儿童权利委员会审议加蓬的报告（部分翻译）

日内瓦（2016年5月27日）——儿童权利委员会今日结束审议加蓬落实《儿童权利公约》情况的第二次定期报告，以及其落实《儿童权利公约关于买卖儿童、儿童卖淫和儿童色情制品问题的任择议定书》情况的首份报告。

司法与人权部副部长塞拉芬•蒙东加（Seraphin Moundounga）在呈交报告时表示，加蓬正在教育方面取得巨大的进步，自1966年起已开始实施免费义务教育。全国建立起少年法院，确保违法儿童的权利受到保护。《刑法》在1953年废除了早婚和强制婚姻，并对主持婚姻的犯罪者和当局规定了制裁措施。加蓬在批准《儿童权利公约》及其两项任择议定书后加强了立法，包括《儿童权利指导手册》提供了关于所有儿童权利培训活动的支持材料。

委员会专家称赞加蓬承认自由和义务教育的重要性及其努力确保出生登记，2000年登记率为85%，是撒哈拉以南非洲登记率最高的。代表团被询问法律是否禁止了基于性取向的歧视，以及保护其他儿童弱势群体如身患艾滋病毒/艾滋病的儿童、移徙儿童和残疾儿童免于歧视的措施。刑事司法制度和学校禁止了体罚，但该行为在该国仍得到广泛使用，而40%的儿童在家里受到过体罚。乱伦是切实的公共卫生问题，专家提出并询问了向受害者开放的求助和他们可以使用的投诉机制。在中非共和国担任联合国维和人员的加蓬军队因对儿童的性虐待受到指控；加蓬为调查这些指控并起诉犯罪者采取了什么行动？

就《关于买卖儿童、儿童卖淫和儿童色情制品问题的任择议定书》，专家承认加蓬将贩运儿童定为非法，并指出法律条款没有涵盖买卖儿童、儿童卖淫和儿童色情制品的所有活动，询问了遵从任择议定书第三条定义买卖儿童并将其定为非法的计划。委员会对于缺乏关于旅游业相关的儿童性剥削和色情制品的具体研究和数据以及尤其在让蒂尔港（Port Gentil）缺乏对女童的商业性剥削解决措施表示关切，询问加蓬是否计划通过综合的针对性手段解决违反任择议定书行为包括儿童贫困、儿童家政劳动、儿童婚姻和流浪儿童处境的根本原因。

委员会专家兼加蓬《儿童权利公约》问题报告联合报告员苏珊•阿霍•阿苏马（Suzanne Aho Assouma）在总结发言中表示，对话阐明了加蓬的挑战维度，尤其是法律及其落实之间的缺口，她表示，委员会的结论性意见将致力于进一步促进和保护加蓬的儿童权利。

委员会成员兼关于买卖儿童、儿童卖淫和儿童色情制品问题的任择议定书报告员哈特姆•科特拉内（Hatem Kotrane）承认加蓬的良苦用心并强调，必须跟进落实法律行动和关注儿童的真正切实和总揽全局的政策和战略。

在结束发言中，蒙东加提到了专家们关于教育预算分配、儿童性取向以及发布出生证程序的建议，并重申加蓬仍将向委员会开放联系。

会议最后，委员会主席本岩姆•达维特•梅兹穆尔（Benyam Dawit Mezmur）承认加蓬属于批准公约所有三项《任择议定书》的极小一部分国家之一，它是唯一一个批准了关于来文程序的任择议定书的非洲国家。

加蓬代表团包括司法与人权部、家庭与社会事务部以及加蓬常驻联合国日内瓦办事处代表团的代表们。

委员会将于5月30日（周一）上午10点举行下一次公开会议，审议保加利亚根据《儿童权利公约》提交的第三至第五次合并定期报告（CRC/C/BGR/3-5）。

国别审评可通过网络直播进行观看：http://www.treatybodywebcast.org。

报告

加蓬根据《儿童权利公约》提交的第二次定期报告可在此查看：CRC/C/GAB/2，其根据《关于买卖儿童、儿童卖淫和儿童色情制品问题的任择议定书》提交的首份报告可在此查看：CRC/OPSC/C/GAB/1。

Presentation of the Report

SERAPHIN MOUNDOUNGA, Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Gabon, introducing the report, said that Gabon was making great progress in education which had been free and compulsory for boys and girls since 1966. Law 021 of 2012 further strengthened the provisions of education, making it compulsory from the age of three, while gender parity in education, including in higher education, had been almost achieved. Progress in health was ensured by increased access to health centres which developed prenatal and postnatal care, and provided education and information on child nutrition. Juvenile courts had been set up across the country, which ensured the protection of children’s rights; children in conflict with the law were considered victims.

