CHILD RIGHTS COMMITTEE EXAMINES REPORTS OF UGANDA ON PROTOCOLS ON EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN AND CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today reviewed the initial reports of Uganda on how that country is implementing the provisions of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Introducing the reports of Uganda, James W. L. Kinobe, Minister of State, Youth and Children's Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of Uganda, said that significant progress had been made in the restoration of peace in the region, and the rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of children that had been abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army. To date, 25,000 children had been rescued, rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities. The Government had also strengthened the legal framework for protecting children from sexual exploitation by, among others, amending the Penal Code, the Magistrates Act, and the Trials on Indictment Act. Those amendments covered a number of important areas, including the expansion of the definition of sexual abuse to include all forms of sexual engagement of children. In addition, the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Bill 2007 had been tabled before the Parliament recently. The bill provided a robust legal framework for the protection of children from trafficking and its associated violations, and the Sexual Offences Bill comprehensively covered various sexual acts against the children was before the parliament.
In preliminary concluding observations, Committee Expert Lothar Friedrich Krappman, Rapporteur for the report on the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict, noted that concerns remained involving law enforcement issues, resources and incentives to realize the goals set forth in implementing the Optional Protocols. There had been some indication that reform was under way, but the Government had yet to adopt those reforms formally. The National Action Plan was helpful to the Committee as well as the international community, and it was hoped that it had been adopted soon.
In preliminary concluding observations on the report on the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Rosa Maria Ortíz, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for that report, said that support of family services needed to be strengthened with the necessary resources. The importance of bodies such as the National Council for Children had been noted, but the Committee remained concerned about their lack of influence within the country. Also, while legislation in line with the Protocol was a real starting point for progress, it was clear that it was insufficient to legislate against trafficking, and as such the obligations of the Optional Protocol went beyond that.
The Committee will release its formal, written concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Uganda to the Optional Protocols towards the end of its three-week session, which will conclude on Friday, 3 October.
Uganda's delegation, which presented the report, also included representatives of the Commission of Youth and Children's Affairs; the Ministry for Foreign Affairs; the Passport Control Office; the Human Rights Office; and the Ministry of Justice.
As one of the 193 States parties to the Convention and its Protocols, Uganda is obliged to present reports to the Committee on its efforts to comply with the provisions of the treaty.
When the Committee reconvenes on Wednesday, 17 September, at 10 a.m., it will begin consideration of the second periodic report of Djibouti (CRC/C/DJI/2).
Reports of Uganda
The initial report of Uganda on the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC/C/OPSC/UGA/1), presents policy initiatives, child-friendly legislation that have been enacted, programmes specifically for prevention and protection of children from sale, prostitution and pornography and the administrative and enabling environment for implementing the programmes and enforcement of laws. The review of the Children Act will also take into consideration all the Protocols, including this one, to comprehensively address the rights of children. The Constitution of Uganda in principle provides guidance on what should be in the enabling law and has therefore laid a foundation for review and reform of other laws to cater for protection of children against sexual abuse and exploitation as provided for in the Optional Protocol. Reviews have been planned including revision of the Sexual Offences Laws and the Domestic Relations Laws, and the drafting of new legislation including the Domestic Violence law. A framework document for implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the Uganda National Programme of Action for Children, aimed at translating child survival, protection and development targets into government policies and sectoral plans. Uganda now has the Poverty Eradication Action Plan as its overarching national policy framework, which has also integrated several child rights issues.
The Uganda People's Defence Forces, charged with most of the responsibility for military action, indicates that there are no children in the military forces, says the initial report of Uganda to Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (CRC/C/OPAC/UGA/1). In order to ensure that a member of the armed forces who has not attained the age of 18 years is not deployed or maintained in an area where hostility is taking place, the Government, in its revised Uganda People's Defence Forces Act, stipulated that every person who wished to be recruited into the defence forces shall first get the recommendation of his or her Village Local Council. The Act further provides that any person below the age of 18 years is not eligible for military recruitment. The report includes a review of both legislative and administrative measures taken by the Government and civil society organizations to harmonize its laws, policies and practices with the general principles and standards enshrined in Optional Protocol, and provides a comprehensive assessment of the progress in the implementation of the obligations under the Optional Protocol and difficulties encountered in doing this.
