UNITED

NATIONS CRC
Convention on the Distr.
GENERAL
Rights of the Child
CRC/C/8/Add.20
6 June 1995

ENGLISH
Original: ARABIC

COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES

UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE CONVENTION

Initial report of States Parties due in 1993

Addendum

YEMEN

[14 November 1994]

CONTENTS

Paragraphs Page

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 6 3

I. EVALUATION OF CHILD PROGRAMMES IN THE REPUBLIC OF

YEMEN OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD IN THE LIGHT OF THE
CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD . . . . . . . 7 - 127 4

A. Legislative acts in the Republic of Yemen and

the Convention on the Rights of the Child . . . 7 - 32 4

B. Economic and political aspects . . . . . . . . . 33 - 43 10

C. Educational programmes and policies . . . . . . 44 - 64 12

D. Information policies, programmes and activities 65 - 86 16

E. Social and mental welfare services for children 87 - 107 21

F. Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 - 127 26

GE.95-16889 (E)
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CONTENTS (continued)

Paragraphs Page

II. PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES IMPEDING THE PROVISION

OF CHILD WELFARE SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 - 135 32

III. PROPOSED PLANS OF ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 - 168 35

A. Plan of action for the establishment of a home

for socially-handicapped juvenile girls . . . . 136 - 141 35

B. Plan of action for the establishment of a

training centre for the staff of preschool
educational establishments (crèches and
kindergartens) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 - 151 37

C. Plan of action for the establishment of

children’s villages in the Republic of Yemen . . 152 - 159 39

D. Plan of action for the opening of a social

welfare department at the Faculty of
Education of Sana’a University . . . . . . . . . 160 - 168 41

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 - 175 44

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Annexes

I. Total number of schools and classes and of teachers

and students, by sex at all levels of general and
religious education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

II. Population distribution by sex and age group . . . . . . . . . . 47

III. Figures for children attending kindergartens . . . . . . . . . . 48

IV. Specialized associations and benevolent associations

and activities offering family and child services . . . . . . . 49

V. Number of students, by sex, attending literacy

classes during the 1992/93 academic year in
all governorates of the Republic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

VI. Social institutions serving homeless and delinquent

children and number of beneficiaries from the date
of establishment until 1993 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

VII. Public and private centres for the disabled:

services and programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
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Introduction

1. Yemen having ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991,
Yemeni society is expected to fulfil its obligations towards children and to
provide the means for their welfare and protection. However, the problems
now facing children in that society are such that a review of the laws and
legislative acts is required, as is increased government and foreign support
aimed at the social and cultural development of the family and the improvement
of its health so that children may lead decent lives.

2. Using the articles of the Convention as a basis for comparison, this

report endeavours to outline some of the problems and difficulties confronting
children in Yemeni society and to discuss existing legal practices in a
critical and analytical light with reference to those problems and
difficulties in an attempt to define and resolve them.

3. Yemeni society, which declared the unification of its two parts in 1991,
has faced various predicaments and challenges, both at home and abroad, that
have played a part in reducing the variety and number of services provided by
the Government to Yemeni children. The recent events in Yemen also disrupted
various development projects and had adverse effects on the economic and
social structure, meaning that more support and assistance is required
if society is to overcome its children’s problems.

4. Various difficulties were encountered in the preparation of

this report: precise statistics were scarce and contradictory; exact
information, particularly concerning victims of the armed conflict
imposed on Yemeni society, was hard to obtain; and accurate facts and
surveys on disabled children and young persons in remote rural areas were
unavailable.

5. The main distinctive feature of this report is its objectivity;

instead of merely noting what the State provides it critically analyses
various aspects of existing institutions and services so that the State
can effectively identify the weaknesses of its child programmes and
policies and endeavour to overcome all shortcomings in the future,
particularly now that it has emerged from the stage of political
crisis and is taking steps to modernize and develop social and cultural
institutions.

6. This report has been prepared by a working group instructed by various

government ministries under the supervision of the Deputy Head of the Social
Development Section at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.
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I. EVALUATION OF CHILD PROGRAMMES IN THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN

OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD IN THE LIGHT OF THE CONVENTION
ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

A. Legislative acts in the Republic of Yemen and

the Convention on the Rights of the Child

7. In the light of international concern for the rights of the child and
the convening of the World Summit for Children in September 1990, State
leaders undertook to end child mortality and the spread of malnutrition by
the year 2000 and to provide essential protection for the physical and mental
development of all children throughout the world.

8. The principle of ending child mortality and the spread of malnutrition

is clearly relevant to all areas of the world in the 1990s as embodied in the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the United Nations adopted in
November 1989 and which, by the end of 1991, had been ratified by over
50 States and signed by more than 130 others. Among the States ratifying the
Convention was the Republic of Yemen, which did so on 26 January 1991 by way
of Act No. 3 of 1991.

9. Three fundamental rights are covered under the Convention: the right of
the child to survival, development and life. Comparing the articles of the
Convention with the legislative acts of the Republic, we find that the Yemeni
legislature has complied with the charters of the United Nations and
international organizations working for the protection of human rights. The
provisions contained in the legislative acts of the Republic are, moreover,
consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child as guaranteed by the
aims of the revolution and the Constitution. The sixth aim of the revolution
calls for respect for the charters of the United Nations and international
organizations, adherence to the principles of positive neutrality and
non-alignment, and endeavours to establish world peace and promote the
concept of coexistence among nations.

1. The Constitution of the Republic of Yemen

10. On 28 September 1994, the House of Representatives adopted constitutional

amendments which created great interest in the structure of the new Yemeni
society. Article 19 of the Constitution stipulates that the State shall
guarantee equal political, economic, social and cultural opportunities for all
and shall promulgate legislation to that end. In the amendments, an article
has been added which stipulates that Yemeni society is founded on social
solidarity based on justice, freedom and equality according to the law.

11. The Constitution considers that "the family, which is rooted in religion,
morality and patriotism, is the cornerstone of society; the law shall
safeguard the family entity and strengthen family ties, and the State shall
protect mothers and children, as well as juveniles and young persons". It
also considers that education, health and social services are essential
foundations for the shaping and advancement of society, foundations which
society helps to provide in conjunction with the State.
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12. Part II is devoted to the basic rights and duties of citizens.

Article 27 states that "all citizens are equal in regard to their public
rights and duties". Article 32 (a) stipulates that "the State shall guarantee
the personal liberty of citizens and shall safeguard their dignity and
security. The law shall specify the cases in which the liberty of citizens is
restricted. No person may be confined other than by a ruling of a competent
court".

13. Article 37 affirms that:

"education is a right of all citizens guaranteed by the State in

accordance with the law through the establishment of various schools
and cultural and educational institutions. Education at the primary
stage shall be compulsory ... The State shall endeavour to eradicate
illiteracy and shall devote attention to the expansion of technical and
vocational education ... The State shall also devote attention to the
welfare of young persons, protect them from delinquency, provide them
with religious, intellectual and physical education and provide a
suitable environment for the development of their talents in all fields".

14. Health care is also regarded as a right of all citizens, which:

"the State shall guarantee through the establishment and expansion of

various hospitals and health institutions. The law shall regulate the
medical profession, the expansion of free health services and the
promotion of health awareness among citizens".

"The State shall also guarantee the provision of social security for all
citizens in cases of illness, infirmity, unemployment, old age and loss
of the provider ... particularly for families of martyrs, in accordance
with the law."

15. These articles are consistent with articles 2, 3, 4, 5, 19, 24, 25, 26
and 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

2. The Civil Code (Act No. 19 of 1992)

16. Article 28 of the Civil Code (Act No. 19 of 1992) stipulates that the
personality of the individual shall commence at the time of his live birth and
shall end at his death. A comparison shows that this provision is consistent
with article 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that
"a child means every human being below the age of 18 years unless, under the
law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier". This provision of
the Convention takes into account the right of States to determine the age of
majority, particularly Muslim countries which specify the age of majority as
15 years. Article 5 of the Civil Code (Act No. 19 of 1992) stipulates that
the age of majority is 15 full years if the person who attains that age has
the use of his mental faculties, is rational in his behaviour and is fully
competent to exercise his civil rights. Special legislation may stipulate a
higher age whereby a person is entitled to the exercise or enjoyment of any
other rights, as indicated in Electoral Act No. 2 of 1990, article 13 of which
specifies the minimum age of the voter as 18 years.
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17. Article 7 of the Convention stipulates that "the child shall be

registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to
a name and the right to acquire nationality", the equivalent of which is
provided under the following articles of the Civil Code: article 38, which
specifies when the personality of the individual commences; article 39, which
stipulates that birth and death shall be entered in the official registers
designed for that purpose; and article 50, which specifies two types of
competence, namely, the competence necessary for the individual to exercise
his legitimate rights as established since his birth and the competence
whereby the individual exercises the civil rights which are his in accordance
with other articles contained in the Civil Code. Article 8 of the Convention
stipulates that "States Parties undertake to respect the right of the child
to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family
relations". The equivalent to that article is contained in article 46 of the
Civil Code, which stipulates that, in transactions, the individual shall be
known by his name, the name of his father and the name of his grandfather, or
by a designation that distinguishes him. The Code regulates the method for
the registration of individuals and their names and designations.

