Committee on Rights of Child examines report of Costa Rica

Committee on the Rights of the Child
10 June 2011

The Committee on the Rights of the Child today reviewed the fourth periodic report of Costa Rica on how that country is implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Introducing the report, Manuel B. Dengo, Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office at Geneva, highlighted the significant progress the Government had made in bringing its domestic laws in line with the Convention, including the General Law on Childhood in 2002, which protected children without discrimination; the Law for Juvenile Sanctions, which proposed alternative sentences to prison terms; and the Law Prohibiting Corporal Punishment in 2008. Child mortality had fallen from 11 per 1,000 live births in 2002 to 9.46 per 1,000 live births in 2010, one of the lowest rates in Latin America and the Government had increased its spending in education from 4.7 per cent in 2002 to 7.2 per cent in 2010. The Ambassador said that institutional protocols were being developed to protect minors who were victims of sexual exploitation and there was a law that bound all those working in the tourist industry to eradicate the sexual exploitation of minors with a code of ethics adopted by the Institute for Tourism in 2010.

In preliminary remarks, Committee Expert Marta Mauras Perez, who served as Rapporteur for the report of Costa Rica, stressed the issue of data collection and recommended the creation of a unified system for national childhood statistics. The Rapporteur said that the definition of the child required clarification, particularly the age of marriage, and stressed that there were significant shortcomings in discrimination against minority children and migrants, both of which required national plans. The lack of emergency contraception and sex education and the high rate of illegal abortions were also of great concern to the Committee.

Maria Del Pilar Nores, Serving as Co-Rapporteur for the report of Costa Rica, stressed that Costa Rica suffered from structural poverty as over the last 20 years the rates of poverty had swung between 15 and 20 percent and asked how the Government was addressing this structural problem, especially for the most vulnerable sectors of the population, including indigenous populations and migrants.

Other Experts raised a series of questions pertaining to, among other things, the lack of comprehensive data disaggregated by gender, region and socio economic background, especially for vulnerable children such as street children; the high number of illegal abortions; the high drop out rate in secondary schools; and the funding constraints facing the government and its impact on the National Child Welfare Agency.

The Committee will release its formal, written concluding observations and recommendations on the fourth periodic report of Costa Rica towards the end of its three-week session, which will conclude on 17 June 2011.

The delegation of Costa Rica included representatives from Office of Children’s Affairs, the Council of Ministers and the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

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

Report of Costa Rica

The fourth periodic report of Costa Rica (CRC/C/CRI/4) notes that The National Child Welfare Agency (PANI) is the lead agency for the protection of the rights of children and adolescents and families. It is responsible for enforcing and guaranteeing the rights of this population through a community approach which underpins the Agency’s platform of services. There are now 41 National Child Agency offices throughout the country. In addition, nine regional directorates were established, which provide infrastructure, human, physical and financial resources and equipment. Child Protective Services Boards carry out important functions for the protection of children’s rights and from the period 2002-2007, 18 new Child Protective Services Boards were created. As of May 2008, 59 councils and 420 Committees on Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents were set up by the National Directorate of Community Development (DINADECO), a public institution charged with promoting local development in communities throughout the country. The Children and Adolescents Division was formally established as a separate unit in the Office of the Ombudsman in April 1998. The Office of the Ombudsman is an independent body that monitors compliance with the Children and Adolescents Code through a Standing Forum.

For the provision of services, The National Child Welfare Agency signs annual agreements with NGOs who are partners and strategic allies for providing comprehensive services to children and adolescents at risk, both in psychological and in social terms. In March 2008, 3,755 children and adolescents were under the Agency’s protection: 15.8 percent were located in Agency shelters, 49.1 percent were in homes known as solidarity homes, and 35.1 percent were in NGO homes. In a context of shared responsibility, the Parity Council is the formal body for deliberation, consensus and coordination between the National Child Welfare Agency, NGOs and the families that provide care and protection for children and adolescents.

