UN CRC Publishes Findings On Ecuador, Eritrea, Gambia, Honduras, Peru, Saint Kitts And Nevis, & Slovakia

GENEVA (6 February 2025) - The UN Child Rights Committee (CRC) today issued its findings on Ecuador, Eritrea, the Gambia, Honduras, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Slovakia, after reviewing the seven States parties during its latest session.

The findings contain the Committee’s main concerns and recommendations on implementing the Child Rights Convention, as well as positive aspects. Key highlights include:

Ecuador
The Committee remained seriously concerned about gender-based violence in the social, educational and family spheres, where adolescent victims outnumber those in other age groups. It also voiced deep concern regarding underreported cases of child sexual abuse by professionals and within the Catholic Church, as well as the alarming rate of impunity that creates distrust in institutions and normalises violence. The Committee urged Ecuador to reinforce policies and plans to prevent and combat all forms of violence against children and strengthen the Comprehensive National System for the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women. It also called for prompt reporting and investigation of child abuse, including sexual and online abuse, as well as the setting up of an independent Truth Commission to investigate sexual abuse cases involving Catholic Church clergy.

The Committee expressed alarm over the rising violent homicides and disappearances of children. It urged Ecuador to address the deaths of children, particularly in military operations, and to ensure proper investigation, prosecution, and justice. It also called for an investigation into the killing of four Afro-Ecuadorian children in Guayaquil in December 2024, prosecute and convict the perpetrators, as well as implement measures to guarantee no repetition and adequate reparations for the victims.

Eritrea
Concerned that child marriage remains legal, and that female genital mutilation is still practised throughout the country, the Committee urged Eritrea to take measures to prohibit all marriages of individuals under the age of 18, without exception. It also asked the State party to address the root causes and raise public awareness of the harmful effects of child marriage and female genital mutilation, to ensure accountability in accordance with the law, and to reinforce protection, medical, psychosocial, and rehabilitative services for both victims and potential victims.

The Committee was concerned that the Transitional Penal Code continues to treat children above the age of 15 as adults, while the minimum age of criminal responsibility remains at 12 under both the amended Transitional Penal Code and the 2015 Penal Code. It urged the State party to take legislative measures to fully align its child justice system with the Convention and other relevant standards, such as raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 and ensuring that the child justice system applies to all children under the age of 18 who are above the minimum age of criminal responsibility at the time of the commission of the offence.

The Gambia
The Committee expressed deep concern over statistics revealing that nearly 90 percent of children in the Gambia had been subjected to various forms of violence. It highlighted the vulnerability of girls and children with disabilities to such violence. Additionally, the Committee underscored the serious issue of sexual exploitation and abuse, both online and in the context of travel and tourism. It urged the Gambia to enforce legislation to protect children from all forms of violence. It called for strengthening the capacity of the protection system to identify and respond to cases of violence. Additionally, the Committee emphasized the importance of mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect, recommending the designation of focal points in communities, schools, Madrassas / Majalis (Qur’anic schools and learning centres), and care settings to receive such reports.

The Committee stated its concern over barriers to universal primary education, including limited preschool access, inadequate infrastructure, particularly gender- and disability-friendly water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and educational quality in rural areas. It also noted low secondary school completion and proficiency rates, gaps in Madrassa/Majalis education, and high dropout rates driven by early marriage, pregnancy, child labour, financial constraints, and remoteness. The Committee recommended equal access to quality primary and secondary education, particularly for girls, children with disabilities, and those in remote areas. It also called for aligning Madrassa/Majalis education with the national curriculum and supporting students' transition to mainstream schools. Additionally, it emphasized addressing dropout causes and assisting pregnant adolescents and young mothers in continuing their education through re-entry and second-chance programs.