3. The Personal Status Act No. 20 of 1992

18. Article 9 of the Convention stipulates that "States Parties shall ensure
that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their
will". Similarly, article 138 of the Personal Status Act No. 20 of 1992
states that "custody means the care and upbringing of a young person who is
unable to manage his or her own affairs, and protection of the said young
person from harm or danger, in a manner consistent with the rights of his or
her guardian. It is an inalienable right of the child which, if precluded
by any particular circumstances, is nevertheless restored when those
circumstances change".

19. Article 140 of the Act stipulates that the guardian shall be a rational
and trustworthy adult who is capable of undertaking the physical and moral
upbringing and protection of the young person. It also stipulates that,
if the guardian is a woman, in addition to the above, she should not have
renounced Islam, should not undertake charge of the young person in the home
of anyone who is ill-disposed towards him and should not be so busy outside
the home that she is unable to devote attention to the custody unless there is
someone present to cater for the young person’s needs. If the guardian is a
man, he should have religious leanings.

20. Article 141 stipulates that the mother has a greater right to custody of
her child, provided that she is found fit to undertake that custody, and she
cannot forfeit this right unless the child accepts a person other than her,
nor may her marriage to another person preclude her where there is no person
other than her. Similarly, her right to custody shall not be denied by
reason of her poor moral character until the young person attains the age
of five years.

21. Article 148 of the Act gives the child the right to choose between his
father and his mother to act as his guardian in the event of a dispute between
them, with a view to the child’s interests. In the event of a dispute between
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guardians other than the father or mother, the judge shall, after consulting
the child, choose the person most capable of furthering the child’s interests.

4. The Juvenile Welfare Act No. 24 of 1992

22. Under article 37 of the Convention, "no child shall be subjected to

torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither
capital punishment nor imprisonment without possibility of release shall
be imposed for offences committed by persons below 18 years of age;".
Similarly, "no child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or
arbitrarily ... every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity
and respect". Comparing this article with the legislation of the Republic of
Yemen, we find that, under the Juvenile Welfare Act No. 24 of 1992, a juvenile
is defined as any person who is not more than 15 full years of age at the time
of perpetrating an act that the law designates as criminal (art. 2). Under
article 3, a juvenile is deemed to be delinquent in specific instances,
including the following:

(a) If he is found begging;

(b) If he associates with delinquents or rogues;

(c) If he habitually runs away from home or plays truant from school;

(d) If he engages in acts characterized by licentiousness, depravity or

moral corruption.

23. Article 11, paragraph 3, stipulates that a juvenile under 12 years of age
may not be detained in a police station or by any security organ and must be
assigned to the care of his parents, his guardian or his trustee. If that is
impossible, he must be placed in the nearest juvenile rehabilitation home for
a period of not more than 24 hours. If his release constitutes a danger to
himself or to others, he must thereafter be referred to the Office of the
Public Prosecutor for consideration of his case in accordance with the
provisions of the Act. Under paragraph (b) of the same article, a juvenile
who has attained the age of 12 years may be detained in any police station,
provided that the period of detention does not exceed 24 hours and that he is
detained in a particular location that prevents him from mixing with other
detainees who are older than him.

24. Article 14 states that a juvenile may not be ill-treated or placed in

chains. It also prohibits enforcement by means of physical coercion and
safeguards the dignity of the juvenile, even if he has committed a crime
punishable by law. Article 37 stipulates that, if a juvenile who is over 14
but under 15 years of age commits a crime punishable by the death penalty,
he shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years,
thereby ensuring that juveniles aged between 14 and 15 years are not sentenced
to the death penalty. These provisions are consistent with provisions
contained in the Convention in that connection, such as articles 16, 33, 37
and 40. One article of the Act stipulates that a juvenile court should be
constituted in each governorate by a decision of the Minister of Justice.
Notwithstanding their importance, however, such courts have not yet been
established.
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5. The Nationality Act No. 6 of 1990

25. Articles 7 and 8 of the Convention concern the right of the child to
acquire nationality, the right from birth to a name and the right to preserve
his or her identity. The provisions of the Nationality Act No. 6 of 1990 are
consistent with the provisions of the Convention in that respect; article 3 of
the Act stipulates that Yemeni nationality shall be enjoyed by:

(a) Any person born to a father who enjoys that nationality;

(b) Any person born in Yemen to a mother holding that nationality and a
father who is stateless or of unknown nationality;

(c) Any person born in Yemen to a mother holding that nationality and a
father whose nationality has not been legally established;

(d) Any person born in Yemen to unknown parents. A person born in

Yemen shall be deemed to be Yemeni unless evidence to the contrary is
produced;

(e) Any expatriate holding Yemeni nationality on his departure from the
national territory who has not relinquished that nationality in accordance
with the law and at his explicit request, even if he has acquired the
nationality of the country of his residence under its laws.

26. Although these provisions under the said paragraphs of article 3 are
satisfactory, they do not entitle the children of a Yemeni woman married
to a foreigner to enjoy Yemeni nationality as their birthright. Assuming,
therefore, that a Yemeni woman marries a foreigner whose country’s laws
stipulate that nationality is acquired only by a person born to two parents
having that same nationality, the children of the Yemeni woman would, in
that case, be stateless. We note that, under article 4 of the Act, Yemeni
nationality may be granted by presidential decree, based on a proposal by the
Minister, to a person born abroad to a mother holding that nationality and a
father who is stateless or of unknown nationality. We also note that here
also the problem still exists.

6. Labour Act No. 5 of 1970 promulgated at Sana’a

27. The Act stipulates that the working hours of young persons must not
exceed 6 hours per day or 24 hours per week. Young persons must not be
required to work overtime or on weekly rest days, official holidays or other
periods of leave. Article 45 of the draft Labour Act prohibits the employment
of young persons in arduous or harmful occupations or industries.

28. Article 19 of the Basic Labour Code (Act No. 141 of 1978) promulgated at
Aden prohibits the employment of young persons up to 16 years of age who have
not completed their basic education unless special approval is granted by the
Minister after each case has been considered on its merits in the light of a
special social study and report.
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7. The draft Care and Rehabilitation of the Disabled Act

29. Article 23 of the Convention affirms that States Parties recognize that a
mentally or physically disabled child should enjoy a full and decent life, as
well as special care, and shall encourage and ensure the extension to the
eligible child and those responsible for his care of assistance that is
provided free of charge. The disabled child should also be assured of
receiving education and training in accordance with this article. Although
a Care and Rehabilitation of the Disabled Act was drafted by the competent
persons at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, it has not yet
appeared, even though it was one of the first to be submitted to the House
of Representatives for approval and promulgation immediately after the
unification. Article 5 of the draft stipulates that all categories of
disabled persons shall, according to their individual needs, be entitled
to one or more of the following benefits:

(a) Welfare;

(b) Remedial equipment;

(c) Education;

(d) Rehabilitation or retraining;

(e) Suitable work in the case of those with vocational qualifications,

those who have been rehabilitated and those who are educated;

(f) Follow-up in the case of those who are employed to ensure that they
are settled in their jobs;

(g) Tax exemption in the case of those who are employed;

(h) Enjoyment of concessional use of the various means of public

transport;

(i) Exemption from customs duty for aids, equipment and educational
and training materials which they are obliged to import on account of their
disability;

(j) Facilitated access to and mobility in public places.

30. Under article 11 of the draft act, disabled persons who have attained
the age prescribed for compulsory education are entitled to receive all stages
of that education, while those who are illiterate and above the official age
are entitled to enrol in illiteracy programmes in the same way as their
able-bodied peers. Through the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, the
State undertakes to establish special homes, centres and institutes for the
care and rehabilitation of disabled persons (art. 7).

31. Under article 21, a disabled person whose rehabilitation is complete

is entitled to take up employment that is commensurate with his level of
rehabilitation. State institutions and the private sector are required to
employ disabled persons under the Civil Service Act No. 19 of 1991, article 24
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of which stipulates that "each administrative unit shall be required to

appoint disabled persons to posts commensurate with their capabilities
within a specific ratio determined annually by the Ministry with a view
to their integration into society and their participation in social
development".

