environment is worsening in terms of the
accompanying
services and the inability to supply sufficient numbers of trained
teachers owing to the shortfall in the education budget. Increased
grass-roots
efforts and further international assistance are therefore required in order to
put into practice the resolutions of
the Jomtien Conference and give effect to
the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
284. In accordance with
Sudanese laws, regulations and customs, no one is denied the opportunity to
enrol in education for whatever
reason.
285. The administrative system
includes the following:
− The Basic and Secondary School Regulations of 1992, which govern the school administrative system and have the interests of the child entirely at heart;
− The Parent-Teacher Association Regulations, which are designed to regulate and promote action in the field of education.
Respect for the views of children
286. Under the School Regulations, the morning
parade and the school radio broadcast are regarded as major activities, as they
provide
the full opportunity for pupils to express their views and develop their
abilities and talents (art. 12). The students’ union
deals with issues of
shared concern with the school administration.
Freedom of religion
287. The religions of Islam and Christianity
are taught in Sudanese schools, where Muslims and Christians alike study their
faiths.
Freedom of association
288. The School Regulations stipulate and
encourage the establishment of associations with a view to developing
pupils’ abilities
and bringing out their talents. Such activities are
practised daily throughout every stage of school.
Corporal punishment
(flogging)
289. The Basic School Regulations of 1992 prohibit
flogging as a punishment to be given in a reaction of anger. They do, however,
permit flogging in cases of utmost necessity, when it must be limited to four
lashes which must not be such as to cause intense pain.
The Regulations also
prohibit flogging as a punishment for girls and further stipulate the following
measures whenever the punishment
of flogging is carried out:
(a) The
punishment must be carried out in segregation;
(b) Flogging is prohibited
as a collective punishment, as are verbal insults and abuse. In boys’
schools, any punishment of
flogging that it is found necessary to impose must
not exceed four lashes, although the matter must first be taken up with the
school
principal and consideration given to the pupil’s state of
health;
(c) It is categorically forbidden to cane or kick pupils or
strike them on the face or head;
(d) Punishment must be graded and the
name of the pupil must be entered in the register, together with the punishment
and the reasons
for it. If the misdeed is repeated, the guardian of the pupil
must be summoned;
(e) Teachers must refrain from inflicting punishment
when provoked by anger.
290. In regard to article 28, paragraph 3,
detailed information on the measures adopted to promote and encourage
international cooperation
in matters relating to education was previously
transmitted to the Committee in the Sudan’s initial report of 1993. The
changes
which have taken place in the period intervening between the two reports
include the fact that the Sudan is preparing several programmes
in conjunction
with United Nations organizations, specifically UNESCO, WFP, UNICEF, UNDP and
UNFPA. Cooperation is also continuing
with the Islamic Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, the
African
Development Bank (ADB) and the Arab Organization for Agricultural
Development. These organizations have been involved in the following
projects:
(a) Restoration of the school nutrition project in six
states;
(b) The funding of school equipment projects;
(c) The education of
nomads;
(d) The construction of schools;
(e) The financing of conferences
and regional or international school seminars;
(f) Education-related studies
and research.
291. The efforts to eliminate ignorance and illiteracy are covered by the
information provided in this report concerning the projects
to educate young
people, assist displaced persons, educate nomads and provide access to education
for all villagers, as well as by
the information on illiteracy, adult education
and non-formal systems of education, all of which contribute to the elimination
of
ignorance and illiteracy. The activities and programmes developed are
referred to in the above paragraph.
B. Aims of education
(art. 29)
292. The aims of education have been developed and furthered in line with
the ongoing developments taking place in the theoretical
and applied sciences
and in conformity with international standards, conventions and obligations, in
particular the Convention on
the Rights of the Child. The effectiveness of
education depends on its absorption of this rapidly developing technical
progress
in the light of free and compulsory basic education accessible to all.
The aims of education focus on educational principles and
guidelines and on the
educational strategy referred to below.
Principles and
guidelines
(a) The dignity and status of human beings in society
should be affirmed by raising their awareness of their rights, their duties
and
their role;
(b) Balance and integrity of character should be achieved in
students;
(c) The national spirit should be developed and attention
paid to the basic Sudanese principles of civilization, in addition to which
peace and an awareness of the cultural and historic relations of the Arab,
African and Islamic peoples should be built;
(d) Scientific thought
should be established as an approach and should also
constitute a basis for
life and overall development, form part of the cultural structure and be linked
with work;
(e) Self-reliance should be encouraged in individuals and in
society at large so that needs can continue to be satisfied independently
of the
State.
Education policies
293. The National Conference on Education Policies of 1990 produced the
following recommendations:
(a) The curricula should be
revised;
(b) Basic education should be accessible to all by the year
2000;
(c) Teachers should receive academic and vocational training and
efforts made to ensure that they enjoy job stability;
(d) Education
bodies should be developed, such as the National Council for Education and
parent-teacher associations;
(e) The Conference also discussed questions
of education and stated the view that:
− The period of basic education should be increased to eight years;
− The sources of funding for education should be diversified;
− Efforts should be made to provide textbooks for every pupil.
The education strategy
294. The education strategy embodies the policies emanating from the
Conference, which identified seven critical areas of concern.
Four years after
work had begun on the main areas of concern, a review was conducted and the
subjects of peace-building and external
relations were added. The critical
areas of concern are:
(a) To adopt the principle of education planning
and promote education management, monitoring and evaluation;
(b) To
ensure that basic education in the wider sense is accessible to
all;
(c) To develop and diversify secondary education;
(d) To
develop curricula and promote educational research;
(e) To select
teachers with care, provide them with training and enhance their professional
and social status;
(f) To improve the publication of school textbooks and
widen the use of education techniques;
(g) To diversify the sources of
financing for general education;
(h) To build peace and take due regard
of diversity, suitability, the curriculum, the development of local languages
and the revival
of education in the war zones;
(i) To trigger external
relations.
General aims of Sudanese education
295. As articulated in the Public Education Act
of 1992, the general aims of education are as follows:
(a) To instil
religious faith and morals in young people, impart to them the teachings and
heritage of religion and lead them to
embrace the right path in order to build
faithful, God-worshipping, liberated and responsible individuals, with emphasis
on social
values motivated by devoutness and piety;
(b) To exercise the
minds of young people, educate them in the sciences, infuse them with
experience, develop their bodies through
exercise, further their integrity
through customs and morals and teach them to be scrupulous in their thoughts,
actions and treatment
of others;
(c) To strengthen the spirit of
community and devotion to the homeland, develop a willingness to cooperate and a
sense of duty, create
the desire to do public good and build love of country,
nation and humanity;
(d) To construct the elements needed to create a society in which there is
independence, trust in God, self-reliance, an outpouring
of spiritual and
physical energies, a mobilization of social and material forces and the spread
of ambition for a pioneering and
sublime ideal of civilization;
(e) To
encourage creativity, develop abilities and skills, provide opportunities for
training in modern technology and develop and
adapt that technology in order to
further good, justice and probity through the optimum use of resources with a
view to the achievement
of overall development;
(f) To develop
environmental awareness in young people and familiarize them with the physical
components of water, air, earth and
sky so that they become aware of the things
bestowed by God, save them from perishing and develop and use them for the good
of humankind.
296. In this connection, it is essential to state that the
aims of education in the Sudan are entirely consistent with the guidelines
contained in article 29 concerning the full development of the child’s
abilities and potential, respect for the child’s
culture and for the
values of freedom, tolerance, equality, self-reliance, as well as the
development of an environmental sense on
the basis of equal opportunities and
due regard for the abilities and inclinations of the child and for scientific
and technical
development.
Special features of the aims of education
297. These special features have a number of
characteristics which can be articulated as follows:
(a) Comprehensiveness and diversity
These aims include all areas of
a child’s life and all stages of growth, refinement and welfare. Nor do
they neglect the mind,
body and soul, since they are concerned with spiritual,
moral, scientific and physical education.
(b) Interaction and solidarity
These aims are not fragmented or
mutually repellent; on the contrary, they interact as one and in a single
direction. They demand
thought, contemplation, cultural tolerance and an
openness to civilization, as well as respect for the exploratory approach and
all
fields of science. They also emphasize the guarantee of basic education for
all children, a commitment which ranks permanently on
the scale of educational
priorities.
(c) Mediation and moderation
The above features go hand in hand
with the trend towards steering a middle ground between physical needs, the
demands of intellectual
development and the callings of the spirit. It is a
fully harmonious education in which children can easily develop their strengths,
round out their personalities and evolve their talents and their mental and
physical abilities to form well-proportioned human beings.
(d) Dissemination
These aims are not confined to any particular
religion, race, culture, tribal group, state, locality, colour or segment of
society
but are directed at all Sudanese children of different races, cultures,
colours, areas and living environments, taking into account
that very
diversity.
Standard of teaching (education
content)
298. Teaching is to education as the heart to the body.
Teaching is a means of education that should convey information, trends,
values,
skills and knowledge which might be referred to as tools of learning or
curricula or syllabuses, bearing in mind that there
are fine shades of meaning
which separate these terms.
