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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/11/Add.26 28 January 2004 ENGLISH Original : SPANISH |
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
CONSIDERATION
OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES
UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE
CONVENTION
Initial reports of States parties due in 1994
[12 September 2003]
GE.04-40192
(EXT)
CONTENTS
Paragraphs Page
Introduction 1 – 12 3
I. General measures of
application 13 – 37 5
II. Definition of the child 38 –
41 10
III. General principles 42 – 65 10
IV. Civil
rights and freedoms 66 – 97 14
V. Family environment and
alternative care 98 – 118 19
VI. Basic health and welfare 119
– 195 22
VII. Education, leisure and cultural activities 196
– 227 33
VIII. Special protection measures 228 –
238 37
IX. Conclusions and recommendations 239 –
268 39
Annexes
I. Documents consulted 42
II. List of
persons interviewed 45
III. List of abbreviations 48
INTRODUCTION
1. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is a legal instrument which
came into being as a result of a global concern to ensure
the survival,
well-being and development of children and to secure their right to participate
in social life. The Convention also
came into being because, throughout the
last century, children were the witnesses and passive victims of a world
dominated by armed
conflicts, social injustice, ecosystem destruction, and
natural disasters.
2. Its history goes back to 1924 when the then League
of Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, on the basis
of
which the United Nations adopted in 1959 the Universal Declaration of the Rights
of the Child. During the celebration of the
International Year of the Child in
1979 the United Nations decided to initiate the process of drafting the
Convention, which entered
into force in 1990 and was ratified by the Republic of
Equatorial Guinea in 1992.
4. Pursuant
to its commitment under the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and
Development of Children in the 1990s, adopted
at the World Summit for Children
in New York in 1990, the Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea
produced in 1992 the National
Plan of Action for Children and Women (PNA) for
the period 1992-2000 and created in 1997 the National Children’s Rights
Committee
(CNDN).
5. Eight years after signing and ratifying the
Convention on the Rights of the Child without reservations the Republic of
Equatorial
Guinea had not submitted any reports under article 44. The delay in
preparing the present report, six years after the time limit,
was due to various
reasons, all of them beyond the Government’s control.
6. Between
1992, when Equatorial Guinea ratified the Convention, and today, the country has
undergone enormous political, economic
and cultural changes, such as the
establishment of a multi-party system and the holding of a National Economic
Conference. The economic
changes resulting from the exploitation of
hydrocarbons are having a strong impact on the improvement of the standard of
living
of all levels of the population.
7. This first report, produced by
the CNDN with UNICEF support, describes in detail the situation of
children’s rights in Equatorial
Guinea.
8. In addition to
compliance with the article 44 commitment, this report has the following
objectives:
(a) To determine the degree of implementation of the
Convention in Equatorial Guinea with respect both to the effective
implementation
of existing legislation and sectoral policies and to the design
of new laws and strategies to improve the application of the Convention
in the
country;
(b) To help to encourage a collective awareness of the rights of
the child;
(c) To encourage new thinking about the obligations resulting
from the ratification of the Convention by Equatorial Guinea, with corresponding
renewal of its commitment; and
(d) To provide guidance for future action
by establishing, in terms of legislation and sectoral policies, concrete
proposals and recommendations
which will make it possible, once the overall
situation is known, to improve the Convention’s application in the
country.
9. This report is divided into three parts, in accordance with
the presentation guidelines issued by the Committee on the Rights of
the Child.
The first part describes general aspects of the country’s situation. The
second analyses, by groups of rights,
the degree of implementation of the
Convention in Equatorial Guinea, examining the current legislation and its
application and the
national plans designed and carried out within the framework
of sectoral policies relating to children’s rights. And the third
and
last part contains the report’s conclusions and recommendations in the
light of the achievements made and the difficulties
observed.
10. The
realities of Equatorial Guinea’s society suggest that this report should
be drafted without reference to problems and
practices which, owing to the
country’s particular characteristics, do not exist or have minimal impact
there. This applies
to the topics referred to in chapter VIII: (a) children in
situations of emergency (such as refugee children and children in armed
conflicts); (b) children deprived of liberty (there are no children in the
country’s prisons); and (c) the sexual exploitation
of children. In
addition, there have been no cases of child suicide and there are no traditional
harmful practices such as genital
mutilation.
11. At the time of its
ratification of the Convention in 1992 Equatorial Guinea found itself deep in an
economic crisis which demanded
great sacrifices, adjustments and cuts in public
spending. Since 1997, thanks to the national economic growth, a number of
measures
have been introduced which, in conjunction with the efforts already
made with bilateral and multilateral support, are helping to
protect the rights
of the child contained in the Convention.
I. GENERAL MEASURES OF APPLICATION
A. Scope of the measures
♦ Article 4: States Parties
shall undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures
for the implementation of the rights
recognized in the present Convention. With
regard to economic, social and cultural rights, States Parties shall undertake
such measures
to the maximum extent of their available resources and, where
needed, within the framework of international
cooperation
Situation
13. The country’s
democratization process has seen the promulgation of laws and provisions
consistent with the spirit of the
Convention; attention may be drawn in this
connection to the 1990 Labour Act, the 1992 Constitution (Fundamental Law), and
the 1997 Press, Publications and Audiovisual Media Act. Since ratifying the
Convention on 15 June 1992 the
Government has promulgated the following
laws: the 1995 Education Act, the 1996 Family Planning Act, the 1996 decree
creating the Central Civil Registry of Testamentary Acts and the Registry of
Customary Civil Marriages, and the
1997 decree creating the National
Children’s Rights Committee (CNDN).
14. According to article 22 of
the Constitution, “the State shall protect the human person from the
moment of conception and shall protect children so that they may develop
normally and with security of moral, mental and physical integrity and home
life”. The Constitution also guarantees the integrated development of the
person. It recognizes the equality of rights of all persons and prohibits
discrimination
on the grounds of age, sex, race, belief or ethnic group; article
24 states that “the State shall promote responsible parenthood
and
appropriate education for the development of the
family”.
15. Article 1 of the Labour Act regulates child labour,
stating inter alia:
(a) The minimum age for admission to employment which
by its nature or owing to the conditions under which it is performed may place
at risk the health, safety or morals of children shall be 16 years. In any
event, there shall be prior consultation of workers’
occupational
organizations, where they exist, and the labour authorities shall ensure that
sufficient guarantees of the protection
of children are adopted and that, before
they are admitted to employment, children receive suitable and specific
vocational instruction
in the branch of activity in question. The labour
authorities may in addition raise to 18 years the minimum age for admission to
some jobs of this kind provided that such action does not infringe the principle
of equality of work opportunities;
(b) Children may not enter into labour
contracts without the authorization of their father or mother or a person
legally responsible
for them;
(c) An employer who recruits children who
are below the minimum age for admission to employment or are not legally
authorized to perform
the work in question shall, in any event, pay them the
legal wage and provide the other benefits stipulated by law, without prejudice
to any legal action which may be taken against him.
16. Article 18 of the
Press, Publications and Audiovisual Media Act states that “a special
statute shall regulate the printing,
issuance and distribution of publications
which by their nature or style of presentation appear to be aimed principally at
children
and adolescents”.
17. Article 3 of the Education Act
stipulates that education “shall be compulsory, free and guaranteed at the
primary level”.
18. The Family Planning Act provides broad protection for children and mothers; article 2 states the following objectives:
(a) To reduce
maternal and infant morbidity and mortality;
(b) To improve
life-expectancy at birth;
(c) To ensure the survival and development of
children;
(d) To encourage breast-feeding for at least six
months;
(e) To prevent births constituting a high risk to the health of
the mother, subject to prior medical explanation in the presence of
the
father.
19. The CNDN was established by Presidential Decree No. 100/1997
of 30 September as a national organizational platform for directing,
coordinating and promoting both internal and external initiatives for the
benefit of children in order to implement in the country
the recommendations of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The CNDN, chaired by the First Lady
of the Nation, operates under
the Ministry of Education and Science (MINEDUC).
The following governmental departments have responsibilities in the areas
covered
by the Convention: MINEDUC, the Ministry for Social Affairs and the
Status of Women (MINASCOM), the Ministry of Labour and Social
Security, the
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Ministry of Planning and Economic
Development. According to article
2 of the Decree, the CNDN has the following
functions:
(a) To provide reports in due form and to ensure that the best
interests of the child are always taken into account in all measures
affecting
children taken by public or private institutions, administrative authorities or
legislative organs;
(b) To coordinate activities so as to ensure that all
public and private institutions work to develop children’s personalities,
attitudes and mental capacities, as well as their respect for their parents,
their own cultural identity and language, the national
values of Equatorial
Guinea and of other civilizations, and the natural environment in which they
live;
(c) To introduce measures to ensure that children lead responsible
lives in a free society in a spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance,
gender
equality, and friendship among all human beings and national and foreign ethnic
groups, with a view to enhancing harmonious
social awareness in the Republic of
Equatorial Guinea;
(d) To fight to protect children against economic
exploitation and prevent them from performing any kind of work which may
endanger
or impede their intellectual growth or their health or physical,
mental, spiritual, moral or social development;
(e) To collaborate with
public and private institutions in the adoption and implementation of
legislative and administrative measures
to protect children against the illicit
use of drugs, tobacco and alcohol, and against any form of sexual exploitation
or abuse;
(f) To ensure that no child is subjected to torture or cruel
treatment or deprived of his or her liberty, except in the cases prescribed
by
law, and to ensure in such cases that the dignity of the human person is
respected;
(g) To encourage measures to ensure that all public and
private institutions and the legal and education systems promote the physical
and psychological recovery and the social reintegration of all children victims
of any form of neglect, exploitation or abuse, or
torture or other kinds of
treatment inconsistent with their age;
(h) To ensure that the public
authorities take suitable measures to secure the establishment of specific laws,
procedures and institutions
for children in conflict with the law or accused of
having infringed some other legal provision, with a view to furnishing for such
children guidance and counselling services, education and vocational training
programmes, and other facilities to ensure their recovery
and
well-being;
(i) To coordinate with international institutions and
agencies measures to benefit children in Equatorial Guinea through the legal
channels already established by the Government;
(j) To propose to the
Government and the international agencies measures for the benefit of children
and to produce a biennial report
on the progress made in the protection of
children in Equatorial Guinea, together with studies and other reports on child
development.
