COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD CONTINUES EXAMINING REPORT OF SENEGAL
Press Release
HR/4215
COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD CONTINUES EXAMINING REPORT OF SENEGAL
19951109 GENEVA, 8 November (United Nations Information Service) -- The lack of professional instructors had made it impossible to make education compulsory to all school-age children in Senegal, the Committee on the Rights of the Child was told this afternoon as it continued to examine that country's initial report. Sexual mutilation of girls was also of concern to Committee members, who urged the Government of Senegal to discourage such harmful practices.The leader of the Senegalese delegation, Aminata Mbingue Ndiay, Minister for Woman, Child and Family, responding to additional questions from the Committee, said that premature marriage was punishable by law and that children were protected from being involved in such marriages.
Examination of Report
Parents had the right to educate their children. However, making education compulsory was hampered by the shortage of trained teachers, according to the Senegalese delegation. The country's Constitution stipulated 12 years of compulsory education to all school-age children.
With regard to marriage, girls could get married at the age of 16 and boys at 20. The social development of girls was the reason behind that age limit. The delegation said that girls were not valued less than boys in Senegal. One expert asked whether there was an official signal to discriminate against girls through various social benefits, such as schooling and succession. The delegation responded that equality was guaranteed to all citizens without distinction as to origin, race, sex or religion. Children born out of wedlock were protected by the Family Code in relation to the right to succession. All children born of any mode of marriage had the same rights.
Polygamous and monogamous marriages were practised in Senegal. The delegation said the man determined the mode of marriage. If, at the moment of the marriage, the man opted for monogamy or polygamy with up to four women, the authorities could only take note of his choice, without the consent of the woman. For example, if a man indicated his intention to engage in polygamy with two women, he had no right to marry a third one, according to the delegation. The traditional and Koranic laws were the causes for the persistence of polygamy in Senegal.
In cases of divorce, the parental authority could be delegated to a person of full age and possessing legal capacity, who should be approved by the president of the departmental court and who would take the child under his charge and protection, providing for his needs.
Asked about the measures adopted by the Government in combating harmful traditional practices against girls, the delegation said a campaign was being launched to increase the awareness of the public concerning such practices as sexual mutilation of the female. In many parts of the country the practice had continued despite the Government's efforts to prevent it. Recently, several non-governmental organizations had joined efforts in the campaign against sexual mutilation of girls. Any act directed against the physical integrity of the child was severely repressed by law.
The delegation said that the Government was not able to tackle the problem of street children, which became a matter beyond its economic and social capacity. It could not even stop children from roaming and begging by providing them assistance and by implementing programmes to reintegrate them into society. The cases of 40,000 disabled infants had also had a similar fate; only 600 of them had been placed in specialized institutions. International non-governmental organizations were actively participating to address the plight of these categories of children.
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