299. Children are naturally inclined to seek
new knowledge and therefore turn to the teacher who already has that knowledge
or who
supplies them with information. In the Sudan, the teaching process takes
its cue from a set of standards and principles which turn
it into a technical,
educational, social and scientific process referred to as a body of teaching
principles or the teaching method,
or, in other words, the means by which the
teacher performs his work. Its intention is to consider the inclinations,
abilities,
innate willingness and natural instincts of the child, since every
stage of education has its own objective and method of gradual
implementation,
taking into account the power of the mind, its receptiveness and the importance
of setting an example, since the
teacher is like father to son. Education
methods are therefore firmly linked with the liveliness of the presentation, the
power
of the imagination, the strength of the depiction and preparation for the
decisive moment when communication reaches such depth as
to create fusion. It
is no secret that children have various problems which education should address
by offering different methods
of guidance, direction and evaluation, as well as
kindness and fairness.
300. Education is a right for all, each according
to his abilities and receptiveness. A look at the education shows that it has a
unique form; it is a mixture of grass-roots and official efforts which are
integrated and coordinated for all to see. The official
efforts predominate in
the field of education, although the Government never stands in the way of
anyone wishing to set up a school,
university or college and never prevents
benefactors from reaching out to help with the expenditure on schools, pupils
and so on.
301. The basic message of the above is that the Sudan is
committed to education as a right of every citizen and to the conclusions
of the
Jomtien World Declaration on Education for All, since the quest for knowledge is
a duty of every Muslim. With a view to making
education accessible to all
children, the plans of the Ministry of Education included the following
measures:
(a) The provision of a sufficient number of school buildings
for each stage and type of education to accommodate all children of school
age
by the year 2000 in such a way as to keep pace with scientific and technical
developments with a view to developing the child’s
mental, physical and
spiritual capacities, in addition to the provision of laboratory equipment and
essential facilities, the practice
of educational and social activities and the
regular maintenance and upkeep of all buildings, equipment and
machinery;
(b) In the field of literacy, implementation of the national
literacy campaign as follows:
(i) Teacher preparation and
training;
(ii) Curriculum development;
(iii) Supply of school
textbooks;
(iv) Equipment of literacy centres and places;
(v) Linkage between literacy, vocational training and promotion of adult
education programmes;
(vi) Conduct of research and experiments in the field
of literacy.
Opportunities for the establishment of private schools
302. Opportunities are provided for the
establishment of private schools in order to further the State’s objective
of fully
accommodating all those of school age by the year 2000. Mechanisms are
also in place to ascertain that these schools respect the
above-mentioned aims
of education, observe the general principles designed to guarantee the best
interests of the child, particularly
in the areas of safety, health,
numbers and suitability of staff, as well as competent supervision, and
conform with the standards laid down by the competent authorities.
Services
303. Services for children with special needs
have been expanded; various disability aids are provided, as is medical,
psychological,
educational and social care, and teachers capable of assuming
responsibility are trained both prior to and during their employment.
Graduates
are also monitored to ensure their social integration.
Improved quality of education
304. The programmes implemented in order to
strengthen and develop the information needed to build the personality, talents
and mental
and physical abilities of the child include the following
activities:
(a) Curriculum development, design and testing, with
special focus on human rights, the rights of the child, environmental rights,
harmful traditional practices and pre-school education;
(b) The
development and better printing of school textbooks;
(c) The production
of sophisticated educational materials in line with technological
advances.
305. Activities have been devised to promote the physical and
mental development of students, as well as improve their health, their
emotional
and spiritual lives and their creativity. Sporting, cultural, social and
vocational activities have also been increased
(see annex 2).
306. In
regard to improving the examination system, evaluation is the key to the
development of education, as it reveals the extent
to which curricula, teaching
and administrative methods and training are effective. A special department has
therefore been set
up for the purpose of evaluating
education.
307. Efforts are being made to implement cultural exchange
programmes, hold international conferences, enhance information systems
and
develop field monitoring methods.
308. The curricula in public education
cover everything aimed at achieving basic human and child rights principles,
basic educational
freedoms and an effective teaching strategy which enables the
learner to acquire knowledge, values, directions, skills. This is
strengthened
by all the subjects on the curriculum, particularly those involving the focal
area of the human being and covering issues
such as the diversity of the human
race, tolerance and fanaticism, together with social subjects which develop
international understanding
based on freedom and equality.
Difficulties in education
309. In the Sudan, a number of difficulties are
encountered in the field of education that clearly have repercussions on the
efficiency
of the education process. These difficulties include:
(a) The school intake and consequent problems such as drop-out and
illiteracy;
(b) School premises and equipment;
(c) Curriculum development and teacher training;
(d) The gap between
the male and female intake, even though it has begun to narrow in recent years
as a result of the efforts which
the Sudan has made to that end; in 1996, the
percentage of females to males stood at 82 per cent in basic education and 89
per cent
in secondary education.
310. Legislative measures aimed at
realizing the right of every individual to cultural life are based on protection
and promotion
of the Sudanese cultural heritage as represented by a variety of
cultures, sound customs and traditions, creditable behaviour and
the guidance
provided by lofty human values and principles and by the national
options.
311. The Government encourages the private initiatives of
grass-roots institutions and adopts projects which contribute to their
advancement.
The funds used to develop cultural activities are included in the
general budget of the State.
312. As for the cultural involvement of all
groups in society, including children, a number of institutions intended to give
effect
to this right and provide the facilities needed to encourage cultural
creativity have been established, as follows:
1. The Sudanese Cultural
Centre;
2. The Sudanese National Museum;
3. National theatre
groups;
4. The National Library;
5. The National Theatre;
6. The
National Centre for Calligraphy;
7. The Central Office for Publishing,
Distribution and Advertising;
8. The Centre for the Recording and
Documentation of Sudanese Life;
9. The Sudan Museum of
Anthropology;
10. The Sudanese-Chinese Hall of Friendship Cinema;
11. The
Palace Children’s and Youth Cinema;
12. The State Cinema
Institution.
There are also a number of foreign cultural centres,
including:
1. The British Council;
2. The French Cultural
Centre;
3. The German Goethe Institute;
4. The Iranian Cultural
Centre;
5. The Libyan Cultural Centre;
6. The Iraqi Cultural
Centre.
313. International music and singing festivals are organized on
an annual basis, as are other displays of the cultural heritage of
the different
tribes of the Sudan and exhibitions of school coursework.
314. The
Government of the Sudan devotes particular attention to raising awareness of the
culture of the country’s different
communities and minorities, as clearly
demonstrated by the establishment of national and state cultural centres and the
national
troupe for the popular arts, the membership of which includes the
different tribes and minorities of the Sudan.
VIII. SPECIAL PROTECTION MEASURES
(arts. 22, 38, 39, 40,
37 (b) – (d), 32-36)
A. Children in situations of
emergency
1. Refugee children (art. 22)
315. The Sudan’s clear-cut policy towards refugees and the positive
manner in which its treats them do not stem from a vacuum;
it is the religious
and social heritage of the Sudanese that constitutes a solid foundation for
both. The preachings of Islam and
Christianity advocate mercy, sympathy and
support for fellow human beings. At the same time, Arab and African customs
demand that
refugees and all other new arrivals must receive a positive welcome,
based on the dictum for which the Sudanese are renowned, namely
that guests must
be treated with respect. Moreover, the historical relations of society between
the different refugee elements take
precedence over any political situation when
refugees are taken in at the border regions where they head in search of
sanctuary.
The fact that the Sudan is constituted from a number of ethnic and
racial groups, some of which are recent newcomers to the country,
has helped to
create a mutually tolerant social mix that remains unperturbed by the presence
of one or two new elements. As a result,
the practices adopted by the country
when taking in refugees have developed into a so-called open-door policy, based
not only on
the religious and social heritage but also on international
commitments of a political and legal nature.
316. The Sudan also affirmed
its commitment to the global definition of the word “refugee”
contained in international
and regional instruments and incorporated into the
Sudanese Asylum Act of 1974 (annexed hereto). As a result of this commitment,
the country continued to shoulder the burden of taking in over one million
refugees who, in recent decades, particularly between
the early 1960s and the
late 1980s, had fled from the harsh conditions in neighbouring countries, such
as Ethiopia, Eritrea, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire),
Chad and Uganda. All of these refugees were granted the right of asylum and
received
a civilized and humane welcome; despite their own meagre resources and
hardships, the people of the Sudan shared their bread, their
water and their
medicine with them. The refugees are now concentrated in the country’s
eastern states of Gedaref, Kassala
and Red Sea, in the central states of Gezira,
Sennar and Blue Nile, in border states such as Bahr al-Jabal and in the state of
West
Darfur. There are also large numbers of refugees in the national capital
of Khartoum. The assistance provided by the Sudan was
not restricted to taking
in refugees but extended to keen cooperation with the international community,
in the form of UNHCR, and
with neighbouring States and the refugees themselves
with a view to permanently resolving this humanitarian problem through voluntary
repatriation of the refugees in a manner that preserves their dignity and
humanity.
317. The care which the Sudan offers to refugees and its
cooperation with UNHCR to ensure their successful repatriation are based
on the
mandate vested in UNHCR by the General Assembly of the United Nations to provide
international protection and endeavour to
create permanent solutions to the
problem of asylum in general.
318. The Sudan also endeavours to encourage
voluntary repatriation in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the
Organization
of African Unity (OAU) concerning refugees in Africa, specifically
article 5 relating to voluntary repatriation. Furthermore, the
Sudan emphasizes
that voluntary repatriation must be based on the true desire of the refugee,
particularly since the said article
stipulates that the refugee’s choice
must be respected and that in no circumstances must any refugee be repatriated
against
his will.