32. Despite the promulgation of these legislative acts, their many positive
aspects and their consistency with international conventions, in particular
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Yemen, which
participated in the International Conference on the Rights of the Child,
they have not been applied in practice and remain largely unenforced.

B. Economic and political aspects

33. Yemen’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991
brought about the establishment of the Yemeni Council for Maternal and Child
Welfare in that same year and the adoption, in 1992, of the population
strategy covering mothers, children and family planning. However, despite
all attempts by the State to provide welfare, protection and educational
and health services for children, the objectives were not achieved, as the
political and economic situation in Yemen overshadowed the lives and future of
children in Yemen and had adverse repercussions on their social condition, as
follows:

1. The economic situation

34. Following unification, the country experienced difficult economic

circumstances attributable to both internal and external factors. At the
internal level, government spending rose with the increase in the number
of State employees, while the unplanned growth of service projects led to
continued reliance on imports and a rise in the external debt, which reached
US$ 14 billion, amounting to the previous total debt of the two separate
States. At the external level, the disastrous Gulf war adversely affected
the national economy, which had been bolstered by an annual US$ 2 billion in
remittances from expatriates. The suspension of remittances from abroad and
Arab and international assistance led in turn to the suspension of various
projects aimed at tackling population growth, which entailed a large financial
deficit for the State. The situation was further exacerbated by limited
production and exports. Difficult economic circumstances detrimental to the
population in general and children in particular were thus imposed in the form
of inflation and the disappearance of various essential commodities, such as
milk and medicines, that had its worst effect on children. The most notable
symptoms of this deterioration were:

A decline in annual per capita income to US$ 55;

A rise in the dependency rate, which reached 126 per cent;

A rise in the number of family members to an average of 5.8 per cent;

A rise in the unemployment level to 36 per cent;

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A greater incidence of begging among children, some of whom are

physically mutilated by their relatives in order to force them to beg.

35. Although the Convention may require the protection of children from
all forms of economic exploitation, harsh economic conditions are not easily
tackled by mandatory decree. The circumstances imposed by such conditions
produced a social and economic upheaval in various fields in which children
were among the victims, despite the existence of legislation guaranteeing
protection from all forms of child exploitation.

2. Political conflicts and wars

36. The disastrous Gulf war, which forced some 1 million Yemeni expatriates
to leave their jobs and sources of income and return without compensation to
Yemen, had a far-reaching effect on numerous families and children. Over
56.5 per cent of returnees were dependent children.

37. Internal wars and internal conflicts had a catastrophic effect on

children. The events of January 1986 left many people injured and mutilated
and also caused the migration and displacement of many families towards the
northern regions. In addition, the loss of the family provider led to
homelessness among children, who were thus forced to work or beg.

38. As a result of the April 1994 war, a large number of families were
displaced from the combat zones, leaving behind them many demolished homes.
They were also accompanied by various people who were injured or disabled,
most of them children either disabled or totally incapacitated by their
injuries.

39. In addition to these adverse circumstances, the internal wars and

conflicts caused painful mental distress to those people and also affected
their food and medication. The expenditure on the above two wars exceeded
the overall debt of the State, and those displaced families undoubtedly lost
stability and security. This human and psychological aspect reflects the
extent to which women and children suffer as a result of war. According to
the estimate of the World Health Organization representative, Yemen needed
about US$ 22 million in humanitarian requirements to deal with the effects
of the war during the period from August 1994 to February 1995 alone. This
included health services, water, environmental health, emergency food
assistance, education, child welfare and minefield clearance at Aden and
Abyan. The report stated that over 375,000 inhabitants, most of them
children, were suffering from the results of the war.

40. The loss of life and equipment was extremely costly, in addition to which
public funds which should have been spent on development and on repairing the
economic infrastructure were used for military purposes.

41. The adverse effects of the internal conflict included:

An increase in the number of injured and disabled children;

A rise in the number of beggars and homeless persons;

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A rise in the number of school drop-outs in order to meet basic needs;

A rise in the number of child deaths;

An increase in the number of children employed before adulthood.

42. Accurate statistics concerning the number of dead and wounded and
the material losses resulting from this armed conflict have not yet been
published, although the competent authorities are expected to announce them
eventually. However, an enormous number of families have most certainly been
displaced from their places of origin, particularly areas where battles took
place, damaging their homes and amenities and making schools vulnerable to
looting and sabotage.

43. For a period of one month, international organizations supplied food aid
and blankets to some 2,000 displaced families and also helped to administer
first aid to the injured, as well as to provide treatment. Various national
charities played a humanitarian role in supplying relief for victims which
included food, medication, tents and blankets.

C. Educational programmes and policies

44. The Yemeni State guarantees equal educational rights for both sexes under
the provisions of the Unified Education Act of 1993. It also guarantees free
education and is endeavouring to achieve the principle of equal opportunities
and compulsory education at the basic stage (1-9). The statistical
indicators, however, clearly show the various problems facing child education,
which can be summarized as follows.

1. The rise in the illiteracy rate

45. In 1991-1992, the illiteracy rate was 55.3 per cent among sections of the
population aged 10 years and over, amounting to 77.8 per cent among females
and 32 per cent among males at the overall level, 93 per cent among females
and 49 per cent among males at the rural level, and 70 per cent among females
and 38 per cent among males at the urban level.

46. The State adopted the 1981 national literacy campaign (Sana’a) and
the 1984 comprehensive national literacy campaign (Aden) and an executive body
was established with the task of coordinating official and popular efforts in
the field of literacy and adult education. The objectives of the efforts to
eradicate illiteracy, however, have not been achieved, since not all children
can be accommodated in education, nor do they all continue with it,
particularly in the case of females. In addition, educational opportunities
differ between the sexes, as they do between rural and urban areas.
Illiteracy is therefore mainly among females, given the contrasting enrolment
rates between males and females and between rural and urban areas. The
illiteracy rate is 54.3 per cent among 10-14 year-olds and 60.4 per cent
among 15-16 year-olds (see annex II).

47. Despite the positive enrolment rates for female students compared to
geographical distribution (rural/urban) which indicate that 60 per cent of
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all enrolled students are rural inhabitants, enrolment rates gradually

decline at the end of schooling, meaning that only small numbers of illiterate
persons stay on to complete their education to the end of the follow-up stage.

48. Statistics show a slight fall in illiteracy every five years. In 1976,
illiteracy was widespread, amounting to 87.5 per cent, while for inhabitants
aged 10 and above it was 98 per cent among females and 75.5 per cent among
males. However, 10 years of continuous efforts point to the failure of the
mechanisms used to free people from illiteracy. This applies particularly to
females, since the campaign was not conducted in tandem with a similar plan
to improve basic education. The population pyramid for 1992 shows that
60 per cent of the population is of school age. In addition, although the
population is increasing by an annual 3 per cent, there is no corresponding
increase in educational resources. The illiteracy rate is therefore expected
to remain static for the next five years, particularly in view of the delay in
implementing measures that could help to surmount the difficulties that face
girls’ entry into education, such as increasing the absorption capacity in
basic education, attempting to reduce drop-out rates from the first grades
and applying the principle of compulsory education from the age of six, as
provided for in the education legislation.

2. Education at the first stage (basic education)

49. The number of students in basic education is noticeably increasing;

in the 1991/92 academic year, the total amounted to 2,272,578 students,
167,147 of them female and 575,431 of them male. In the 1981/82 academic
year, 49 per cent of 6 to 15 year-olds were enrolled in the basic education
stage, only 12 per cent of them female, whereas in the 1991/92 academic year,
57.5 per cent of the overall number of 6 to 15 year-olds were enrolled,
meaning that an estimated 42.5 per cent of children of compulsory school
age, most of them female, still do not attend school.

50. It is noteworthy that at this stage the quantitative growth is positive

among males and somewhat slow among females; the overall picture is that among
females of compulsory school age, only 32 per cent were enrolled in education,
whereas among males of the same age the figure amounted to 85 per cent.

51. At the quantitative level, the number of females aged between 6

and 15 years who were enrolled in the basic stage of education in the 1991/92
academic year amounted to only 27.5 per cent of the total number enrolled in
that stage. This has adverse consequences for the subsequent stages of
education, which are affected by the level of enrolment in basic education
since it amounts to 17 per cent of the total number of 16 to 18 year-olds
enrolled in the secondary stage.

