United Nations Convention against organized transnational crime, aimed at
preventing, repressing and punishing slavery, in particular that of women and
children.
467. Tunisia also participated in the World Summit on Children, held in
September 1990, which adopted a universal Declaration on « the survival of the
child, its protection and its development » as well as a strategy for the application
of this Declaration.
Tunisia, moreover, participated in the 27th Special Session of the General
Assembly on Children which held its meeting in New York from 8 to 10 May 2002.
The final document which issued from the said Session, comprised a Declaration
and an Action Plan which were testimony of the committment of the international
community to found a world which guarantees children the right to development.
468. Law n° 95-92 of 9th November 1995, relative to the publication of the Child
Protection Code, springs from a new ethic according to which the child, because
of its physical and moral fragility, has a claim on the entire society. According to
its Article 1, this Code aims notably at « registering the rights of the child to
safeguard and protection in the context of the major national options, which made
human rights noble ideals orienting Tunisia’s will and allowing it to develop its
realities as well as accede to a better life in conformity with human values ».
469. Tunisian legislation regulated child labour in order to protect them from
exploitation. Besides the provisions contained in the Labour Code governing child
labour, law n° 2005-32 of 4th April 2005, amending law n° 65-25 of 1st July 1965,
relative to the situation of domestic servants, was introduced to strengthen the
rights of the child in this respect. In effect, Article 2 (new) of the said law
proclaims that « the employing of children aged less than 16 years as domestic
servants » is prohibited.
470. The access to free education is re-affirmed by Article 4 of the orientation law
n° 2002-80 of 23rd July 2002 relative to education and schooling which stipulates
that « the State guarantees the right to free education in the public schools » and
this at all the levels of the school cycle. The compulsory nature of education is
guaranteed by Article 20 of this law which proclaims that « no pupil aged less
than 16 can be definitively barred from all the public schools except on the
decision of the Minister responsible for Education and after his appearance
before the Educational Council for serious misdemeanor ».
471. Concrete measures have been taken to guarantee the effective enjoyment of
this right for all children, with respect for equity and equal opportunities. In this
regard, the State gives assistance to pupils from low income families. This
assistance covers several aspects such as the provision of boarding schools and
school canteens for the pupils, the distribution of text books and school material
on a free basis as well as the granting of study scholarships.
472. From another perspective and in relation to apprenticeship and professional
training and in concretization of the appeal contained in Article 28 of the
Convention relative to the rights of the Child and of Convention n° 143 of the
International Labour Organization, Tunisia promulgated a series of laws under the
numbers 93-10, 93-11 and 93-12 date 17 February 1993 which aim at
strengthening the role of apprenticeship and professional training in the
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