319. Refugee groups include a substantial number of
children, who are directly affected by the causes and consequences of asylum.
Children aged between one and eight years of age account for 55.5 per cent of
the total number of refugees in the camp. Children
under the age of five years
account for 15.5 per cent.
320. Affirming the attention which the
Sudan devotes to refugee children and the need to protect them, article 2 of the
Asylum Act
of 1974 (annexed hereto), which is the national legislation
regulating the situation of refugees in the Sudan, defines the word
“refugee”
as including “any person who leaves the country of
which he or she is a national owing to fear of persecution or exposure to
danger
for reasons of race, religion, membership of a political or social group or
owing to fear of acts of war, foreign aggression,
foreign occupation or
domination or internal disturbances and who, on account of that fear, cannot or
does not wish to return to
his or her country, or any person who is stateless
but who, because of such incidents, leaves the country in which he or she
normally
resides and cannot or does not wish to return on account of that fear.
The term “refugee” includes children who are
unaccompanied or whose
guardians have disappeared and who are outside the countries of which they are
nationals.”
321. As this definition shows, the Asylum Act of 1974
expressly includes an additional new group that was perhaps implicitly included
in the definition of the word “refugee” in the Geneva Convention and
the OAU Charter, namely children and war orphans.
This is an indication of the
Sudan’s genuine concern to provide protection for refugee children. With a
view to achieving
that objective, the Sudanese Government has gradually provided
services for the child in the field of education, health and legal
protection.
As for permanent solutions to the problem of the refugee child, assistance is
provided by voluntary non-governmental
organizations, both local and foreign, in
accordance with agreements signed with each individual organization concerning
the provision
of services to children. The assistance provided to the Sudan by
UNHCR, however, has been continuously diminishing year after year,
even though
the number of refugees in the country remains more or less unchanged.
Education services
322. With the support of UNHCR, voluntary
non-governmental organizations and the European Economic Community, as well as
support provided
by international organizations on the basis of bilateral
agreements with the Government of the Sudan, a number of schools have been
set
up to educate refugee children. The Sudanese Government also permitted refugee
communities to establish their own schools in
order to enable their children to
follow the curricula studied in their home countries, thus facilitating their
social integration
at such time as they are voluntarily
repatriated.
323. The Sudanese Government has also given refugee children
the opportunity to be taught in government schools alongside their Sudanese
peers. For the past five years, students have been supplied with school items
such as textbooks, exercise books and mathematical
instruments, in addition to
school uniforms. Pupils having successfully completed what was previously the
sixth year were admitted
to the basic stage, while those having successfully
completed what is currently the eighth year of the basic stage were admitted
to
government secondary schools. All teachers who work in refugee schools are
trained in special teacher training institutes. Several
kindergartens were also
specifically established for children under school age.
324. The table
below shows the numbers of schools, school pupils and children in kindergarten
for the past five years in the states
of Khartoum, Gezira, Gedaref, Kassala, Red
Sea and Sennar (Source: Office of the Commissioner for Refugees, Ministry of
Internal
Affairs).
(a) Basic stage
School year Number of schools Number of
pupils Number of children
in
Kindergarten
1992 27 14 339 1
695
1993 33 14 811 1 791
1994 33 15 151 1 805
1995 33 16 235 1
757
1996 31 13 701 1 920
Source: Office of the Commissioner
for Refugees.
(b) Secondary stage
School year Number
of
students
1992 660
1993 640
1994 610
1995 600
1996 384
Source:
Office of the Commissioner for Refugees.
(c) Universities and
higher institutes
Academic year Number of
students
1992 109
1993 109
1994
85
1995 85
1996 55
Source: Office of the Commissioner
for Refugees.
(d) Community schools
(i) The Ethiopian
Nile School in Khartoum state, attended by 1,200 pupils;
(ii) Seven private
schools in Red Sea state belonging to the Eritrean education system and attended
by a total of 10,640 pupils.
The education support budgets provided by
UNHCR over the past five years are as follows:
(a) Basic and
secondary stages
Year Budget (US$)
1993 1 016 474
1994 945 852
1995 1 164 818
1996 719 757
1997 577 670
(b) Universities and higher institutes
Year Budget (US$)
1992 13 107 550
1993 82 784 552
1994 98 090 540
1995 159 374 200
1996 123 900 050
325. Conclusive evidence of the Sudan’s
compliance with international instruments is provided by the issuance, on 16
June 1993,
of a ministerial ordinance (annexed hereto) by the Ministry of Higher
Education and Scientific Research, pursuant to which refugee
children pay the
same school fees as all Sudanese children, in accordance with the Geneva
Convention of 1951 and its Additional Protocol
of 1967 and the Sudan Asylum Act
of 1974.
Health
326. Maternal and child health services are
regarded as a major part of any health programme; given that such services cater
to the
vulnerable social group of mothers and children, they receive priority
attention and are closely monitored.
327. The health services provided to
refugee children in Kassala state over the past five years (1993-1997) are as
follows:
(a) Immunization
Inoculation Number of
children inoculated
1. Poliomyelitis 20 899
2. Tuberculosis
5 311
3. Measles 3 933
4. Tetanus 18 645
(b) Children
treated for disease
Disease Number of children
treated
1. Malaria 2 093
2. Tuberculosis
306
3. Diarrhoea 104 536
4. Other diseases 88
907
(c) Supplementary nutrition
A total of 190,820
children benefited from the supplementary nutrition programme in the states of
Kassala, Gedaref and Gezira.
(d) Maternal and child health
Year Budget
(US$)
1993 998 467
1994 931 205
1995 967 131
1996 705
275
1997 782 026
328. The provision of identity cards for refugee
children under 18 years of age is commonly recognized as a measure that is
instrumental
to ensuring their legal protection, as it helps to legitimize their
status as refugees. An identity card is usually issued to any
refugee child who
so requests.
329. In relation to long-term solutions to the problem of
refugee children, during the years 1993-1997, the Sudanese Government
facilitated
measures for the voluntary repatriation of refugee children,
accompanied either by their guardians or by persons caring for them
under the
kafalah system. This included measures for the repatriation of orphaned
Eritrean children being cared for by the United States organization
Lamba until
they could be repatriated. Overall, 6,631 children, 3,266 of them males and
3,355 of them females, were repatriated,
in addition to 40 orphans who were
repatriated to Eritrea.
2. Children in armed conflicts (art. 38),
including physical and psychological
recovery and social
reintegration (art. 39)
330. The civil conflict has eroded the basic service structures in the war
zones and caused entire communities to flee from their
home areas in search of
safe havens, both inside and outside national boundaries. Children and women
make up a large percentage
of these migrants.
331. This demographic shift
drastically altered the family and community care networks which prevailed among
families and tribes in
their home areas, as the fact of being in large towns
encouraged breakdown of the support systems in which children were the focus
of
the extended family. The civil conflict also destroyed the structure of child
communities in the war zones, as well as their
homes, schools, health systems
and cultural and religious institutions.
332. The war also violated
rights such as the rights to life, health, character development, a proper
upbringing and social protection.
The prolonged conflict has had profound and
adverse material, psychological and emotional consequences.
333. In order
to remedy this situation, the Sudan acceded to the main human rights instruments
in general and to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child in particular as a
source of the effective principles and standards to be applied in dealing with
the situation
of children affected by war, bearing in mind its multifaceted
specialist approach to child protection and development.
334. The main
instruments to which the Sudan has acceded are as follows:
1. The
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976);
2. The
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976);
3. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1977);
4. The Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1977);
5. The Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (1977);
6. The Slavery Convention (1926-1927);
335. The Sudan’s accession to these
instruments stemmed from the fact that the rights which they articulate are
already firmly
entrenched as part of its cultural heritage, its customs and its
existing laws. In some instances, the Sudan enacted new laws guaranteeing
to
safeguard those rights, such as the Asylum Act of 1974, the Convention on the
Rights of the Child of 1989, which is now a Sudanese
legislative enactment, the
Seventh Constitutional Decree of 1993, the Fourteenth Constitutional Decree of
1997, the Khartoum Peace
Agreement and the Peace and Transitional Measures for
the Southern States Act of 1997. These laws fostered the conditions needed
to
ensure a safer and brighter future for the children affected by armed conflict
in the south of the country and to enhance opportunities
for application of the
World Declaration on the Survival, Development and Protection of Children, for
human development and for alleviation
of the effects of poverty. It should be
noted that the draft permanent constitution of 1998 includes a provision
pursuant to which
the Khartoum Peace Agreement and the Fourteenth Constitutional
Decree of 1997 are to be regarded as integral to the constitution
subsequent to
its approval by the popular referendum scheduled to take place next
June.
336. The administrative bodies and measures introduced to implement
the Khartoum Peace Agreement include the following:
1. The Southern
States Coordination Council;
2. The Joint Military Technical
Commission;
3. The Military Ceasefire Committee;
4. Additional security
measures during the transitional period;
5. A general amnesty;
6. The
General Amnesty Commission and Tribunal;
7. The Development Programme
Fund;
8. The Relief and Resettlement Organization;
9. The Public Service
Commission.
337. The policies and programmes developed to provide
humanitarian assistance were covered in detail in the initial report submitted
to the Committee in 1992. Operation Lifeline Sudan is still in progress and the
efforts to help displaced persons are likewise continuing.
The initial report
stated that the rebel movement abducted large numbers of children, some of whom
it recruited as soldiers and
some of whom it employed to carry out support
functions and work as porters, weapons carriers, fighters and so on. These
minors
still form part of the rebel forces today.