20. Provincial and district committees are planned. The
village councils have health and development committees, which were created
in
1990 and are responsible for the communal management of health
services.
21. The Spanish Civil Code, which is in force in Equatorial
Guinea on a subsidiary basis, also provides broad protection for children
in
relation to their families.
22. The Civil Registration Act establishes
inter alia the obligation to register births.
23. The Convention on the
Rights of the Child was ratified by the country’s Parliament on
15 June 1992; the Convention thus
became part of the national legal order
and consequently acquired the status of a law.
(a) To secure a
marked improvement in the well-being of infants, pregnant women, mothers,
children and young people in the fields
of health, education, sanitation,
nutrition, and child development and protection;
(b) To expand the cover
and improve the quality of the basic services for children and
women;
(c) To build up the State’s capacity to develop policies,
programmes and services for children and women;
(d) To enhance the
capacity of the people and of grass-roots organizations to programme and deliver
services for mothers and children.
25. A national forum on the
implementation of the Convention in Equatorial Guinea was held in 1997 for the
purposes of applying and
following up the PNA recommendations.
Progress
26. Equatorial Guinea’s current
legislation protects the rights of the child as a whole. The national forum on
the implementation
of the Convention held in November 1996 recommended to the
Government, amongst other things, that it should publicize the Convention,
prepare the report on its implementation, create the CNDN, and bring national
legislation into line with the Convention. The study
“Analysis of school
attendance by girls in Equatorial Guinea” was produced in that same year.
The establishment of the
CNDN in 1997 marked not only a major step forward in
the implementation of the Convention in Equatorial Guinea but also compliance
with the national forum’s recommendations.
27. In 1998 the
Government and UNICEF approved a framework plan of operations for 1999-2003,
which envisaged inter alia the implementation
of two projects: “Social
statistics” and “Advocacy of the rights of children and
women”. Both these projects
are being carried out as means of helping to
solve the problem of the lack of social statistics and conducting the necessary
advocacy
with the decision-making bodies, as well as making the various
population groups more aware of the situation of children and their
rights, the
specific problems of women, and the struggle for equality of opportunities and
rights for girls.
28. There is growing interest in the Convention among
members of the Chamber of Representatives of the People, as can be seen from
the
appeals made to the members of the Government concerning aspects of the rights
of the child, especially in relation to education
and health.
29. All of
this formed the background for the approval of the ratification of the 1999 ILO
Convention concerning the Prohibition and
Immediate Action for the Elimination
of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Constraints
30. Society in general is insufficiently aware
of the rights of the child. The prevailing traditional outlook gives greater
weight
to respect for the rights of boys than of girls.
31. There are
still no explicit budgetary allocations for the CNDN; this is impeding the work
of this important body, which is responsible
for coordinating the activities of
the various governmental departments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
working to apply
the Convention in Equatorial Guinea.
32. There is also
the problem of the complexity of the administrative procedures for using the
budgetary funds allocated to the ministries.
B. Publicizing the Convention
♦ Article 42: States Parties
undertake to make the principles and procedures of the Convention widely known,
by appropriate and active means, to
adults and children
alike.
Situation
33. A large part of the
country’s population is unaware of the Convention’s existence. This
ignorance extends to children
themselves, although they have been informed about
their rights.[1]
34. The
Convention has not been translated into the vernacular languages - for one
reason because these languages are not written.
The campaigns to publicize the
Convention are carried out at commemorative events and by several other means,
such as radio and
television programmes. The education plans of MINEDUC
envisage the possibility of introducing several elements of the Convention
over
the coming years.
Progress
35. Numerous campaigns have been
conducted through the mass media to make the people more aware of the rights of
the child. These
campaigns have been stepped up in recent years through the use
of radio and television programmes. At present the radio and television
services broadcast, with UNICEF assistance, several programmes in which the main
players are children and adolescents, who discuss
with a specialist the
different problems affecting children (health, schooling,
etc.).
36. There are NGOs, such as the Committee for Support of the Child
in Equatorial Guinea (CANIGE), the Equatorial Guinea Family Welfare
Association
(ABIFAGE) and the Red Cross of Equatorial Guinea working in several of the areas
covered by the Convention, and they
have taken part in campaigns to publicize
the Convention. Children are playing an ever increasing role in campaigns to
publicize
and promote the Convention and have participated in several
seminars.
Constraints
37. Despite the efforts made by the
Government in collaboration with international agencies, society’s
awareness of the Convention
remains at a low level. Knowledge of the Convention
is limited, and a cultural tradition which has its own perception of the rights
of boys and girls prevents them from enjoying fully the rights recognized by the
Convention.
II. DEFINITION OF THE CHILD
♦ Article 1: For the purposes of the present Convention, a
child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless, under the
law
applicable to the child, majority is attained
earlier.
Situation
38. The Civil Code of Equatorial
Guinea provides that the age of majority is attained at the age of 18
years, which is consistent
with the Convention. It provides further that
emancipated children may receive legal advice without the consent of their
parents.
The Health Act does not state a minimum age for receiving medical
advice or treatment or undergoing surgical intervention without
parental
authorization. The Family Planning Act provides that sterilization of married
women by surgical means requires the mandatory consent of the husband , or of
the parents
or guardians in the case of single girls aged
under 18.
39. The Education Act stipulates 12 years as the minimum
age for terminating compulsory school attendance.
40. Article 6 of the
Elections Act stipulates 18 years as the age of acquisition of the right to
vote.
Progress
41. The national legal order is a very
important starting and reference point for the purposes of protection of
children’s rights.
It has been noted that the specific legal provisions
on this matter are consistent with those of the Convention.
III. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
A. Non-discrimination
♦ Article 2.1: States Parties
shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to each
child within their jurisdiction without
discrimination of any kind, irrespective
of the child’s or his or her parents’ or legal guardian’s
race, colour,
sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national,
ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other
status.
Situation
42. Article 13 (c) of the
Constitution, as well as other legal provisions in force in Equatorial Guinea,
provides for the equality of all persons without any discrimination
on the
grounds of sex, ethnic or social origin, tribe, race, religion or political
ideology.
43. The country’s peaceful nature offers no nurture to
ethnic conflicts.
Progress
44. MINEDUC and MINASCOM
initiated in 1996, in conjunction with UNICEF, some studies on “School
attendance by girls”,
which provided the basis for the start-up in 1998 of
an awareness campaign designed to help to reduce the disparities between boys
and girls in respect of school attendance.
45. With the help of bilateral
and multilateral assistance agencies MINASCOM has been carrying out intensive
awareness-raising activities
(seminars, conferences, talks, press releases,
special days) in order to make society realize the need for equality of rights
between
males and females. In addition, and as a follow-up to the agreements
reached at the Fourth World Conference on Women, this Ministry,
with technical
support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF, held two
seminars on gender, population and development
with a view to creating a
favourable climate for the integration of the gender perspective as a
development tool.
46. Several activities have been carried out to combat
inequality and promote the integration of women in the society of Equatorial
Society. There now exists a national policy document on the advancement of
women, which is awaiting approval following its endorsement
at a
seminar/workshop held in Mongomo from 6 to 10 November 2000.
47. The
population is becoming more aware of the issue of gender equality; this
represents a considerable achievement. In fact, girls
in rural areas have been
freed from many of the tasks which they used to perform and which placed them on
an unequal footing with
boys, such as for example looking after their younger
siblings. The informal pre-school programme has played an important role in
this.
Constraints
48. The persistence of traditional habits
remains an obstacle in the struggle to eliminate inequality between boys and
girls.
49. For various reasons the Government’s efforts are not yet
sufficient to meet the education and survival needs of children
from poor
families.
B. The best interests of the child
♦ Article 3.1: In all actions
concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare
institutions, courts of law, administrative
authorities or legislative bodies,
the best interests of the child shall be a primary
consideration.
Situation
50. The spirit of the
Constitution and the other legal provisions adopted to date take account of the
best interests of the child.
51. In its development plans the Government
gives priority to the housing problem, with a view to providing better living
conditions
for families and children. The corresponding programme is being
gradually implemented.
Progress
52. In 1997 the Government
convened in Bata the first National Economic Conference, which adopted the
medium-term economic strategy.
At the Conference the Government decided to
allocate 40 % of public expenditure to the social sector, 15 % to
education and science,
10 % to health and social welfare, four per cent to
social affairs and the status of women, three per cent to youth and sports,
three
per cent to culture, three per cent to mass communication media, two per
cent to the labour sector and one per cent to the population
sector.
Constraints
53. The principle of the best interests
of the child has not been taken sufficiently into account in policy design and
programme implementation
or, more importantly, in the actual spending of the
resources allocated to the social sector.
54. Some of the country’s
social groups still lack a clear perception of the scope and implications of
this principle, which
involves not only the State but also civil society and the
family. For the family just as much as for the State, children’s
needs
are important but not a priority and are still regarded as needs and not as
essential rights.
C. Right to life, survival and development. Standard of living
♦ Article 6.1: States Parties
recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.
♦ Article 6.2: States Parties shall ensure to the maximum
extent possible the survival and development of the child.
♦ Article 27.1 States Parties recognize the right of every
child to a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental,
spiritual,
moral and social development.
♦ Article 27.3: States Parties shall take appropriate
measures to assist parents and others responsible for the child to implement
this right.
Situation
55. Articles 13 and 22 of the
Constitution guarantee the right to life and the development and protection of
all of persons, in particular children. A broad legal framework
for the
attainment of these purposes has been established on this constitutional
basis.
Progress
56. Under the national anti-poverty
programme there has existed since 1997 a poverty-alleviation project financed by
the Government
and the African Development Fund. The aim of this project is to
improve the standard of living of the most vulnerable population
groups (women,
unemployed young people, small farmers, and former civil servants affected by
the structural adjustment programme)
by granting loans to finance
micro-projects.