52. At the regional level, the urban to rural enrolment ratio in the first
stage rises to 40 per cent in towns, whereas in some rural areas it declines
to less than 10 per cent and falls even lower in the higher grades.
Altogether, there are 52,496 teachers in basic education, 9,737 of whom are
female, representing 18.5 per cent. Most of the 13,665 schools are mixed,
although 8.6 per cent are single-sex schools for girls only.
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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3. Completion of schooling

53. The likelihood of children completing their schooling is poor for various
social and economic reasons, which include early marriage, the need for girls
from rural families to perform agricultural and domestic work in a society
that is predominantly rural, and the refusal of families to allow girls to
attend schools that are far from their homes, have no female teachers or
are not single-sex girls’ schools. While 8.6 per cent of schools in basic
education and 6.2 per cent in secondary education are for girls only, in
rural areas they amount to only 1.5 per cent.

54. Between 1985 and 1990, the average pass rate of those sitting
first-certificate examinations in basic education ranged between 80 and
85 per cent, but fell to 55 per cent among those sitting second-certificate
examinations. In addition to the difficulty of repeating the same class or
level, statistics indicate that education is lost in various ways, such as
truancy and drop-out. Between 1977 and 1983, education was lost at the rate
of about 60 per cent in the primary stage, whereas between 1985 and 1990 it
was 65.8 per cent between the first and ninth grades in that stage. This
high rate begins after completion of the first grade in the first stage and
gradually increases among females to reach its peak between the fourth and
sixth grades for various reasons, including the social attitude towards girls’
education and the poor economic returns from such education, particularly
since the curricula have little connection with the environment or with
training and qualification and since education is scarcely available to
females in remote areas where services are lacking. Schools may stop after
or at the third-grade level because the building is either inadequate or
unsuitable. Students are consequently transferred to a higher school in
areas that are further away and beyond the financial resources of the family.
Social barriers cannot therefore be broken down.

55. Given the rise in the rate of educational loss in the first stages of
basic education, amounting to 90 per cent among females in the southern and
eastern governorates and 70 per cent in the northern and western governorates,
overall illiteracy among females is expected to escalate, particularly when
combined with the factors of population growth and the modest educational
resources, which are non-existent in some rural areas, with male and female
drop-outs added to the high numbers of illiterate adults.

4. The decline in the number of teachers

56. The importance of child education can be gauged by teacher-training

activity, the number of teachers having noticeably fallen as a consequence of
teacher-training conditions in general. In the 1980/81 academic year, only
11 per cent of teachers were female. In the 1990/91 academic year, this
figure rose to 20 per cent, whereas in the 1991/92 academic year, the
proportion of females among the entire body of Yemeni teaching staff
amounted to 9.7 per cent.

57. This illustrates various negative factors. Over 70 per cent of teachers
with secondary school qualifications are concentrated in the major towns as a
result of population migration from rural areas. In addition, not all of them
settle in the teaching profession after the prescribed five-year service,
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
page 15

as there are few financial incentives for doing so. The highest number of
teachers, amounting to 46,450, is in basic education. Of these, 21 per cent
are females who are to be found mostly in the major towns. No notable
progress has been recorded, however, in the number of female teachers in
rural areas.

58. The State is currently endeavouring to change the prevailing attitude

towards employment-related female education by increasing the number of higher
educational institutions in the various governorates. However, the disparity
in educational opportunities between the sexes from the beginning has led to a
disparity in opportunities to enter fields of administrative and vocational
employment that are governed by social considerations relating to the status
of women in general and civil-service employment in particular. Nevertheless,
higher education and training - although limited - have helped women to enter
many fields of civil-service employment and the increasing enrolment and
graduation rates are expected to further promote the progress of education.

5. Educational principles versus the reality of the situation

59. The above information clearly indicates that child education in Yemen is
facing various problems, including:

(i) The high illiteracy rate among the population (65 per cent,
87 per cent among females); illiteracy among girls at the
compulsory school age of 6 to 15 years is 70 per cent;

(ii) The disparity in educational opportunities for boys and girls,

since the proportion of girls who do not attend school amounts
to 70 per cent of the total school-age population;

(iii) The disparity between the number of schools and teachers in rural
and urban areas;

(iv) The disparity in enrolment rates in the general education stages

compared with the size of the population. Enrolment rates after
the sixth grade are noticeably lower;

(v) The decline in the ratio of teachers and school buildings to

students;

(vi) The high truancy and drop-out rate among children, amounting
to 65 per cent at the basic education stage.

60. The principles of education are unsupported by effective measures to help

to promote child education. The above indicators reveal various difficulties
which can be summarized as follows:

(a) The principle of free education

61. The principle of free education does not include all educational
requirements. On the contrary, there are token fees which not all students
are able to pay. Free education does not include subsidized access to
educational items which school students need, such as clothing, pens and
CRC/C/8/Add.20
page 16

paper. The principle of free education does not take into account the
resources of families in the deteriorating economic situation which the
country is experiencing.

(b) The principle of compulsory education

62. The principle of compulsory education has not been applied for various
reasons, including:

(i) The inability of schools to absorb everyone of school age,

particularly in rural and remote areas;

(ii) Social opposition to application of the principle of compulsory

education, since families need child labour, particularly in rural
areas;

(iii) The lack of equal educational opportunities for children who work
to support themselves at other times.

(c) The principle of equal educational opportunities

63. Social distinction occurs in education between boys and girls, between
rural and urban areas, and between the most and least privileged members of
society:

(i) Statistics indicate that 70 per cent of girls do not attend school
and that the enrolment rates for boys and girls are clearly
different, namely 85 per cent for boys and 30 per cent for girls;

(ii) Statistics indicate that it is extremely difficult for rural

inhabitants to attend schools because they are far away and built
in inaccessible areas. Rural areas also lack resources, which are
larger and more readily available in towns;

(iii) Some groups are opposed to school attendance, one example being the
"Akhdam", who refuse to emerge from the abyss of poverty and who
reject education for their children.

64. This situation in education confirms that more effective measures are
needed in order to apply the principle of equal educational opportunities as
a service for children that is provided by the State (see annexes I, II, V
and VI).

D. Information policies, programmes and activities

1. Media targeted at children

65. The different media undoubtedly have some influence on various aspects of
young people’s behaviour and are an important means to develop the culture and
abilities of children, who constitute 41 per cent of the total population in
Yemen. The media therefore have a duty to devote a reasonable amount of
attention to this population group.
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
page 17

66. At this point, we can review the media output since the time of signature
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The media in the Republic of
Yemen consist of the press, radio and television.

The press

67. The children’s press plays an extremely important role in developing

and revealing various aspects of the child’s personality by combining the
provision of information with entertainment, taste and guidance. Some years
ago, a number of children’s newspapers and magazines were published. Some
of these, however, have since ceased publication, including Al-Hudhud,
Al-Bara’im, Wadhah, Nashwan, Osama, Yazin, Al-Yaman al-Sa’id, Nadir and
Al-Tufula.

68. The children’s press emerged belatedly in early 1981 at Sana’a and
in 1983 at Aden in the form of the two magazines Al-Hudhud and Wadhah,
neither of which survived in view of the obstacles that they encountered.

69. This failure to survive is attributable to lack of resources, the high

cost of printed matter, poor printing and technical production facilities and
the shortage of qualified editors and skilled staff, as well as the difficulty
of distributing children’s publications in remote and rural areas. These are
the main reasons for the poor standard of children’s publications and for the
problems involved. In addition, the public press in the form of government
and party magazines and newspapers show no interest in allocating column space
to child-related subjects.

Children’s radio programmes

70. There are several radio stations in the Republic of Yemen: the
countrywide station at Sana’a, the second station at Aden and local radio
stations at Hodeida, Ta’izz, Mukalla and elsewhere. Radio is the most
widespread medium. However, there are obstacles impeding the development and
improvement of children’s programmes; all radio stations, for instance, limit
their programmes to weekly serials, story programmes and special programmes on
the occasion of national events and holidays.

71. The main reason for this lacklustre performance is no doubt attributable
to lack of programme planning and the fact that there is no competent
committee responsible for ensuring the success of children’s programmes.
Most children’s programmes are the result of personal endeavour, since there
is no research on children’s programmes and no specialized advisory committee
to help to develop such programmes and appoint their presenters.

72. Material difficulties are largely responsible for the continuation of

this situation, since there is virtually no one available to provide training
or retraining. This has precluded any independent and distinctive production
of good radio programmes for children.

Television

73. Television is the most important medium and has attracted a large
audience of children. Children’s television programmes were first broadcast
CRC/C/8/Add.20
page 18

when television began in the 1960s at Aden and the 1970s at Sana’a. Special
sections and departments for children’s programmes have been established, but
the number of minutes allocated to the transmission of children’s programmes
on the first and second channels is limited to between 30 and 90 minutes a day
divided among local, Arab and foreign programmes. Children’s programmes are
slotted in among local programmes, transmission material being divided into
three equal sections as follows:

Foreign programmes in the form of cartoon films and stories with

universal appeal;

Arab programmes in the form of serials, variety programmes and song

programmes;

Local programmes.

