COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CONSIDERS REPORT OF ANGOLA
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has considered the combined initial to third periodic reports of Angola on how that country is implementing the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
George Rebelo Chicoty, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Angola, in his opening statement, said Angola had introduced the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights into its national law. The armed conflict and civil war that had plagued Angola for years had led to the destruction and break down of education, health and social protection services, making it more difficult for the most vulnerable groups to access these systems. The loss of qualifications and devaluation of human capital through the destruction and loss of the education and health system left Angola with 4.5 million displaced persons, and 700,000 refugees. April 2002 marked the end of the armed conflict. This led to the beginning of the national reconciliation process. Vitality was reinstated in the country, mainly through the success of the recent legislative elections in September 2007. The participation in the elections of Angolans was very high and strengthened credibility and justice in the country. Angola’s active civil society with a total of 562 non governmental organizations of which 446 were national and 116 were international further illustrated this.
Among issues raised by the Experts were questions regarding human rights training for law enforcement officials; the conditions of six million internally displaced persons; the breakdown of the national budget and specifically in the context of education and health care allocations; judicial reform; freedom of the press; economic corruption and corruption in the judiciary; discrimination against women; the status of the human rights office; poverty reduction strategies; reproductive health and education programmes, foreign debt and repayment measures; the independence of the Office of the Ombudsman; measures taken for victims of mines as a result of armed conflict; the status of the Code of Ethnics for Magistrates; the lack of judicial structures; allegations of rape and domestic violence against migrant women living in the northern provinces; extreme poverty and homelessness; access to drinking water; the confiscation of farming lands for diamond mining purposes; malnutrition of children; and the protection of people with disabilities.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Chicoty thanked the Committee and assured it that the Government took this exercise very seriously. Further significant progress was necessary, specifically in the reduction of poverty and transparency in economic, social and cultural rights in order to make the transparency visible within the institutions, especially with regards to corruption.
Philippe Texier, Chairman of the Committee, thanked the delegation and said Angola had shown a willingness to implement all the necessary provisions to ensure the full benefit of economic, social and cultural rights. Angola did face difficult challenges in light of the civil strife and war that it had experienced.
The delegation of Angola included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Mission of Angola to the United Nations Office at Geneva, the Department of Human Rights in the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry for the Protection of Women and the Family, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Culture, the National Assembly, the Ministry of Territorial Administration, the General Prosecutor’s Office, and the National Institute for the Child.
The concluding observations and recommendations of the Committee on the report of Angola will be issued towards the end of the session, which concludes on Friday, 21 November.
When the Committee next meets in public at 3 p.m. on Monday, 17 November, it will begin its consideration of its draft general comment no. 20.
Report of Angola
The combined initial to third periodic reports of Angola (E/C.12/ANG/3), presented in one document, notes that in 2006 the Republic of Angola experienced the highest level of growth in Africa. Growth sectors included petroleum, diamond mining, farming, fisheries, processing industries, energy and water and construction and services. Real growth in Angolans’ average income was as much as 15.3 per cent in 2006 whereas population growth was 2.9 per cent. However, despite growth rates, data on employment showed an unemployment rate of about 22.5 per cent in 2006. The General Government Plan for 2005-2006 included policies for macroeconomic stabilization and encouragement of economic growth in the most formative areas of the economy. For the former, the positive effects are shown in the stability of the exchange rate, the renewed confidence in the national currency, as reflected in a significant rise in deposits in kwanza, the control of the budget deficit, the fall in inflation, greater transparency in public accounts and an improvement in the country’s international image with the main international financial and economic institutions. Even though the petroleum sector predominates, there has been a significant recovery in the non-petroleum sector. Policies aimed at strengthening non-petroleum production focused on giving priority to public works, the primary sector, the distribution of energy and water and the processing industry.