57. Project EQG/97/001 has been established in the
Ministry of the Interior and Local Corporations; this is a local development
programme
funded by the Government and UNDP. It has three objectives: to
promote local economic and social development; to encourage a dialogue
on
decentralization; and to strengthen civil society by promoting the
people’s participation in development.
58. Church organizations and
other NGOs have been making efforts to improve the living standards of the
country’s population
by building schools and health
centres.
Constraints
59. There is still no specific legal
system for children.
D. Respect for children’s opinions and freedom of expression
♦ Article 12.1: States
Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views
the right to express those views freely in
all matters affecting the
child.
♦ Article 13.1: The child shall have the right to freedom of
expression; this right shall include the freedom to seek, receive and impart
information
and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in
writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other
media of the
child’s choice.
Situation
60. Article 13 (b) of
the Constitution guarantees all persons the right freely to express their
thoughts, ideas and opinions. The Press, Publications and Audiovisual Media
Act, which regulates the development of the country’s communication media,
refers explicitly to children, stating in article
18 that a special statute
shall regulate the printing, publication and distribution of publications which,
by their nature and style
of presentation, appear to be aimed principally at
children and adolescents.
Progress
61. There is a concern
to create and develop spaces for free expression by children. At present the
State television service broadcasts,
with UNICEF support, several programmes for
children as part of the promotion of the Convention.
62. A number of
teaching establishments publish student reviews to encourage freedom of
expression in the school context.
63. The first national forum on the
implementation of the Convention, convened by the Government in 1996, was
attended by children,
who stated their views, worries, complaints and comments.
There have also been meetings between children and the First Lady of the
Nation
and Chairman of CANIGE, which were also attended by Government ministers. A
“Children’s Parliament” was
held in 1996 in the form of a
special meeting of the Parliament with the participation of
children.
Constraints
64. It is a family tradition that all
decisions are taken by the father, mother and/or other family members, as the
case may be, with
any older male children being allowed to state their views.
Children do not take part in the talks and/or debates among the
adults.
65. There has been no substantial change in this situation to
date: as before, little attention is paid to the views of children,
either in
the family or in the adoption of public policies.
IV. CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
A. Name and nationality
♦ Article 7.1: The child
shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth
to a name, the right to acquire a nationality
and, as far possible, the right to
know and be cared for by his or her parents.
♦ Article 7.2: States Parties shall ensure the implementation
of these rights in accordance with their national laws and their obligations
under
the relevant international instruments in this
field.
Situation
66. Articles 17 and 328 of the Spanish
Civil Code, which is in force on a subsidiary basis in Equatorial Guinea, and
the Civil Registration Act state expressly the right of the child to be entered
in the Civil Register. It is stipulated that there is no need to present a
new-born child to the official responsible for registration in order to have the
birth recorded; a declaration by the person required
to declare the birth is
sufficient.
67. Article 109 of this Code provides that a child’s
names shall be determined by its parentage, in accordance with the provisions
of
the Act. In order to prevent cases of stateless children, it also guarantees
nationality of Equatorial Guinea to babies whose
parentage is uncertain or whose
parents have no nationality or when the legislation to which the parents are
subject does not accord
the baby a nationality..
68. Act No. 8/1990,
which deals with nationality, also guarantees this right to children born in the
territory of Equatorial Guinea,
except in the case of children of foreigners who
are in the country in the service of their Government. It also guarantees
nationality
of Equatorial Guinea to children born abroad to a father or mother
who is a national of Equatorial Guinea.
Progress
69. In
order to give practical effect to the Act’s provisions the Government
decided to implement, in 1990, project EQU/90PO2
on civil registration. The
most relevant aspects of the Act included inter alia the registration of births,
the training of Civil
Registry personnel, and the conduct of a country-wide
awareness campaign to promote the registration of children; this has helped
to
increase the rate of registration of new births.
70. In 1996,
Presidential Decree No. 7/1996 established the Central Civil Registry, in the
Ministry of Justice and Worship, as the
agency for collating the registrations
effected in all the country’s registry
offices.
Constraints
71. The practice of broadcasting
promotional spots on radio and television in order to encourage the registration
of births has declined.
Many children, especially in rural areas, are still not
being registered. The Civil Registration Act penalizes persons who allow
30 days to pass without registering the birth of their child.
72. A
system of affiliation adapted to the country’s different cultures has not
been introduced. As a result, first names and
surnames are still being assigned
as the family sees fit.
B. Preservation of identity
♦ Article 8.1: States Parties
undertake to respect the right of the child to preserve his or her
identity.
Situation
73. In 1983 the President of the
Republic, in a solemn ceremony, proclaimed 4 June “Cultural Revolution
Day” and invited
all the country’s intellectuals and technical and
professional personnel to become involved in the process of recovery and
reappraisal of the national culture, in order to improve the assimilation and
development of modern technology. In the following
year the Government convened
in Bata the first international Hispano-African cultural congress with a view to
adopting strategies
for the reappraisal of indigenous culture and the promotion
of its enrichment, including the incorporation of acceptable elements
of other
cultures.
74. The Government has created the important role played by
culture in the consolidation and preservation of personal identity. There
is a
Department of Culture as well as other institutions responsible inter alia for
promoting the country’s various cultures
while respecting its
ethno-cultural diversity.
75. Furthermore, one of the purposes of the
Education Act (art. 2) is to encourage the creation and development of national
self-awareness and reassert the country’s cultural
identity.
Progress
76. The Government is very concerned to
enhance the country’s cultural values and safeguard its cultural
diversity. The Ministry
of Information, Tourism and Culture has an office of
Ibero-American culture, which is responsible for coordinating the activities
of
the Executive in cultural matters.
77. The national dance company CEIBA
was founded in 1991 under the auspices of this Ministry; it develops and
promotes all the country’s
dances. The major workshops for promoting the
arts, in which many children receive artistic training on their way to becoming
good
professionals, offer a further means of promoting cultural
identity.
Constraints
78. Despite the Government’s
efforts in this field, there is to some extent a crisis of values among young
people, who seem
more inclined to follow models and adopt symbols from other
cultures.
C. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion
♦ Article 14.1: States
Parties shall respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience
and religion.
Situation
79. Equatorial Guinea has an extensive legal framework protecting this right. Article 13 (b) of the Constitution guarantees all persons the free expression of their thoughts, and article 13 (f) the exercise of freedom of religion. In addition, article 2 (c) of Act No. 4/1991, on exercise of the freedom of religion, provides that emancipated children shall have the right to choose their religion and religious and moral education.
Progress
80. Equatorial Guinea has
many religions, but no one is persecuted for religious reasons and there are no
conflicts of a religious
nature. The promulgation in 1991 of the Act mentioned
above legalized this situation.
81. The new Education Act covers such
important matters as the need to aim the training given in primary school at the
acquisition and development of the exercise
of the capacity to imagine, observe
and think; it also addresses other matters such as the possibility of
pupils’ opting for
courses in the religion to which they belong.
D. Freedom of association and peaceful assembly
♦ Article 15.1: States
Parties recognize the rights of the child to freedom of association and to
freedom of peaceful assembly
Situation
82. National
legislation guarantees everybody the rights to freedom of association and to
freedom of peaceful assembly. Attention
may be drawn in this connection to
article 13 (k) of the Constitution, the Associations Act, the
Non-Governmental Organizations Act, the Trade Unions Act, and the Meetings and
Demonstrations Act, all of which provide for
the exercise of these
rights.
Progress
83. The established legal framework and
the democratization process have brought into existence associations and NGOs
concerned exclusively
with children.
Constraints
84. Such
associations and NGOs remain very small in number in relation to the
country’s child population.
E. Protection of privacy
♦ Article 16.1: No child
shall be subject to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy,
family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful
attacks on his or her honour and
reputation.
Situation
85. Article 13 (a) of the
Constitution protects people’s privacy and safeguards their dignity,
honour and good reputation, the inviolability of the home, and the
confidentiality of communications.
86. The first step taken was to
provide constitutional protection of the privacy of the citizens of Equatorial
Guinea.
Progress
87. Article 134 (e) of the Education Act
provides for the legal protection of education in order to ensure that it may be
conducted normally at all times and that the assessment
of educational
performance is entirely objective.
F. Access to relevant information
♦ Article 17: States Parties
recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure
that the child has access to information
and material from a diversity of
national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of
his or her social,
spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental
health.
Situation
88. The lack of newspapers means that
people have little choice when it comes to receiving written information. On
top of this there
is the lack of libraries adequately equipped to create and
encourage the reading habit. In this context, the media most commonly
available
to both adults and children are the audiovisual ones. Furthermore, the
information offered by radio and television is
biased against the child
audience, bearing in mind that children and adolescents constitute a majority of
the population.
Progress
89. The country has several
newspapers and magazines appearing on a regular basis; this means that the
national press is to some extent
diversified.
90. In addition, there are
seven radio stations (five State and two private) and two television stations
(one State and one private)
with three studios. All of this helps to augment
the information available to children.
91. Since 1996 the Government,
supported by UNFPA, has been implementing project IEC/Population, the aim of
which is to put out awareness-raising
and information programmes on population,
health, education, women, children,
etc.
Constraints
92. The coverage of the mass media is
clearly still insufficient. Radio reaches the whole population, but television
is not received
in the country’s interior, and the existing press is read
mainly in Malabo and Bata.
G. Right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel,
inhuman
or degrading treatment or punishment
♦ Article 37: States Parties shall ensure that:
(a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman
or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor
life
imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences
committed by persons below eighteen years of
age.
Situation
93. Article 420 of the Spanish Civil
Code, which is in force on a subsidiary basis in Equatorial Guinea, provides
penalties for torture.
Progress
94. Society is increasing
aware of the need to reduce the ill-treatment of children in the family. The
use of beatings as a punishment
in the country’s schools has actually been
eliminated. State television has been building up the people’s awareness
in this area by reporting cases of the ill-treatment of
children.
95. MINASCOM has initiated systematic awareness-raising
campaigns designed to reduce violence against children and women in the
family.
