- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Child Trafficking, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and - Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts… * At the General Policy Level - formulation of a National Plan to Combat the Trade, Exploitation and Labour of Children. In 2011, the Government initiated a national campaign to combat the trade in and sexual exploitation of children. With the government’s free primary education policy and the facilitation of enrolment conditions, access to school by boys and girls has been considerable. In the northern part of the country, many activities are being carried out to encourage the girl-child to go to school. The average for admission into college has been reviewed downwards in order to reduce the dropout rate at the end of primary school. Since this measure has put an end to discrimination which consisted of setting different required cut-off points, depending on whether one was in Abidjan or the hinterland, all children in the country have been offered equal opportunities of access to college. Law No. 2015-635 of 17 September, 2015 on the amendment of Law No. 95-696 of 7 September, 1995 on education which makes education compulsory for children aged between 6 and 16 years in Cote d’Ivoire is a measure which has deepened the will of the authorities. - Inclusion of Wards of the State A law on the status of Wards of the State has been passed. It clearly defines the categories of targeted persons. These are children aged between zero and eighteen years old, particularly abandoned children, children of drug addicts or parents suffering from psychological problems, children of imprisoned mothers or mothers who died during delivery, fatherless and/or motherless children, children whose fathers and mothers are unable to fulfil their parental obligations or have been stripped of their parental authority and children who find themselves in a vulnerable situation which can harm their lives. 4-Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 18, Paragraph 4 of the Charter) In accordance with the provisions of Article 6 of the Ivorian Constitution, the promotion and protection of vulnerable persons (the elderly and people with disabilities) is a major concern for the authorities. They are considered as full members of society, and their contribution remains an important factor in national development. Activities undertaken in favour of the elderly are part of the fight against exclusion and the promotion of national solidarity. 4-1- Measures taken in the Area of the Protection of Persons with Disabilities The government’s policy on the protection and promotion of persons with disabilities takes the following into account: - risk prevention (early screening, premarital, ante-natal and post-natal medical examinations, measures to combat endemic diseases…) and social prevention (safety measures aimed at avoiding accidents in various environments, …); - rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, including psycho-social assistance to the person (psychological strengthening, development of self-esteem, deepening of relations with the various environments in order to reconcile the person with disability with himself and with his environment…), special and inclusive education, medical rehabilitation and functional rehabilitation; 46