On employment and training in Angola, vocational training was the focus of special attention between 2003 and 2006. The Government of Angola is also currently implementing a training programme in arts and trades in all Angolan provinces to encourage greater geographical diversification of training capabilities in trades essential to the reconstruction of the country. Because of mankind’s past and the prejudices of the patriarchal culture which were exacerbated in the colonial era, women are discriminated against in vocational guidance, promotion, occupation and employment and they also earn lower wages than men with the same training, notes the report. In order to reduce discrimination against women’s right to work, the State established a programme for the promotion and development of women in 2005-2006. In 1998 data showed that women held barely 22 per cent of jobs in the formal sector and 63.5 per cent in the informal sector. Additionally, women represented about 40 per cent of public service employees, while men represented 60 per cent. Men hold 66 per cent of mid-ranking technical and professional posts and 72 per cent of senior posts. Despite the recent ratification of the ILO Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in February 2001, the percentage of working children in fact stands at over 68 per cent. The highest incidence of child labour is in the informal sector where working conditions are neither regulated nor monitored. With both women and children comprising a majority of informal sector, social security remains a challenge as workers in the informal sector have no health and safety protection at all.
Presentation of the Report
GEORGE REBELO CHICOTY, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Angola, in his opening statement, said that Angola was a State party to the main international legal instruments on human rights. Angola had introduced the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights into its national law. The development programmes incorporated the idea of universality of human rights to the extent that the State must create the civil, political, economic, social and cultural conditions for citizens to enjoy effectively their rights and respect their responsibilities. Angola attached great importance to all the relevant United Nations mechanisms.
The armed conflict and civil war that had plagued Angola for years had led to the destruction and break down of education, health and social protection services, making it more difficult for the most vulnerable groups to access these systems. The loss of qualifications and devaluation of human capital through the destruction and loss of the education and health system left Angola with 4.5 million displaced persons, and 700,000 refugees, stressed Mr. Chicoty.
April 2002 marked the end of the armed conflict, said Mr. Chicoty. This led to the beginning of the national reconciliation process. The deepening political reforms and the creation of objective conditions for the recovery and development of the country illustrated further the Government’s commitment to achieving the best attainable economic, social and cultural conditions for all Angolans. Consolidation and respect of human rights was a fundamental element for the sustainable development of the country. Despite the difficulties, Angola was on the right path in terms of the promotion and protection of human rights.
Vitality was reinstated in the country, mainly through the success of the recent legislative elections in September 2007. The participation in the elections of Angolans was very high and strengthened credibility and justice in the country. Angola’s active civil society with a total of 562 non governmental organizations of which 446 were national and 116 were international further illustrated this. Furthermore, Angola had 98 political parties and 985 national and international religious institutions. A free pluralist press was also part of the process of democratizing Angolan society. Angola had more and more press bodies which contributed to the reaffirmation of the commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights of its citizens. Mr. Chicoty said that human rights were inseparable from the point of view of economic, social and cultural rights.
Within the context of basic schooling, the number of pupils registered in 2002 totalled 1,733,549 million and increased in 2008 to 3,757,677, showing an increase of 117 per cent. In terms of secondary schooling, the number of pupils registered during 2002 was 115,475 million and in 2008 370,485 million. This further illustrated the efforts of the Government to improve economic, social and cultural rights, said Mr. Chicoty. Schools were now closer to each other, especially in rural communities. Implementation of such policies and programmes by the Angolan Government would help fulfil the eight Millennium Development Goals. Infant mortality rates had decreased and the improvement of infant health conditions had been addressed.
On economic, social and cultural rights, in particular with regard to the protection of women and the family, the Government in partnership with civil society was putting together a series of actions for the equality of gender, based on the Dakar and Beijing action platforms. These actions concentrated on, among other things, poverty, education, health, the promotion of citizens’ rights, children, women, the elderly, the disabled, and people affected by HIV/AIDS and other endemic sicknesses, noted Mr. Chicoty. Despite the progress already made, the international community was a long way from honouring its commitment to finance development in Angola. This was fundamental for the improvement of the level of promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
Constitutional and legal regulations related to basic rights had been integrated within the context of international human rights instruments which Angola was party to. In order to ensure the respect of the law, in particular with respect to human rights, the practical implementation and promotion of laws was fundamental, underscored Mr. Chicoty. In terms of culture, a large network and dynamic components were necessary in order to maintain the identity of the national culture in its many facets to respect customs. Furthermore, from the point of view of religion there was respect for the practice and belonging to all religions in Angola.
Mr. Chicoty said that Angola was committed to continuing to live up to its obligations under international human rights legal instruments and hoped that the relationship Angola had with the Committee would continue to grow positively.
