CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE 355. Abuse, which unfortunately is a serious world-health problem, also affects many Algerian children. An abusive situation is considered one in which the child is a victim of physical violence, mental cruelty, neglect or institutional violence affecting his or her physical and/or psychological development. The suffering of the child remains unseen and is not reported because it takes place within a family or institutional context where corporal punishment is used indiscriminately as an educational tool. Other gross violations of the physical and moral integrity of the child, such as paedophilia and incest, are concealed and considered taboo. The Algerian authorities are aware of these problems: “Sexual violence, incest and paedophilia are scourges that exist and are assuming alarming proportions in certain cases, even if our society wishes to hide them at all costs. We must be united in our efforts to protect our children. If not, it is our future which will be compromised...”. 10 356. According to experts, these practices, which claim many victims, constitute a significant factor in the development of violent behaviour. The CRM noted the absence of legislation prescribing the obligation to report cases of violence, subject to legal sanction in the case of failure to do so, and of preventative measures and systems whereby victims are heard, as well as therapeutic and social mediation systems. Certain members of the National Governing Council also requested the implementation of a mechanism of intervention that would enable decisions to be made rapidly each time a case of an abused child in moral or physical danger is reported by an entity representing children, acting on the basis of the Code for the Protection of Children. This Code is currently being examined by the Cabinet. 357. Stakeholders have witnessed situations of extreme poverty in certain families, particularly where the mothers of the children are divorced. These children, thrown onto the street without homes or resources, are forced to abandon school and work regardless of their young age. They are exposed to begging and all manner of social ills such as sexual exploitation and drug abuse. (See the Comments by the Committee for Children‟s Rights of 12 October 2005.) Such abject poverty is also an obstacle to the schooling of children, as the opinion survey revealed. In fact, 30 per cent of the interviewees admitted to knowing, or to have known, children who are unschooled for lack of financial means. 358. According to the CSAR and the UNICEF, the number of learners dropping out of school has increased. UNICEF cites a 30 per cent learner drop-out rate for primary school programmes. The rate in Algerian schools is high, with approximately 500 000 learners dropping out per annum. The causes are to be found in the schools themselves because of the many deficiencies in the educational system. Violence in educational establishments, which the CRM 10 Comment made by Mrs. Messaoudène, representative of the Director-General of National Security, at the seminar organised by the Directorate-General of Penitentiary Administration on “Juvenile court judges and taking care of children in moral danger”, reported by the newspaper El Watan on 20 April 2005. 117