Constraints
96. The last paragraph of article 420
of the Spanish Civil Code, mentioned above, provides sanctions for harm done by
parents to children
when exceeding the requirements of the children’s
correction.
97. Society still regards striking children as a necessary
and effective means of correction in the home.
V. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND ALTERNATIVE CARE
A. Assistance and guidance of parents, and parental responsibilities
♦ Article 5: States Parties
shall respect the responsibilities, rights and duties of parents in providing
appropriate direction and guidance in
the exercise by the child of his or her
rights.
♦ Article 18.1: States Parties shall use their best efforts
to ensure recognition of the principle that both parents have common
responsibilities
for the upbringing and development of the child.
♦ Article 18.2: States Parties shall render appropriate
assistance to parents in the performance of their
responsibilities.
Situation
98. Article 21 of the
Constitution provides that the State shall protect the family as the fundamental
unit of society and guarantee it the moral, economic and cultural
conditions to
facilitate the attainment of its objectives. Article 24 goes on to stipulate
that the State shall advocate responsible
parenthood and appropriate education
in the interests of the family.
99. Generally speaking, the
country’s cultural context does not provide for any shared
responsibilities for the care of children
but rather for distribution of
responsibilities. Within the still prevailing patriarchal system, many of the
responsibilities for
the care of children fall on the
mother.
Progress
100. Although national legislation does
not provide expressly for State assistance to parents in the care and upbringing
of their
children, when it comes to health care the State supports families by
offering free medical treatment in specified cases: paediatric
medical
consultations, antenatal and postnatal care, and vaccinations. Moreover,
education is free at the primary level, providing
some relief for poor
families.
101. Increasing change is apparent in the ways in which men and
women discharge their responsibilities for the care of children.
The
integration of women in the labour market and the need for general enhancement
of women’s status have stimulated in fathers
a greater awareness
concerning the care of their
children.
Constraints
102. Apart from some isolated
individual initiatives, the measures taken by the State with respect to the
assumption of shared responsibility
for the care of children have not yet had a
due impact.
B. Parental separation
♦ Article 9.1: States Parties
shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against
their will, except when competent
authorities subject to judicial review
determine that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the
child.
♦ Article 20.1: A child temporarily or permanently deprived
of his or her family environment shall be entitled to special protection and
assistance
provided by the State.
Situation
103. In the
event of parental separation or divorce, the Spanish Civil Code stipulates that
measures for the care and education of
the children shall be taken in the
children’s interest, after hearing their views if they are capable of
forming them and
provided that they are at least 12 years of age. However,
customary law accords parental authority to the father on the delivery
of the
dowry, according to the traditional practice of each ethnic
group.
Progress
104. Current legislation allows separated
or divorced persons to appeal against decisions of the local and district courts
before
the Supreme Court of
Justice.
Constraints
105. Customary law does not accord
parental authority to the wife.
C. Family reunification
♦ Article 10.1: Applications by a child or his or her parents
to enter or leave a State Party for the purpose of family reunification shall be
dealt
with by States Parties in a positive, humane and expeditious
manner.
Situation
106. Article 13 (d) of the
Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to move about within the country
and to leave and enter it. Where children are concerned, applications
are
processed without discrimination of any
kind.
Progress
107. All children who so wish may obtain
permission from the national authorities to be reunited with their families,
within or outside
the country.
108. Foreign nationals resident in
Equatorial Guinea also have the right to be reunited with their families,
provided that they are
staying in the country
legally.
Constraints
109. The right guaranteed by article
13 (d) of the Constitution remains subject to the requirement of obtaining a
visa to leave the country.
D. Illicit transfer and non-return of children
♦ Article 11.1: States
Parties shall take measures to combat the illicit transfer and non-return of
children abroad.
♦ Article 11.2: To this end, States Parties shall promote the
conclusion of bilateral or multilateral agreements or accession to existing
agreements.
Situation
110. Equatorial Guinea has a
legal procedure applicable to the departure of children from the country. This
procedure requires the
presence of both parents or the production of an
authorization signed by them for the issuance of the corresponding
visa.
Progress
111. This procedure is an effective means of
preventing the illicit transfer children abroad.
E. Recovery of maintenance for the child from the parents
♦ Article 27.4: States
Parties shall take all appropriate measures to secure the recovery of
maintenance for the child from the parents or other persons
having financial
responsibility for the child.
Situation
112. The
Spanish Civil Code, which is in force in Equatorial Guinea on a subsidiary
basis, stipulates the obligation of compliance
with the Convention where
maintenance for the child is concerned (arts. 90, 97 and 103) and sets out the
family responsibilities
which each spouse must bear in the event of separation,
divorce or annulment, taking into account their personal circumstances.
Failure
to comply is dealt with by the local and district courts, whose decisions may be
appealed before the Supreme Court of
Justice.
Progress
113. In the event of failure to comply
with the obligation to pay maintenance for a child, the courts may take whatever
discretionary
measures may be necessary to secure
compliance.
Constraints
114. The ignorance of many citizens
of the legislation establishing the obligation to pay maintenance for a child
and of the mechanisms
for enforcement of this legislation.
F. Adoption
♦ Article 21: States Parties
that permit the system of adoption shall ensure that the best interests of the
child shall be the paramount
consideration.
Situation
115. Adoption is regulated in
articles 175 to 180 of the Spanish Civil Code. The competent authorities for
authorizing the adoption
of a child are the courts of first instance. The
minimum age for becoming an adoptive parent is 25 years, and the minimum
age-difference
between an adoptive patent and the child to be adopted is 14
years. The adoption legislation is applied so as to guarantee compliance
with
the best interests of the child. The adoption process takes place under the
supervision of the Government Procurator’s
Office, from the initial stage
to the authorization by the courts.
Progress
116. The
existence of an administrative procedure for adoption, regulated by the Civil
Code, allows adoptions to be made legally.
In addition, the supervision of the
procedure by the Government Procurator’s Office means that it is conducted
under the control
of the public
authorities.
Constraints
117. The lack of knowledge of and
information about the procedures gives rise to illegal
adoptions.
118. The Spanish Civil Code does not guarantee the right of a
child to know his or her biological family and/or to return to it once
the
adoption has been completed.
VI. BASIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
A. Disabled children
♦ Article 23.1: States
Parties recognize that a mentally or physically disabled child should enjoy a
full and decent life and a right to special
care.
Situation
119. The problem of disabled persons is
addressed by different parts of the Administration. Articles 56 and 57 of the
Education Act provide for the establishment of special training centres for the
disabled. The Labour Act provides for benefits for persons disabled
as a
result of industrial accidents.
Progress
120. The
establishment in 1995 of the National Association of Disabled Persons (ASONAMI),
an NGO working for the disabled, was a milestone
in the development of
grass-roots awareness of this population group. In conjunction with WHO, the
Ministry of Health held an awareness-raising
course for the various ministerial
departments and health personnel on the situation of disabled persons in the
country.
121. ASONAMI is carrying out a number of activities to help the
disabled, giving special attention to disabled children. In addition,
the Red
Cross of Equatorial Guinea initiated in 1997 a census of deaf mutes on Bioko
island in order to obtain statistics broken
down for this disability group.
Owing to the shortage of resources for carrying out the work, the census was not
completed. Nevertheless,
surveys carried out in Malabo and Baney revealed the
worrying dimensions of this problem. At present Malabo has a school for deaf
mutes run by the Red Cross, with a very large
enrolment.
Constraints
122. Society continues to show
little awareness or recognition of the fact that disabled persons have rights
and aptitudes which can
and should be promoted in order to give them the
possibility of taking an active part in the community and being
self-sufficient.
B. Health and health services
♦ Article 6.1: States Parties
recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.
♦ Article 6.2: States Parties shall ensure to the maximum
extent possible the survival and development of the child.
♦ Article 24.1: States Parties recognize the right of the
child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to
facilities for
the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of heath.
C. Health services
Situation
123. The country has
extensive legislation guaranteeing the right of the child to life and the
enjoyment of the highest attainable
standard of health and the right to health
services, without discrimination of any kind. Pursuant to article 22.2 of the
Constitution, the State promotes and develops primary health care as a
cornerstone of the implementation of the strategy for this sector. Furthermore,
the preamble of Decree-Law No. 13/81 of 25 September, on the Bases of the Health
Services, provides that the State has a duty to
adopt measures to safeguard and
improve the health of its citizens, being supported in this task by public
corporations, para-State
agencies and private bodies, subject to direction,
inspection, supervision and discipline by the health agencies of the
State.
124. The general rules contained in this same legal instrument
make the following provisions:
(a) The State shall ensure through its
competent agencies that the community makes a greater contribution to securing
more effective
management of health services;
(b) One of the
State’s fundamental aims in the health sector is to furnish every citizen
with access to qualified medical and
pharmaceutical services;
(c) The
Ministry of Health shall ensure that materials and methods of proven
effectiveness are used for prevention, cure and rehabilitation.
125. In
this connection Base IV, on maternal and child health and school health
services, provides that the State’s functions
with respect to the maternal
and child health services include inter alia: (a) antenatal health and material
medical assistance;
(b) hygiene and protection during the school years; and (c)
proposal of logistical social measures for children and mothers. In
addition,
Bases XV, XX, XXI and XXV deal respectively with drinking water and sanitation,
information and education, medical and
prophylactic treatment, and primary and
secondary health centres and hospitals.
126. Since 3 August 1979 the
Government, with support from bilateral and multilateral assistance, has been
making big efforts in the
national health sector by implementing programmes to
combat such diseases as malaria, onchocerciasis and trypanosomiasis. Cuba has
provided 140 doctors and China and Nigeria 20 doctors each, while France
furnishes advice to MINISABS. At the multilateral level,
the African
Development Bank is supporting the construction and equipment of eight health
centres, the European Union is financing
a reproductive health programme with
emphasis on combating sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, and the United
Nations system
has been implementing its Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
WHO is collaborating with MINISABS on several health programmes.
UNICEF is
supporting health measures for mothers and children, in particular vaccination
programmes and drinking water projects.