Presentation of Reports
JAMES W. L. KINOBE, Minister of State, Youth and Children Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of Uganda, introducing the reports, said that there had been significant progress in relation to the implementation of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and on the involvement of children in armed conflict, as well as the major challenges that had retarded progress.
With regard to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the most significant achievement had been in the arena of legislating a minimum age for recruitment into the armed forces and other auxiliary forces, via the Uganda People's Defence Forces Act, 2005. In addition, Mr. Kinobe noted, Uganda had opened up recruitment procedures by inviting other child-focused agencies such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children, to mention a few, to witness the process of recruitment so as to increase transparency and minimize any possibility of flouting the system to recruit children. Within the Uganda Task Forces on Monitoring and Reporting, they were also free to visit the military establishments and to verify independently the status of recruits.
The 22-year armed conflict that had ravaged northern Uganda had caused untold suffering to children, including the conscription of children into the Lord's Resistance Army ranks, Mr. Kinobe stressed. The Government of Uganda had made significant progress in the restoration of peace in the region, and the rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of children that had been abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army. That had been made possible through the establishment and operationalization of Child Protection Units within the Uganda People's Defence Forces, the Amnesty Commission and district and local government disaster committees.
Mr. Kinobe said that, to date, 25,000 children had been rescued, rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities. The Government of Uganda was still strongly committed to pursuing all feasible measures for securing lasting peace in northern Uganda.
With regard to the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the Government had strengthened the legal framework for protecting children from sexual exploitation by, among others, amending legislation, including the Penal Code, the Magistrates Act, and the Trials on Indictment Act, Mr. Kinobe observed. Those amendments covered a number of important areas, including the definition of sexual abuse – which had been expanded to include all forms of sexual engagement of children – categorization of sexual abuse, which included aggravated and non-aggravated defilement; jurisdiction – allowing chief magistrate courts to try non-aggravated defilement; sentences and penalties, such as life imprisonment for non-aggravated defilement; and compensation of victims. It also provided for procedural improvements such as the introduction of discretionary in-camera hearings and HIV tests. Overall, the legislative reforms were intended to address a number of important gaps that had been identified over the years within the legal framework on child sexual abuse.
Mr. Kinobe also drew attention to the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2007, which was currently tabled before the Parliament of Uganda. The bill provided a robust legal framework for the protection of children from trafficking and its associated violations. The Sexual Offences Bill, which comprehensively covered various sexual acts against the children, was also before the parliament.
Two key vulnerability factors that continued to undermine Government efforts in protecting children under the two Protocols had been poverty and HIV/AIDS, Mr. Kinobe said. Despite the Government's initiatives in the area of poverty reduction, a significant number of children and their families were still trapped in poverty. While children constituted 56 per cent of the population, of those 62 per cent lived below the poverty line. This forced some caretakers and children to take desperate actions for survival, in the process predisposing many children to abuse and exploitation. In the past, there had been situations where children, parents and some local authorities colluded to have children recruited into the armed forces as a means of securing a living. There were also significant links between poverty and children's vulnerability to prostitution and trafficking.
The situation in Uganda was further exacerbated by exceptionally high numbers of children affected by HIV/AIDS. With over 2 million orphans, or couples with diminishing traditional social support structures, many children had been increasingly exposed to the rigours of adult responsibilities at a very early age, Mr. Kinobe underscored.
Another challenge was the legislative load created by the 1995 Constitution, which required the review of all the existing laws to ensure their conformity, which had also in a way dictated the pace at which enactments had been concluded, Mr. Kinobe said.
The Government was aware of its primary responsibility for creating a safe and protective environment for children and was doing all that was within its means to work towards this end, Mr. Kinobe said. However, effectively dealing with these challenges required broader efforts including international cooperation and support.
Discussion on the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict
LOTHAR FRIEDRICH KRAPPMAN, the Committee Expert serving as country Rapporteur for the report of Uganda for the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, warmly welcomed the delegation for the report, and in particular the fact that the report did not deny that obstacles had been encountered which had still to be removed, but could not easily be removed, since the problems related to massive challenges in society, pervasive poverty, and to problems in the region, and military conflicts in the neighbourhood.
