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19 January 2001
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CRC
26th session
19 January 2001
Afternoon
Calls, in Preliminary Remarks, on Government to Focus on Data Collection
and Indicators to Better Monitor Implementation of Convention
The Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded its review this afternoon of an initial report of Saudi Arabia, saying in preliminary remarks that Saudi Arabia was a pioneer State in the Arab world for its efforts in promoting and protecting the rights of children.
An Expert, speaking on behalf of the Committee, recommended that the Government should focus on data collection and indicators in order to better monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Formal, written conclusions and recommendations on the report of Saudi Arabia will be issued towards the end of the Committee's three-week session on 26 January.
Discussion over the course of the afternoon focused on the general subjects of family environment and alternative care; basic health and welfare; education, leisure, and cultural activities; and special protection measures.
Responding to questions, the ten-member Government delegation said, among other things, that 25 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s 19.2 million inhabitants were foreigners living in the country. Their children enjoyed equal status with Saudi children; and they had their own schools where they maintained educational curriculum similar to those in their own countries.
Saudi Arabia is among the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and as such it must provide the Committee with periodic accounting of Government efforts to implement the treaty and of steps taken to improve the situation of children. The Saudi delegation was on hand throughout the day to present the report and to answer questions raised by Committee members.
The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Monday, 22 January, to discuss in private its draft conclusions on reports already considered this session; and it will resume its public meeting and take up the initial report of Palau at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 23 January.
Discussion
The discussion focused on the general subjects of family environment and alternative care; basic health and welfare; education, leisure, and cultural activities; and special protection measures.
Responding to questions, the delegation of Saudi Arabia, among other things, said prohibition of driving by women was regulated by the general principles of Saudi traditions and by the rules set up according to the Islamic Shari'a. General public interest prevailed over personal interests of individuals in the society. The priority was the maintenance of stability by respecting the rules of customary laws and traditions.
Some 25 per cent of the 19.2 million inhabitants of Saudi Arabia were foreigners living in the country, the delegation said. Their children enjoyed equal status with Saudi children; and they had their own schools where they maintained educational curriculum similar to those in their own countries.
Committee members continued to ask questions. An Expert asked why female students were absent from programmes for vocational education. Who decided the subjects that a child should study? Did women acquire studies in engineering and law, asked an Expert. Concerning education, was there gender discrimination in admitting students in schools and universities? Who ran the communal activities in which children participated? And how flexible was the inheritance law concerning women?
If children were not allowed to work during the night, what kind of work was performed by children during the day, asked another Expert; who inspected the implementation of the law? Did children receive equal pay for equal work as adults? Had Saudi Arabia ratified the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption?
The Committee was worried about discrimination against women and girls in Saudi Arabia, an Expert said. The ban on discrimination was not enough, direct measures had to be taken to improve the situation. Was it possible to separate the laws of the Shari'a and customs? Maybe customs could be influenced to favour of rights of women?
If abortion was prohibited, how could the Government monitor its illegal practice? Did the Government encourage family planning and education in that matter?
The attention of the Saudi delegation was drawn by one Expert to a case in which Bengali children from India, who were brought into the country on the pretext of pilgrimage to Mecca, remained in the country and were forced to be beggars. The Expert said those children were expelled to India with broken limbs. The delegation was asked to elucidate the situation.
An Expert asked how children born out of wedlock were treated legally and by the society. The same Expert said that the aftermath of the Gulf War was still felt in Saudi Arabia after ten years; there were a high number of Iraqi refugees -- 5,000 according to estimates -- in camps; their children received proper education up to high-school level; however, they were not allowed to pursue higher studies at the university level. Children and adults were not permitted to leave the camp. Why were those children denied the right to education beyond secondary level? Was there any consideration by Saudi authorities to alter the situation?
Many Experts also asked if the death penalty was applied to children.
Responding to the questions, the Saudi delegation said the issue of breast-feeding was given importance in the society and mothers were informed about it before leaving maternity hospitals. Breast-feeding was encouraged until the infant reached the age of two years. The Saudi health policy maintained that breast-feeding was not the only source of nutrition after the fourth month, when the child needed supplementary food.
Abortion was prohibited in the country except if a medical examination proved that the health of the mother was in danger, the delegation said. If a child was unwanted by the parents, the child was placed with a foster family. The use of contraceptive methods, including pills and condoms, were recommended for families as part of family planning.
There were more disabled boys than girls in Saudi Arabia for reasons attributed to accidents, including road accidents, the delegation said. However, both disabled girls and boys were allowed to attend ordinary and specialized schools.
No discrimination was practised against women in matters of education, the delegation said; education was run at four levels: by the ministry of education, the institute of education for girls, centres for vocational education for boys, and a higher education board for both girls and boys. The fact that the number of girls attending vocational education institutes was not mentioned in the report did not mean that girls were excluded. There were 19 colleges in which 60,000 girls were attending, including vocation training centres.