Criminal Law had abolished early and forced marriage in 1953, and provided sanctions for perpetrators and authorities that officiated the marriage. Child marriage was no longer a problem in the country. Gabon had strengthened its legislation following the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols, including the Guidebook on the Rights of the Child, which provided support material in all training activities on children’s rights. This training had been provided to teachers, judges, lawyers, as well as prison officials, which was particularly important in the light of the ongoing separation of juvenile facilities from adult facilities. Mr. Moundounga explained that Gabon, like other countries whose income depended on commodities, suffered cyclical cash shortages, which in turn influenced the translation of political commitments to reality.

Questions by the Committee Experts

JOSE ANGEL RODRIGUEZ REYES, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, asked which body within the Government was in charge of the follow up of the recommendations by treaty bodies and how civil society was involved in that follow-up. The Committee recognized the importance of the adoption by Gabon of different decrees aimed at harmonizing the legislation with the Convention and asked about the status of the adoption of the code relating to children. The Observatory for Human Rights, a very important monitoring institution, suffered from a lack of human and financial resources, did not have physical headquarters, and its mandate was not as strong as it should be. Mr. Rodriguez Reyes noted that the Population Census 2013 had not been published and stressed the importance of routine data collection by the authorities. What was the status of the National Commission for Human Rights and what was its status under the Paris Principles? With regard to non-discrimination, the delegation was asked whether the laws ensured protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and inquired about the measures in place to tackle the situation of other vulnerable groups that faced discrimination such as children living with HIV/AIDS, migrant children, children with disabilities, and others. Could a child freely choose her or his religion and also choose to follow or not religious classes in school?

SUZANNE AHO ASSOUMA, Member of the Committee and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, noted that 125 civil registration offices had been set up throughout the country and said that in 2000 the birth registration rate stood at 85 per cent, the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The delegation was asked whether birth registration and late birth registration procedures were free of charge, if measures were in place to ensure that the population from remote areas had access to birth registration centres, whether birth certificates were issued even if the cost of labour and delivery was not paid, the process in place for the registration of refugees and stateless persons, and the situation of birth registration of children born out of incest, as it had been reported that 97 per cent of them were not registered. Ms. Aho Assouma also asked the delegation to inform about the steps taken to abolish torture and ill-treatment, about the definition of ritual crimes in the law and the sanctions they carried, and whether there were specific provisions in the Children’s Code prohibiting the torture of children in all institutions. Incest was a true public health problem; what recourse was open to victims, how could they file a complaint and how was their protection in proceedings assured?

Other Experts noted that the Convention was the best known text in the country, and asked how the Convention was disseminated among the four per cent of the children who did not attend school, and also if it was translated to other languages. What was being done to ensure that the judiciary and the police were adequately trained in the Convention and its two Optional Protocols? What was the impact of resource constraints on health and education, the two most crucial sectors for children? When would the Children’s Code be adopted and how would it address the right of the child to be heard? The delegation was also asked to inform about the school cooperatives and the working and impact of the Youth Parliament, campaigns to promote the rights of the child, and access to age adequate information by children, especially marginalized children and children with disabilities. Corporal punishment was banned in the criminal system and in schools, but it was still widely practiced in the country; what measures were in place to stop corporal punishment in schools, and also to address corporal punishment at home, which was not banned, but which affected more than 40 per cent of the children?