Local programmes represent 33.3 per cent of the total output, with children’s
programmes representing 5 per cent.

74. Despite serious attempts to increase the number of children’s programmes

and develop their content, Yemeni television has not achieved the required
standard in that field. An overview of the children’s television programmes
on both channels shows that they are virtually restricted to local programmes,
the producers of which are inexperienced. Examples are "Tomorrow’s
Generation", "With Friends", "The Friends’ Journey", "Festive Flowers",
"A Journey in the Country", "Toddlers’ Magazine", "Ramadan Competitions"
and special programmes for national holidays and occasions.

75. The difficulties impeding the development of children’s programmes can be

summarized as follows:

(i) The lack of programme planning and the meagre budgetary allocation
to children’s programmes;

(ii) The lack of training courses, studios and equipment;

(iii) The small number of people with the enthusiasm to write, produce or
present special programmes for children;

(iv) The dearth of local programmes compared to foreign and Arab

programmes;

(v) The disparities between local and foreign production standards;

(vi) The fact that Yemeni television transmissions do not cover all
regions of the Republic.

2. Cultural activities

76. The achievement of Yemeni unification ushered in a new and historic phase
in the development of Yemeni society. Yemen has acceded to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child and has taken steps to provide comprehensive child
welfare.
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
page 19

77. The concern shown by the Ministry of Culture (Department of Children’s

Culture) is the outcome of previous efforts made in all cultural fields
throughout the Republic of Yemen in a manner that reflects the letter and
spirit of article 17 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 1984,
the Ministry of Culture and Tourism established the Department of Children’s
Culture through which numerous programmes, activities and exhibitions have
been organized, as well as local, Arab and international meetings and
international children’s book fairs. Local, Arab and international painting
exhibitions have also been held. However, the fact that there is outside
participation from children in a number of competitions does not mean that all
children benefit from cultural activities, since there are no special halls
for children’s exhibitions, which are held in the very few existing galleries
for adult artists. The work of adults and children is exhibited together;
adult artists’ exhibitions are shown initially and young persons’ exhibitions
are allowed later.

78. Cultural activities began late for a variety of reasons which can be
summarized as follows:

The lack of premises in which to pursue cultural activities and prepare

children to acquire the skills which they need in order to be
imaginative, creative and innovative;

The lack of the means needed for painting exhibitions, such as

paintbrushes, coloured paints, paper and various materials which
are too costly for children and families to buy;

The lack of attention paid to this kind of art in children’s

publications, posters, letters, books and so on;

The lack of attention paid to documenting such programmes in a special

archive, even though most of these activities are covered by the various
media.

79. The trends in the development of the artistic talents of children in our
country illustrate a desire for Yemeni children to reach exemplary standards
and enjoy the kind of personality conducive to the modernization, advancement
and development of society. The lack of resources, however, prevents this
from happening in all cases.

Literature

80. There has been considerable activity in Yemen since the 1970s. In 1979,
the International Year of the Child, the State took steps to set up publishing
houses in Yemen, for example Al-Hamdani printing and publishing house, the
printing houses of the Ministry of Information and some private publishing
companies.

81. During the 1980s, a number of children’s newspapers and magazines were
founded and children’s stories were published, but the lack of authors,
writers, illustrators, producers and designers specializing in children’s
publications, as well as the lack of technical staff such as printers and
CRC/C/8/Add.20
page 20

specialists in the design and organization of modern printing and publishing

houses, led to the closure of a number of magazines and newspapers and the
suspension of publication of children’s books.

The Children’s Theatre

82. Dramatic activity began in Yemen in 1950 with theatrical performances in

schools and children’s plays on radio and television and on special occasions
and holidays. The theatre played a role in children’s culture but only modest
resources were available until 1979, the International Year of the Child, when
the Children’s Theatre was opened at Aden and staged a number of theatrical
performances for children. As a result, children’s drama began to develop as
an art form in Yemen, with foreign participation in some theatrical events.

83. Unfortunately, however, the Children’s Theatre closed down and children’s
dramatic activity gradually dwindled for the following reasons:

(i) The lack of a children’s theatre;

(ii) The lack of materials and equipment for staging theatrical events;

(iii) The lack of a budget and of plans and programmes for children’s
drama;

(iv) The lack of specialized personnel and appropriate scripts.

Children’s festivals and artistic activities

84. Programmes of this kind are organized nationwide on a weekly or monthly

basis and schoolchildren help to run the programmes during festivals and on
occasions of national importance. It has become customary to open State
programmes with children’s activities and children’s festivals are organized
on the following occasions and holidays: the beginning of the academic year;
8 March, International Women’s Day; 21 March, Mother’s Day; 1 May, Labour Day;
1 June, Universal Children’s Day; the two Revolution Days, 26 September and
14 October; the Feast of Breaking the Ramadan Fast (Id al-Fitr) and the Feast
of Immolation (Id al-Adha); the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child.

85. In addition to the various activities organized by institutions,

committees and organizations, children’s songs and music have played a
prominent role in these programmes. Some schools have begun to set up musical
groups. However, there is a serious lack of material and equipment and the
school day is short, especially in schools with three shifts, so that study
periods devoted to the arts and music have been given over to other subjects.

Children’s cinema

86. To date there is no special cinema for children but there are annual
festivals of imported films containing new concepts and moral values for
children. Such films are censored before being shown. However, Yemen itself
lacks the equipment, trained staff and other resources needed to make
children’s documentaries and children’s programmes.
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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E. Social and mental welfare services for children

87. Given the importance of the family as the appropriate primary natural
unit for the development of the child, in accordance with articles 26 and 27
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the State has taken steps to
promulgate legislation and undertake activities such as the following:

1. Social Security Act No. 1

88. Under this Act, needy families receive monthly financial support and some
support in kind. A total of 39,000 families have received such support, which
amounts to 153 million Yemeni rials annually for the country as a whole. Its
purpose is to help improve the living conditions of the families concerned so
that they can rear and educate their children. They continue to benefit until
their children find employment, are in a position to support themselves or
complete higher studies.

89. However, if we compare the number of families benefiting from the scheme
with the number of poor and destitute families, we find that the problem
persists and that the material assistance provided is very modest in the light
of low family income levels and other economic problems.

2. The productive family scheme

90. This scheme was launched as an alternative to social welfare benefits.

Its purpose was to provide training for beneficiaries that would give them
rapid access to appropriate employment and to provide opportunities to assist
as many poor families as possible. The scheme began with the establishment of
four centres offering the requisite facilities but, following unification, the
Government found it necessary to open additional centres in other governorates
to accommodate more trainees. However, its resources were inadequate for the
purpose, particularly since each of the centres needed appropriate equipment
and a crèche for working mothers.

91. To achieve its aims, this scheme requires greater support to make its
resources sufficient to improve its services to families and children. In
addition, schemes of this kind need to be studied by social researchers to
ensure that they provide services to the really needy and to persons with no
fixed income so that they can educate their children in the same way as other
social groups.

3. Social services for children

92. Alongside family care, children are provided with compulsory basic
education services from the age of six and should, in principle, have access
at an earlier age to crèche and kindergarten facilities to prepare them for
the first stage of compulsory basic education. Such crèches and kindergartens
exist only in the larger towns, while rural areas have only basic education
facilities. A total of 64 crèches and kindergartens now operate in the larger
towns. There is a serious shortage of social services to ensure proper
childrearing, and working mothers suffer great hardship in attempting to hold
down a job while ensuring that their children are in safe hands during their
CRC/C/8/Add.20
page 22

absence. Preschool children therefore lack appropriate social welfare

establishments to look after them. Children under the age of six often spend
their time in the streets where they are accident-prone, the more so if their
mother is at work.

4. Social services for disabled children

93. Steps have recently been taken to provide social services and training
for the disabled to assist them in developing their abilities, to prepare them
for productive employment and to help them to integrate into society. Homes
and centres providing services, social welfare, education and training have
been established for children with motor, mental and visual handicaps, and
recreational activities are organized on their behalf. However, in view of
the large number of beneficiaries and the paucity of resources available in
relation to the scale of the services required, the personnel employed in this
branch obviously lack the expertise required for this kind of work and need
training, continuous professional development and more material incentives to
remain in their jobs. There is also a shortage of facilities for treating
different kinds of disabilities. The number of such establishments is shown
in annex VIII.

94. Mention may be made of two social welfare projects for the disabled:
the early home education project and the CBR project.

