Committee appreciates the adoption of the Proclamation on Ethiopian Nationality
and recommends for the prevention of statelessness and granting nationality for
abandoned children whose nationality is not known. The Committee refers to its
General Comment No. 2 on article 6 of the Charter for the better implementation
of the right to name, nationality and birth registration.
On freedom of expression, access to appropriate information, freedom of
thought, conscience and religion
20. The Committee welcomes the children’s parliaments as a forum for expression,
however, doubts their effectiveness. It encourages the State Party to build the
capacity of the parliaments, consider their view in policy making and involve them
in the execution process. In addition, children should be accorded with the
opportunity to access information in their own language. Specifically, children in
rural areas do not have access to information in their own language. The
Committee thus calls upon the State Party to provide the necessary information,
including information relating to their rights under this Charter, to children in all
areas in their own language using all feasible mediums of communication.
21. The Committee recommends for children to be provided with freedom of thought
and religion. The Government should create a balance between parental
responsibility and freedom of children to thought, conscience and religion..
On protection against abuse and torture
22. The Committee is concerned that there are some forms of corporal punishment
not prohibited by the law. This exposes children to abuse as it is difficult to
assess and monitor the level of violence that corporal punishment causea.
Hence, the Committee encourages the State Party to prohibit corporal
punishment within the family, school and other alternative care institutions. The
Committee encourages the Government to explicitly outlaw corporal punishment
in the Criminal Code.To this end the Government needs to create awareness on
positive parenting and disciplining of children.
23. The Committee urges the State party to intensify efforts to combat all forms of
violence against children, especially girls. Perpetrators should not be met with
impunity, and the state party is encouraged to continue to develop the capacity of
specialised police units to investigate and follow up on incidents of abuse and
violence against children.
E. Family environment and alternative care
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