Convention on the Rights of the Child
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UNITED NATIONS CRC Distr. Convention on the Rights GENERAL of the Child CRC/C/FRA/4 21 February 2008 ENGLISH Original: FRENCH COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE CONVENTION Third and fourth periodic reports of States Parties due in 2007 FRANCE *, ** [11 September 2007] * In accordance with the information given to States Parties on the preparation of their reports, this document has not been reviewed by the Editing Section before transmission to the translation services of the United Nations. ** For the initial report submitted by the French Government, see document CRC/C/3/Add.15 and Corr.1; for the Committee’s consideration of the report, see documents CRC/C/SR.139 to 141; and for its final observations, see document CRC/C/15/Add.20; for the second periodic report, see document CRC/C/65/Add.2; for the Committee’s consideration of the report, see documents CRC/C/SR.967 and 968; and for its final observations, see document CRC/C/15/Add.240. GE.08-40766 (EXT) CRC/C/FRA/4 page 2 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………….. 1 - 4 4 I. GENERAL MEASURES OF IMPLEMENTATION .................. 5 - 123 5 A. Implementation of the Convention ....................................... 5 - 13 5 B. The mechanisms in place to supervise the implementation of the convention and to coordinate action in support of children ................................................................................. 14 - 49 6 C. The French context ............................................................... 50 - 80 13 D. New measures to strengthen the implementation of the Convention.. .......................................................................... 81 - 112 18 E. Measures taken by France to make the rights of the child better known ................................................................ 113 - 123 23 II. DEFINITION OF THE CHILD AND PROCEDURAL RIGHTS 124 - 143 25 A. Minimum legal age of marriage ............................................ 124 - 127 25 B. Minimum age of criminal responsibility .............................. 128 - 130 25 C. Legal aid ............................................................................... 131 - 136 26 D. Access to rights ..................................................................... 137 - 143 27 III. GENERAL PRINCIPLES ............................................................ 144 - 197 28 A. Non-discrimination (art. 2) ................................................... 144 - 168 28 B. The best interests of the child (art. 40) ................................. 169 - 177 32 C. Respect for the opinions of the child (art. 12) ...................... 178 - 197 33 IV. FREEDOMS AND CIVIL RIGHTS ............................................ 198 - 271 36 A. Name, nationality and the right to know one’s parents (art. 7) .................................................................................... 198 - 231 36 B. Access to the media and the protection of children (art. 17 and 18) ...................................................................... 232 - 255 41 C. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion (art. 14) ......... 256 - 264 46 D. Freedom of association and peaceful assembly (art. 15) ...... 265 - 271 47 V. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND ALTERNATIVE CARE ...... 272 - 374 48 A. Parental guidance and responsibilities (arts. 5 and 18 para. 1) .......................................................... 272 - 276 48 B. Children separated from or deprived of their family environment (arts. 9 and 20) ................................................. 277 - 311 49 C. Family reunification (art. 10) ................................................ 312 - 318 54 D. Recovery of maintenance (art. 27 para. 4) ............................ 319 - 323 55 E. Adoption (art. 21) ................................................................. 324 - 345 56 F. Illicit transfer and non-return (art. 11) .................................. 346 - 355 59 G. Abuse and Neglect (art.19) ................................................... 356 - 364 60 H. Periodic review of “placement” (art. 25) .............................. 365 - 374 62 CRC/C/FRA/4 page 3 Paragraphs Page VI. HEALTH AND WELFARE ........................................................ 375 - 509 63 A. Development and standard of living (art. 6 para. 2 and art. 27) ............................................................................ 375 - 418 63 B. Disabled children (art. 23) .................................................... 419 - 428 70 C. Health and health services (art. 24) ...................................... 429 - 485 72 D. The right to social security (art. 26) ...................................... 486 -509 81 VII. EDUCATION, LEISURE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES ..... 510 - 538 85 A. Education, including vocational training and guidance (art. 28) ................................................................................. 511 - 522 85 B. Aims of education (art. 29) ................................................... 523 - 525 87 C. Leisure, recreation and cultural activities (art. 31) ............... 526 - 538 88 VIII. SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR THE CARE OF MINORS ........... 539 - 664 90 A. Unaccompanied foreign minors (art. 22) .............................. 539 - 572 90 B. Children in conflict with the law (art. 40 and art. 3 paras. a-d) .............................................................................. 573 - 615 96 C. Children in situations of exploitation (art. 39) ...................... 616 - 663 104 D. Children belonging to a minority or an indigenous group (art. 30) .................................................................................. 664 111 ANNEXES I. The rights of the child in overseas France ............................................................... 112 II. The French approach to the issue of minorities ....................................................... 189 III. Applicability of the Convention on the rights of the child ...................................... 196 IV. Integrating young people into society and working life .......................................... 201 V. Inter-country adoption ............................................................................................. 204 VI. Combating forced marriages ................................................................................... 206 VII. Female sexual mutilation ......................................................................................... 208 VIII. The enforceable right to housing ............................................................................. 211 IX. The function of adolescent centres .......................................................................... 214 X. Minors who offend .................................................................................................. 217 CRC/C/FRA/4 page 4 INTRODUCTION 1. France signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child (the Convention), adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 20 November 1989, on 26 January 1990 and ratified it without delay on 7 August 1990. In 1993, it submitted a very detailed initial report on follow- up to the Convention, which was considered by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (the Committee) a year later, on 25 April 1994. A second periodic report, prepared in 2002, was considered on 2 June 2004. On conclusion of this consideration, the Committee invited France, exceptionally, to present its third and fourth periodic reports jointly in a single document not exceeding 120 pages by 5 September 2007. 2. In accordance with the general instructions on periodic reports, the object of this new report is not to reiterate in its entirety information already given, but to set out developments in domestic law and practice since the second periodic report and to bring up to date the data previously submitted. This report also contains information about action taken in respect of the Committee’s final observations of 30 June 2004. 3. In this connection, the French Government draws the Committee’s attention to the section of this report devoted, for the first time, exclusively to measures relating to the implementation of the Convention in the Overseas Départements and Territories.1 In order to respond to the Committee’s expectations as well as possible, and in the interests of precision and coherence, it seemed preferable to include this information in a separate section, rather than to disperse it throughout the body of the report. Presenting it in this way has made it possible to adapt the form of the report to cover the particular issues that arise in relation to the overseas populations and the information that it has been relevant and practical to provide about them. 4. This report brings together contributions from the ministries concerned with the application of the Convention. The Government has also taken account of observations from the Children’s Ombudsman, from the National Consultative Commission for Human Rights (CNCDH), which includes representatives of non-governmental organizations and organizations and associations concerned with general medical practice and the defence of the rights of the child, and from the High Authority to Combat Discrimination and Promote Equality (HALDE). 1 Annex I CRC/C/FRA/4 page 5 I. GENERAL MEASURES OF IMPLEMENTATION A. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION 5. When it considered the second periodic report, the Committee repeated its invitation to France to withdraw its reservation