-
Education Zones (PEZs) in the North and East Regions, where the girls' enrolment rate
is still below 50%;
the development of inclusive education programmes encompassing all categories of
vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
Other measures were taken in favour of certain categories of children, especially children
with disabilities and those from vulnerable groups. These measures have been outlined in
the section of the report dealing with such children.
On analysis, great progress has been made in the management, promotion and protection
of social rights of children in general, particularly, those of the girl child and vulnerable
children.
However, some social and cultural constraints hinder the effective implementation of these
measures, especially, continuous corruption in some schools and hospitals that are
struggling to comply with the principles of free primary education and treatment of simple
malaria for children of 0-5 years and the insufficient resources allocated for government
departments in charge of child promotion and protection of the child.
In order to remedy the above-mentioned difficulties, the Government plans to strengthen
strategies such as:
- improving on the capacities of various stakeholders in order to eliminate
discriminatory and dehumanizing practices against girls;
- intensifying the fight against corruption within schools and hospitals;
- educating, informing and raising awareness amongst families, educators and
communities, on the need to respect children’s rights;
- allocating additional resources for the ministries in charge of child promotion and
protection;
- organising paid holiday jobs for children of school-going age, especially girls;
- awarding scholarships to girls who have performed well in official examinations;
- intensifying advocacy and raising awareness on Education For All (EFA).
b) Best Interest of the Child(Art.4)
As recommended in Article 4, Cameroon has taken significant administrative and judicial
measures to protect the best interests of the child, particularly:
- setting up social action services in police stations, courts, health services,
prisons and indigenous communities; and there are nearly 125 throughout the
country;
- taking into account the views of the assessors during hearings involving minors
facing the law;
- giving free legal assistance to minors facing the law.
Some effort is still being made by Cameroon for the protection of the best interests of the
child, through the strengthening of institutional capacities to promote and protect the rights
of the child.
Conversely, the disparity between the tasks assigned to the promotion and protection
structures for the above-mentioned rights of the child, and the human, financial and
material resources, hinders the attainment of desired objectives.
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