Questions by Committee Members
An Expert asked to what extent were law enforcement officials trained on human rights to fight a culture of impunity. The problem of internally displaced persons was a particularly alarming issue to Experts. What specific measures had been taken in terms of housing, education, reintegration, and grants to the over 6 million displaced people? How had the increased growth of the economy, which was two fold, translated into social well being for the most needy in Angola?
Questions by Experts also related to the breakdown of the national budget and specifically in the context of the education budget allocation, which was low. Why did the Government discriminate in the matter of wages for civil servants coming from Rwanda and employment opportunities for people injured during wartime? What measures had been taken to address the alarming figures of birth rates and access to contraception? What was being done to rid the country of land mines? What measures had been taken to provide victims of economic, social and cultural rights violations with judicial reform? Had there been any cases of forced evictions registered in the Office of the Ombudsman? How transparent was national spending? Did the Ministry for the Protection of Women and the Family have an action plan for gender equality and if so what was the budget? Was there a law on equal opportunities dealing with gender equality?
Freedom of the press was guaranteed in Angola as stated by the delegation, an Expert said. Based on information received from other sources this was in fact not actually guaranteed in practice. What specific measures had been taken to ensure freedom of the press? Was it the case that international instruments and treaties were directly applicable in national legislation?
Other concerns raised by Committee Experts related to economic corruption and corruption in the judiciary; discrimination against women; the status of the human rights office that was shut down; poverty reduction strategies; reproductive health education and services, the staggering foreign debt and repayment measures; the $ 4 billion that had not been accounted for, which was the total spent on social, health and educational needs in the country; access to and capacity building of the judiciary; and that the wealth of the State was not being translated into increased access to social services for the most marginalized parts of society.
Experts asked for further information relating to the Office of the Ombudsman; measures taken for victims of mines as a result of armed conflict; the status of the Code of Ethnics for Magistrates; and the lack of judicial structures, specifically with regard to the data in the report indicating that in 2003 there was over 168 courts, but only 23 were functioning.
Answers by the Delegation
Before answering the questions raised by the Committee, the delegation said that Angola should not be seen as violating the economic, social and cultural rights of its people, but as a country arising from a difficult political and social context.
As of 2002, institution building had become a priority for the Government, said the delegation. Military presence was replaced with Government authority vis-à-vis this process. Angola was also faced with dealing with large influxes of refugees coming from Zambia, Botswana, and the Congo, through the United Nations voluntary repatriation process.
On the closing of the Human Rights Office in 2002, the delegation said that the Human Rights Office had been a remnant of the peace keeping mission in Angola, which had had several components. The mission had requested that the human rights component remain, despite the fact that all other components had been dismantled. There was no real mandate for the human rights office, and therefore no budget had been allocated. There was no agreement signed between the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Government of Angola.
The Government had faced many challenges in the last six years, and despite this change had been taking place, said the delegation. Seminars on human rights were carried out across the 18 provinces in coordination with the United Nations. The Government believed that it was important to continue cooperation with the United Nations in this regard. On justice, the delivery was equally important as was capacity building. There was a lack of prison systems as well as a capacity and structures to enforce and promote judicial policies. Human rights awareness was done through various institutions. The average salary for law enforcement officials had doubled. It was important to pay and identify law enforcement officials better, which was underway. Further, in 2004 the Government had set a goal to rebuild up to 400 bridges, as of 2008 a total of 211 bridges had been built.
In response to the questions raised, the delegation said that measures had been taken on the issue of internally displaced persons, a budget had been allocated and work remained to be done.
There was no Government policy in place that discriminated against those injured in the war with regard to employment, stressed the delegation. There was a high unemployment rate, which was due primarily to the fact that the general population was concentrated in the city where demand did not correspond to supply.
Corruption naturally existed in Angola as it did everywhere else in the world, said the delegation. The Government had taken measures to address this problem. Measures included periodic inspections in the Government, better management of budgets, and more and more imposed control of finances. For example the Angolan Oil Agency was perceived to be managed through the Government, but in fact was controlled through the central bank, and was followed up through the Ministry of Finance.
It was true that statistics collected were not complete. A general census for 2009-2010 was planned in order to address this discrepancy, said the delegation.
De-mining was an ongoing programme, said the delegation. However, the Government was far behind on this issue.