338. In accordance with
the Khartoum Peace Agreement, the Fourteenth Constitutional Decree and the Peace
and Transitional Measures
for the Southern States Act, utmost priority is
accorded to dealing with pressing matters such as displaced child soldiers,
unaccompanied
children and mine clearance. Budgets have also been allocated to
provide domestic water, food, shelter and health services with
a view to
rehabilitating such children on the basis of the overriding social and cultural
values in their communities.
339. The priority measures adopted in favour
of displaced, homeless or unaccompanied children, refugee children and children
who are
abducted or recruited as soldiers by the rebel movement include the
preparation of programmes aimed at reunifying them with their
immediate families
or relatives and at providing alternative care prior to reunification, together
with assistance for the families
providing such care and for the reception
centres, in addition to support to enable families involved in productive
programmes to
care for such children. The war had the effect of disrupting
regular food supplies and diminishing the production and purchasing
capacities
of citizens. Support for programmes involving
agriculture, livestock and fisheries is therefore vital with a view to
ensuring that children and their families have sufficient food.
340. By
the same token, the programme to supply clean water has received the highest
priority in the interests of building the capacity
of families for
self-reliance, whether using their own resources or those of the local
community. The areas of child therapy and
social reintegration also acquired
particular significance in the context of the rehabilitation and development
programme, as the
war affected the elements essential to the physical, mental
and emotional development of the child.
341. The psychological treatment
programme comprises best practices which affirm a knowledge of local cultures
and traditions and
guarantee consultation with local communities. Typically,
the programme is sufficiently flexible to be adapted to circumstance.
There are
also separate programmes for mental health, rehabilitation and development as
part of daily family and community life
with a view to providing opportunity for
expression, for the pursuit of organized activities such as sports and for
school enrolment,
taking care to ensure that children are not placed in
institutions. The mine clearance programme has started by providing training
in
mine removal and raising awareness of mine hazards. Landmines and unexploded
projectiles are particularly dangerous to children
in view of their tendency to
pick up unfamiliar items which they stumble upon. Moreover, they may not
recognize written warning
signs if they are unable to read. In many cultures,
children take care of livestock in areas planted with mines or where there are
undetonated bombs. If an exploding mine does not cause death, it can, for
example, sever limbs and thus cause serious disability,
which is a problem for
the child, even when prosthetic limbs are fitted. Prolonged medical treatment
is also costly for the victim’s
family and for society in general. The
programme has taken into consideration the cost of mine clearance and
rehabilitation for
the victims, particularly since mine injuries can destroy
families; a situation in which a father receives a mine injury and loses
his
capacity to work has adverse consequences for the welfare of his children.
Landmines and undetonated bombs also have implications
for reconstruction and
development, as they affect the safe return of individuals and their families to
their homes, in addition
to which mined land is unsuitable for agriculture,
grazing or wood-gathering. Moreover, the presence of mines hinders road
construction
and the movement of goods and services.
342. The programme
devotes great attention to maximizing the capacity for mine clearance and to
raising awareness of the danger of
mines, all of which requires substantial
financial support. It is also vital to develop the local capacity for
artificial limb production,
which would provide economic opportunities for the
victims and promote their psychological treatment and social
therapy.
343. The war-affected communities in the Sudan face enormous
challenges in their attempt to rebuild their lives. In many cases, they
have
few resources on which to rely in the reconstruction effort, particularly if the
humanitarian aid is such as to encourage dependence
instead of strengthening
self-reliance in the family and society.
344. It is an immense task to
ensure that a family is self-reliant. At the initial stage, the rehabilitation
programme included a
close-knit social network and aimed to support women and
children by encouraging small projects. Education also helps to promote
peace,
social justice, respect for human rights, the assumption of responsibility and
the development of negotiating and contact
skills, thus making it possible to
resolve problems in furtherance of the country’s peace and stability.
Multilateral, bilateral
and private sources of funding should help to finance
the programme in the light of article 4 of the Convention on the Rights of
the
Child, which stipulates an undertaking of assistance to poor countries within
the framework of international cooperation. Civil
society organizations can
also provide considerable help in implementing this programme in view of their
capabilities and expertise
in connection with children’s rights. Given
their importance, it is essential to activate dialogue and cooperation among
such
organizations, regional bodies and the international community and
encourage
them to use the common criteria for child rights as a framework for their
activities. On that score, organizations involved in work
with women, children
and local communities play an important role. Women also play a vital role in
peace-building. The programme
should therefore make use of the ideas and
experiences of women in connection with protecting their children, safeguarding
their
families and supporting their local community. It is hoped that this
programme will enhance the status of the human being as the
most important
element and that children will be accorded a recognized place.
345. This
programme is a call for action to eliminate the effects of war, which have a
negative impact on children. Such action is
the responsibility of all
governments, international organizations and civil society organizations.
International mobilization should
be strengthened with a view to ensuring that
Sudanese children are the focus of peace and that they are assured of freedom
and justice
in their enjoyment of peace, which is the right of every
child.
B. Children involved with the system of administration of
juvenile justice
(art. 40)
346. The legislative measures relating to the administration of juvenile
justice are as follows:
(a) The relevant laws are the Criminal Code of
1991, the Criminal Procedures Act of 1991 and the Juvenile Welfare Act of 1983.
In
the Criminal Code of 1991, the main principles relating to children are that
minors have no criminal responsibility insofar as they
lack the awareness and
mental understanding required to constitute criminal behaviour;
(b) The
penal philosophy is to reform and educate the juvenile, rectify his conduct and
shield him from the administration of criminal
justice applied to
adults;
(c) In all departments of criminal justice, the treatment of
juveniles has a social rather than criminal focus;
347. In that regard, a
major legal provision is contained in article 9, which provides that “a
minor below legal age shall not
be deemed to have perpetrated an offence,
although the welfare and reform measures contained in this Code shall apply to
any person
over seven years of age, as deemed appropriate by the court.”
Article 47 of the Code also stipulates that, in the case of
juveniles who were
over seven and under 18 years of age at the time of committing the offence, the
court may apply measures such
as “reprimand during the hearing and in the
presence of his guardian, flogging as a disciplinary punishment for any person
having attained 10 years of age, although not more than 20 lashes of the
whip may be administered, surrender of the juvenile to his
parent or a
trustworthy person who has undertaken to provide proper care, or placement of
the juvenile in a correctional institution
for the purpose of reform and
education for a period of not less than two years and not more than five
years.”
348. Article 4 of the Criminal Procedures Act of 1991
stipulates that the following principles must be observed when applying its
provisions:
(a) All persons have a duty to prevent the commission of an
offence;
(b) No person may be incriminated or punished except on the
basis of an existing legislative provision;
(c) An accused person is
innocent until proven guilty and has the right to be investigated and tried
fairly and impartially;
(d) Any infringement of the person or property of the accused is prohibited
and the accused may not submit evident which incriminates
him or be compelled to
swear oath except in offences involving no doctrinal punishment (hadd)
and relating to private third party rights;
(e) Any form of interference
with witnesses is prohibited;
(f) Care must be taken to exercise
clemency, expedite the procedures for investigation and summons and avoid the
use of measures
of restraint unless necessary;
(g) The Office of the
Criminal Prosecutor shall act as the guardian of a victim who has no
guardian.
349. The Juvenile Welfare Act was also promulgated in 1983. It
is a law which covers all matters relating to children and juveniles
insofar as
it provides definitions for a juvenile, an offender and a homeless person.
Chapter II also provides for a juvenile police
force and stipulates that every
police station must have a section competent to perform the duties stipulated in
the Act. Article
4 further defines the areas of competence of the juvenile
police and criminal procedures. Chapter III determines the method for
formulating the overall juvenile welfare policy and specifies the tasks to be
performed by welfare institutions in their efforts
to provide their juvenile
inmates with various vocational skills and ensure their education and reform.
It also specifies that such
homes should be staffed by specialists qualified to
work in this particular field and that a sound administrative system of running
the homes should be developed.
350. Chapter IV deals with probation; the
probation officer is competent to furnish the court with the information which
it needs
in order to take an appropriate decision which accommodates the
interests of the juvenile by taking into consideration all social
and
psychological aspects. The Act provides for the establishment of social
relationships with the juvenile on probation and his
family and for assistance
in resolving his problems or those of his family. Chapter V also covers matters
relating to the establishment
and functions of remand homes, the main purpose of
which is to hold juveniles until they are presented for trial. Juveniles may
not remain in a remand home for more than 30 days without leave from the court.
Bearing in mind the requirement to complete juvenile
procedures, chapter VI
stipulates that juveniles must be tried by a competent juvenile court that
differs from the courts stipulated
in the Criminal Procedures Act, being a
special court in terms of its composition, jurisdiction and procedures and in
its powers
to hand down sentences and impose reform measures. The Act also
regulates the treatment of juvenile offenders, who must be placed
in a
correctional home for a period of not more than five years. The administration
in charge of running the home may, on the recommendation
of the competent
authorities, release the offender before expiration of the period specified if
it is in the interests of the juvenile
to do so.
351. With a view to
following up all matters relating to juveniles, chapter VIII of the Act provides
for juvenile boards whose task
it is to visit correctional institutes and remand
homes and submit regular reports to the competent minister comprising such
proposals
and other matters as it deems fit in regard to helping juveniles to
earn a decent living for themselves.