UNFPA is supporting a reproductive
health subprogramme, and UNDP is active in environmental anti-poverty
programmes.[2]
Progress
127. The
country has made major progress during the past decade with respect to the
population’s health. Infant and maternal
mortality have been declining
steadily as a result of a considerable expansion of the coverage of the health
and basic sanitation
services (health posts and centres and hospitals, and
drinking water and latrines, particularly in rural areas). With the
country’s
own 68 doctors, the 141 members of the Cuban team, and the
doctors from Nigeria, China, Spain and other countries, the doctor/inhabitant
ratio showed a great improvement to one doctor for 2,459 inhabitants in
2000.[3] This indicator may improve
further as a result of the recent establishment of a medical faculty in the
National University. Moreover,
some 60 % of the public health nursing
staff were trained in the University School of Health in Bata, and others are
currently receiving
training.
128. All the MINISABS programmes include a
health education component designed to provide the population with basic health
knowledge.
Constraints
129. The existence of areas which
are difficult to reach owing to the poor state of the roads and areas which are
reached by river
or sea obstructs normal access to the MINISABS health
services.
130. With no tradition of community cooperation, the people
themselves remain passive with respect to the health tasks, and the health
committees do not operate properly owing to this lack of awareness and of
medical logistics for their support and inspection, such
as vaccinations,
restocking of health-post medicines, and supervision of the activities of the
health workers.[4]
131. The
10 % of the general State budget allocated to health by the National
Economic Conference has not been disbursed to the sector.
D. Infant mortality rates
Situation
132. The infant mortality rate (IMR) is 111 per
1,000 (106 in urban and 114 in rural areas). By sex, infant mortality is
commoner
among boys than girls: 115 and 107 per 1,000; by place of residence, it
is 62 per 1,000 in the towns, as against 71 per 1,000 in
rural areas. The
provinces most distant from the two big towns are also the worst affected. For
example, in Wele-Nzás it
is 121 per 1,000, and in Kie-Ntem 116 per 1,000.
By region, Río Muni has a rate of 112 per 1,000, compared with 107 per
1,000
in the island region.[5]
Despite its steady decline, the country’s IMR is one of the highest in the
world.[6] No data disaggregated by
ethnic groups are available. The following are the main causes of death among
under-fives: malaria (38%),
acute diarrhoeal diseases (16%), acute respiratory
infections (13.7%) and measles
(1.9%).[7]
Progress
133. With
a view to improving children’s health, the Government proposed inter alia
the following targets in the 1992 National
Action Plan for 1992-2000: (a) to
bring the IMR down to 80 per 1,000; (b) to bring the under-five IMR down to 137
per 1,000; (c)
to increase the full vaccination coverage of under-ones from 80
to 90 %; (d) to eliminate deaths from measles; and (e) to eliminate
poliomyelitis by 1995.[8] The
strategy adopted by the Government for attainment of these targets was to
provide vaccination coverage for all children through
implementation of an
expanded programme of vaccinations (EPV) supported mainly by UNICEF, WHO, the
Red Cross of Equatorial Guinea,
UNDP, Rotary Club International, and the Spanish
Federation of Nursing Sisters (FERS). Support has also been provided more
recently
by the Exxon Mobil oil company. The EPV includes routine vaccinations
at health centres and boosters during the national vaccination
days. For 1997,
it is estimated that 77 % of children were vaccinated against
poliomyelitis, 79 % against measles, 98 % against
tuberculosis, and
77 % against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. In 1996 the rates of
vaccination against immuno-preventible diseases
for under-ones were:
poliomyelitis - 81 %; measles – 82 %; tuberculosis - 99 %;
and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis –
81 %. This favourable trend
also included pregnant women with regard to vaccination against tetanus: in 1994
- 63 %; and in 1996
-
67 %.[9]
134. National
vaccination days are currently being held annually throughout the country with
the aim of eradicating poliomyelitis.
These days are funded by the Government
with support from Rotary Club International, WHO, UNICEF, and the Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America. The Head of
State, the Prime Minister and members of the Government took an active
part in
the launching of the national vaccination days. The coverage of children has
evolved as follows: 100 % in 1996; 98.5 % in
1997; 91 % in 1998;
and 93 % in
1999.[10]
135. Generally
speaking, the measures taken to deliver a comprehensive vaccination system have
been effective and the results
satisfactory.
Constraints
136. The EPV has been
experiencing a number of problems since 1996 owing to the gradual assumption by
the Government of part of the
financing provided by international
cooperation.
137. At the grass-roots level, most parents have still
received little training in the health of their children; this is the reason
for
the ignorance of the principles of preventing the main childhood infections, the
late detection of abnormal symptoms, and the
late admission to hospital of
children with seriously advanced conditions.
138. Another problem is that
very few studies have been made to evaluate the impact of the EPV and the other
measures, especially
with respect to the reduction of infant mortality.
E. Antenatal and postnatal care
Situation
139. The maternal
mortality rate in Equatorial Guinea is 352 per 100,000 live births, accounting
for 10 % of deaths of females aged
between 13 and 50
years.[11]
140. The
country’s health services offer system-wide mother and child care. The
use of these services is nevertheless low.
In 1995, 55 % of the health
workers caring for pregnant women were qualified, and 45.7 % of births were
attended by trained personnel.[12]
A capacities, aptitudes and practices (CAP) survey carried out in 1998 by IFORD
in Malabo, Bata and Luba found that 27.7 % of the
women surveyed had
attended for a medical check during their latest pregnancy and that most
pregnancies had been poorly monitored
or not monitored at
all.[13] According to the same
source, 12.9 % of the women surveyed had had an illness during pregnancy
(50% malaria, 10.7% anaemia); 87.8
% of these women had visited a
doctor.
141. Some 60 % of the deliveries took place away from
hospital and were attended by traditional
midwives.[14] Following delivery,
24.6 % of the women visited a doctor; 88.5 % of the women with a live
baby possessed a vaccination card for
the baby in Malabo, 85 % in Bata, and
82.8 % in Luba.
142. With respect to abortion, 36.1 % of the
women surveyed had lost one pregnancy during their lifetime, for various causes:
illness
(23.9%); voluntary interruption (22.3%); and other unspecified causes
(17.7%).[15]
Progress
143. The
Government’s concern for the health of mothers is expressed in the PNA,
which sets the following targets for maternal
health, to be attained in the
period 1992-2000: to reduce the maternal mortality rate to 200 per 100,000 live
births; to boost the
information and services for prevention of pregnancies
which are early, poorly spaced, too numerous, or late ; to increase the coverage
of antenatal care of pregnant women to 100 %; and to increase the coverage
of institutional delivery or access to trained personnel
to 100 %, with the
training of one midwife per
village.[16]
144. As a result
of these measures, antenatal care has reached 80 %, institutional delivery
40 %, and postnatal care of mother and
child
80 %.
Constraints
145. Antenatal care is still
encountering considerable difficulties with regard to the early detection of
risk situations for the
mother and her future child.
146. There are still
deficiencies in postnatal care.
F. Food and nutrition
Situation
147. The
population’s food needs have traditionally been met from the national farm
output, small-scale sea and river fishing,
and small-scale hunting. However,
this output remains at subsistence levels; hence the large imports of basic
foodstuffs.
Progress
148. MINISABS has established a
National Nutrition Office.
149. The Government convened in 1999 a
National Conference on Rural Development and Food Security, attended by the
public and private
sectors and by international financial and cooperation
agencies, in order to seek solutions to the food deficit
problem.
150. The PNA provides for reductions of 0.5 % in the rate
of severe malnutrition and 11 % in the rate of moderate malnutrition, a
reduction to under 10 % in the rate of low birth-weight, the elimination of
ailments caused by vitamin-A deficiency, the conduct
of studies on morbidity due
to iodine deficiency, and the programming of measures to eliminate the diseases
which result from this
deficiency.[17]
Constraints
151. The heavy exodus from the countryside
which, among other things, makes it difficult to improve the national farm
production systems.
152. The entrenchment of the traditional production
systems and the inadequate implementation of the programmes set up by the
Government
to combat malnutrition..
153. Inadequate knowledge of balanced
nutrition.
154. The lack of resources to ensure the effective functioning
of the National Nutrition Office.
G. Breast-feeding
Situation
155. Breast-feeding is
practised mainly in the country’s rural areas and for an average period of
19 to 20 months; this period
is longer among married than among single
mothers.
156. The period is much shorter in the big towns, where
breast-feeding is often replaced by artificial feeding
methods.
Progress
157. Through the mass media (radio and
television) and by means of talks and wall-posters, MINISAB conducts intensive
awareness-raising
campaigns aimed at parents concerning the importance of
breast-feeding for children’s health and
development.
Constraints
158. The breast-feeding campaigns
have not been kept up.
159. The supply of drinking water is
inadequate.
H. Water and sanitation
Situation
160. The supply of
drinking water for human consumption is inadequate in quantity and
quality.
161. Food is handled in the markets and other public places
under poor conditions of
hygiene.[18]
162. There is a
regional imbalance in the water-supply coverage: while 56 % of the
population of the island region has running water,
only 1.2 % of the
mainland population has this
service.[19] The national rates for
provision of drinking water and basic sanitation are 31 and 13 % of the
population respectively.
Progress
163. The Government
established by Decree No. 17/1984 of 12 November the National Drinking Water and
Environmental Health Committee.
164. The Government has made great
efforts to improve the supply and accessibility of drinking water for the
population. Several
projects supported by a number of international cooperation
agencies and by the local communities have constructed protected wells
with hand
pumps and provided protection for natural springs: the NGO Rural Autonomous
Development (DAR) - 175 wells in Añisok
district; UNICEF in conjunction
with local authorities and the communities themselves - 90 wells (and currently
continuing this work
in collaboration with the Red Cross); the Spanish
Federation of Nursing Sisters (FERS) – 17 wells and 12 springs in
Nsork,
Ebibeyín and Evinayong; Médecins sans Frontières
– 20 wells; French cooperation - four wells in Bata;
Red Cross - five
wells; and the Sardinian Organization of International Christian Volunteers
(OSVIC) - 12 wells in Mikomeseng district.