Article 41 of the Children and Adolescents Code provides all minors with free medical services directly from the State. In 1991, 92.5 percent of all births took place in hospitals. By 2003, the figure was 99.4 percent. The percentage of neonatal deaths was 69 percent in 2000 and 73 percent in 2005, which points to a reduction in infant mortality and especially in post-neonatal mortality. In 2007, the infant mortality rate stood at 9.7 per 1,000 births. Infant mortality is twice as high among the indigenous population in cantons such as Talamanca, Coto Brus, Corredores and Buenos Aires, where the rates are 18.4 per cent, 16.9 per cent, 15.2 per cent and 13.9 per cent, respectively. Special measures are taken to assist with births for indigenous women.

Concerning regard to child and adolescent labour, in 1974 Costa Rica ratified International Labour Organization Convention No. 138 which establishes the minimum age for admission to employment at 15 years. The Family Code makes it impossible for a person under 15 years of age to marry; any marriage of a person under 15 shall automatically be annulled. The Act also stipulates that the Civil Registry shall not record the marriage of a person under 15 years old. With regard to criminal liability, Article 1 of the Juvenile Criminal Justice Act applies to all persons who are between the ages of 12 and 18 at the time of commission of an act defined as an offence or a contravention in the Penal Code or in special laws. The Office of the Attorney General has expressed the view that minors (between the ages of 12 and 18) are entitled to participate in the development associations and the right of association and of community participation is recognized in the Code.

Presentation of Report

MANUEL B. DENGO, Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that between 2002 and 2007, Costa Rica had demonstrated significant progress in bringing its domestic laws in line with the Convention. He noted the General Law on Childhood in 2002, which protected children without discrimination; the Law for Juvenile Sanctions, which proposed alternative sentences to prison terms; the law prohibiting corporal punishment in 2008; the law for the protection of working adolescents against hazardous and unhealthy work; and in 2010 a law concerning minors engaged in domestic worker which provided for inspections by the Ministry of Labour. In addition, the Government had strengthened the fight against sexual exploitation of minors through provisions in the penal code to address pornography; in 2007 the Government prohibited marriage for those under the age of 15 years old and in 2008 the Government protected the rights of persons with disabilities. However, Cost Rica continued to face challenges in effectively implementing the law of protection for minor victims and witnesses of crimes along with a bill that eliminated administrative obstacles and increased resources to the National Child Welfare Agency. The Ambassador also highlighted that the Constitutional Chamber ordered the creation of a specialized centre to care for minors who were drug addicts and that the confidentiality of complaints was respected. The protection of the image of minors from abusive practices of the media, including limiting the rights of the media to publish the name of children involved in criminal proceedings was in place.

The National Policy for Childhood and Adolescents provided a guarantee mechanism to protect the rights of children and adolescents. The National Development Plan of the Government focused on early childhood care, poverty reduction, care centres, community homes, and grants for education. There were two national plans against the sexual exploitation of children, and to strengthen the institution a strategic plan was developed for the National Child Welfare Agency. There was also a National Health Plan for Adolescents. To address social exclusion and poverty among children and adolescents, the Government had implemented a single register database and the National Child Welfare Agency increased allowances to non-governmental organizations providing alternative care systems.

Mr. Dengo said that Costa Rica had extended its primary care network through an expansion of community care centres. There was a decrease in child mortality from 11 per 1,000 live births in 2002 to 9.46 per 1,000 live births in 2010, which was one of the lowest rates in Latin America. The Government had created the first maternal milk bank and increased its spending in education from 4.7 per cent in 2002 to 7.2 per cent in 2010. A bill was currently being considered to require the Government to spend a minimum of at least 9 per cent of overall expenditures on education. The awarding of school grants now covered migrant children. The Government’s strategic plan for education included providing students with healthy standards of living, providing sexual education and promoting bilingual education. A plan of action funded by the World Bank defined a framework for the implementation of indigenous education through an intercultural indigenous education department.

The executive branch had adopted a road map which was validated by the National Child Welfare Agency to protect adolescent workers against sexual exploitation. Institutional protocols were being developed to protect minors who were victims of sexual exploitation and there was a law that bound all those working in the tourist industry to eradicate the sexual exploitation of minors with a code of ethics adopted by the Institute for Tourism in 2010.