352. The National Council for Child
Welfare ran several training and information seminars on the Convention on the
Rights of the Child
and relevant Sudanese laws. These seminars targeted judges,
legal advisors, lawyers, parents and all other concerned parties, including
public servants assigned to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child
and other pertinent international instruments, such
as members of the police
force, welfare home supervisors, doctors, teachers and so on. They also
targeted all state
authorities, such as the state councils. A number of seminars were also held
in the different states, in which connection it should
be noted that the
essential difficulty lies in obtaining the necessary finance.
353. The
State also took conclusive steps to implement the Convention on the Rights of
the Child on all fronts, bearing in mind that
it is part of domestic law. Each
state and federal authority devotes the necessary attention to this matter on
the basis of its
own child-related programmes.
354. Children in the Sudan
are not deprived of their liberty except in accordance with the provisions of
the law, as discussed above
in connection with legislative measures. In
addition, the provisions of article 27, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code of
1991 provide
that, with the exception of offences of doctrinal punishment
(hadd) or retribution (qasas), persons under the age of 18 and
over the age of 70 may not be sentenced to death. Article 193, paragraph
2, of the Criminal Procedures
Act of 1991 also stipulates that, if it is
demonstrated to the prison warden before the death penalty is carried out that
the convicted
person is an expectant or nursing mother, there shall be a stay of
execution, which must be notified to the presiding court judge
in order to defer
enforcement until after delivery and thereafter, if the newborn lives, until two
years of nursing are complete.
In all cases, there is no discrimination in
conformity with the principles of the Convention and the best interests of the
child
and in order to guarantee the child’s right to life, survival and
development to the maximum extent possible. In view of their
importance, these
provisions, which are designed to afford special treatment to and protect the
welfare of children, elderly persons,
nursing mothers and pregnant women, are
included in the draft constitution of the Sudan of 1998.
355. Article 47
of the Criminal Procedures Act of 1991 stipulates the following measures in
connection with depriving persons of their
liberty:
“The court may apply the following measures to a juvenile suspect who,
at the time of the perpetration of the criminal offence,
was over seven and
under 18 years of age:
(a) Reprimand during the hearing and in the presence of his guardian;
(b) Surrender of the juvenile to his parent or a trustworthy person who had undertaken to provide proper care;
(c) Placement of the juvenile in a correctional institution for the purpose
of reform and education for a period of not less than
two years and not more
than five years.”
356. The Juvenile Welfare Act also stipulates the
same measures for depriving children of their liberty and moreover creates the
appropriate
mechanisms for that purpose, as discussed in previous
paragraphs.
357. The amount of data available on the number of children
deprived of their liberty varies over different periods of time. The
example
given here is based on the type of deprivation; some are deprived of liberty
through placement in welfare homes and others
through placement in correctional
homes, as shown below. No person in any of these homes, however, is illegally
or arbitrarily deprived
of liberty.
No. Name of home Date of Age
group Number of
juveniles
establishment
1. Correctional
home
for juveniles 1950 15-18 160
2. Ashbal correctional
home 1951 10-14 73
Source: General Department of Reform
and Prisons.
358. The principles on which the treatment of juveniles in welfare homes is
based are as follows:
(a) The principle of correction and reform is
observed in the treatment of juveniles;
(b) Young people sentenced to
placement in homes are fully segregated from other adult prisoners by age and
are treated in accordance
with their legal status and age;
(c) Petitions
and appeals in regard to juveniles must be prepared after the juvenile has
entered the home and must be submitted together
with case studies from the
Office of Social Services.
Public health
359. The Prisons
Act provides that: “In accordance with the provisions of the law and
regulations, prisoners must maintain
the cleanliness of their bodies, their
clothing and any utensil or container issued to them for use. The chief prison
officer must
also provide them with the apparatus and materials needed for such
purpose. Items of food must be kept in such a manner as to ensure
that they do
not perish.”
Imposition of penalties
360. At trial,
all prisoners are given the opportunity to hear the charge against them and to
defend themselves. The regulations
on the treatment of prisoners stipulate that
the duties of the prison officer are to ensure that:
(a) No prison is
used for a private purpose;
(b) Every prisoner is treated firmly, with
due regard for humanitarian considerations.
Health
care
361. The regulations provide that the duties of prison doctors
include the provision of health care for inmates through the supply
of clean
drinking water and water for the purposes of bathing and washing
clothes.
Sports
362. Juveniles engage in sports activities,
such as football, basketball, softball and gymnastics. The law prohibits the
employment
of juveniles in physically arduous work. The duties of the chief
prison office include ensuring that the orders of imprisonment
in connection
with all prisoners are issued by a competent authority in accordance with the
law.
Correspondence
363. Every prisoner is permitted to
send one letter on entering prison and thereafter one letter per month at the
prison’s expense.
He may seek the permission of the chief prison officer
to send a further letter during the month at his own expense.
Visits
364. Juveniles are permitted one visit from relatives
following the end of the medical testing period and a once-weekly visit
thereafter.
Juveniles are also permitted to visit their families once every
three months.
Permission to study
365. Prisoners are
permitted to pursue their studies and sit examinations wherever
possible.
Preaching and religious guidance
366. As much as
possible, prisoners are offered preaching, spiritual guidance and social
services.
Treatment
367. If treatment facilities are not
available to the prisoner in the prison hospital, he is transferred to a public
hospital on the
recommendation of the prison doctor.
Education of
prisoners
368. Prisoners must be educated and informed as much as
possible, bearing in mind the level of the prisoner and the term of
imprisonment.
Establishment of libraries
369. A library of
books on religion, science and culture should be established for prisoners, who
should be encouraged to benefit
from them during their spare time. Prisoners
may have books, newspapers and magazines sent to them at their own expense in
accordance
with the orders issued by the prison warden in this
respect.
Social integration and psychological
recovery
370. Sudanese reformatories and juvenile welfare homes have
a unique system of safeguard, which emanates from Sudanese social customs
and
traditions and the commitment to the word of honour. At the time of writing
this report, the Reformatory Department has taken
steps to instil confidence in
over 40 juveniles by permitting them to move about in unguarded freedom both
inside and outside the
home with a view to their psychological recovery and
social reintegration. The staff in each home also offer comfort and condolences
to juveniles who are bereaving a relative. The Department provides a form of
after-care for juveniles by approaching various official
and voluntary bodies
and asking them to provide assistance to juveniles after their release. It also
endeavours to establish bonds
between juveniles and their families during their
term of imprisonment in the home by going to see the families of juveniles and
urging them to visit their children in the home. The administration of the home
respects freedom of religion by permitting the different
religious denominations
to practice their religious ceremonies in complete freedom.
371. The
Office of Social Services offers any psychological and social assistance which
juveniles might require, under the supervision
of specialists, social workers
and psychologists. The administration of the home also organizes educational
courses for juveniles
in a number of fields and awards them certificates
accordingly.
372. A committee comprising representatives of the administration, as well as
juveniles and the resident doctor, supervises the receipt
of
foodstuffs.
373. Such is the progress achieved in the field of the
necessary safeguards and accompanying arrangements to ensure that children
are
not deprived of their liberty. Covering the years until 2001, the plan of
action endeavours to achieve the following objectives:
(a) To reunify
and rehabilitate homeless children, return them to their relatives or
alternative families and provide them with subsequent
care;
(b) To
restore the values of religion and solidarity in the different groups in
Sudanese society and draw support from the international
community, given that
the displacement and homelessness of children is a global
phenomenon;
(c) To study the roots of the problem as a first step in the
process of devising preventive measures to address the origins of the
problem;
(d) To intensify all the available financial, human and
technical efforts under way in order to achieve the said
objectives.
374. Concerning welfare homes, the competent authorities
endeavoured to:
(a) Renovate existing homes;
(b) Establish homes
for the welfare and rehabilitation of juveniles;
(c) Establish
probation homes at the state level;
(d) Establish homes for delinquent
girls;
(e) Provide a body of personnel in the field of juvenile
welfare.
375. Increased support and concerted local and international
efforts are needed in order to implement the rehabilitation programmes
and
activities in these institutions, as the support currently provided by a number
of international and local organizations and
government authorities, while
valuable, is nevertheless insufficient.
376. The sentencing of children
has been addressed by prohibiting capital punishment and life imprisonment for
children (see paras.
346-355 of this report). Children are protected against
all forms of violence and neglect by Sudanese legislative acts, including
the
Criminal Code of 1991, chapter XIV of which protects children against cruel
treatment and harm and guarantees their health care.
As for flogging, it is a
light punishment which is carried out within reasonable boundaries so that
parents can teach their child
a lesson and never reaches the point of causing
harm. Punishment of the child must be appropriate; any parent who resorts to
violence
forfeits legal guardianship of the child as a result.
Recovery and social reintegration (art. 39)
377. The Juvenile
Welfare Act of 1983 provides for the protection of children who are victims of
misdemeanours or offences and lays
down all the necessary safeguards in that
connection, ranging from a special police force and special procedures to
essential measures
in terms of welfare homes and probation. At this juncture,
it should be pointed out that, despite the will clearly expressed by
the
authorities, the
number of structures specializing in juvenile protection remains inadequate
owing to the lack of material resources. The Attorney
General has established a
committee to review all child-related laws in order to harmonize them with the
provisions of the Convention.