On freedom of the press, tremendous progress had been made with a number of independent newspapers and radio stations, said the delegation. People were allowed to speak out freely and express their views as they wished.
On the separation of powers, the delegation said that general elections were scheduled for 2009, at which time there was to be the adoption of a new Constitution. It was true there was a weakness in the current Constitution in terms of the separation of powers. However, Angola was not the only country where judges were appointed by the President.
The Ministry for the Protection of Women and the Family was established in 1997 and was responsible for setting programmes and policies to protect and defend women and the family in society, said the delegation. The strategy for the Status of Women and Gender Equality aimed at working on the Dakar and Beijing platform to further the development of women.
With regard to the Office of the Ombudsman, the delegation said that the independent mediator was appointed by two thirds of parliament and held a term of four years. The mediator could not be removed from office and could not resign from office during the term. Individual complaints could be filed and the mediator had the right to initiate a complaint in cases involving severe violations. Furthermore, the Covenant and other international instruments to which Angola was party to could be evoked in cases brought forth from the Office of the Ombudsman in court.
On questions raised by Experts with regard to the separation of powers in the judiciary, the delegation said that judges exercised their powers independently. Judges did not take orders from any other members of the judiciary. They took decisions based on their knowledge of the law and on their own conscience.
On the applicability of international instruments in Angola, the delegation said that once Angola ratified an international instrument parliament had the right to adopt the instrument, but once a judge took a decision based on an international convention the judge could evoke the Constitution to apply that ruling.
With regard to access to courts and labour conflicts specifically, the delegation said that the provincial courts were divided into chambers. The labour chamber dealt with all disputes relating to labour, and any disputes relating to labour had been brought directly to that chamber. Furthermore, the Labour chamber established a mechanism to speed up decision making, whereby before a case was brought before a judge, the prosecutors brought together the parties involved to try and bring about conciliation.
Regarding the number of magistrates, the delegation said there were 127 judges in total. For magistrates to practice in courts they were required to first complete a two-year training course at the magistrate training institute. This institute was also responsible for training judicial officials (civil servants in the justice system). Reform of the justice system began in 2006 and was in the second phase. Customs and tax law, among other things were being reviewed in the second phase. Moreover, the criminal procedures code, labour law and the labour code were also under review.
A department in the National Police Force and all bodies under the Ministry of Interior were trained on human rights, said the delegation. Training was made possible in partnership with States parties and development partners.
Child mortality was a priority of the Government, said the delegation. Addressing tuberculosis, malaria, sleeping sickness and HIV/AIDS were also priorities. The Government had decided to increase health coverage across the country. After 2002, only 30 per cent of the population had health coverage. Since 2003 health units had increased from 952 units to 1,986 units. The Government had now covered 60 percent of the country with health care centres. Alongside those developments, the number of health professionals had increased from 200 in 2002 to 1,800 in 2008. Eight hundred foreign doctors had been brought in to address the staff shortage issue. The number of voluntary test centres had increased from 11 to 154 centres. What illustrated that there was no discrimination in health care was that the Government had increased health centres to cover all regions in the country. The Law on AIDS provided for administrative and criminal sanctions for discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS. The figure on social services in the report was not an accurate picture of reality on the ground. In 2005-2007 the social services budget doubled, which also doubled the budget for the health sector which helped to improve working conditions and increase remuneration.
On education, the delegation said that the budget had not decreased, in fact expenditure had increased. In 2004 the education budget was $ 69 million and it had increased to $ 104 million in 2007. Furthermore, classrooms increased from 19,000 in 2002 to 31,500 in 2008, and teachers’ salaries increased by 174 per cent between the periods of 2002-2007.
Further Questions by the Committee Members
One Expert underscored that the Ombudsman was not independent, and requested further information and clarification on the Ombudsman’s mandate. Another Expert asked what programmes were in place for improving the situation of internally displaced persons?
Experts asked if there was a legal difference in the minimum wage between the private and public sector. Specifically what was the minimum wage in 2006 in comparison to 2008? What kind of unemployment benefits addressed the needs of the unemployed? How big was the informal sector, and what was the ratio between men and women? What measures had the State party put in place to encourage workers in the informal sector to seek work in the formal sector? With over 600,000 elderly persons living in poverty in Angola, what measures had been taken by the Government to better the lives of these people? In terms of labour inspections, what was the number of labour inspectors, inspections and sanctions imposed on employers?