Both projects provide home, social and training services for disabled children
and their families. A total of 278 children benefited in the initial
years (1992-1993).

95. The projects cover only a small proportion of governorates. Although

they provide model services, their scope is limited in comparison to the
number of disabled children without access to special centres and
establishments. The network will have to be extended to the remaining
governorates in order to reach all disabled children in the Republic of Yemen,
especially in the wake of the recent events, which left many people disabled.

5. Provision of care and training for

homeless and delinquent juveniles

96. Since the mid-1970s, five centres in the Republic of Yemen have been
providing social, psychological, educational and vocational rehabilitation
services for juveniles in these categories who have lost their natural link to
the family and have become homeless and open to exploitation. However, the
centres fail to play their proper role because of the shortage of resources
and the lack of comprehensive services. There has been an attempt in the last
two years to proceed with the promulgation of the Juvenile Welfare Act, to
formulate its implementing regulations and to prepare for the establishment of
juvenile courts. However, the social and economic situation prevailing after
the Gulf war impeded such action and the existing centres, with their current
capacity, are unable to provide adequate services for needy children.
Moreover, the recent events have led to an increase in the number of homeless
and delinquent juveniles.
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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6. Orphanages

97. Orphanages provide welfare services (food, clothing and accommodation),

as well as social and educational services for orphans. There is an
establishment of this kind at Sana’a and there were also social and
educational establishments for orphans in the southern governorates, known as
nomad schools, which provided services for orphans and the children of nomads
in areas inhabited by the Bedouin. They operated like mobile schools,
catering to the needs of the Bedouin community, providing services and
protecting children from neglect and vagrancy. They also imparted social,
educational, recreational, artistic and cultural skills and helped children
to become self-reliant and to play a useful role in society. However, these
schools have ceased to operate because they were unable to cover their costs
and they lacked the necessary financial and material resources.

7. Mental welfare services

98. It is important, before reviewing the Government’s action in this field,

to consider the extent to which such matters have been addressed and their
relationship to other issues of relevance to children and the degree of
development of society.

99. It may be concluded from a first reading of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child that, with reference to the articles dealing with mental and
spiritual dimensions, appropriate conditions for children have not been
provided because of a large number of economic and social circumstances.
Some services are, however, provided, such as:

(i) Mental health services for children are provided by some

establishments, albeit on a limited scale because the
establishments are a recent development in Yemeni society and
lack the resources required for such services in the broad sense
of the term;

(ii) The existing legislation and regulations guarantee respect for

the right of parents and the family, as those responsible for
the welfare of their children, and protect children from physical
and mental abuse (see the amendments to the Constitution, the
Juveniles Act, the Personal Status Act, the Judicial Proceedings
Act, the Prisons Act, etc.). At the same time, when children are
forced into delinquency, vagrancy and begging, the competent bodies
take no action to prevent such abuse because of the lack of social
workers;

(iii) Services are provided by social establishments for disabled,

delinquent, homeless, mendicant and other children in the form of
training, rehabilitation and social integration, but these services
cannot keep pace with the increase in such groups and do not
respond adequately to the existing social demand;

(iv) Private hospitals provide ongoing mental and psychological health

care for children but their services are very costly.
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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100. On account of the economic and political circumstances described in

the introduction to the report, we feel that the standard of services and
activities requires further development and support. Material and technical
resources are needed to undertake a large number of projects or to take action
against certain widespread phenomena in our own and similar societies, such as
poverty, low family income, etc., which have an impact on the low standard of
mental care for children.

Evaluation of social services in 1992-1993

101. The State is endeavouring to maintain existing services, albeit at a

minimum level and with local and external support, in the form of a number of
projects implemented under the circumstances imposed by the Gulf war, such as:

(i) Establishment of the Yemeni Higher Council for Children and the
Children’s Fund and the holding of a number of meetings on
development and population;

(ii) A preliminary study of the phenomenon of child beggars at Sana’a in

cooperation with the Swedish child welfare organization.

102. By way of evaluation, we may say that a complete overhaul of existing

social services is necessary. A new social policy in tune with the new
political, economic and social situation is also necessary to deal with the
current tragic circumstances. According to the findings of the 1993 study of
child beggars at Sana’a, the capital city, family disintegration as a result
of polygamy, death or divorce plays a major role in compelling many people,
including children, to resort to begging. It also showed that 30 per cent
of mendicant children were from families in which there were several wives.
Sixty per cent of children lived either with their mother (and hence their
mother’s husband) or with their father (and hence their father’s wife), that
is to say in an unnatural family situation. A disturbed and fraught family
environment has an adverse impact on children’s psychological make-up and
drives them to vagrancy and begging, which in turn prevents them from
attending school so that they are deprived of education and a secure future.

103. Eighty-seven per cent of respondents said that they received no

assistance from the State and 77 per cent received no assistance from
benevolent associations either. About 75 per cent of children would give up
begging if the State provided an acceptable alternative, that is to say decent
accommodation and a subsistence income. The children’s desire to cease
begging shows that it is forced upon them either by their relatives or by
difficult economic circumstances, their only concern being to keep body and
soul together in the absence of social security legislation that would offer
protection, employment opportunities and the chance to live a decent life.

104. In spite of the existence of numerous social bodies and some legislation
guaranteeing children’s rights, the deterioration of these services and the
failure to expand and develop them in line with population growth prove beyond
a doubt that children in our country live in distressing circumstances. This
has been particularly true since the recent war, which had a destructive
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
page 25

impact on the economic and social infrastructure in general and also led
to the destruction of children’s educational, social and recreational
institutions.

105. Child-welfare establishments - crèches, kindergartens, orphanages, homes

for juveniles, and centres and homes for the disabled - must, in the first
place, be built according to modern scientific specifications. In addition,
they lack proper furnishings and equipment for the pursuit of the kind of
social, educational, vocational and recreational activities that children need
in order to develop on an equal footing with their peers. Moreover, girls
tend to be neglected in many programmes. The establishments in question also
lack trained specialists (social scientists, psychologists, health specialists
and vocational trainers) and the few who are available lack the materials and
resources they need to do their work properly.

106. It should be noted that these basic services reach only about 2 per cent
of those in need because of limited resources and because they are restricted
to the main cities of the principal governorates. There are no social
services to speak of in the remote governorates. Under these circumstances,
mass organizations, parties and regional and international organizations
and bodies must support existing establishments by meeting their needs,
particularly in respect of children, in the areas laid waste by war, since the
governorates in question are still deprived of social services and the war has
disrupted many aspects of daily life in Yemen.

107. Greater coordination of action by the State and by private and benevolent
organizations calls for the following measures:

Ensuring that rural areas effectively enjoy their right to health,

educational and housing services and all infrastructural facilities,
including roads;

Building of small residential complexes in selected areas carefully

distributed among the country’s rural or peripheral urban areas; the
dwellings would be sold to the needy, particularly beggars, at reasonable
prices payable in easy instalments;

Establishment of factories and workshops for women (carpet-making,

manufacturing of household utensils and spare parts for factories),
particularly women with children to support;

Construction of vocational schools (free and compulsory boarding schools)

for orphans, vagrant children and physically and mentally disabled
children, where they can acquire an education and occupational skills;

Involvement of regional and international organizations in building

health, social and educational centres with a view to:

Promulgating a social security act to ensure social and economic

protection for the unemployed, including women, pregnant women and
nursing mothers;
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Speeding up the establishment of courts for male and female

juvenile offenders and initiating the transfer of those already in
prison to juvenile welfare establishments in accordance with the
provisions of the 1992 Juveniles Act;

Reviewing the Social Assistance Act, in particular the articles

concerning the scale of financial assistance, in order to bring
them into line with the current economic situation.

F. Health

108. Child health is the key to a society’s future well-being. Every child
should have the opportunity to grow up in a healthy environment, given the
fact that 90 per cent of human physical and mental growth occurs in early
childhood. Hence the need to protect children’s health. The Yemeni
Government is fully aware of the importance of ensuring such protection
through programmes designed to reduce infant and child mortality by the
year 2000, in accordance with the provisions of article 24 of the Convention,
based on the idea of primary health care.

The general health situation

109. Children under one year old constitute 4.5 per cent of the population of
Yemen, children under five 22 per cent and children under fifteen 54 per cent.
Women of childbearing age (15-44) constitute 25.2 per cent of the population.
Hence the prime importance of the mother and child welfare programme, which
targets three quarters of the population of Yemen.