C. Children in situations of exploitation, including
physical
and psychological recovery and social
reintegration
(art. 39)
1. Sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (art.
34)
378. Offences in which children are used to perpetrate immoral acts
are a rare occurrence in the Sudan owing to the religious background
of Sudanese
society and the upright conduct which prevails as a matter of course. In some
instances, children are encouraged or
used to perpetrate theft or assist in its
perpetration. In terms of protection, Sudanese legislation endeavours to tackle
sexual
abuse and the handling of drugs through personal consumption,
trafficking, cultivation, distribution or transport. This legislation
includes:
− Laws which combat prostitution and immoral behaviour in general without any specific reference to children;
− Laws which prohibit the production, publication, distribution or use of indecent books and photographs with a view to safeguarding the morality of children and the public. They also prohibit the possession of indecent materials of various types, including videotapes, films, newspapers, magazines and books. The relevant laws are:
(a) The Criminal Code of
1991;
(b) The Press and Publications Act of 1996;
(c) The Artistic
Censorship Act of 1993.
379. There are also other laws which regulate the
censorship of artistic works and television productions in order to prevent harm
to morals and public decency, namely:
(a) The National Television
Corporation Act of 1991;
(b) The National Broadcasting Corporation Act of
1991.
380. Owing to the existence of preventive and deterrent laws, the
incidence of sexual abuse and exploitation is immaterial and has
no evident
impact on society. Consequently, no detailed data on the phenomenon are
available.
2. Sale, trafficking and abduction (art.
35)
381. Chapter XVI of the Criminal Code of 1991 deals with sentences
for offences involving attacks on personal liberty. Article 161
provides that
enticement is a criminal offence and stipulates that any person who offers
enticement to an individual who is under
age or mentally defective with a view
to removing him from or inducing him to remove himself from the safekeeping of
his guardian
without the latter’s consent shall be sentenced to a term of
imprisonment of not more than seven years and a fine. Article
162 also
stipulates punishment for the offence of abducting an individual, including a
child, providing as it does for the sentencing
of “any person who abducts
an individual by using deception of any form in order to entice him away from a
place with intent
to perpetrate an attack on his person or his freedom”.
Article 163 also prohibits forced labour by providing that any person
who
exploits another by illegally forcing
him to work against his will must be punished in accordance with the law in
force. It should be stated that the aforementioned provisions
prohibit the
sale, trafficking and abduction of children and the perpetration of such
offences for the purpose of inducing the child
to perpetrate acts against the
law.
382. The measures taken in connection with this matter include the
establishment of an advisory human rights council, under the auspices
of the
Minister of Justice, composed of all government bodies and voluntary
organizations working in the field of human rights.
The council endeavours to
safeguard and ensure respect for human rights and has made field visits to
numerous places in the different
states of the Sudan in order to ascertain that
there are no instances of the above-mentioned phenomena and no allegations of
child
abductions, that any movement of children from one state to another occurs
of their own accord and that it is the rebels who carry
out forced abductions of
children.
383. As an additional measure, Sudanese legislative enactments
provide for the protection of children if they travel outside the country,
in
which connection the necessary legal safeguards have been established in the
Passport and Immigration Act of 1992 and the regulations
issued pursuant
thereto, as well as in the personal status laws.
3. Economic
exploitation of children, including child labour (art.
32)
Sudanese child labour legislation
384. In the early
1980s, the first efforts to devote attention the phenomenon of child labour were
launched. Initial legislation
regulating child labour was promulgated in 1930,
followed by the Domestic Servants Act of 1955, the Workforce Act of 1974, the
Industrial
Security Act of 1976, the Self-Employment Act of 1981, the School
Health Act of 1974, the Juvenile Welfare Act of 1983, the Child
Welfare Act, the
Industrial Apprenticeship Act of 1974 and the Education Regulation Act of 1992.
Some of the general laws also contained
special provisions on children. More
recently, the Labour Act of 1997 was promulgated, pursuant to which the
Workforce Act of 1974,
the Self-Employment Act of 1981 and the Industrial
Security Act of 1976 were abolished in order to unify the labour legislation and
promulgate a single law comprising all the relevant provisions, as well as
develop those provisions in order to harmonize them with
the countrywide system
of federal government and ensure conformity with the Convention on the Rights of
the Child and other regional
agreements on the subject. All the laws in
question endeavour to set the minimum age at which the child may be employed and
the
maximum number of hours which the child may work. They also lay down the
health and administrative checks required for employment,
determine the wages
payable for child labour and specify the jobs and industries in which children
may not be employed. The laws
also endeavour to strike a balance between the
child’s need to work in order to train or earn an income and the
child’s
physical, mental, behavioural, educational, health, mental,
spiritual and social needs.
385. The Labour Act of 1997 lays down
conditions to protect the child against harmful activities, as
follows:
Hazardous occupations
386. The concept of risk or
hazard is relevant to health and to issues of an organic, behavioural and moral
nature. In that connection,
the competent laws comprise a series of rules which
specify the occupations hazardous to young people and prohibit their employment
in such occupations (art. 21 of the Labour Act of 1997). The employment of
juveniles in hazardous activities is therefore forbidden.
The competent
minister is vested with the authority to specify those activities in accordance
with article 27, paragraph 2 of the
Act, which allows for greater
flexibility in that it permits the addition of activities deemed hazardous by
the competent authorities.
Child employment conditions
387. Article 1, paragraph 1,
stipulates that children may not be employed in any of the following activities,
which are considered
to be hazardous:
(a) The carriage of heavy
loads;
(b) The operation of steam boilers and pressure
containers;
(c) The operation of iron furnaces and
foundries;
(d) Mining, quarrying and activities carried out underground
or underwater;
(e) Activities entailing exposure to lead and lead
derivatives;
(f) Activities entailing exposure to toxic or harmful
substances, both organic and non-organic, such as lead, mercury, cynanide,
calcium, benzine and benzine derivatives;
(g) Activities involving
X-rays and radiation;
(h) The maintenance of machines and machine
belts.
388. Subject to the provisions of the above article 1, paragraph
1, children may not generally be employed in industries or activities
which are
dangerous or hazardous to health or which are physically demanding or in
activities or occupations which are detrimental
to their moral behaviour. The
minister may determine that specific industries should be included within that
category of industries
or activities.
389. Children may not be employed
at night between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., although the competent
authority may exclude from
this provision any young person in the 15-16 age
group.
390. Children under 12 years of age may not be employed,
except:
(a) In government-run training schools;
(b) In
non-profit-making workshops;
(c) In a business owned by the
child’s family and employing only family members in which he or she works
under the owner’s
supervision;
(d) Under a contract of industrial
apprenticeship.
391. The minister or his delegate may, after consultation
with the relevant committee, prohibit the employment of children under 15
years
of age in such industries and establishments as he specifies by
ordinance.
392. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 5, no child under
15 years of age may be employed unless he has a guardian who remains
with him in
the workplace. Complaints may not be lodged against the child in connection
with a contract of employment unless the
guardian consented to the child’s
employment and presented the child’s employer with proof of his
guardianship and address,
together with a statement of his willingness to remain
with the child in the workplace.
393. Children may not be employed overtime or on weekly or official holidays,
nor may their annual leave be forfeited, deferred or
curtailed.
Medical examination of children
394. Article 22
stipulates that all children must undergo a full medical examination prior to
employment and thereafter at regular
intervals by such means as are determined
by the competent authority on the basis of the nature of the work undertaken by
the child.
Doctors working at government hospitals must conduct the necessary
examination and issue the required medical
certificates.
Children’s working hours
395. Article
23 stipulates the normal working hours for children as seven hours, interspersed
with a one-hour period of rest with
pay. Children may not be employed for more
than four hours continuously.
Posting of the child employment
regulations in a visible site
396. Article 24 stipulates that
employers must post a copy of the legal regulations on child employment in a
visible site in the workplace,
together with a list showing the hours of work
and periods of rest.
Requirement to report early signs of
delinquency
397. Article 25 stipulates that any young person
manifesting early signs of delinquency, such as unusual violence, the attempted
destruction
of items and equipment, repeated or deliberate negligence and
recurrent absence from work without valid excuse, must be reported
to the
competent authority or the competent labour office by the employer.
Termination of the child’s contract of
employment
398. Article 26 stipulates that the child’s contract
of employment must be terminated if it is established by way of a medical
certificate issued in accordance with the provisions of article 22 that he or
she is unfit for the job.
399. Additional to the above measures to
protect children against economic exploitation and the performance of work that
is likely
to be hazardous or harmful to them are measures at the legislative and
administrative levels having regard to the international instruments
on this
subject, including the following:
(a) Age limits
400. The
Labour Act of 1997 prohibits the employment of children under 16 years of age
and also provides for the exceptions mentioned
in the preceding paragraphs.
Under the Industrial Apprenticeship and Vocational Training Act, the question of
determining the minimum
age of admission to vocational training schools is left
to the discretion of the management board in the interest of a regular review
of
the admission age.
(b) Health regulations
401. The health regulations are
extremely important and form the next link in the chain after the limitation on
the age of employment.
Through these regulations, the child’s fitness for
employment is determined and his or her health is subject to regular checks,
as
are the standards of cleanliness and hygiene in the workplace. In this respect,
the Labour Act of 1997 provides that the child
must undergo a preliminary
medical examination prior to employment and thereafter at the regular intervals
determined by the competent
authority in accordance with the nature of the work
(article 22).
(c) Administrative regulations
402. The
child employment legislation contains a body of legal provisions constituting
administrative regulations which must be observed
in the interest of regulating
employment.