Other projects have been undertaken
by PADREM, Spanish cooperation, and EURO-ACCORD
ACTION.[20]
165. The Ministry
of Forests, Fisheries and the Environment is carrying out a programme for the
drilling of public wells in Bata.
166. In 1998 the Government approved a
five-year health and environment plan for 1998-2003. This plan envisages the
extension of
the provision of drinking water supplies in the country’s
rural areas.
167. Under the programme of cooperation between the
Government of Equatorial Guinea and UNICEF, the Red Cross of Equatorial Guinea
has built 250 latrines and trained personnel to maintain them.
168. The
European Union is currently financing the repair of the sewerage and water
supply systems in Malabo; it expects to reach
the whole of this town’s
population over the next two years.
Constraints
169. There
is no sectoral policy establishing development standards with regard to water
and sanitation.
170. There is insufficient coordination between the
various projects executed in the sector.
171. The choice of technology is
inadequate to guarantee a reasonable working life for protected wells and
springs, and there are
few local or national water-supply
systems.
172. The numbers of trained local personnel are insufficient to
ensure the continuity and sustainability of the measures.
I. Reproductive health and family planning services
Situation
173. Since the 1980s the
Government, with the support of bilateral and multilateral cooperation (UNFPA,
UNICEF, WHO, Spanish cooperation)
has been making big efforts to improve
maternal and child health in the country. For example, UNFPA helped to improve
maternal and
child health through two projects: EQG/83 PO1 “Maternal and
child health, first phase”, and EQG/88/PO2 “Maternal
and child
health, second phase”.
174. In 1994 the Government approved the
implementation of project EQG/94/PO1MSR “Family planning and risk-free
maternity”,
designed to incorporate family planning in the maternal and
child services as a component of primary health
care.
Progress
175. Since 1994 the country has had six
family planning centres: three in Malabo, two in Bata, and one in
Luba.
176. In 1996 the Government promulgated the Family Planning
Act.
177. In 1997 the Government formulated and implemented the
reproductive health subprogramme for 1998-2002. This subprogramme has
two
components: (a) reproductive health services; and (b) information, education and
communication (IEC) activities.
178. Grass-roots initiatives such as
those of the NGO Family Welfare Association of Equatorial Guinea (ABIFAGE),
which provides family-planning
information and assistance to the population
(with systematic distribution of condoms and other means of contraception), have
demonstrated
a growing grass-roots awareness of the need for responsible
sex.
Constraints
179. Family planning is confronted by
several problems in Equatorial Guinea: (a) a traditional outlook which
encourages a high fertility
rate; (b) early sexual relations among adolescents;
and (c) the shortage of family planning and information centres.
J. The high rates of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS
Situation
180. Studies carried out in 1985 and 1997
illustrate the evolution and high rate of HIV/AIDS in Equatorial Guinea.
According to these
studies, the AIDS virus affects women more than men (67.8%
against 32.2%). The persons most commonly affected are women in the 20-24
age
group and men aged 40 to 44. Infected children aged four years and under
account for 3.3 % of the total seropositive population,
probably as a
result of transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery or
breast-feeding, or of transfusions. The
rate was 0.3 % in 1985, 1.1 %
in 1992, and 3.48 % in 1997. If this trend continues and unless urgent is
taken against the epidemic,
23,398 and 34,520 persons will be seropositive by
2005 and 2010 respectively (7.3% and 9.7% of the population aged over 14
years).[21]
181. Sexually
transmitted diseases are extremely common.
Progress
182. In
1998 the Government established a national committee to combat and prevent
STD/AIDS, setting it the main task of devising
a national strategy to combat and
prevent these diseases; this resulted in the creation of a national STD/AIDS
programme under the
primary health
programme.[22]
183. In
collaboration with international cooperation, the Government has been training
personnel to conduct the fast HIV/AIDS test
in the laboratories of all the
country’s hospitals. There is also an information system for the results
of the fast tests.
184. Various means of mass and personal communication
are being used in systematic awareness-raising campaigns to disseminate
knowledge
about the AIDS pandemic and other sexually transmitted
diseases.
Constraints
185. Above all, there is the
rejection of illness by a large part of the population.
186. There is a
serious shortage of materials and equipment for conducting the tests to detect
the virus.
187. The supply of drugs for fighting the virus is very
limited.
188. The resources of the national HIV/AIDS programme are
insufficient, and practically all the measures for fighting the pandemic
are
centred on this programme.
K. Social security and child-care services and facilities
♦ Article 26.1: States Parties shall recognize the right of
every child to benefit from social security.
♦ Article 18.3: States Parties shall take all appropriate
measures to ensure that children of working parents have the right to benefit
from child-care
services and facilities for which they are
eligible.
Situation
189. Article 4 of the Social
Security Act provides that all citizens of Equatorial Guinea shall enjoy the
protection of the social
security system without discrimination as to their
personal or social circumstances. Specifically, the Act stipulates the
provision
of social services for the protection of children. It also entrusts
the management and administration of the social security system
to the Social
Security Institute (INSESO) under the aegis of the Ministry of Labour and Social
Security.
Progress
190. The Social Security Act was
promulgated in 1984 and INSESO was in turn established under the
Act.
191. INSESO covers 50 % of the medical and pharmaceutical
benefits of its members and 100 % of their hospital costs. It also
reimburses
75 % of the basic wages of insured women who take maternity
leave, subject to a prior application in writing.
192. Public employees
have enjoyed social security since 1998. At present, although INSESO does not
offer child-care services, insured
parents receive a monthly subsidy
proportional to the number of their children, so that they may provide for their
day-care.
Constraints
194. The membership contribution
required from private persons is a constraint for the poorer population groups,
for it is fixed on
the basis of a prior declaration of monthly income. Most of
the country’s inhabitants, mainly in rural areas, have insufficient
income, and what they have is spent on subsistence.
195. State funding of
social security is still insufficient. Although insurance has been extended to
public employees, the country
is still far from attaining the target of
100 % social security cover.
VII. EDUCATION, LEISURE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
A. Education, including vocational training and guidance
♦ Article 28.1: States
Parties recognize the right of the child to education and shall adopt whatever
measures may be necessary for the achievement
of this
right.
Situation
196. According to article 23 of the
Constitution, education is a primordial duty of the State, and all citizens have
the right to primary education, which shall be compulsory, free
and
guaranteed.
197. Article 3.1 of the Education Act provides inter alia
that all citizens have the right of access to schools and to primary education,
which shall be compulsory and
free.
198. Article 134 of the Act accords
pupils a series of rights, including in particular the right to educational
and/or vocational
guidance throughout their school lives.
199. The
education system of Equatorial Guinea has four levels:
(a) Pre-school
education, which is voluntary and available up to age six; it is divided
into two stages: nursery (children aged one to three years), where
the training
is similar to that received at home; and infant (children aged four to six
years), designed to develop the child’s
potential;
(b) Primary
education, which lasts for five years and is free and compulsory; it accepts
children aged seven to 12 years, and the aim is to provide a comprehensive
training, equal for all and adapted to the aptitudes and capacities of each
pupil;
(c) Secondary education, which has two modes:
baccalaureate and vocational training, each having two cycles of four and three
years;
(d) Higher education, which includes all the subjects
taught in the university faculties and schools and in schools of a similar
standing and consists
of three levels: a first cycle of three years, a second of
two, and a third of three years.
200. In the 1998-1999 school year a
total of 22,150 children were enrolled in pre-school education, 10,171 boys and
11,979 girls (46%
and 54% respectively). There are more girls than boys at this
level. By place of residence, 63 % of all the children enrolled live
in
urban areas and 37 % in the countryside. The gender disparities are
minimal at this
level.[23]
201. The
attendance rate is high at the primary level, reaching 86.7 % of the total
potential population in the 1998-1999 school year.
The attendance rate for
girls was 86 %. By place of residence, 86.1 % lived in urban areas
and 76.1 % in the countryside. The
repeated-year rate is very high at this
level: 22.6 % for boys and 27.4 % for girls. This figure is higher in
rural areas, where
it reaches 29.3 %. The promotion rate was 49.4 %
(55.8% for boys and 51.4% for girls). Girls are more likely than boys to drop
out of school (9.2% and 8.6% respectively).
202. Data from the 1994
Population and Housing Census show that 22.9 % of the population aged over
10 years are illiterate. More
women (71.7%) than men are
illiterate.
203. In the 1998-1999 school year 35 % of girls attended
secondary school: at the elementary secondary level girls accounted for
41.2
% of the enrolment and boys for 48.6 %; at the higher secondary
level the figures were 28.6 and 71.4 % respectively. The figures
for the
arts baccalaureate were 35.2 % for girls and 64.8 % for
boys.[24]
204. The
establishment of the National University of Equatorial Guinea (UNGE) in 1995 had
a decisive impact on higher education; in
the 1998-1999 academic year girls
accounted for 30 % of the enrolment and boys for 70 %. UNGE consists
of five university schools:
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests; Administration;
Health and Environment; and Teacher Training (Malabo and Bata). It also has
two
faculties: Arts and Social Sciences; and Medicine. The University School of
Technical Engineering was recently opened in Bata,
offering courses in
mechanical and electrical engineering and in applied architecture. UNGE has an
enrolment of 1,025 students,
with 179 teachers, 15 % of whom teach on an
exclusive basis, 32.5 % full-time, and 29.6 % part-time; 22.9 %
are employed under special
contracts.
205. Since 1981 Malabo and Bata
have had two associate schools of the National Distance Learning University
(UNED). UNED offers the
possibility of taking university courses to persons
who, for work of family reasons, cannot attend university in
person.
Progress
206. The promulgation of the Education Act
in 1995 laid the foundations for the country’s education system, giving
special emphasis to the development of private education.
207. The Act
establishing UNGE, which was also promulgated in 1995.
208. The primary
attendance rate was 86.7 % for boys and 86 % for girls in the
1998-1999 school year; the number of primary teachers
increased from 1,440 in
1998 to 1,898 in 2000; the pupil/teacher ratio improved from 51 in 1998 to 41 in
2000. The country now has
848 primary schools, including 83 private
ones.
209. The education sector has undergone a vast expansion over the
past 20 years, thanks to the efforts of the Government supported
by
international cooperation.