Replies by the Delegation

The National Observatory for Human Rights had been created in 2006, but this was not a permanent body and it did not have headquarters; it met ad hoc and had numerous human resources pulled from all State institutions, but not on a permanent basis. Financial resources were made available for its meetings. The changes to ensure greater independence of the National Commission for Human Rights and therefore its compliance with the Paris Principles had started in 2013, including in the appointment of its head and the allocation of funds, which previously had been allocated by the Ministry of Justice. The internal structure of the Commission depended on its internal rules, which it could adopt independently by its plenary. The Commission could accept complaints by children or on behalf of children. There was also a possibility for non-governmental organizations to lodge a complaint on behalf of children. Children victims could access free legal aid available via the Ministry of Justice.

Gabon did not believe that children had sexual orientation, and also did not believe that children should have sexual relations or marry; issues of sexual orientation and marrying were applicable to adults only. Sexual orientation or marriage for all was not an issue in Gabon as yet and no one had as yet asked for it. Social concerns in Western Africa were not the same as in the developed world, it was concerned with HIV/AIDS, and finding a cure for Ebola and cancer.

In order to counter discrimination against children born out of wedlock, legislation had been amended three years ago, giving all children the same rights and protection, regardless of whether they were born in or outside wedlock. There was no discrimination against children living with HIV; the information about the seropositive status was kept confidential, and all those living with AIDS received health care through more than 900 health centres.

“Ritual crimes” were considered to be unnatural offences and were a major concern, particularly because of physical mutilation which often led to death. It was important to put this crime in context and recognize that over the past three years, only seven ritual crimes had appeared before the courts. Following the protests in March 2013, work was ongoing on amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to include harsher sentences for “ritual crimes”, to ensure that the crime did not have a statute of limitations, and to also target criminal networks which were often behind the crimes.

Gabon was a secular State and all public institutions were secular. Parents were free to choose whether or not to send their children to religious or secular schools, and it was parents who passed down religion or culture. There were no serious concerns in this regard.

The delegation confirmed that birth certificates were issued free of charge. Gabon received a great number of immigrants and refugees from neighbouring countries, and waves of migrants continued to arrive. Gabon applied all provisions of national and international law in dealing with illegal immigrants, from contact with consular services of their country of origin, to repatriation. Unaccompanied migrant children were repatriated with other children in compliance with diplomatic standards, and Gabon did its utmost to reunite them with their parents. Children born to illegal migrants in Gabon had the right to request Gabonese nationality up to a year before reaching majority.

Responding to questions concerning violence against children, and torture in detention centres and in police custody, the delegation said that the Criminal Code 1963 and the Napoleonic Code from 1810 provided for a life sentence for torture, regardless of how it was carried out; if victims complained, the criminal code and criminal sanctions applied. The delegation was unable to provide statistics on the number of cases because people seldom complained. Corporal punishment had been practiced in schools for a long time; schools had been introduced as a part of the colonial project and they used corporal punishment. The law now formally prohibited corporal punishment in schools, although smacking at home was still being debated.

There were not many cases of incest reported; the few that had been reported involved mentally deranged people, or were between two minor children. Relevant perpetrators were prosecuted. Gabon was working on introducing compulsory modules on children’s rights and human rights into regular training of the judiciary and the police, and Gabion asked for the Committee’s guidance in this regard.

Questions by the Committee Experts

SUZANNE AHO ASSOUMA, Member of the Committee and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, raised several issues concerning the health situation in the country, and asked about budgetary allocations for health, vaccinations and nutrition and measures taken to ensure that health professionals were uniformly spread across rural and urban areas. Only 3 per cent of pregnant women had access to insecticide-treated bed nets, and only 20 per cent of pregnant women had access to services to prevent transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child. There were reports of Gabonese soldiers who were members of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic committing sexual violence against children; what steps were being taken to investigate the allegations of those crimes?

JOSE ANGEL RODRIGUEZ REYES, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, said that free and compulsory education was extremely important and acknowledged the efforts of Gabon to identify key problems in the education of children, including dropping out, quality of education, and others. Which proportion of the national budget was allocated to the education sector, and what measures were in palace to address frequent strikes by the teachers?

Another Expert remarked on the almost complete absence of alternative care; children were often taken care of by extended family members, without any monitoring by the authorities. International adoption was not regulated and the delegation was asked what plans were in place to ratify The Hague Adoption Convention.