403. Pursuant to article 7 (a) of the Domestic Servants Act
of 1955, the police are authorized to issue the certificate of identity
which is
a basic condition of employment as a domestic servant. The issuance of a
certificate to any person under 15 years of age
is prohibited. Article 16 of
the Industrial Apprenticeship Act provides that an industrial apprentice is not
regarded as a labourer
and that he cannot be taken on until he, or his guardian
if he is under 21 years of age, has signed the contract of industrial
apprenticeship
with the employer. The law also gives the competent authorities
the right to enter and inspect any establishment or question any
person
responsible for its management. Under the Labour Act of 1997, employers are
required to report to the competent authority
or competent labour office any
young person who manifests early signs of delinquency, such as attempting to
destroy items, repeated
negligence or recurrent absence without valid excuse
(art. 25). The preventive procedure outlined in this article is designed for
the protection of young people. It also stipulates that it is forbidden to
employ any young person under 15 years of age unless
he has a guardian who
remains with him in the workplace. Employers have no right to lodge any
complaint against the child in connection
with a contract of employment unless
the guardian has consented to the child’s employment and submitted proof
of his guardianship,
together with a statement of his willingness to remain with
the child in the workplace (art. 21, para. 6).
404. This article
necessarily provides some degree of protection for children. Moreover, the
employer bears full responsibility if
he engages the child other than in the
presence of the child’s guardian. The law also includes a provision which
requires
the employer to post the employment regulations, working hours and rest
periods applicable to children in a clearly visible site
in the workplace. This
is deemed to be an important procedure, since it ensures that children and
guardians are aware of their rights
and duties. Any condition of contract which
is contrary to the law is deemed to be legally invalid, even if it preceded the
entry
into force of the law in question, unless it offers more benefit to the
worker than would otherwise be the case. This proviso is
considered to provide
a broad framework of protection. The law also accords to the competent
authority the right to enter any place
where there cause to believe that work
employing one worker or more is being carried out (article 69 of the Labour Act
of 1997).
The Juvenile Welfare Act comprises administrative measures designed
to prevent the exploitation of children; it stipulates the establishment
of a
juvenile police force and specifies its areas of responsibility (art. 3), one of
which in particular is to combat the illegal
employment of children. It
represents the missing link in the applicable child employment laws, since it
offers a significant measure
of protection against exploitation. The law also
stipulates the right of the child to a decent livelihood through work performed
on the basis of skills acquired by the child in accordance with the legislative
enactments regulating the work concerned. The competent
minister is called upon
to assist such young people in obtaining work commensurate with their skills
(article 6 of the same Act).
405. The minister is further required to establish welfare homes for young
persons and ensure that they acquire a variety of skills.
The National Council
for Child Welfare Act includes various administrative rules which amply protect
the child against exploitation
of numerous kinds and ensure the welfare of the
child by endeavouring, for instance, to ensure fulfilment of the obligations of
the
Sudan under the international instruments which it has signed. The Act also
includes an important provision concerning coordination
among the official
authorities and voluntary children’s organizations and the conduct of
scientific studies on childhood problems
so that such problems can be tackled
from a considered scientific viewpoint.
(d) Working
hours
406. All the legislative enactments relating to child
employment attach great importance to working hours; they set a maximum number
which may not be exceeded and specify the evening hours during which children
cannot be employed, the aim of which is to strike a
balance between the needs of
the child and the requirements of his or her age in life. Pursuant to the
Industrial Apprenticeship
Act, the question of determining working hours is left
to the discretion of the National Council (article 7 (g) of the Act). This
is
deemed to be a valid measure, bearing in mind the different types of industry
which exist. The Labour Act of 1997 stipulates
that the child may not work
overtime or during holidays and also provides that the child’s annual
leave may not be forfeited,
deferred or curtailed. Official working hours are
fixed at seven hours, interspersed with a one-hour period of rest with pay.
Children
may not be employed for more than four hours
continuously.
(e) Financial regulations
407. The laws
relating to child employment include financial regulations which govern the
working wages paid to children in order
to ensure that they are not exploited.
The Industrial Apprenticeship and Vocational Training Act of 1976 (article 7
(d)) stipulates
that the National Council for Industrial Apprenticeship is
competent to set the minimum allowances and other expenses paid to apprentices,
while the Labour Act of 1997 stipulates that wages must be set when the contract
of employment is drawn up. It also stipulates that
wages must be paid in cash.
The minister has the right to form special committees for any industry or
occupation with a view to
determining the conditions of service for children,
including conditions of pay.
(f) Legal
responsibility
408. After articulating in numerous laws the necessary
child employment controls, the legislature introduced legal provisions shedding
light on the litigation procedures and penalties to be imposed in the event of
any contravention of the laws or the regulations issued
thereunder. The Domestic
Servants Act of 1955, for example, includes a provision which stipulates the
penalty to be imposed on anyone
who contravenes the provisions of the law
(article 25). The Industrial Apprenticeship Act of 1997 also includes penalties
which
apply in the event that its provisions or those of the regulations issued
thereunder are contravened. The contravention of its provisions
is an offence
punishable by imprisonment or a fine, or both.
National employment
policies
409. Child employment cannot be eradicated through
legislative means and official measures alone. On the contrary, legal measures
must always go hand in hand with policies and programmes, both long-term and
short-term, which are designed to eliminate the motives
for employment.
Short-term policies
410. Undeniably, there is a group of
children who enter the employment market. The fact is that this group is
deprived of social
and health services and of the benefit of development
efforts. As a short-term solution to this problem, there are proposals afoot
to:
(a) Develop and channel occupational health services to include all
sectors;
(b) Improve social welfare;
(c) Organize training
courses for working children during which they receive theoretical and practical
lessons organized in such
a way that takes into account their work
situation.
Long-term
policies
Education
411. Educational failure is one of
the main reasons why children drop out and enter the employment market.
Consideration should therefore
be given to what such children gain from the
education system.
Vocational training
412. Vocational
training is regarded as an essential complement to the initial component of
education, as it furthers the preparation
of a trained workforce in line with
the needs of the labour market.
Family need for
support
413. There is a firm link between a family’s need of
support and early entry to the labour market by the children in those families.
Comprehensive programmes have therefore been devised to examine the
circumstances of these families and provide them with material
support.
414. The legislative aspect
(a) The Sudan has ratified the
international conventions relating to the rights of the child;
(b) The
labour legislation was reviewed and developed in order to keep pace with the
changes apparent in the labour market and to
expand the base of
protection;
(c) Efforts are under way to enhance the efficiency of the
agencies responsible for supervising child welfare and
employment;
(d) Efforts are under way at the grass-roots and voluntary
levels, as well as in employers’ organizations, to implement policies
relating to child programmes and devote attention to statistics and studies as
an indispensable means of sound planning;
(e) The National Council for
Child Welfare coordinates the units, ministries and voluntary organizations
concerned with children;
(f) One of the functional roles of the Khartoum
Peace Agreement is to ensure that the population, particularly children, obtains
sufficient food and clean water and is protected from disease.
415. Priorities include the care of deprived children, the release of
children recruited as soldiers by the rebel movement, measures
to address the
effects of war on children, the reopening of schools and the establishment of
principles to ensure education for peace.
The Agreement includes plans for a
comprehensive census of the south, followed by special surveys on health,
education and the workforce.
Human development is now a core concern of the
Government and an activity which must be supported by a solid statistical
information
base provided by a wide-ranging assessment and special surveys that
facilitate programme development, monitoring and follow-up.
416. In this
context, one of the major challenges is how to integrate regional planning into
the overall national human strategy,
whether in regard to education, poverty
reduction or health. The aims of the transitional stage in the south of the
country are
to ensure that figures for the south progress towards the national
averages, with strategic objectives such as universal basic education
forming
long-term objectives. Generally speaking, there are several options for the
incorporation of regional planning into the
national strategy. The same process
may also later be necessary in the northern states. These are some of the
preliminary measures
which it is intended to add to the subsequent stages of
preparing plans and programmes for child employment.
The following
tables show relevant data on child employment:
Age Percentage
within Total number Percentage of
(years only) the
workforce of children all children
6 2.7 615
800 10.8
7 3.7 731 884 12.9
8 3.9 696 169 12.3
9
5.9 575 832 10.1
10 11.5 780 143 13.7
11 8.7 422
334 7.4
12 18.7 805 230 14.2
13 17.9 522 117 9.2
14 17.7
532 335 9.4
Age group:
6-9 years 4 2 619 685 46.1
10-14
years 10.2 3 062 159 53.9
Gender:
Males 9.9 2 932
251 51.6
Females 10.1 2 749 593 48.4
Area of residence:
Urban
2.5 1 634 916 28.8
Rural 13 4 046 928 71.2
Total 100 5 681
844 24
Source: Ministry of Labour, Survey of Migration and the
Workforce, 1996.