Regulations and measures that had been seen as highly positive steps for the implementation of the Optional Protocol included the Uganda People's Defence Forces Act of 2005, which explicitly only allowed recruitment from the age of 18; as well as the measures taken by the Authorities to urge those responsible for recruitment to strictly observe the recruitment regulations, ensuring that nobody under the age of 18 crept into the armed forces.
Among other positive facts and developments, Mr. Krappman noted that recruitment into the armed forces was on a voluntary basis; a human rights desk had been set up within the Uganda People's Defence Forces, which monitored the recruitment process; army personnel, including peacekeeping forces, were trained in human and child rights; the Ugandan Human Rights Commission played an active monitoring role in recruitment; and the Government had engaged with the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. Moreover, an Action Plan had been drafted in order to put an end to recruitment of children and the use of child soldiers.
The Committee also commended the efforts to get all the children released who remained under the control of the Lord's Resistance Army, and appreciated supportive measures and cooperation with UNICEF and non-governmental organizations which aimed at the recovery, rehabilitation and re-integration of children, boys and girls, harmed and impaired by forced recruitment and military service. In that regard, Mr Krappman welcomed the Ugandan orphans and vulnerable children policy.
Mr. Krappman noted that there was no wilful or systematic recruitment of children by the Uganda People's Defence Forces. However, there was also information that children somehow managed to be admitted to the regular army due to false evidence, mainly documents from their local community, instead of by birth certificates. According to that information, up to 10 per cent of recruits were under 18 years old. Fortunately, sources report that the number was decreasing.
In that regard, the Committee welcomed information that there was a framework in place for the national task force to carry out visits to Defence Force facilities. Since such visits began the national task force had observed that the situation with regard to Defence Force recruitment had improved. Mr. Krappman noted that an official agreement on task force visits to Defence Force facilities was still pending and encouraged Uganda to conclude this as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the Committee had been informed that the Action Plan developed within the framework of Security Council resolution 1612 (on a monitoring and reporting mechanism regarding the use of child soldiers) had not yet been adopted, and Mr. Krappman regretted the statement in Uganda's reply to the list of issues that such an Action Plan was no longer relevant. The Committee encouraged Uganda to adopt the Action Plan in order to demonstrate its commitment to eliminate all child recruitment in a sustainable manner.
With regard to legal standards, the Committee noted information that Uganda was in the process of reforming its Penal Code Act in order to criminalize the recruitment of children into armed forces. The Committee underlined the importance that such a provision be incorporated into the Penal Code as a matter of urgency.
Furthermore, the low birth registration and a related issue, the lack of qualified statistical data, remained additional concerns of the Committee, Mr. Krappman underscored. Further information was requested on plans to fill the enormous registration gaps and to establish a better statistical system that also included numbers about the child soldier problem.
Lastly, Mr. Krappman said that he was informed that very often parents urged their children to apply for recruitment, and that they organized the false documents. Had these parents been aware of the implications of their actions? Did campaigns exist which taught parents what the law stipulated, what the Optional Protocol required, and what the best interests of the child were?
Committee Experts then raised a questions and asked for clarifications on a number of topics, including the Governments' views on amnesty; the problem of illegal recruitment for local defence units, and whether all such units had been demobilised and dismantled; whether night-commuter phenomenon still existed, where children had to leave their unsafe communities at night to avoid abduction into armed groups; and more information on the Human Rights Desk in the Uganda People's Defence Forces, in particular whether it was independent and what its functions were.
Experts also asked what had the Government done to disseminate the Protocol in the Government and Armed Forces, and what training had been initiated for professionals in the field of recruitment. Had the Protocol been translated into local languages? And what mechanisms had been put in place to ensure that arms sold by Uganda were not sold to groups or Governments that recruited child soldiers?
Further details were asked on the budgetary allocations for the implementation of the Optional Protocol; on what international assistance Uganda had received so far in implementing related actions; and why there was no specific training provided to judges, prosecutors or doctors, as stated in the replies.