Campaigns to encourage school attendance by
girls
210. In 1997 MINEDUC, in conjunction with UNICEF, held the
first national forum on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights
of
the Child.
211. The campaign to encourage girls to attend school was
begun in 1998.
212. Pre-school education has made great progress in
recent years thanks to the programmes carried out by the Government with the
support of UNICEF, church organizations and NGOs. Progress has also been
achieved through the implementation of the informal pre-school
project.
Constraints
213. Although primary education is
free and compulsory, there are several obstacles preventing universal access to
the benefits offered
by the education system. No legal provision has yet been
adopted to determine the scope of the principle of free primary
education.
214. The poor rate of school attendance by girls remains a
cultural problem. Despite legislation establishing gender equality, the
persistence of cultural and/or traditional factors is impeding universal
attendance by girls.
♦ Article 28.2: States Parties shall take all appropriate
measures to ensure that school discipline is administered in a manner consistent
with the
child’s human dignity and in conformity with the present
Convention.
Situation
215. The Education Act provides
in general terms for the administration of discipline in schools with strict
respect for the human dignity of the child.
It also permits children to be
members of school councils, where they can express their views and concerns and
participate in the
taking of decisions concerning the way their schools are
run.
Progress
216. There is a greater awareness of the need
to respect children’s dignity on the part of teachers and State
institutions.
Constraints
217. Continuing action is
required to enhance the awareness of the main players in the education system of
the need to encourage greater
respect for children’s dignity, especially
in the relations between teachers and pupils.
♦ Article 28.3: States Parties shall promote and encourage
international cooperation in matters relating to education, taking particular
account of
the needs of developing
countries.
Situation
218. Ever since Equatorial Guinea
obtained national sovereignty the Government, in collaboration with
international cooperation agencies,
has been playing a fundamental role in the
education and training of the country’s human resources.
219. In
the case of the training of senior personnel, Equatorial Guinea has enjoyed
support from several countries in the form of
the award of scholarships for its
nationals to train abroad. The main donors have been Spain, the former Soviet
Union, Cuba, France,
China, Morroco, Nigeria and the United States. Spanish
cooperation is currently supporting a project on collaboration between UNGE
and
the University of Alacalá de Henares. Cuban cooperation provides
scholarships, teachers and technical advice in connection
with the consolidation
of the UNGE medical faculty. For several decades UNESCO has been making a
contribution to the training of
human resources and providing technical
assistance in all the areas within its competence.
220. Since 1989 UNICEF
has been supporting the informal pre-school project, thanks to which nursery and
infant education, little developed
in the country at that time, has made
considerable progress. WHO has contributed to the training of health personnel
(doctors and
pharmacists). And the European Union has awarded scholarships for
technical training in agriculture and
fisheries.
Progress
221. With the support of bilateral and
multilateral cooperation the Government has made enormous efforts to eliminate
ignorance and
illiteracy and to train human resources for the country’s
development.
Constraints
222. Many of the citizens of
Equatorial Guinea who were awarded scholarships to train abroad have not
returned to the country; this
has had the immediate consequence of producing the
current human resources deficit.
B. The objectives of education
♦ Article 29: States Parties
agree that the education of the child shall be directed to the development of
the child’s personality and talents
in order to prepare him or her for an
active adult life and develop a respect for the fundamental human rights. No
part of the
present article shall be construed so as to interfere with the
liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational
institutions.
Situation
223. The Education Act sets as
its objectives the comprehensive education of the individual human being,
harmonious development of the personality, preparation
for the responsible
exercise of liberty, cultivation of the noble values of Africanism and of the
linguistic and cultural community
of Equatorial Guinea, maximum respect for
personal religious beliefs, and promotion of the spirit of international
coexistence, understanding
and cooperation. Article 84 of the Act makes
provision for the establishment of private schools, which may receive State
resources.
Progress
224. The country’s education
system has advanced in terms of both quality and quantity, especially at the
pre-school and primary
levels. Furthermore, the new legal framework has
facilitated a big upsurge in private
education.
Constraints
225. Despite the efforts made by the
Government with the support of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, a further
effort is required
with regard to acquisition of the habits of analysis,
assessment, thought and discussion.
C. Rest, leisure and cultural activities
♦ Article 31.1: States
Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play
and recreational activities appropriate to
the age of the child and to
participate freely in cultural life and the
arts.
Situation
226. The right of the child to rest and
leisure is unfamiliar in Equatorial Guinea, and the situation is beginning to
worry certain
groups in society. Spaces have been created for leisure
activities of children and
adolescents.
Constraints
227. The rapid increase in the
numbers of children and young people means that there are now insufficient
places for recreation and
cultural activities outside of school hours.
VIII. SPECIAL PROTECTION MEASURES
A. The economic exploitation of children, including child labour
♦ Article 32: States Parties
recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and
shall take whatever measures may be
necessary to ensure the exercise of this
right.
Situation
228. According to the national
tradition, work is a virtue which must be cultivated from infancy, in order that
the individual may
be capable of developing on his own in an environment in
which supervision is difficult. This traditional concept of work has nothing
to
do with the exploitation of labour.
229. The Labour Act sets the minimum
age for admission to employment at 16 years. Article 11 of the Act defines work
hazardous for
children as work which, by its nature or owing to the conditions
in which it is performed, may endanger a child’s health, safety
or
morals.
230. There are obviously large numbers of 12-year-old children
employed in various activities throughout the country: in bars and
restaurants,
as street vendors, in transport, on market stalls, in workshops and in
agriculture. In many cases their work is unpaid
and restricted to the domestic
sphere; even when it is not, their wages are lower than the rates set by law:
the minimum wage for
a learner should be equal to half the wage paid to a worker
who knows the job.
Progress
231. Owing to the increasing
awareness of the need for children to attend school, the Ministry of Labour and
Social Security has just
produced a bill on combating the use of child labour
outside the domestic and family sphere which is awaiting approval by the Council
of Ministers.
232. With regard to the international instruments for the
protection of the child, the Government has ratified all the ILO conventions
on
the employment of children: the Convention concerning the Minimum Age for
Admission to Employment (No. 138), ratified in 1984;
and the Convention
concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst
Forms of Child Labour (No. 182),
ratified in November 2000 by the Chamber of
Representatives of the People. In another area, in 1998 the country adhered to
the Convention
on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and
Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and their
Destruction.
Constraints
233. In its present form the
Labour Act makes no distinction between part-time and full-time
employment.
234. Domestic work remains a reality in Equatorial Guinea,
especially for girls.
B. Sale, traffic and abduction of children
♦ Article 35: States Parties
shall take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to
prevent the abduction of, the sale of or
traffic in children for any purpose or
in any form.
Situation
235. The last 10 years,
especially since the start of the exploitation of hydrocarbons in Equatorial
Guinea, have witnessed a massive
influx of foreigners into the country. A
parallel development has been the presence in the street of many children of
foreign nationality
working as vendors.
Progress
236. The
country’s society has always been worried about the traffic in children, a
phenomenon foreign to its traditions. The
Government has also demonstrated its
increasing concern, for example in the draft proposal to ILO of a convention on
the traffic
in children, in the recent drafting of legislation to suppress the
exploitation of children, and in its signature in 2000 of the
Libreville
Platform on the trafficking of children.
237. In addition to taking this
legislative initiative, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security is planning
to conduct surveys
and awareness-raising campaigns on the traffic in children
and child labour, in conjunction with the Ministry of Information, Culture
and
Tourism, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Status of Women, and the
Ministry of Justice and Worship.
Constraints
238. The lack
of a legal framework for regulation of these matters.
IX. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Conclusions
1. Institutions
239. In the light of the autonomy enjoyed
by the local corporations, there is a need to build up their institutional
capacity and
consolidate their management, for most matters of social concern,
including the situation of children, should be decided by the corporations
themselves.
240. The embryonic civil society, in particular the
organizations involved with children, is trying to carry out activities which,
by their nature, are beyond its capacity; and it does not receive sufficient
economic and material resources from the State and the
donors. The various
associations and NGOs also have problems with the training of human
resources.
2. Economic and social matters
241. The rapid
economic growth resulting from the exploitation of hydrocarbons since 1992 needs
to take into account the various development
requirements in order to improve
the population’s standard of living.
242. The National Economic
Conference held in 1997 opened up new and encouraging prospects for securing
greater social justice and
equity in the distribution of the revenues from the
exploitation of hydrocarbons.
243. Institutions have special programmes
for disabled and homeless children and orphans which are still insufficient to
meet the
demands from these vulnerable members of the population.
244. It
is for this same reason that the PNA has not been implemented to its optimum
levels.
245. Grass-roots awareness of the need for community involvement
in activities for children is still weak. The organizations of civil
society
working with children, adolescents and young people have scant knowledge or
financial and material resources for complying
with the administrative
requirements established by the relevant legislation.
246. Deficiencies
in the national social statistics make it difficult to programme effective and
sustainable measures for children.
3. Information, education and
communication
247. The Convention is a little-known instrument. And
little has been done to publicize it. There is scant participation by the
citizenry. And there are not enough governmental organizations or individuals
committed to the cause of the child.
4. Legal
matters
248. Ignorance of the law impairs respect for and application
of the law, especially in the remoter areas of the country. Legislation
receives insufficient publicity and dissemination, especially on radio and
television.
249. The application in Equatorial Guinea on a subsidiary
basis of a number of Spanish laws dating back to 1968 runs counter to the
spirit
of the Convention in many instances. This arrangement is due to the absence of
laws adopted by Equatorial Guinea itself.
It may be noted here that the
legislation in force does not take some aspects of the Convention into
consideration - the best interests
of the child for example.
B. Recommendations
1. Institutions
250. Institutional capacity-building and
strengthening of the management of the local corporations means entrusting them
with the
control of resources in order to bring development to the remoter areas
and reduce the social and economic disparities between urban
and rural
children.
251. It is necessary to prevent duplication and the
fragmentation of efforts among the various projects carried out by NGOs and
bilateral
and multilateral cooperation agencies, and a considerable effort must
be made to harmonize the initiatives and systematize all the
information on
achievements and problems in the different programmes and
projects.