Questions by Experts

MARTA MAURAS PEREZ, the Committee Member serving as Rapporteur for the report of Costa Rica, noted that 18 per cent of the population was below the poverty line and asked what the State had done to protect children from the negative effects of the economic crisis. Inter-institutional coordination was carried out by the National Child Welfare Agency; however was the agency fully resourced from a technical and financial perspective to carry out this coordination, including methods or analytical tools to evaluate coordination among municipalities, ministry sectors and local Protection Boards? How would the Government’s new national action plan be coordinated with other Government plans and how would the 14 local systems for protections work? The Rapporteur commended the law on the tourism sector to avoid the exploitation of minors, including the code of ethics; however she expressed concerns about how children and adolescents were protected by the media, particularly internet and television.

The Rapporteur raised the issue of non-discrimination as regards the indigenous population as all the social indicators indicated that the indigenous population was falling behind. For example, illiteracy was 6 times higher among indigenous groups and yet the Government had not implemented indigenous language education; preschool attendance was low, only 5 per cent, and high poverty rates existed among cantons with large indigenous populations.

As Costa Rica had one of the highest migration populations, 7.8 per cent of the population in 2000, of which 75 per cent came from Nicaragua, why had the State not ratified the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families?

MARIA DEL PILAR NORES, the Committee Member serving as Co-Rapporteur for the report of Costa Rica, said that in Costa Rica there were 4.5 million inhabitants, a per capital income of USD 6,500, access to drinkable water of 98 per cent and inscription in primary education of 92 per cent. However the GINI coefficient was 0.42 and an inflation rate of 8 per cent indicated there were gaps. Furthermore, the high trade deficit meant that the economic situation was fragile. The Co-Rapporteur raised the concern that with an increase in poverty rates and a fall in gross domestic product, there would be less spending on education.

Ms. del Pilar Nores stressed that Costa Rica suffered from structural poverty because over the last 20 years the rates of poverty had remained between 15 and 20 per cent. How would the Government address this structural problem, especially for the four most vulnerable sectors of the population: the indigenous people dispersed between 24 territories who accounted for 1.7 per cent of the population; migrant workers who arrived to work in the coffee sector and were between half a million; migrant children from Nicaragua, Panama and Colombia which accounted for 7.8 per cent of the population; and children of African descent who were 1.9 per cent of the population? The Co-Rapporteur asked what specific measures were in place to address the needs of these four vulnerable segments.

Other Committee Experts raised issues about the differences between ages provided in law to protect children, such as the minimum age for marriage and work, and the discrepancies which existed in practice. For instance, there were 1.1 million children aged 5 to 17 years of which 10 per cent were working and most not in qualified areas of work. According to a survey by the Government, 50 per cent of young people felt that discrimination existed in Costa Rica. What was the Government doing to address this? The Constitution enshrined the provision of food and clothing to poor families; however this was not being done for indigenous people. How had the Government embodied the best interest of the child, as stipulated in law? Why were children prevented from creating political associations or businesses?

A Committee Member raised the issue of the lack of comprehensive data disaggregated by gender, region and socio economic background and especially for vulnerable children such as street children. How would the Government strengthen the collection and analysis of data and how would the Observatory work to carry out data collection? Would the Observatory Data be linked to the National Institute for Statistics and Census and was there mainstreaming of data?

A Committee Expert asked about the legal framework of the juvenile court system and what mechanisms existed to detect violence against children. Could the delegation comment on complaints to the Ombudsman that the right of children to be heard was not properly carried out in court cases and what was the process for children’s right to be heard in court?

A Committee Member asked if birth registration covered special groups, such as seasonal labourers and how were these children reflected in the birth registration system. The Ombudsman noted that the largest complaints from children were due to corporal punishment and asked what was the Government was doing to address this. A Committee Member said that the ages of consent for sexual intercourse at 13 and for marriage at 15 were too low and noted the data indicating that women who gave birth at 18 and under had earlier death rates.

A Committee Expert asked if any data was available from the specialized Ombudsman for Children which had been operational for a long period of time and requested information on the function of the Standing Forum and its membership. Did the Government intend to ratify the Hague Conventions?

A Committee Expert asked how policies filtered down to the local level and what was the function and organization of the Protection Boards and Titular Committees at the local levels.

Response of the Delegation

MANUEL B. DENGO, Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that a new decentralization law sought to give authority to municipal Governments in all fields. Costa Rica had not accepted the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers because of conflicts with neighbouring countries, however the Government was not against the contents, it was just not the right time and he stressed that the new migration law included many of the Convention’s provisions. In order to address the impact of the economic crisis, the Government had carried out the Shield Plan aimed at defending the most vulnerable sections of society.