An Expert stressed the critical necessity for peace education in Uganda and the wider region. Uganda was urged to play a leading role in that regard. The information received by the Committee indicated that it was not a component of the curricula at all levels of education in Uganda. An Expert suggested that Uganda take a tripartite approach to solve the problems Uganda was experiencing which included focus on: birth registration, education, and a comprehensive poverty alleviation targeting marginalized areas.
Response by Delegation
On the current state of the recruitment exercise in Uganda, the delegation said that it was transparent and free. Children that had been recruited through conscription had been released. Recruitment of children in the armed forces was not an issue in the country and the Ugandan Government did not restrict visits to armed forces areas, but required prior warning for visits. The Government of Uganda was moving to professionalize its armed forces, with the introduction of required certification of education which addressed the issue of age.
Regarding concerns on the peace agreement, the delegation said that Uganda was totally committed to peace and justice. One positive aspect of the peace talks had been the creation and integration of a war crimes division within the judiciary.
Concerning the rights of children and specifically the most vulnerable children, the delegation said that assistance was made available through programmes which had been aimed at the family. Those programmes were also challenged by limited resources, and as such progress was slow but under way.
On the abduction of children and the concern raised with regard to night commuters, the delegation said that that phenomenon did not exist anymore. Further, the borders of the country had been secured by the Armed Forces.
The Uganda People's Defence Forces had established a Human Rights Commission (formerly called the Human Rights Desk), the delegation said. The Commission was responsible for monitoring, investigation and reporting of human rights violations in Uganda. The Commission was independent under Ugandan law, and as such was not subject to the direction or control of any person within the Government. The Commission was supposed to act as a watchdog for human rights violations committed by the institutions of the Government of Uganda as well as individual Ugandan citizens. It had the power to order legal remedy or redress for victims, including child victims, of such violations. It was responsible for the dissemination of information on human rights and to disseminate information about child rights, to establish programmes and to undertake research to establish better practices. It was also an investigative body and had the power of the high court to call someone to appear before it or even produce documents.
Unfortunately, the Optional Protocol had not been translated into the more than 10 local languages, the delegation said. Uganda did not have one official language. However, in partnership with civil society, the Government was engaged in outreach programmes through the media, and also with the Ministry of Gender, as an effort to access more funding to improve that situation.
Everyone in the country had been granted amnesty, said the delegation, with the exception of those who had committed very serious crimes. With the case of the Lord's Resistance Army and its five commanders, their cases were not part of the amnesty law. Many children had grown up during the rebellion, and as such were not looked at as offenders but rather as victims. That was one reason why the Government of Uganda took a case-by-case approach in judging amnesty.
With regard to the question on the sale of arms to insurgent groups who recruited children, the delegation said that did not happen. There were measures taken to keep that from happening.
Discussion on the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
ROSA MARIA ORTIZ, the Committee Expert serving as country Rapporteur for the report of Uganda under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, said that, given the problem of poverty in Uganda, children had been looking for employment in other places. That had led to the migration of children seeking employment who had found once they arrived they were subject to domestic labour exploitation or sexual exploitation or had been driven to prostitution. Those children, when it came to dealing with their family or clan, were ashamed of the situation they found themselves in, as were their parents, perpetuating the cover up of the issues and the particular situation of the children affected.
Information indicated that, in 2007, a total of 91 children had been trafficked to Sudan, Ms. Ortiz said. In 2006, the number was enormous, with 20,000 children trafficked. There was a lack of knowledge and information in this area, in particular on a quantitative and qualitative level.
Ms. Ortiz said that many girls had left school because they did not see it as necessary to attend, and the offer to work was more attractive, which in many cases resulted in those girls working in prostitution. Boys had been traditionally used in the construction sphere, or for general labour. HIV orphans, some 20,000 of them, were also an at-risk population for violations under the Protocol.
With regard to Uganda's legal framework, Ms. Ortiz noted that the Government had ratified all the African human rights instruments, as well as the International Labour Organization treaties, in this area. With the ratification of the Optional Protocol, it was suggested that it could be used as a framework for legislation to protect boys and girls from exploitation in all kinds of ways. In that connection, the reform bill in this area had been pending ever since 2006, and it was wondered what was holding up action on it. More information was also requested on the Criminal Law reform and the reported reform of the law on minors.