Angola had ratified a number of International Labour Organization Conventions already, yet a number of important conventions had yet to be ratified, including Convention No.165 on social security, Convention No. 111 on discrimination, employment and occupation, and Convention No. 169 on indigenous people. On the right to strike, how many strikes had taken place?
Committee Experts asked for further information on the status of discrimination against women in the workplace in practical terms; and basic social service protections for the informal sector in relation to International Labour Organization guidelines.
Answers by the Delegation
The Ombudsman was a totally independent body, said the delegation. The Committee appeared to be lacking some information on the Ombudsman’s office. Between 2006 and 2008 information was missing. A total of 264 claims had been put to the office coming from courts and private bodies. The Ministry of Justice had an Office for Human Rights, and coordinated its work with provincial human rights offices.
Statistics on internally displaced persons showed that there were 4.5 million during the conflict, said the delegation. At the end of the war in 2002 many of those relocated to the capital. In one year the Government had organized the reintegration of nearly all the refugees and internally displaced persons, through a programme which received agreement from the High Commissioner for Refugees. The claim that only 62,000 benefited from this programme was incorrect, these were people who did not benefit from the first phase, which assisted the 4.5 million internally displaced persons and refugees. The first phase included the transport back to their place of origin, the reconstruction of shelters and facilities, the restart of agriculture activities, and the removal of mines in those areas.
How was employment organized in rural areas and how did the Government ensure that people were encouraged to work in the countryside, an Expert asked.
People were perfectly free to find jobs wherever they choose to, said the delegation, the Government worked with the private sector on agricultural projects. There were no forced population transfers. The Government had increased access to loans for citizens in the informal sector. Loans granted started at $ 100 to a maximum of $ 50,000 depending on the nature of activities undergone.
Trade unions, employers and the Government established the rate of minimum wage, said the delegation. The Ministry of Employment and Social Security very closely monitored all the issues pertaining to consultations between those parties. The minimum wage was reconsidered by a working group in cooperation with social partners, at least in the public sector. Negotiations were underway to establish the minimum wage in the private sector. Article 34 of the Constitution guaranteed the right to strike.
Wages for men and women were equal for the performance of equal functions, said the delegation. In Angola 51 per cent of the workforce were women. These women constituted the main income source for their families. Women in the informal sector did not have defined wages. There was no discrimination in Angola as enshrined in the Constitution and labour laws. However, it was possible that there were isolated cases of discrimination, particularly in the case of the private sector.
In 1991-1992 the social security system was created, said the delegation. A number of workers were not covered during that time, because many employers did not agree to pay contributions for those services; however, this was no longer the case today.
Labour courts were responsible for dealing with labour disputes, said the delegation. With regard to the right to strike recently there was a teachers’ strike, where there was no involvement or interference from law enforcement officials or Government authorities. Strikes were generally peaceful and as such did not pose a problem in Angola. Furthermore, the collective right to organize was guaranteed through the law.
With regard to the International Labour Organization Conventions, the delegation said the Government was slightly behind on joining these, but was committed to ensuring that these were addressed as soon as possible. Some international laws were pending ratification, and some laws were half way through the ratification process.
Questions by the Committee Experts
Experts asked why updated statistics were not posted on the Internet or provided for during the review. What type of protection did Angola provide if money from private institutions was lost? On the situation of migrant women living in the northern provinces, the Committee had received information that many of these women were raped and were victims of acts of violence. It was reported that those acts of violence were committed by illegal Gambian mining workers, and following the claims made against these workers they had been expelled from Angola. To what extent were those women protected against sexual violence, and what measures had been taken to ensure their protection? What was the process for birth registrations, specifically registration of children born from non-Angolan partners? On poverty and homelessness, what measures had been taken by the State party to ensure adequate housing needs were met? What were some examples of poverty reduction strategies, and what were the monitoring mechanisms for those strategies? What was the number of deaths in Angola due to hunger? How many dwellers in slums in Angola had access to drinking water, and on what financial conditions? How many victims of land mines were registered, and how many land mines were found in the last two years? How many of the 800 foreign medical doctors worked in slums and rural areas of the country?