The delegation said the educational curriculum was not obsolete as alluded to by some Experts; its contents were comparable to that of the industrial countries; and the curriculum was updated every five years in consultation with foreign experts on education.
The age of maturity was decided by a judge in trying a juvenile delinquent, the delegation said; and capital punishment was not imposed on juveniles. Police brutality did not exist in Saudi Arabia, and if found the perpetrator was severely sanctioned.
Corporal punishment was prohibited in schools and in the family, the delegation said; and disciplinary measures were taken against persons involved in such acts.
The number of cases of child labour was insignificant and the issue was not a major problem in the country, the delegation said.
Children born out of wedlock were put in foster families or nursery centres, the delegation said; however, it was preferable that children were born to married couples.
Cooperation with non-governmental organizations was smooth except with some of them whose dialogue was refused by the Government because of their rejection of the State invoking Islamic Shari'a. With regard to the Bengali children, they were deported to their country of origin because they were illegally in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia had spent $ 2 billion during the last decade for the maintenance of Iraqi refugees in the country, the delegation said; at the beginning, there were about 33,000 Iraqi refugees in camps and their situation was handled in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); at present, there were only 4,000 of them; those remaining refused to leave for fear of repression by their own regime; their movement was restricted because they used to be military personnel, and the measure was to protect them from Iraqi aggression. Two Saudi universities had provided study programmes for the Iraqi children.
Preliminary Remarks
The Committee offered several preliminary remarks on the report of Saudi Arabia. Formal, written conclusions and recommendations will be issued towards the 26 January adjournment of the Committee's three-week session.
An Expert, speaking on behalf of the Committee, said, among other things, that great attention was provided to children and Saudi Arabia was a pioneer in the Arab world in that regard; the Committee hailed the efforts of the Government in promoting and protecting the rights of the child; some human rights issues had in fact been attributed by the delegation to customs which the Government was endeavouring to correct.
The Expert said the Government should focus on data collection and indicators in order to better monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; non-governmental organizations should be encouraged to actively participate in affairs concerning child rights.
The Expert said the Committee believed that civil laws and procedures should be introduced into Islamic Shari'a; and civil rights of children should be ensured; the age of marriage should also be determined.
Further, the Expert said the Committee was satisfied that Saudi Arabia had ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and stressed that the concept of women's responsibility should be strengthened; much had to be done to favour women in cases of divorce; and the educational curriculum should also be revised to improve the image of women.
* *** *
26th session
19 January 2001
Afternoon
Calls, in Preliminary Remarks, on Government to Focus on Data Collection
and Indicators to Better Monitor Implementation of Convention
The Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded its review this afternoon of an initial report of Saudi Arabia, saying in preliminary remarks that Saudi Arabia was a pioneer State in the Arab world for its efforts in promoting and protecting the rights of children.
An Expert, speaking on behalf of the Committee, recommended that the Government should focus on data collection and indicators in order to better monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Formal, written conclusions and recommendations on the report of Saudi Arabia will be issued towards the end of the Committee's three-week session on 26 January.
Discussion over the course of the afternoon focused on the general subjects of family environment and alternative care; basic health and welfare; education, leisure, and cultural activities; and special protection measures.
Responding to questions, the ten-member Government delegation said, among other things, that 25 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s 19.2 million inhabitants were foreigners living in the country. Their children enjoyed equal status with Saudi children; and they had their own schools where they maintained educational curriculum similar to those in their own countries.
Saudi Arabia is among the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and as such it must provide the Committee with periodic accounting of Government efforts to implement the treaty and of steps taken to improve the situation of children. The Saudi delegation was on hand throughout the day to present the report and to answer questions raised by Committee members.
The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Monday, 22 January, to discuss in private its draft conclusions on reports already considered this session; and it will resume its public meeting and take up the initial report of Palau at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 23 January.
Discussion
The discussion focused on the general subjects of family environment and alternative care; basic health and welfare; education, leisure, and cultural activities; and special protection measures.
Responding to questions, the delegation of Saudi Arabia, among other things, said prohibition of driving by women was regulated by the general principles of Saudi traditions and by the rules set up according to the Islamic Shari'a. General public interest prevailed over personal interests of individuals in the society. The priority was the maintenance of stability by respecting the rules of customary laws and traditions.
Some 25 per cent of the 19.2 million inhabitants of Saudi Arabia were foreigners living in the country, the delegation said. Their children enjoyed equal status with Saudi children; and they had their own schools where they maintained educational curriculum similar to those in their own countries.
Committee members continued to ask questions. An Expert asked why female students were absent from programmes for vocational education. Who decided the subjects that a child should study? Did women acquire studies in engineering and law, asked an Expert. Concerning education, was there gender discrimination in admitting students in schools and universities? Who ran the communal activities in which children participated? And how flexible was the inheritance law concerning women?