On children with disabilities, a Committee Expert noted the lack of data on this group of children and wondered about the process of policy creation in the absence of reliable data. Action for children with disabilities was focused in the capital, where half the country population lived, but what about action for children with disabilities living in rural areas? What was the status of inclusive education, particularly for children with intellectual disabilities?

Other Experts wondered how Gabon intended to implement its national plans and policies in the area of education, especially considering that the budget for education, both in real terms and in terms of the proportion of gross domestic product, was stagnating since 2007. They noted that some 750 children trafficked to Gabon had been repatriated, but not a single trafficker had been identified, and not one prosecution or court case had been initiated.

Replies by the Delegation

The budget for health had been tripled over the past several years, and had significantly surpassed the budget allocated to education. Gabon was one of the few countries in Africa which had mother and child health teams set up throughout the country, resulting in a relatively low rate of infant mortality. The Gabonese health system did not make prevention a priority, but was heavily focused on treatment. Gabon was proud to have a fully-fledged hospital in each of the provincial capitals, a medical centre in every one of its 50 departments, and at least a dispensary in every village cluster. Additionally, efforts were continuing to establish a university hospital, and specialized centres for cancer and trauma treatment. There were no charges for giving birth in hospitals – State run and private alike - the costs of which were covered by the National Social Security Fund.

Until 2012, nursery schools had been optional, and then pre-primary education had been made compulsory. There were nine High Courts in Gabon, and each had a court of first instance, and this widespread judicial coverage meant that juvenile justice applied to all children in conflict with the law in all parts of Gabon. In recent years, Gabon had shifted its educational approach, from academic to more vocational, which would enable greater numbers of children to receive education they were interested in, and would improve retention rates. The Government ensured that all children in street situations received vocational training, and also that all children in detention could pass their school exams and obtain adequate certificates. The Criminal Code, which had been passed a long time ago, set criminal responsibility at the age of 13. With regard to the lack of investigation and prosecution of child traffickers, the delegation said that none of the more than 700 children rescued from trafficking had been able to identify the culprits. There was a criminal network behind this operation and Gabon was still conducting investigations in cooperation with neighbouring countries.

Gabon participated in the African Union’s Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMA) and had in place specialized mother and child wards in each hospital, while there were plans to transform one of the hospitals into a specialized hospital for maternal and child health, which would also offer assisted reproduction services. The Government had systematically collected the views of women from all over the country, which would be used to inform the drafting of policies. Gabonese United Nations peacekeepers who had been accused of sexual abuse of children in the Central African Republic would be investigated, and if needed, prosecuted and brought to justice. To this end, Gabon was working with the United Nations to establish the truth. So far, it appeared that those allegations were unfounded, but it would be up to the judiciary to review the evidence and establish the truth, in conjunction with the United Nations.

In follow-up questions, the delegation was asked about the situation of Bantu and other indigenous people, including their access to basic services and birth registration; about monocultures, deforestation and forest management; and about access to caesarean procedures for pregnant women as well as measures in place to prevent early pregnancies, including through the education of children and access to contraceptives. Experts also asked about the cooperation of Gabon with the United Nations investigation into the allegations of the rape of a girl in the Central African Republic by Gabonese soldiers, sanctions for this crime, redress for the victim, and the training in children’s rights for the troops which participated in the United Nations and international peacekeeping missions.

Responding the delegation explained that a distinction must be drawn between deforestation and logging by commercial companies. The Forestry Code was in place which defined the process and rhythm of forest exploitation. Bantu and indigenous populations did not live in forests but in villages; they coexisted with other people and enjoyed equal access to services. Gabon was specializing in certain crops and had a long-standing tradition of palm oil production. Palm plantations were located only in the savannas; no primary forests were being cleared for palm plantations. Intensive monoculture only took place in secondary forests and around villages. As part of the response to climate change, Gabon was supporting organic agriculture.

In the wake of tragic events in Rwanda and in Congo Brazzaville in the 1990s, many refugees had been hosted in Gabon; with the return of peace and security to those countries, the Government was working on their return. Since then, there had been no major increase in the number of asylum requests.