110. It is a well-known fact that child health is closely bound up with the
health of society, which is influenced by social, economic, environmental and
other factors. Yemen has made considerable progress in the past 20 years
despite the problems impeding its development. As a result of its development
programme, the infant mortality rate declined, albeit slowly, from 171 per
thousand live births in 1985 to 130 in 1990. The mortality rate for children
under five declined from 390 per thousand live births in 1960 to about 192
in 1990. But these rates are still too high and a greater effort is needed to
reach the target rate of under 70 per thousand live births by the year 2000,
which was set in the Health for All strategy and also in the 1992 national
population strategy.

Principal health and social indicators

111. The principal health and social indicators are as follows:

Crude death rate: 21.8 per thousand;

Crude birth rate: 52.6 per thousand;

Population growth rate: 3.1 per cent;

Overall fertility rate: 8.2 children;

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Life expectancy at birth: 46 years;

Primary health care coverage ratio: 45 per cent (68 per cent in urban
areas; 32 per cent in rural areas);

Percentage of the population with access to clean drinking-water:

52 per cent (88 per cent in urban areas; 12 per cent in rural areas);

Coverage ratio of health expenditure: 51 per cent (70 per cent in urban
areas; 30 per cent in rural areas);

Illiteracy rate: 60.6 per cent (46 per cent for males; 85 per cent for
females);

Urbanization rate: 21 per cent;

Average number of inhabitants per doctor: 4,346;

Average number of inhabitants per nurse: 1,818;

Average number of inhabitants per hospital bed: 1,142.

112. These indicators show a low rate of urbanization, widespread illiteracy,

a high fertility rate and a low standard of living. The health indicators are
among the lowest in the world. The figures also show a concentration of
services in urban areas, while rural areas, especially remote regions and
those difficult of access, are still deprived of health services. It may
therefore be concluded that health standards are low in the country as a whole
and among children in particular.

113. The following overview of the health situation is provided in response to

article 24 of the Convention, which deals with child health.

Major child health problems

114. The major causes of child mortality in Yemen, as set forth in the paper
on health programme priorities in the 1990s, are:

(i) Diarrhoea and malnutrition: 29 per cent of child deaths;

(ii) The six childhood diseases: 12 per cent of infant deaths;

(iii) Premature (underweight) births, with an infant weight of up

to 2,500 grammes; the ratio of premature births is estimated
at 30 per cent and is responsible for 15 to 20 per cent of deaths;

(iv) Acute infection of the respiratory system: 15 per cent of child

deaths;

(v) Malaria: this disease is considered endemic in Yemen and

causes 17 per cent of child deaths;
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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(vi) Accidental death: road accidents, gunfire, children hit by cars,

fire accidents, poisoning, falls from high places; according to
the 1991 demographic survey, about 7 per 1,000 children under the
age of five are involved in accidents, with fire accidents
accounting for 30 per cent of the total;

(vii) Bilharzia: this disease is widespread in rural areas and mountain

governorates, where its incidence amounts to 60 per cent.

115. Large numbers of Yemeni children thus continue to die of contagious and
infectious diseases and malnutrition, diseases that can be treated only by
means of preventive services that ensure child safety through immunization,
treatment of dehydration due to diarrhoea, monitoring of child growth and
promotion of breast-feeding, all of which are strategic services aimed at
ensuring child survival.

116. Our country launched a widespread immunization programme in 1977 to

protect children against the six diseases for which vaccines are available
(tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tuberculosis).
This centralized horizontal programme was undertaken with the assistance
of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) and included a social mobilization campaign in the media.
Mobile teams were sent to stimulate public awareness in rural areas. A
tetanus inoculation and vaccination campaign for adult women was also
conducted. The campaign covered 80 per cent of children under the age of five
and 74 per cent in the case of measles in 1990. However, the suspension of
support for the immunization programme following the economic crisis in our
country led to a decline in the coverage ratio. According to a study
undertaken in late 1993, the coverage ratio of the immunization campaign
against the six diseases had declined to 42 per cent for children under the
age of five and the vaccination ratio for women of childbearing age (double
dosage) had dropped to 23 per cent.

117. Important objectives set by the Ministry of Health in its strategy for
the period 1992-2000 included a child immunization rate of 90 per cent and
eradication of poliomyelitis and infant tetanus. These targets formed part
of its interim oral rehydration plans for the prevention of dehydration.

118. In the past 10 years, the acceptance of oral rehydration treatment for
the prevention of dehydration due to diarrhoea, the main cause of infant
mortality in Yemen, has increased. Health workers and specialists have been
trained in its use and a media campaign has been conducted to stimulate
awareness among families and mothers. The mother and child demographic survey
carried out in 1991 showed that 57 per cent of women knew about this treatment
and 92 per cent of them knew of sources from which it was available but
only 55 per cent of mothers used it when their children fell ill with
diarrhoea. As a result, it is one of the most widespread of children’s
diseases, representing 34 per cent of diseases contracted by children under
the age of five. However, its incidence can be reduced only by taking action
in other areas such as ensuring a clean supply of drinking-water, hygienic
disposal of waste and effluent, and environmental rehabilitation. There is
a serious lack of such facilities in our country. For example, garbage
collection facilities exist in only six of the main towns and a large
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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proportion of the population still suffer from health problems related to

environmental degradation. Coordinated action is required to draft and
introduce legislation designed to address environmental problems and promote
awareness with a view to protecting the environment and keeping it healthy.

119. In late 1993, the State launched a national anti-diarrhoea and health
awareness campaign and began to implement environmental rehabilitation
projects and to encourage breast-feeding, child growth monitoring and health
care for mothers in the following ways:

(a) Breast-feeding

120. Studies in Yemen have shown that breast-feeding still predominates but
that artificial feeding has begun to spread in urban and rural areas. The
last demographic survey conducted in 1991 showed that 73 per cent of mothers
had begun to feed their children artificially during the first three months of
their lives and 10 per cent of nursing women weaned their babies at that age.
The average duration of breast-feeding in Yemen was found to be 16.8 months.

121. In the early 1980s, the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with

international organizations, took the following action to encourage and
promote breast-feeding:

(a) Action to end international assistance for the marketing of milk

substitutes, but this has not been ratified to date;

(b) A wide-ranging media and poster campaign to promote breast-feeding;

(c) A ban on the distribution of free samples of artificial milk in

hospitals throughout the country;

(d) At the beginning of the 1990s, a child-friendly hospital initiative

was launched and is currently being implemented in the Model Hospital of the
Revolution in the capital as a pilot strategy for the encouragement and
support of breast-feeding to be extended gradually to all hospitals in the
country.

(b) Monitoring of child growth

122. The monitoring of growth is one of the most difficult components of the
health strategy for child survival. Effective use of the health card "The
Road to Health" is still far from satisfactory in many mother and child health
care centres, although health workers have been trained to use it. Because
of certain habits and illiteracy, mothers are unaware of the purpose of the
card. Moreover, failure to supply them consistently in all health centres
and a number of other factors have led to symptoms of malnutrition or
undernutrition. Mothers need to make a special effort to provide additional
nourishment for their children and to supervise their children’s state of
nutrition. It should be noted that in most cases malnutrition has less to do
with the supply of food than with repeated illness and lack of information
concerning proper nourishment for children. Some bad habits in Yemeni
society, such as failing to supplement mother’s milk with other food or
depriving children with diarrhoea of food and drink, are conducive to
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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malnutrition. The 1991 statistics showed that 53 per cent of children under
the age of five were underweight and 15 per cent of children under the age
of two were emaciated.

(c) Maternity care

123. Maternity care has been given insufficient attention in our country.
Statistics on maternal disease and mortality are poor. It is not surprising,
therefore, that the maternal mortality rate, estimated at 800 to 1,000
per 100,000 live births, is one of the highest in the world. Maternal
mortality accounts for about one third of deaths among women of childbearing
age. The perinatal mortality rate (death of the embryo during the eighth to
the twentieth week or later in pregnancy, and death of live infants within
the first week of life) is also very high: 26 to 74 for every thousand live
births according to studies undertaken in hospitals and in society in general.
These ratios reflect the poor state of maternal health in Yemen.

124. It has been established beyond doubt through global studies that there
is a strong relationship between maternal and child mortality. According to
the 1993 study of significant factors in maternal mortality, 60 per cent of
live-born children under the age of five fail to survive when their mother
dies during or after birth, compared with 38 per cent of children in cases
where the mother is still living. The study, which was carried out in the
country’s northern and eastern governorates, also brought to light the
following causes of maternal mortality:

Hepatitis;

Haemorrhage;

Extrauterine conception;

Septicaemia;

Difficult delivery.