The delegation explained that the integrated protection system provided for protection at three levels of Government and concerning the law on devolution, there was an inter-institutional committee which articulated all the plans and programs in over 100 communities. Four years ago, the Government devised a strategy with the United Nations Children’s Fund to create sub-local systems with a legal framework to apply national action plans at a local level. Each local community unit was required to define a plan of action concerning the application of the rights of the child at the local level and in 14 communities this was being implemented and would be expanded to 81 cantons with the aim of achieving social cohesion at the local level.

The Government had worked to empower female children and had signed 120 cooperation agreements with non-governmental organizations. Under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security certain projects were adopted to develop sustainable tourism. Concerning education, the Government was making efforts to develop indicators and data to serve as a basis for the Observatory for Children and Adolescents, however there was insufficient resources to make it operational. A census was currently ongoing which should yield the data needed for public policies, including a health survey. The Observatory would be under the Office of Children’s Affairs and would consider 35 indicators as a foundation for data analysis, such as data linked to the harmonization of domestic laws with the Convention. The Observatory would not be linked to the National Institute for Statistics and Census.

With regard to the registration of children, most were born in health centres where a public official would register their birth. Children who were born abroad to Costa Rican mothers could be registered and all migrant children had the right to be registered under two separate procedures, one for children under 9 years and one for those over 9 years. There were three levels in the national health centres, the first level being the rural plantations, where registrars would go to the community so that the mother was not required to go to the health clinic.

The delegation said that the interpretation of a new criminal code on Witness Protection when Minors and Victims of Crimes when Minors, by judges determined whether or not the rights of minors for witness protection would be guaranteed. This law would be applied, for example, when a minor had witnessed a homicide.

There were two draft laws, one on dangerous work and one on domestic work for minors which were recently adopted and now required an action plan and implementation strategy. In 2011, the Government would distribute a road map for these laws at local level to disseminate information on their contents.

The delegation explained that policies were being developed to deal with child and adolescent populations of migrants, including the Protocol for Accompanied Minors and the Protocol for Unaccompanied Minors, which would allow for the regularization of children in alternative care that had no documentation to ensure these minors had access not only to health services but also to social security services.

Further Questions by Experts

During the second round of questions, the Rapporteur asked what the Government had done to increase measures to prevent domestic violence and would Costa Rica criminalize domestic violence. As 1 out of 5 births were to mothers who were 18 years old, and illegal abortions were common, would the Government consider amending the Criminal Code to permit the right to abortion and to provide emergency contraceptive methods which were not now provided to adolescents as a clear violation of their rights? The Universal Periodic Review made recommendations on street children; what had the Government done in this area and to ensure that migrant children who harvested coffee had better access to education and health?

The Co-Rappporteur asked about adoption in Costa Rica and whether there was a two-tier system, one allowed and one that was not allowed and in the case of international adoption of Costa Rican children, was there an undue financial gain in this area. As only 38 per cent of children were in secondary schooling, it appeared that Government programmes for school transport and nutrition were not successful. Furthermore, the movement from primary to secondary school was a barrier, and as the Government was planning on reducing requirements for entering secondary education, the Co-Rapporteur asked if this would not lower the quality of education in the country where there was already a high drop out rate in rural areas. What was the Government doing to update the curriculum and to include student participation? What measures had been taken to ensure quality education for the indigenous population? Had training occurred for officials, judges and populations at risks on the new legislative measures to combat sexual exploitation?

A Committee Member asked if the National Child Welfare Agency was a member of the emergency response team for the victims of trafficking. The Committee had received reports that the new immigration act lacked regulations for implementation and that there was a new fee of USD 1.25 for documentation for registration materials which might pose too high a hurdle for migrant families.

A Committee Expert raised a concern about an increase over the last 3 years in criminal cases of sexual offenses, especially interfamilial offences and abductions of children. How many of these cases resulted in convictions and what sanctions were given?

A Committee Expert asked if any support was provided to girls who received illegal abortions and could the delegation explain if adolescents had access to sex education and contraceptives, especially as condom use was low in the country.