If children were not allowed to work during the night, what kind of work was performed by children during the day, asked another Expert; who inspected the implementation of the law? Did children receive equal pay for equal work as adults? Had Saudi Arabia ratified the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption?
The Committee was worried about discrimination against women and girls in Saudi Arabia, an Expert said. The ban on discrimination was not enough, direct measures had to be taken to improve the situation. Was it possible to separate the laws of the Shari'a and customs? Maybe customs could be influenced to favour of rights of women?
If abortion was prohibited, how could the Government monitor its illegal practice? Did the Government encourage family planning and education in that matter?
The attention of the Saudi delegation was drawn by one Expert to a case in which Bengali children from India, who were brought into the country on the pretext of pilgrimage to Mecca, remained in the country and were forced to be beggars. The Expert said those children were expelled to India with broken limbs. The delegation was asked to elucidate the situation.
An Expert asked how children born out of wedlock were treated legally and by the society. The same Expert said that the aftermath of the Gulf War was still felt in Saudi Arabia after ten years; there were a high number of Iraqi refugees -- 5,000 according to estimates -- in camps; their children received proper education up to high-school level; however, they were not allowed to pursue higher studies at the university level. Children and adults were not permitted to leave the camp. Why were those children denied the right to education beyond secondary level? Was there any consideration by Saudi authorities to alter the situation?
Many Experts also asked if the death penalty was applied to children.
Responding to the questions, the Saudi delegation said the issue of breast-feeding was given importance in the society and mothers were informed about it before leaving maternity hospitals. Breast-feeding was encouraged until the infant reached the age of two years. The Saudi health policy maintained that breast-feeding was not the only source of nutrition after the fourth month, when the child needed supplementary food.
Abortion was prohibited in the country except if a medical examination proved that the health of the mother was in danger, the delegation said. If a child was unwanted by the parents, the child was placed with a foster family. The use of contraceptive methods, including pills and condoms, were recommended for families as part of family planning.
There were more disabled boys than girls in Saudi Arabia for reasons attributed to accidents, including road accidents, the delegation said. However, both disabled girls and boys were allowed to attend ordinary and specialized schools.
No discrimination was practised against women in matters of education, the delegation said; education was run at four levels: by the ministry of education, the institute of education for girls, centres for vocational education for boys, and a higher education board for both girls and boys. The fact that the number of girls attending vocational education institutes was not mentioned in the report did not mean that girls were excluded. There were 19 colleges in which 60,000 girls were attending, including vocation training centres.
The delegation said the educational curriculum was not obsolete as alluded to by some Experts; its contents were comparable to that of the industrial countries; and the curriculum was updated every five years in consultation with foreign experts on education.
The age of maturity was decided by a judge in trying a juvenile delinquent, the delegation said; and capital punishment was not imposed on juveniles. Police brutality did not exist in Saudi Arabia, and if found the perpetrator was severely sanctioned.
Corporal punishment was prohibited in schools and in the family, the delegation said; and disciplinary measures were taken against persons involved in such acts.
The number of cases of child labour was insignificant and the issue was not a major problem in the country, the delegation said.
Children born out of wedlock were put in foster families or nursery centres, the delegation said; however, it was preferable that children were born to married couples.
Cooperation with non-governmental organizations was smooth except with some of them whose dialogue was refused by the Government because of their rejection of the State invoking Islamic Shari'a. With regard to the Bengali children, they were deported to their country of origin because they were illegally in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia had spent $ 2 billion during the last decade for the maintenance of Iraqi refugees in the country, the delegation said; at the beginning, there were about 33,000 Iraqi refugees in camps and their situation was handled in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); at present, there were only 4,000 of them; those remaining refused to leave for fear of repression by their own regime; their movement was restricted because they used to be military personnel, and the measure was to protect them from Iraqi aggression. Two Saudi universities had provided study programmes for the Iraqi children.
Preliminary Remarks
The Committee offered several preliminary remarks on the report of Saudi Arabia. Formal, written conclusions and recommendations will be issued towards the 26 January adjournment of the Committee's three-week session.
An Expert, speaking on behalf of the Committee, said, among other things, that great attention was provided to children and Saudi Arabia was a pioneer in the Arab world in that regard; the Committee hailed the efforts of the Government in promoting and protecting the rights of the child; some human rights issues had in fact been attributed by the delegation to customs which the Government was endeavouring to correct.
The Expert said the Government should focus on data collection and indicators in order to better monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; non-governmental organizations should be encouraged to actively participate in affairs concerning child rights.
The Expert said the Committee believed that civil laws and procedures should be introduced into Islamic Shari'a; and civil rights of children should be ensured; the age of marriage should also be determined.
Further, the Expert said the Committee was satisfied that Saudi Arabia had ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and stressed that the concept of women's responsibility should be strengthened; much had to be done to favour women in cases of divorce; and the educational curriculum should also be revised to improve the image of women.
* *** *