Rape was a crime and Gabon had sought to clamp down on the crime by removing the statute of limitations, but this provision was not retroactive. A Special Court Martial had been established for the Gabonese United Nations peacekeepers in the Central African Republic; the Court had been appraised of the situation and would be taking the matter forward. The head of the delegation stressed that in line with the separation of powers, the accused must enjoy presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

Concerning the situation of child labour, the police and gendarmerie undertook spot checks of various establishments; if minors were found working in night-clubs, the public prosecutor would immediately launch a prosecution of the owner. Children working in sand quarries were not employed by anyone; they often went there on their own to quarry sand and sell it.

School cooperatives were fora for the development of children in all aspects, which allowed children to decide how they were organized, with the support of some teachers. Cooperatives could undertake cultural and economic activities in order to develop children into good citizens who could freely express their opinion. The President of the Republic had decided on a quota for the youth: 30 per cent of elected posts were reserved for youth. Thanks to the concept of African solidarity, there were almost no homeless persons in Gabon. It was not true that there were 658 street children in Gabon; those had been found on the streets, and after being picked up by the police, they were returned to their families. Currently, 15 per cent of the overall State budget was allocated to education, with plans to increase it to 20 per cent.

With regard to access to education by children with disabilities, the delegation said that children with speech or hearing impairments could attend the State schools, and even board there. There was one such State school with some 50 children, from all over the country. For the past 20 years, Foundation Horizons Nouveax hadrun a private establishment which was declared to be of public utility – for which the State provided teachers and the budget - for children with severe disabilities, such as blind children, children with Down syndrome or bipolar children.

Polygamy was not the cause of children being found in streets. Polygamy had its good and its bad sides; but it was legal and the law reflected the popular will. There were countries which allowed same sex marriage and it was yet to see how this provision impacted human rights and the future of humanity.

In another round of follow- up questions, Committee Experts remarked that the latest assessment on disability dated back to the 1970s and wondered how it was possible to make policy without reliable data. The Committee did not request States parties to set up specialized schools for children with disabilities, but it called for efforts to put in place inclusive education, with adequate support for children with disabilities to join mainstream schools. Victims of female genital mutilation in Gabon were usually foreign nationals, but still the responsibility to stop this practice and sanction perpetrators rested with the Government.

The last survey on persons with disabilities dated back to 1973, but the Government had learned about children with disabilities, their number and type of disability from the general survey of the population and households. Based on this information, a special school had been set up in Libreville, with appropriate staff; based on resources and demand, another such institution might be opened inland. There were efforts to put in place inclusive education, but the difficulty was that the education system in Gabon was set up in classes and teachers were trained to work with classes rather than with individual children.

Female genital mutilation was not part of traditional Gabonese culture, which was practiced by other cultures. This practice was seen as violence against women and torture, and was outlawed in 2010.

The United Nations system had expressed deep concern about Gabon’s consideration of sexual orientation, and Gabon took note of the concerns expressed by the Committee in this regard. A birth certificate stated the sex of the child, and children – boys and girls – received the same secular education.

Gabon allowed international adoptions but was aware that some countries trafficked children under the guise of international adoptions. The Nationality Act of Gabon provided protection for adopted children. Based on the broad range of consultations with non-governmental organizations, religious organizations, human rights institutions, provincial and central authorities, children and others, the preliminary draft of the Children’s Code had been prepared. The first draft would soon be adopted in the Cabinet and then presented to Parliament for approval. The Code would strengthen the protection of children‘s rights, including stateless children. Following its adoption, Gabon would consider acceding to The Hague Convention on International Adoptions.

Consideration of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography

Questions by the Committee Experts

HATEM KOTRANE, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, noted with satisfaction the ratification by Gabon of other international instruments of relevance to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, as well as the prohibition of the work of children under the age of 16 in the 2011 Labour Code and the establishment of a special system of legal aid for children in 2010. The Committee was concerned about the lack of detailed information on a number of reported cases of offences covered by the Optional Protocol and the number of prosecutions and convictions. Trafficking of children was prohibited under law N°9 of 2004, but neither the law nor the draft Children’s Code fully covered all the offences prohibited under the Optional Protocol. Did Gabon plan to adopt a comprehensive and targeted approach that addressed root causes of offences under the Optional Protocol, including child poverty, child domestic labour, child marriage and children in street situations?