A Committee Member said the percentage of kids dropping out of secondary schools was on the rise due to the breakup of families and asked what programs had the Government developed to establish multidimensional solutions to this problem, especially to avoid children engaging in the worst forms of labour as a result of leaving school early? A Committee Member asked if there were any measures to criminalize the act of obtaining child pornography.

The Committee Chairman asked what policy applied to street children who were not delinquents. Could the delegation specify what justifications were required to waive the marriage age from 18 years to 15 years and to address the health impacts of early marriage? The delegation asked if sexual relations would be prosecuted if one of the individuals was a child given special rights to marry between the ages of 13 or 15 years. A Committee Expert asked if the various forms of corporal punishments were defined in law.

Response of the Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, the delegation said that there had been a budget reduction of 20 per cent across all ministries due to difficult economic conditions; however this reduction was not applied to the National Child Welfare Agency. The delegation confirmed that international child adoption was illegal in the absence of the host country having signed an international treaty with the Government. There was one lawyer on trial, one in jail and an investigation of a judge for illegal adoption procedures. The State was considering centralizing adoption in one jurisdiction to ensure that lawyers were not trying to obtain illegal adoptions through submissions to various jurisdictions.

Nationality was granted to all persons born in Costa Rica regardless of the nationality of their parents. A large proportion of births occurred in health facilities, but if a baby was born in a house the same registration system applied which was broad and flexible. Parents were obliged to register their children within a short time of birth and for vaccinations and attending school, registration was required. Nationality could not be renounced as it was a right of the Constitution.

The age for sexual consent in Costa Rica was 15 years old, not 13 years old. The Criminal Code established a sanction for any adult that had sexual relations with a minor under 15 regardless if there was consent. The Criminal Code stated that there was no sanction for the doctor who performed or the mother who had an abortion due to the imminent danger to the mother’s health. A recently implemented system for mother’s milk banks in rural areas was due to international cooperation from Brazil. The age of consent for marriage was allowed from ages 13 to 15 and could be nullified if challenged. If children were married under 18 years, this would require parental consent. Regarding sexual relations with a legally married child between 13 and 15 years old, these acts would be classified as occurring in the private sphere and the courts, in the absence of proof, could not rule against the perpetrator unless proof was furnished.

The delegation stressed that one of the recommendations from the 2009 Universal Periodic Review was that Costa Rica should commit to a national plan against all forms of discrimination and intolerance, which was in the process of development with assistance from the United Nations and would be implemented in the next few months.

The Government had a mental health action plan and concerning trafficking, there was good institutional cooperation in the region and the Government needed to collect more disaggregated data. There was a special centre for drugs that had the responsibility to treat minors. The New Horizons program dealt with patients in the first stage of drug addiction.

The law prohibited corporal punishment and there was a National Plan to Prevent Corporal Punishment, with campaigns targeted to change behaviors on the part of parents in cases of disciplining children. The Code on Children and Adolescents and a decree from the Education Ministry regulated against corporal punishment in detention centers and educational institutions. The first part of the article on corporal punishment authorized its use in modified form and then the second part identified different parts of behavior, including humiliating treatment. Costa Rica was the third country in Latin America to establish a provision in its legislation to state that corporal punishment should not be used. However there were no penalties and thus the Criminal Code would be called on to punish the perpetrator, for example, if a father used corporal punishment to injure a minor, it would be considered a criminal misconduct, and if death was the consequence then the act would be homicide.

Concerning domestic violence, the delegation explained that the initial law which came out of the parliamentary process was intended to protect women and was later extended to protect minors. The ministry was drafting a new national plan on violence and the promotion of peace, which would run from 2011 to 2014 and contained programs within the framework of international cooperation such as Windows of Peace, which contained community actions for preventing violence. In addition there would be campaigns, Say No to Weapons or War Toys in Exchange for Peace Toys. Efforts were being made to convince municipalities to declare themselves as Friends of Children

The delegation said that a law had been adopted on persons with disabilities, but it was insufficient and the Government was drafting a national strategy across ministries to implement a new policy on children with disabilities.

Further Questions

A Committee Expert asked if the Government would consider criminalizing domestic violence or corporal punishment. A Committee Member asked whether the national strategy for children with disabilities was based on inclusion and what institution was responsible for implementing this strategy.