How were economic, social and cultural rights implemented in writing the poverty reduction strategy? What were the fundamental reforms presented in the draft Constitution? To what extent did the taxation system in Angola address the reduction of national income disparities?
Committee Experts raised concerns about the confiscation of farming lands for diamond mining purposes; the hunger phenomena; 40 per cent of the population being undernourished and malnutrition of children in relation to the Government goal of providing universal education for all children by 2015; positive measures taken to protect people with disabilities; the status of people affected by post conflict stress disorder; widespread child abuse; practices of witchcraft; no laws on trafficking in persons; minors being detained in centres with adults; the type of health care provided in the country; measures on sexual and reproductive health and the low rate of use of contraceptives; access to land and assets for women; and illiteracy, particularly for women which was very high.
Answers by the Delegation
The Government had taken three years to prepare the present report and the committee preparing the report had relied on statistics provided for by the previous Government. Some statistics had already been updated, but the Government was in the process of updating all in the near future.
On poverty strategies, the relevant Government ministries in conjunction with the United Nations Development Agency had developed a poverty reduction strategy, said the delegation. The strategy aimed at identifying both short and long term sustainable goals. The objectives were being achieved little by little, and the signs were encouraging. At this stage it was a fairly hard exercise as there were little indicators as of yet. In general, the context within which these indicators were placed needed to be reviewed.
The water supply systems destroyed during the war were being restored, said the delegation.
Social housing construction was a priority for the Government, said the delegation. Due to the war in the country, cities and urban centres saw huge influxes of internally displaced persons who were forced to leave their villages due to the actions of rebel groups. Those people flowed into the cities, and the Government did not forbid them from setting up housing there. As a result shanty towns were created, which did not have any basic services. At the end of the war one main aim of the Government was the reintegration of internally displaced persons, and to design urban planning strategies to set up basic infrastructure such as, hospitals, schools and roads. Within the framework of this infrastructure planning, it was necessary to move some of the internally displaced persons from their inhabited areas, as these areas were not intended for any person to inhabit. The Zango Project was one example of a number of re-housing projects. People who had been re-housed as a result of this programme in some cases moved back to areas where they were removed from. It was not the intention of the Government to see its people suffer.
It was sad to hear that the same language and criticism used by the opposition party in Angola was being used by the Committee, said the delegation.
On domestic violence, the delegation said this was of great concern to Angola. A draft bill on marital violence was being reviewed. There were specific measures taken including a national action plan against violence in the home and awareness building among communities. Additionally, specialists had been trained to work directly in the field. Training programmes for law enforcement officials, counsellors, activists and prosecutors were ongoing. The law on marital violence, dealt with issues of violence between men and women equally. Within the new draft law the crime of family violence was a crime of public law. This guaranteed the right to anyone who had witnessed an act of domestic violence to denounce the crime. This was a new innovation for Angola. In addition, the Government provided safe homes for victims of domestic violence. From January to October 2008 the Centres for Family Violence dealt with 5,500 cases, including three cases where women died as a result of violence within the family.
On article 10 of the Covenant, the delegation said that family protection was covered prominently and in great detail under the family code. Furthermore, the Government of Angola was currently preparing its sixth periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Concerning women obtaining loans from banks in the context of micro credit loans, the delegation said that often it was difficult for women to provide guarantees for large loans, and micro credit loans provided some much needed assistance.
In Angola the Secretary of State for Rural Development was responsible for organizing rural communities. The Secretary was responsible for providing support and assistance to those communities so that they could get the material support they needed. Some examples of measures taken included the assistance of rural communities in finding markets to sell their produce. The Office was providing assistance to women in rural areas in particular, said the delegation.
On the rights of the child, the delegation said that a National Forum on Children was held in June 2007, where a national plan of action was adopted. The plan contained a wealth of measures that were now being implemented in various areas relevant to children. As far as health was concerned, the measures planned to reduce infant and child mortality through better organization of municipal health centres, the establishment of vocational schools to train health care professionals, nutrition programmes, school meals programmes, and education on environmental issues.
Registry of births was free of charge for children from the ages of 0-5 years and identity cards were free for children aged 7-11, stressed the delegation.