It was necessary to have a national plan of action, Ms. Ortiz underscored. It was urgent that Uganda adopt such a plan immediately.
Ms. Ortiz also asked how the National Council worked to prevent the sale of children and whether it had the necessary resources to prevent that problem.
Concerning commercial sexual exploitation, Ms. Ortiz had reports that girls were extremely afraid of the police, as in many cases the police had sexually abused victims seeking their help.
Committee Experts then raised a number of concerns and asked questions on a number of topics including on the effective coordination by the various actors in the country on the Optional Protocol; the status of the ratification of the pertinent Hague Conventions (on adoption); reports of children being sold for ritual killings or of their organs being used in such rituals; and whether a bill on the prevention of trafficking addressed the criminalization of the sale of children.
There were real gender problems in the implementation of the Optional Protocol, an Expert noted. More than twice as many female child victims attended drop-in centres, with 552 girls and 181 boys registered. In that connection, were women represented in the Council of Elders or the local community systems involved in helping child victims to reintegrate into their communities?
Other questions concerned prevention measures to slow down migration flows; whether there were rehabilitation programmes for the perpetrators; whether the child bill encompassed the two Optional Protocols; whether the poverty reduction programmes in Uganda addressed children as a priority; and whether their were training programmes for professionals related to the Optional Protocols.
Response by Delegation
With adoption of the Constitution of 1995, a full review of legislation had been conducted, the delegation said. As such, some bills had taken a long time to be processed, and in the meantime new areas have emerged. For example the Children's Act had yet to be adopted, and since that process had taken time the bill on trafficking had emerged.
The Government of Uganda was in the process of adopting a National Plan of Action and hoped to finalize it within a month's time, the delegation confirmed.
It was true that the National Council for Children was not performing to its maximum capacity due to limited resources, the delegation agreed. The Government was focused on strengthening capacity within rather than creating new sources of resources. The National Council for Children had been created to coordinate and monitor all issues pertaining to children under the National Council for Children Statute of 1996. After wide consultations with stakeholders, there had been consensus to restructure the National Council for Children to make it financially independent and more autonomous, so that it could provide proper coordination, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes relating to the survival, development and protection of children rights. Its membership included, among others, the Ministries of Finance, Health, Natural Resources and Environment and Education. The National Council for Children had legal powers, and the power to monitor, evaluate and make recommendations. It was composed of a secretariat, Secretary-General, Counsellors, a Chairperson, five persons of integrity, representatives of relevant ministries, and civil society members.
On whether child protection units in the police were effective, the delegation said that given the history of security forces within in the country fear of the police force was a given. However, that was no longer the case as measures had been taken to address the issue of victims fearing the police force.
The Human Rights Commission's budget was generated by the Commission and subsequently submitted to Parliament, and approved without debate, the delegation said.
As for awareness-raising and sexual education, a number of programmes targeted children outside the school system, and provided education on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, noted the delegation.
The Government had taken steps to slow down migration flows, the delegation said. Rural to urban migration flows, even in the case of adults, was a new trend in Uganda, and challenges existed in combating it. On migration beyond the country's borders, the Government had imposed strict regulations with respect to travel documents required, which included a parent's involvement in proving where children were going.
A mechanism was also in place to ensure that, once children had been transported across the border, the Border Officers could retrieve the children, and could impose a fine on the people bringing them in. For example, with Sudan, the Government deployed officers at all entry points and had been able to return children to their point of origin, the delegation said.
As a matter of prevention, all children entering the country had been recorded with immigration services, which ensured the monitoring of the activities of the children. Furthermore, the Ugandan labour laws criminalized employers who used children for the purpose of engaging in exploitative acts. The Penal Code also played a vital role in the prevention of sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
The National Council for Children was at the centre of coordinating the responses submitted to the Committee. The representative of the National Council for Children was not able to obtain a visa to attend the meeting and that was the reason the Council was not represented. Moreover, the delegation noted that the National Council and the Ministry of Gender did not compete in the scope of their mandates.