2. Economic and social matters
252. The PNA must
be made operational as a reference programme for activities and policies
relating to children. The attainment of
the PNA targets must become a national
priority.
253. Social policy measures must be boosted in step with the
country’s economic growth in order to alleviate poverty.
254. The
general State budget must allocate adequate funding to the National
Children’s Rights Committee with a view to making
it more operational and
equipping it with its own full-time personnel.
255. The organizations of
civil society must be strengthened, especially those whose work has a direct
impact on children, by streamlining
the administrative procedures, raising
awareness, and establishing a State fund for their
financing.
256. Primary health care must be consolidated with a view to
securing increased grass-roots participation in stronger management of
the
social services, and the State must support NGOs working at all levels of
primary health care.
257. The institutional backing for the Ministry of
Planning and Economic Development must be stepped up with a view to establishing
a national system of statistics.
258. Efforts must be made to attain the
education objectives set out in the current legislation.
259. The rights
of the child must exercised in full in education.
260. The operating
costs of the informal pre-school project must be integrated in the general State
budget.
261. A cultural policy must be devised to counteract the harmful
assimilation of the customs of other peoples which clash with the
morals and
ethno-cultural principles of Equatorial Guinea.
3. Legal
matters
262. The National Codification Commission working on existing
laws must be activated and it must incorporate in legislation those
aspects of
the Convention which are not addressed by current legislation.
263. A
juvenile protection court must be established as the agency responsible for
safeguarding the rights of children and adolescents.
264. A structure
must be established to promote awareness of the laws comprising the national
juridical order, as well as their publication,
dissemination and
sale.
265. In order to prevent direct illegal transfers of children, it
will be necessary to carry out information campaigns on the existing
adoption
regulations and give greater publicity to the adoption procedures throughout the
country, as well as adhering to the 1993
Hague Convention on Protection of
Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry
Adoption
4. Information, education and
communication
266. The awareness-raising campaigns on the situation
of children aimed at various sectors must be strengthened and conducted more
systematically.. NGOs need to be involved in the publicizing of the Convention.
The necessary advocacy must be conducted with political
institutions and
decision-makers. And there is a need to enhance the awareness of the people and
encourage an outlook favourable
to the delivery of equality of opportunities and
rights for boys and girls.
267. The information aimed at children must be
improved in both quality and quantity, and children and adolescents themselves
need
to be involved.
268. A vast programme of information, education and
communication aimed at the various social groups must be established. This
programme
should incorporate components on reproductive health, especially
family planning and sexually transmitted diseases and the AIDS virus.
ANNEX I.
Documents consulted
A. Publications
Study on the need for desks in Malabo schools. Forestry Planning
Cabinet, Ministry of Fisheries and Forests, 1997.
National Conference
on Rural Development and Food Security. Final document,
1999.
Sectoral report on water and sanitation. Programme of
cooperation between Equatorial Guinea and UNICEF, 2000.
National
Nutrition and Micronutrients Policy (MINISABS). September
2000.
SIDA en Guinea Ecuatorial? Reproductive health project.
MINISABS/European Union, June 2000.
Forum on the implementation of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (by Eulalia ENVO BELA). November
1996.
Education pour tous: bilan à l’an 2000.
MINEDUC, 2000.
Plan of Action 2000. Advocacy in favour of the rights
of the child and women (Government of Equatorial Guinea/UNICEF). February
2000.
Comparative study of the legal provisions of Equatorial
Guinea/Convention on the Rights of the Child (by Eulalia ENVO BELA). May
1994.
Mujer: educación, formación y
alfabetización (Contribution to the preparation of the National
Policy for the Advancement of Women by María Teresa AVORO NGUEMA).
MINASCOM/UNFPA.
June 2000.
Mission report on the project
“Improvement of the Malabo and Bata registry offices”, 19-31
August 1991 (by André MAYOUYA). August 1991.
Study on children
aged 12 to 18 in particularly difficult circumstances in Equatorial Guinea
(MINEDUC/UNICEF). September 1997.
National Plan of Action for Children
and Women 1992-2000 (Ministry for Foreign Affairs and French-Speaking
Countries). September 1992.
Mujer Guineoecuatoriana: derecho y acceso
a la toma de decisiones (Contribution to the preparation of the National
Policy for the Advancement of Women, by Angel-Obama OBIANG). MINASCOM/UNFPA.
June
2000.
Survey on contraception and risk-free maternity in
Equatorial Guinea (IFORD). September 1999.
Health profile of
Equatorial Guinea (MINSABS). August 1995.
Análisis de
situación de la mujer en Guinea Ecuatorial (Core document for the
preparation of the PNPM and the PMGD in Equatorial Guinea). MINASCOM/UNFPA.
August 2000.
Five-year health and environment plan 1998-2003
(Ministry of Forests and the Environment). February 1998.
Mid-term
assessment of the medium-term economic strategy (1997-2001). Government of
Equatorial Guinea. November 1999.
Preparation of the national policy
for the advancement of women and the framework gender and development
programme. June 2000.
Análisis de situación de la
infancia y de la mujer en Guinea Ecuatorial (Government of Equatorial
Guinea/UNICEF). 1998.
Ibid. September 2000.
Joint evaluation
report (United Nations agencies in Equatorial Guinea). April
1999.
National Conference on Rural Development and Food Security
(Government of Equatorial Guinea). January 2000.
National Health
Policy (MINISABS). 1999. Awaiting approval.
Population and
Housing Census (Ministry of Planning and Economic Development).
1994.
B. Legislation
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Judicial Organization Act.
No. 10/1984 of 20 June
Decree No. 7/1996 of 25 November on establishment
of the Central Civil Registry, the General Registry of Testamentary Acts, and
the
Registry of Customary Civil Marriages.
Yearbook of Legal and
Judicial Professions in Equatorial Guinea (Ministry of Justice and Culture).
June 2000.
Act No. 2/1990 of 4 January on the General Labour Regulations
(the Labour Act)
Criminal Code (text revised in 1963)
Civil
Code
Family Planning Act
Social Security Act
Nationality
Act
Freedom of Religion Act
Act No. 1/1991 of 4 April, on
abortion
Act No. 14/1995 of 9 January (Education Act)
Constitution
(Fundamental Law) of Equatorial Guinea
Non-Governmental Organizations
Act
Civil Registration Act
ANNEX II.
List of persons interviewed
ANNEX III.
Abbreviations
ABIFAGE Equatorial Guinea Family Welfare
Association
ADB African Development Bank
ASONAMI National
Association of Disabled Persons
CANIGE Committee for Support of the
Child in Equatorial Guinea
CAP Capacities, aptitudes and
practices
CDHGE Human Rights Centre of Equatorial
Guinea
CNDN National Children’s Rights
Committee
CPDHD Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights and
Democracy
EPV Expanded programme of vaccinations
FAO Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FERS Spanish Federation
of Nursing Sisters
IFORD Demographic Training and Research
Institute
IEC Information, education and
communication
ILO International Labour Organization
IMR Infant
mortality rate
INSESO Social Security
Institute
MINASCOM Ministry of Social Affairs and the Status of
Women
MINEDUC Ministry of Education and
Science
MINISABS Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare
NGO Non-governmental organization
PNA National Plan of
Action for Children and Women
PNPM National Policy for the Advancement
of Women
SOS Save Our Souls
STD Sexually transmitted
disease
UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS
UNDP United Nations Development
Programme
UNED National Distance Learning
University
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
UNGE National
University of Equatorial Guinea
UNICEF United Nations Children’s
Fund
WHO World Health Organization
[1] Population and Housing
Census, 1994.
[2]
Análisis de situación de la infancia y la mujer (Situation
analysis of children and women), Government of Equatorial Guinea/UNICEF,
September 2003, pp. 65-66.
[3]
Análisis de situación de la mujer en Guinea Ecuatorial
(Situation analysis of women in Equatorial Guinea - reference document for the
preparation of the National Plan for the Advancement
of Women in Equatorial
Guinea), August 2000, p. 39.
[4]
Ibid., p. 61.
[5] Population and
Housing Census, 1994.
[6] Common
Country Assessment, United Nations agencies in Equatorial Guinea. Malabo.
April 1999, p. 10.
[7] National
Health Policy, MINISABS, September 2000, p. 23. This document is awaiting
approval.
[8] PNA, Malabo, 1992,
p. 49.
[9] Plan of action for
national vaccination days in Equatorial Guinea, MINISABS, 1999, p. 4. With
additional information from the
national office of the
EPV.
[10] Ibid., p.
13.
[11] Population and Housing
Census, 1994.
[12] Perfil
Sanitario de Guinea Ecuatorial (Health Profile of Ecuatorial Guinea),
Ministry of Health and Environment, 1995, p.
46.
[13] Enquête CAP
sur la contraception et la maternité sans risques en Guinée
Ecuatorial (CAP survey of contraception and frisk-free maternity in
Equatorial Guinea), 1998, p.
46.
[14] Common Country
Assessment, United Nations agencies in Equatorial Guinea, April
1999.
[15] Ibid., p.
61.
[16] Plan Nacional de
Acción en favor del niño y la mujer, 1992-2000 (PNA,
1992-2000), Malabo, September 1992, p.
50.
[17]
Ibid.
[18] Análisis
de situación de la infancia y de la mujer (Situation analysis of
children and women), Government of Equatorial Guinea and UNICEF, 1998, p.
61.
[19] Ibid., September 2000,
p. 50.
[20] Informe
sectorial de agua y saneamiento (Sectoral water and sanitation report),
Programme of cooperation between Equatorial Guinea and UNICEF, 2000, pp.
1-2.
[21] SIDA en Guinea
Ecuatorial?, MINISABS/EU, Malabo, June 2000, pp. 10, 12 and
13.
[22] Ibid., p.
6.
[23] Education pour tous:
bilan à l’an 2000, MINEDUC, 2000, p.
24.
[24] Mujer:
educación, formación y alfabetación (Women: education,
training and literacy), contribution to the preparation of the National Policy
for the Advancement of Women, 2000,
pp. 22 and 24.
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