Lack of specific studies and data on tourism-related child sexual exploitation and pornography and the absence of measures to address commercial sexual exploitation of girls, in particular in Port Gentil, were of concern, said Mr. Kotrane, who also noted that the legal provisions so far did not cover all activities of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. How would Gabon go about defining and criminalizing the sale of children in conformity with article 3 of the Optional Protocol, and not limit the definition to trafficking of children? The Committee Rapporteur asked about criminal responsibility of legal persons for the offences covered by the Optional Protocol, and expressed regret that no action had been taken to establish its extraterritorial jurisdiction for the purposes of offences committed against a Gabonese citizen, or when an alleged perpetrator was a Gabonese national or resident.

Replies by the Delegation

The sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography was not a problem in Gabon, and that was why details about cases had not been provided in the report. During the period 2012-2016, there was one case involving 112 children in an operation similar to trafficking; those were not Gabonese children, but were mainly illegal immigrants. Children of illegal immigrants posed a particular challenge as their identification papers, used to cross the border, stated that they were adults. Those children were also unable to identify the perpetrators and those involved in the trafficking network. It was unknown whether those children had been sold or not.

A lot of awareness raising campaigns targeting all stakeholders involved in those issues had been implemented; 180 people throughout the country had been trained in issues relating to the sale of children, child prostitution, child pornography and child marriage. People trained included village leaders, police officers, teachers, guardians of peace, and others.

The ongoing review of the Criminal Code would address crimes of trafficking in human beings, trafficking in organs, and sale of children, and in this regard, the provisions would be brought in line with international standards. The revision would also establish extraterritorial jurisdiction of Gabon for those crimes, and would give the competence to Gabonese courts to prosecute those who had committed those crimes against Gabonese nationals abroad. The sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography were criminalized in the draft Children’s Code, which was completely aligned to the Optional Protocol.

In follow-up questions, the Committee Rapporteur underlined that the case involving 112 children was in fact a trafficking case and stressed that the law in Gabon must consider forcing children in labour as the sale of children. Was possession of child pornography criminalized?

The head of the delegation confirmed that all the definitions of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in the draft Children’s Code were harmonized with international standards, including the Optional Protocol.

SUZANNE AHO ASSOUMA, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, concerning the 750 children victims of trafficking who had been returned to their country of origin, recalled the obligations of the returning country and the country of origin to uphold the rights of the victims and asked whether there were any judges in Gabon who followed up on those files. Did Gabon have cooperation agreements with countries in the region on issues of human trafficking? There were reports of watchdog organizations in Gabon – how did they operate and what support did they receive from the Government.

The head of the delegation recalled the principle of the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and said that no reparations could be paid to the victims before the perpetrators had been found guilty and sentenced. Gabon had judicial cooperation agreements with all the countries in the region – Cameroon, Mali, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and others. Tourism was not very well developed in the country, and there was no data that indicated sexual tourism; that said, the Government would investigate allegations of sexual tourism involving children in Port Gentil.

Concluding Remarks

SUZANNE AHO ASSOUMA, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur for the report of Gabon, thanked the delegation for the many responses they provided during the dialogue, noting that some of responses could have been more informative. The dialogue clarified the dimension of the challenges that Gabon faced, notably in the gap between laws and their implementation. The concluding observations by the Committee would be issued in order to further promote and protect children’s rights in Gabon.

HATEM KOTRANE, Member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, recognized the good intentions of Gabon and some actions that had been taken, in particular the ratification of the Optional Protocol, and stressed that legal actions must be followed up on the ground with true and overarching policy and strategy focused on children.

SERAPHIN MOUNDOUNGA, Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Human Rights, thanked the Committee Experts and said that the dialogue would clear the way for the promotion of the rights of the child. Gabon noted in particular the recommendations related to budget allocations for education, sexual orientation of children, and the procedure of issuing birth certificates. Gabon would remain available to the Experts who were seeking to uphold the rights of children.

BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for their responses and said that Gabon belonged to a very small group of countries that had ratified all three Optional Protocols to the Convention. Gabon was the only African country that had ratified the Optional Protocol on a communications procedure.

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