The majority of programmes available for disadvantaged children took a holistic approach in dealing with the needs of the children. If for whatever reason one organisation was unable to handle all the needs of the children, a referral was made. A helpline had been set-up to improve on the reporting procedure of offences under the protocol as they happened. As for the offenders, if minors, the juvenile system took care of both the punishment and the rehabilitation aspect of their cases, the delegation said.
With respect to the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption, the delegation said that there was a negative stigma attached to such adoptions within the country. However, strategies had been implemented to work with civil society to reverse that stigma. The proposal for the ratification of the Convention was before Parliament, and the Government hoped that before it was ratified the people would have a better understanding of the implications of such an action and the steps entailed.
The delegation said that, unfortunately the Councils of Elders in the communities were not gender balanced. Despite that, it would be recommended that the Council of Elders become more gender balanced.
Non-governmental organizations had not received funding by the Government, said the delegation, but in some cases where the Government had engaged in joint projects with those organisations, creating partnerships that enjoyed shared responsibility and resources.
The Childrens' Act was under review, said the delegation, and in the process the Government had realized that some protections were better served under other acts which provided a more comprehensive approach. Therefore, the planned Trafficking in Persons Act would comprehensively address the aspect of trafficking in children, and as result it was not necessary to include a section on trafficking in children in the Childrens' Act.
The birth and death registration act had been included on the Government's agenda. For example, education institutions required birth registration for enrolment; this was also the case with a number of other institutions and social services. The municipalities were responsible for issuing those certificates. The practice had yet to catch up with the legal framework, said the delegation. It was crime under law if a child did not retain a birth certificate; however, the Government was not aggressive in enforcing it, as it was trying to encourage this.
On the training of professionals, there was no specific training currently available in Uganda, said the delegation. However, with a number of partners a manual had been created to help professionals respond to child victims.
Preliminary Concluding Observations
LOTHAR FRIEDRICH KRAPPMAN, Committee Expert serving as Rapporteur for the report on the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, thanked the delegation for the responses to the Committee questions, which gave insight to how the challenges had been met and how they would be met. Some concerns remained, however. Often it was a question of law enforcement, resources and incentives to realize the goals set forth in implementing the Optional Protocols. There had been some indication that reform was under way, but the Government had yet to formally adopt those reforms. The Uganda People's Defence Forces should reject some applicants if reasonable doubt had not been over come as to their age. The National Action Plan was helpful to the Committee, as well as the international community, and it was hoped that it would be adopted soon. Generally, the Committee regarded justice as a means to reconciliation and peace. A traditional reconciliation system was presented, and it was hoped that both systems could be used in mutually supportive ways. It was also taken into account that child recruitment and other child crimes found international attention and needed international assistance. That would be kept in mind and would be requested by the Committee.
ROSA MARIA ORTIZ, Committee Expert serving as Rapporteur for the report on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, thanked the delegation for all the time spent with the Committee and had given a clearer picture of the efforts undertaken within the country with a view of implementing the Optional Protocol. The sale of children was addressed at different levels, one being the family level, which was one of great importance. The support of family services needed to be strengthened with the necessary resources. The importance of bodies such as the National Council for Children had been noted, but the Committee remained concerned about their lack of influence within the country. The Committee understood the importance and value of local communities and the elders' structure; because of forced migration due to poverty and the responsibilities of the elders to support paternity was equally important. The Government needed to look at more specific priorities of these communities in the municipal framework. Comments on the need to register births had been voiced by the Committee. Birth registration should be mandatory, but also accessible geographically and financially. It was heard that some county's charged for these services; it was important that that service be free across the country.
Ms. Oritz recommended that Uganda work with neighbouring States to be more effective in addressing migration. Universal primary education was also emphasized, as well as a focus on girls. Legislation in line with the Protocol was a real starting point for progress. It was clear, however, that it was insufficient to legislate against trafficking, and as such the obligations of the Optional Protocol went beyond that. The recommendations of the Committee would be the outcome of the frank dialogue they had had with the delegation, for which she thanked them.
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