Honduras
The Committee remained deeply concerned about widespread violence against children, gaps in implementing the National Policy for Prevention of Violence against Children and Adolescents, unclear institutional mandates, high impunity rates, and insufficient services and coordination to support child victims. It urged Honduras to ensure the effective implementation, monitoring, and financing of the National Policy for the Prevention of Violence. It also called for preventive measures at the family and community levels to detect and address violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation early, along with child-friendly reporting mechanisms. Recognizing the harmful impact of gang violence on children’s rights, the Committee recommended comprehensive strategies that go beyond penal measures to address social factors that drive children into gangs, and to help children leave gangs and reintegrate into society.

The Committee remained deeply concerned about the widespread forced recruitment and gender-based violence by maras and local gangs, which disproportionately impact children and drive internal displacement. It urges the State party to prevent and protect children from forced recruitment and gender-based violence perpetrated by criminal actors by addressing root causes and risk factors, identifying potential victims, strengthening institutional responses, and implementing comprehensive public policies that consider children’s specific needs.

Peru
The Committee was highly concerned about the slow evolution of social norms on violence against children and the alarmingly high rates of abuse, particularly sexual violence affecting Indigenous and rural children. It highlighted the widespread family and school-based sexual violence in Condorcanqui and the Amazonas region. It asked Peru to develop targeted strategies to combat high levels of sexual violence against children, particularly girls in rural areas. It called for intensified support in Condorcanqui to address the alarming abuse of Indigenous children, including prevention programs, access to healthcare, and justice through Indigenous language interpreters. Additionally, it underscored the need for prompt reporting and investigation of child abuse cases using a child-friendly, multisectoral approach to prevent revictimisation, ensure perpetrators are prosecuted, and provide reparations to victims.

The Committee was deeply concerned about the lack of comprehensive sexual education, limited access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, and alarming rates of forced teenage pregnancy, including among very young girls. It also underlined the high maternal mortality rates among girls and restricted access to abortion and therapeutic abortion. It urged Peru to adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents and integrate sexual education into the mandatory curriculum with a focus on preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. It called for confidential, child-friendly reproductive health services, including contraceptive access. It also recommended that the State party decriminalise abortion in cases involving child pregnancies, and take effective measures to reduce maternal mortality among adolescent girls.

Saint Kitts and Nevis
Concerning the sharp rise in reported child violence cases, the Committee recommended that the State party update the strategy to prevent and combat child abuse, including corporal punishment, and adopt a national action plan. It also suggested that the State party effectively implement the Domestic Violence Complaints and Response Protocol, finalise the National Protection Protocol, and ensure mandatory reporting of all forms of violence. These include establishing accessible focal points, a toll-free helpline or website, and raising awareness on early intervention. Additionally, all child abuse cases should be promptly investigated using a child-friendly, multisectoral approach to prevent re-victimisation, ensure perpetrators are prosecuted, and provide reparations to victims.

The Committee stated its concern about the limited availability of age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health services and education. It recommended that the State party adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents and integrate sexual and reproductive health education into the mandatory school curriculum. It highlighted that sexual education should specifically focus on preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

Slovakia
The Committee expressed concern over the high rates of institutionalisation of children with disabilities, limited support for them and their families, inadequate financial aid, and insufficient social services, including respite care for caregivers. It recommended that Slovakia update its deinstitutionalisation strategy and action plan, adopting a multisectoral approach to address the diverse needs of children and families. This should focus on preventing institutionalisation and ensuring access to appropriate, inclusive services for children with all types of disabilities.

The Committee was concerned about the ongoing segregation of Roma children in education and their disproportionate placement in special education institutions. It called for urgent measures to integrate Roma children from special schools and classes into mainstream education and to allocate adequate resources for desegregation initiatives. The Committee noted with concern that, despite legal prohibitions, foreign families with children are still detained in poor, prison-like conditions, lacking proper access to education, healthcare, and essential services. It asked Slovakia to end the detention of families with children and implement non-custodial alternatives for asylum-seeking and refugee families.

The above findings, officially named Concluding Observations, are now available on the session page.

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