A Committee Member asked how many children were in detention and about the trend in the region to lower the age of criminal responsibility. A Committee Expert asked if children were separated from adults while in prison during pre-trial detention and while serving their sentence. Had the Government defined the worst forms of child labor under the International Labor Organization’s Convention 184?

A Committee Expert asked why children were dropping out of school and asked if the subsidies were given automatically to children regardless of their economic situation to keep them in the school system. A Committee Member said that the quality of education was critical and recommended the Government engage in quality education studies.

Could the delegation ensure that under no circumstances nationals or internationals would engage in direct adoption in Costa Rica?

Response of the Delegation

The National Council for Rehabilitation and Special Education under the Ministry of Health would be responsible for the National Strategy for Children with Disabilities. The National Strategy was part of the Government’s overall commitment to persons with disabilities and would have an inclusive dimension. A legal keeper was responsible for persons with disabilities which ensured they received appropriate services within the framework on the Convention for Persons with Disabilities.

In terms of juvenile justice, Article 58 of the law on Criminal Juvenile Justice made express reference to detention of juveniles in terms of three exceptions: a risk that evidence would be destroyed, a danger to the individual, or because the juvenile was a witness. A judge was responsible for applying these three standards for detention. In 2007, there were 26 children in detention.

The legislature was considering draft legislation to lower the age of criminal responsibility and a national campaign was being waged against it as this would be in contravention with international conventions. The delegation said that children were not detained with adults and that the Ombudsman had the right to visit penal institutions to monitor the proper detention and pre-trial detention facilities.

Minors could not participate either directly or indirectly in commissions in the social sector; however there was adolescent representation in titular committees. Concerning trafficking issues the Government was trying to sensitize communities to the issue of the trafficking of persons. There was a hotline 1147 which was exclusively for minors to request information and guidance.

Costa Rican law stated that anyone possessing pornographic material should be tried and sentenced and a draft law was before the assembly to address extraterritoriality. Protecting children online was an initiative launched with the International Telecommunications Union to create a series of protocols to protect children using the internet. The Office of the Presidency, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations in Geneva were all working together with the International Telecommunications Union to make children aware of the dangers on the internet and to link this up with sports as preventive activities.

The delegation said that the law in Costa Rica defined the worst forms of child labor according to International Labor Organization Convention 182. Concerning the trafficking of minors and treatment for victims, there were inter-disciplinary teams in health centers to provide psychological assistance.

Two legal provisions supported working mothers: the right to have one hour for breast feeding per day and a 3 month maternity leave.

The Government implemented the Let’s Move Forward Program, to provide money to young people to encourage them to stay in school. The delegation said that the major reason children dropped out of school was because of boredom and subsidies were incentives to keep children in school. The Ministry of Education had ten strategic factors to evaluate education and said that the critical ones to keep children in school were related to human resources, technology, infrastructure, and the active participation of minors.

The delegation said there was no possibility of direct adoption. There was one case of a prosecution of trafficking of persons with the intention to adopt.

Preliminary Remarks

MARIA DEL PILAR NORES, the Committee Expert serving as Co-Rapporteur for the report of Costa Rica, in preliminary concluding remarks, thanked the delegation for its patience and said that the Government had made extensive efforts to implement the recommendations of the Committee, although there was still some progress to be made.

MARTA MAURAS PEREZ, the Committee Member serving as Rapporteur for the report of Costa Rica, stressed the issue of data collection and recommended the creation of a unified system for national childhood statistics. The Rapporteur said that the definition of the child required clarification, particularly the age of marriage and stressed that there were significant shortcomings in discrimination against minority children and migrants, both of which required national plans. The lack of emergency contraception and sex education and the high rate of illegal abortions were also of great concern to the Committee.

In closing remarks, MANUEL B. DENGO, Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that the gross domestic product of the country had fallen and the Government, in facing difficult economic challenges, had focused childhood expenditure on education as the best means to strengthen their resource capacity. The questions of the Committee would help the Government formulate new guidelines and to focus more attention on the implementation of laws. The delegation would like to invite one or more Committee Members to come to Costa Rica to train the members of the judiciary and to provide more detailed advice. The Ambassador said the Government would work to accelerate programs for children of indigenous populations and said the delegation was deeply grateful for the clarity of the statements.

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