Name
|
Members of the workforce
|
Number of children
|
Their percentage of the total number of
children
|
Northern region
|
7.1
|
323,820
|
5.7
|
Eastern region
|
16.8
|
790,498
|
13.9
|
Khartoum
|
3.6
|
855,159
|
15.1
|
Central region
|
3.2
|
1,376,679
|
24.2
|
Kordofan
|
13.3
|
910,462
|
16.0
|
Darfur
|
15.2
|
142,526
|
25.0
|
Tribe
|
|
|
|
Baggara
|
9.3
|
825,323
|
14.6
|
Dar Hamid
|
19.5
|
179,248
|
3.2
|
Jawama’ah / Badiriyah
|
12.4
|
285,175
|
5.1
|
Ja’alin
|
2.9
|
1,024,095
|
18.2
|
Juhayinah
|
3.6
|
400,767
|
7.1
|
Arab tribes in the centre
|
12.6
|
202,868
|
3.6
|
Arab tribes in the north
|
3.1
|
15,667
|
2.8
|
Arab tribes in the east
|
-
|
25,558
|
0.5
|
Other Arab tribes
|
3.7
|
27,363
|
0.5
|
Other Arab groups
|
7.7
|
184,690
|
3.3
|
Nuba
|
17.0
|
127,995
|
2.1
|
Bishariyin
|
25.0
|
4,184
|
0.1
|
Hadandawah
|
15.0
|
104,009
|
1.8
|
Bani Amir
|
11.7
|
50,993
|
0.9
|
Beja
|
14.0
|
280,224
|
5.0
|
Nubian (Mahas, Halfa, Sokot)
|
0.4
|
230,175
|
4.01
|
Dinka
|
10.9
|
23,569
|
0.4
|
Funj
|
|
|
0.6
|
Nilotic tribes
|
|
34,119
|
0.4
|
Others
|
-
|
20,371
|
0.01
|
Bary
|
-
|
963
|
0.1
|
Bango Baka
|
22.7
|
3,736
|
0.1
|
Andoto Sri
|
-
|
4,851
|
0.1
|
Zandi
|
|
6,741
|
0.1
|
Other Nubian tribes
|
-
|
3,422
|
0.1
|
Darfur tribes
|
16.6
|
1,196,558
|
21.2
|
Nigerian tribes
|
19.6
|
237,078
|
4.2
|
Total
|
10.0
|
5,681,844
|
24.0
|
Source: Ministry of Labour, 1996.
4. Drug abuse (art. 33)
417. The legislative measures adopted
by the Sudan to protect children from the illicit use of narcotic and
psychotropic substances,
as defined in relevant international treaties, include
the following:
(a) The Sudanese Criminal Code of 1991;
(b) The
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994 (annexed
hereto).
418. These laws stipulate severe penalties for cultivators,
distributors, traffickers, users and transporters of narcotic drugs and
psychotropic substances. The penalties are heavier if children are enticed into
and used in the cultivation, trafficking or transport
of narcotic drugs. The
protection which children enjoy is based on criminal responsibility, full
knowledge and choice. Lacking
in awareness and choice, children who have not
attained legal age benefit from this principle. When the child is used or
criminally
exploited to perpetrate any act against the law, responsibility for
the consequences lies with the person who exploited or used him
or her.
419. On that score, the punishment under the law is more severe, as
clearly demonstrated by article 16, paragraph 2 (c), of the Narcotic
Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1994, which stipulates the death penalty or
life imprisonment for the enticement and exploitation
of children in connection
with the crime of transporting, delivering and operating premises for the sale
of narcotic drugs. This
article closes the loopholes which made it possible to
turn the child’s lack of criminal responsibility to
advantage.
420. Application of the law has proved its effectiveness. In
that connection, a precedent was set in the town of Atbara (Report
No. 146 of
17 September 1996), where a hashish dealer had exploited a nine-year old child
by using him to carry a quantity of hashish
from one venue to another. The
judge applied the provision of article 16, paragraph 2 (c), of the Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act of 1994 and handed down the death penalty
to the individual who had exploited the child.
421. The Sudan is a party
to the United Nations Convention to Combat Narcotics of 1961, as amended by the
1972 Protocol, the Convention
on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 and the United
Nations Convention to Combat Illegal Trafficking of 1988.
422. At the
regional level, the Sudan is a party to an Arab agreement on illicit
trafficking, concluded in 1994. At the bilateral
level, the Sudan is a party to
a Sudanese-Saudi cooperation agreement to combat narcotic drugs, concluded in
1992.
Administrative measures
423. In the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, a general department was established and a national committee
of specialists and experts
formed to combat narcotic drugs. The main focuses of
the fight against narcotic drugs are as follows:
(a) To combat narcotic
drugs in the areas where the Indian hemp plant is cultivated in South Darfur and
south-eastern Sudan on the
borders with Ethiopia by waging seasonal campaigns to
eliminate cultivation and increase awareness among farmers by informing them
that such cultivation is illegal and encouraging them to grow alternative cash
crops, such as rice, sugar cane and sorghum, and establish
aviaries for the
production of honey. Finance in the form of non-repayable grants was attracted
in order to provide funding for
the farmers who embarked on this project.
Hitherto, children have not been conspicuously involved in drug cultivation and
production
in these areas;
(b) To combat smuggling, the Sudan being a transit zone where branch offices
and border inspection points operated by the Anti-Narcotics
Department have now
been established;
(c) To impose punishment for the consumption,
trafficking, transport, distribution and cultivation of narcotic drugs whereby
any
person found in possession of large quantities is sentenced to death or life
imprisonment;
(d) To raise awareness by holding seminars and lectures in
residential districts, universities, schools and national service camps
and by
using the audio-visual and print media. An annual conference is also held to
raise awareness of the danger of narcotic drugs
and plans have been made to
develop a curriculum at the Ministry of Education with a view to protecting
children from such danger
in accordance with the resolutions of the conference
held on drug prevention in schools;
(e) To implement social measures
through the Anti-Narcotics Department, which has a section dealing with
rehabilitation, social integration
and psychological, medical and spiritual
therapies aimed at combating addiction. The legislative enactments stipulate
that a drug
addict has a right to treatment and social integration on the
occasion of a first offence. If he re-offends, the penalty for addicts
will be
enforced against him;
(f) To conduct studies and research, which are one
of the most important measures in the fight against narcotic drugs and
psychotropic
substances. Studies of some of the substances used in certain
industries have been conducted among homeless children in
particular.
424. Alcoholic substances are prohibited by law, even for
adult Muslims (articles 78, 79 and 80 of the Criminal Code of 1991 (annexed
hereto) and articles 15-20 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act
of 1991). Non-Muslims are not entitled to indulge
in alcohol other than in
accordance with the law. The opportunity to imbibe such substances is therefore
extremely narrow as far
as children in the Sudan are concerned. The use of
tobacco is dependent on the supervision provided by family and school; as such,
the rate of consumption is low.
Sexual exploitation and sexual
abuse (art. 34)
425. Offences in which children are used to
perpetrate immoral acts are a rare occurrence in the Sudan owing to the
religious background
of Sudanese society and the upright conduct which prevails
as a matter of course. From the preventive point of view, Sudanese legislation
deals with and endeavours to address matters of sexual deviancy and the
consumption, trafficking, cultivation, distribution and transport
of narcotic
drugs.
426. Sudanese laws categorically prohibit prostitution and immoral
behaviour, without specific reference to children. The laws also
prohibit the
production, publication, distribution or use of indecent books and photographs
with a view to safeguarding children.
They also prohibit the possession of
indecent materials of various types, including videotapes, films, newspapers,
magazines and
books. The relevant laws are:
(a) The Criminal Code of
1991;
(b) The Press and Publications Act of 1996;
(c) The Artistic
Censorship Act of 1993.
(d) The National Broadcasting Corporation Act of
1991.
427. Owing to the preventive and deterrent laws in place, sexual abuse and
exploitation are non-existent in the society. Consequently,
no detailed data on
the phenomenon are available.
Sale, trafficking and abduction
(art. 35)
428. Chapter XVI of the Criminal Code of 1991 deals with
sentences for offences involving attacks on personal liberty. Article 161
provides that enticement is a criminal offence and stipulates that any person
who offers enticement to an individual who is under
age or mentally defective
with a view to removing him from or inducing him to remove himself from the
safekeeping of his guardian
without the latter’s consent shall be
sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than seven years and a fine.
Article
162 also stipulates punishment for the offence of abducting an
individual, including a child, providing as it does for the sentencing
of
“any person who abducts an individual by using deception of any form in
order to entice him away from a place with intent
to perpetrate an attack on his
person or his freedom”. In addition, article 163 prohibits forced labour
by providing that
any person who exploits another by illegally forcing him to
work against his will must be punished in accordance with the law in
force. It
should be stated that the aforementioned provisions prohibit the sale,
trafficking and abduction of children and the perpetration
of such offences for
the purpose of inducing the child to perpetrate acts against the
law.
429. The measures taken in connection with this matter include the
establishment of an advisory human rights council, under the auspices
of the
Minister of Justice, composed of all government bodies and voluntary
organizations working in the field of human rights.
The council endeavours to
safeguard and ensure respect for human rights and has made field visits to
numerous places in the different
states of the Sudan in order to ascertain that
there are no instances of the above-mentioned phenomena and no allegations of
child
abductions, that any movement of children from one state to another occurs
of their own accord and that it is the rebels who carry
out forced abductions of
children, as stated in the initial report.
430. As an additional measure,
Sudanese legislative enactments provide for the protection of children, as
stated in this report, if
they travel outside the country, in which connection
the necessary legal safeguards have been established in the Passport and
Immigration
Act of 1992 and the regulations issued pursuant thereto, as well as
in the personal status laws.
_ _ _ _ _ _
WorldLII:
Copyright Policy
|
Disclaimers
|
Privacy Policy
|
Feedback
URL: http://www.worldlii.org/int/other/UNCRCSPR/2001/27.html