Chapter Eight
Special Protection Measures
Articles (23) (25) of the Charter
A- Children Refugees, Returnees and IDPs:
The legal aspect of Sudan’s policy towards refugees is based on the international and
regional instruments regulating refugees’ issues. Child refugees are treated according to
the provisions of the UN Covenant of 1951 and its protocol of 1976 and the OAU
convention of refugees, 1969. With regards to national legislations there is the Refugee
Organization Act, 1974 which provided in Article 7 the commitment of the Sudan to all
its obligations contained in the international and regional instruments regulating the
affairs of refugees in the country. The same Act included in Article 2 an addition to the
definition of refugee not mentioned in the above international and regional instruments of
1951 and 1969 provided for the rights of unaccompanied children to have special
treatment and special protection.
Cooperation between the Commission of Refugees (COR) and UNHCR through the local
UNHCR in Sudan and other international stakeholders in taking measures to provide the
necessary protection to refugees including the provision of basic services in refugee
camps such as shelter, food and non-food assistance, water, basic education and health
services.
Urban refugees and their children do not enjoy the services offered to camp refugees.
There is a small segment of urban refugees in Khartoum state. Services to this group is
provided under the supervision of (COR) and financed by the UNHCR. Child refugees
are provided with IDs and other documents according to the provisions of the law. Their
treatment in this regard is similar to that of citizens. Adoption of child refugee is dealt
with according to national and international legal criteria and according to the beliefs of
the refugee under the supervision of UNHCR and (COR).
Within the context of sharing responsibilities between the international community and
the host country special villages for orphan child refugees were established in the area of
Abu Rakham where children were grouped according to nationality and beliefs. These
children enjoy the same services offered to the Sudanese children of the host states as the
villages do have maternity and pediatric care, registration of newborn, free birth
certificate and vaccination, compulsory basic education. The ration of children to women
is 4:5.
Services Offered to Child Refugee in Camps in the States of Red Sea, Kassala,
Gadaref, Sinnar and Gezira in 2008:
1- Education: the number of pupils in basic level schools in the refugee camps was
7,565, of whom 1,556 were Sudanese and 6,007 were refugees. Girls were 3,679 and
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