On allegations of witchcraft involving children, the delegation said that there had been only one case involving children who had been accused of witchcraft in Angola and who had been taken in Government holding. Additionally in Rwanda, there was a case involving 40 children who had been accused by two religious institutions and they had been automatically taken to a Government home where they were provided with education and boarding.
Concerns were raised about children and adolescents being held in the same facilities as adults. The delegation said that the law on prison systems in Angola was in line with United Nations minimum standards on detention facilities and article 10 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In Angola prisoners were separated by age, gender and nationality. Additionally, in Angola there were two categories of minors, one category included persons between the ages of 16-18 years, and the second included persons between the ages 18-21 years.
In previous years the percentage of state budget allocation for health was 2 per cent and it rose to 8 per cent in 2008. In 2009 as a result of investment already made 13.4 per cent of the state budget was now allocated for health, underscored the delegation. In 2008 mental health training was initiated. The programme called “Water for Everyone” aimed to make available drinking water for everyone, which was linked to illnesses transmitted through water supply.
On the conflict in the mining provinces and regions and land occupied for mining, the delegation said that alongside legal mining activities, there were people who came illegally to those regions to mine for diamonds. The conflict was caused by these illegal people who came from all over Africa and set up in those areas illegal mining operations. This had both a social and environmental impact. Any company whether foreign or national wishing to set up mining activities had to be approved for mining licences in order to operate.
Two thousand land mines had been deactivated across the country, said the delegation. Concluding the de-mining process was not an easy task. Priority was given to the main routes, which were free of mines. It was stressed that more remained to be done.
Questions by Committee Members
One Expert noted with great concern with regard to the lack of data provided by the delegation on poverty and forced evictions that in 2007 the World Food Programme published a report that indicated that 68 per cent of the country’s population lived below the poverty line, and 28 per cent lived in extreme poverty. He said that Human Rights Watch, the Angolan Civil Society, and Amnesty International all reported cases of forced evictions in Angola. However, the Government of Angola said that forced evictions were not a reality in the country.
Questions by Committee Experts also related to the teaching of national languages; the preservation of the identity and culture of internally displaced persons; measures to encourage teachers to go out to rural areas; measures to improve the worst education indicators in sub-Sahara Africa; high school drop out rates and low levels in success rates; and coordination between the Ministry of Health and Education to upgrade curricula in schools to include health education.
Answers by the Delegation
If there was an illegal occupation of land or premises the people had to leave and in some cases they were given substitute housing, the delegation said. It was important to note that not all information received from non governmental organizations was necessarily true. A lot of time was necessary for this problem to be addressed adequately. When someone illegally occupied premises, the law was directly applied and due course was taken to that effect. Angola was not an anarchic State, stressed the delegation.
It was true that measures had been taken to reduce poverty in the country and it was indeed the case that the poverty situation was severe, said the delegation.
On access to education in remote areas of the country, the delegation said that this was a major concern for the education system. The system had an open school curriculum, which meant it was adaptable to all community needs. Teacher training was being decentralized, in order for each municipality to manage. Teaching in one of the six national languages was guaranteed. The reform of the education system had started in 1995. Literacy rates posed a struggle for Angola. UNICEF noted that the situation was very serious, with the illiteracy figure at 67 per cent of the population. This figure resulted in an adult literacy campaign.
On the preservation of cultural identity, the delegation said that they had not been able to gather relevant statistics. The Government worked in partnership with civil society to publish prose and poetry in a variety of national languages.
Concluding Statements
In his concluding remarks, GEORGE REBELO CHICOTY, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Angola, thanked the Committee for allowing Angola to address the Committee. He assured the Committee that the Government took this exercise very seriously. Further significant progress was necessary, specifically in the reduction of poverty and transparency in economic, social and cultural rights in order to make the transparency visible within the institutions, especially with regards to corruption. The progress and implementation of those rights was important. Above all the next report was going to reflect the opinions and recommendations of the Committee.
PHILIPPE TEXIER, Chairman of the Committee, thanked the delegation. The Committee shared similar sentiments. Angola had shown a willingness to implement all the necessary provisions to ensure the full benefit of economic, social and cultural rights. Angola did face difficult challenges in light of the civil strife and the war which it had experienced. The Committee would provide concluding observations at the end of the following week.
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