125. The following are a selection of indicators from the 1991 mother and
child demographic survey:

(a) Fertility rate: 7.4 children per woman;

(b) Twenty-four per cent of women under the age of 20 were

married, 2.6 per cent of women aged 15 had begun to bear children
and 11 per cent of women under 20 had borne at least one child.
Seventy-six per cent of women had no antenatal care and the average
number of visits to antenatal centres was three. The main reason for this
low coverage was lack of awareness of the importance of antenatal care
in society and the prevailing belief that care was intended only for
those who were ill during pregnancy. Other reasons for failure to use
such services were the low standard of care, the shortage of trained staff,
the distance of maternity care centres and the small number of such centres;
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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(c) Fifteen per cent of women had been vaccinated against

tetanus, 10 per cent with two or more doses and 5 per cent with only one dose;

(d) The mortality risk is greater for mothers who give birth at an
early or late age (under 20 or over 39) or in quick succession (less than
two years between births), as shown in the following tables:

Table 1

Mortality risk related to childbirth, by age group

Age at delivery Infant deaths Deaths of children in Deaths of children

the 1 to 4 age group under the age of 5

Under 20 130 32 158

20-29 96 39 131
30-39 92 45 133
40-49 133 91 193

Table 2

The interval between births

Interval between Infant deaths Deaths of children in Deaths in children

births the 1 to 4 age group under the age of 5

Less than 135 55 182

2 years

2-3 years 52 26 76

126. All these indicators provide clear evidence of the poor standard of
maternity care, bearing in mind that careful family planning and health care
during pregnancy and childbirth play an important role in reducing high child
and maternal mortality rates alike. According to Ministry of Health
statistics for 1989, complications of pregnancy and childbirth occurred
in 19.6 per cent of cases, 12 per cent of deliveries took place in health
centres and 16 per cent were supervised by trained personnel. Contraceptives
were used by 7 per cent of those surveyed.

127. In the early 1990s, the Government began to give increased attention
to mother and child care in an endeavour to implement the mother and child
strategy, which aims at halving the maternal mortality rate by the year 2000
through the quantitative and qualitative improvement of maternity services, by
educating mothers to avoid traditional methods that are harmful to children,
and by helping them to attend to their child’s nutrition, thereby protecting
both themselves and their child against risk.
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II. PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES IMPEDING THE

PROVISION OF CHILD WELFARE SERVICES

128. It may be useful to outline the background to the problems involved in

implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child. War and the economic
and political situation in the Republic of Yemen may certainly be counted
among the challenges and difficulties that have prevented the speedy provision
of child welfare services and the fulfilment of their requirements. During
the period under review, particularly in the 1970s, the State focused on the
establishment of the infrastructure and the basic facilities needed for the
provision of these services. However, the suffering continued and a
succession of crises and conflicts had an adverse impact on the economic
situation, keeping living standards at a low level and affecting the situation
of children.

129. However, this does not mean that the right of children in our country
to proper care and attention has not received official recognition. The
Government has taken a variety of steps in the field of legislation and
social, health and educational policy with a view to identifying and meeting
existing needs, so that Yemeni children now enjoy certain rights under
domestic legislation. These requirements must be met as a matter of urgency
in order to develop children’s intellectual and mental capacities and
aptitudes, enhance their social skills, diversify their sources of culture
and knowledge, and consolidate their civil and legal rights with a view to
promoting the development of their personality, preparing them for the
responsibilities of life and shaping their future.

130. The main difficulties may be summarized as follows:

(a) The lack of a high-level technical body responsible for children’s

affairs. Although the State has attempted in recent years to set up a Yemeni
child welfare board, the project still lacks the requisite specialized
personnel capable of promoting child welfare services.

(b) The activities conducted in bodies attached to government

ministries lack a forward-looking approach to child welfare mechanisms and
programmes and have therefore failed to achieve their aims.

(c) Increasing population growth, which has been overwhelmingly

concentrated in rural and mountainous areas. Children account for a large
proportion of these communities and are deprived of many health, social,
educational, cultural and recreational services. Many child welfare projects
fail to take account of these requirements in an integrated and comprehensive
way so as to meet the needs of children in the regions concerned. Owing to
lack of systematic and carefully planned coordination between child welfare
mechanisms and programmes, the action taken usually fails to produce the
desired results because of the large number of governmental bodies and
institutions responsible for children’s affairs and the vagueness of the
aims, strategies and future orientations of policies aimed at promoting such
services.
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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(d) Lack of government support for the expansion of child welfare

services so that existing services often run into difficulties because the
relevant policy-making machinery and programmes are also deprived of support.
Other problems in this area may be summarized as follows:

(i) The limited capacity of the bodies that formulate general child
welfare strategies;

(ii) The lack of technical and administrative experience of persons

working on behalf of children and in child welfare establishments,
a shortcoming that adversely affects the implementation of short-
and long-term plans and programmes;

(iii) The vagueness of the future aims and strategies of relevant

government bodies, which undermines the utility and effectiveness
of child welfare programmes.

(e) Some existing child welfare plans and programmes are meaningless
because they do not fully grasp the real nature of children’s present and
future needs.

(f) The lack of detailed information and statistics on existing health,

educational, cultural and social services for children that would shed light
on the prevailing situation, the type of improvements needed and the scale of
the increase required in services provided by child welfare establishments in
order to establish quantitative targets that can be measured and evaluated.

(g) The lack of social and field studies to identify children’s needs,
to help provide the requisite factual basis for the preparation of future
projects and budgets for child welfare programmes and to serve as a
performance indicator for the implementation of programmes and ideas for
future plans.

(h) The lack of child welfare training establishments, which means that
child welfare establishments are unable to meet their needs for a wide range
of professionals with diverse qualifications, scientific expertise and
practical experience in the field. This type of expertise calls for
pre-service and in-service training designed to improve standards of
performance.

(i) The rising cost of and growing demand for social, educational,
health, cultural and recreational services, which have created difficulties
for existing establishments and may compel them to suspend the provision of
such services and the formulation and implementation of child development and
welfare goals and policies designed to prepare children to lead a decent life,
the kind of life that enhances their capacity to assume the responsibilities
required of them in the future.

(j) The lack of a regular and systematic evaluation of progress in

implementing the Convention at the national level, that is to say a permanent
and systematic review of programmes and projects relating to the Convention
from the standpoint of sectoral planning of child welfare programmes or
assessment of their applicability.
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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(k) The lack of urgently needed planning by the administration of child

welfare establishments with a view to establishing programming and planning
priorities, given the fact that planning is a basic input to be used by the
establishments concerned in addressing humanitarian problems.

(l) Most child welfare establishments are located in urban areas and
many rural areas have no access to their services because the formulators of
development policy have no concept of the needs arising from the immense
suffering of children in those areas. In addition, the economic situation of
families in urban and rural areas prevents them from taking advantage of the
services offered by child welfare establishments, especially those for which
a fee is charged.

(m) The non-existence of social welfare establishments catering for

disabled and juvenile girls so that their access to such services is very
limited compared with boys and is non-existent in some areas.

(n) Institutional child welfare services are few and limited in scope.
They fail to meet children’s basic and growing needs in a variety of areas.

131. In spite of the large number of public establishments and agencies

dealing with children’s affairs and child welfare and protection, there
is scarcely any proper coordination among them, a fact that reduces the
effectiveness of their role and the potential offered by the number and
variety of their activities.

132. All of these shortcomings have an adverse impact on the provision of

services by child welfare establishments, and this impact is compounded in
the case of care and rehabilitation establishments for the disabled, who are
deprived of proper care because of the lack of human resources and specialists
capable of running such establishments.

133. Moreover, many privileges and legal provisions that would improve
the lot of disabled children have not been implemented because of the
lack of clear-cut and integrated national strategies dealing with care
and rehabilitation for the disabled.

134. The role of child welfare services and social workers in existing social,
educational and health establishments is still limited in terms of the
relationship between the child and the social worker, especially in
orphanages, homes for juveniles or the disabled, and preschool educational
establishments. It is also a well-known fact that children with special
development problems do not receive the necessary care and support because
the services that social workers should be providing in the context of
educational, social, health or recreational establishments such as clubs,
psychiatric clinics, crèches, kindergartens, schools and centres for the
disabled are limited and cannot be used to benefit children. As social
workers do not play their proper role in these establishments, they cannot
easily tell the difference between individual children’s circumstances and
needs, or how they would respond to the social worker or to the help that they
require. In addition, social workers are greatly lacking in expertise and in
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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the theoretical and practical skills needed to deal with children in these
establishments because of a lack of in-service training, all of which impedes
the implementation in Yemen of the articles of the Convention.

135. These problems will continue to exist until such time as the relevant
government bodies address the problems and take practical steps to meet these
essential and growing needs under scheduled plans backed up by annual budgets,
thereby improving the situation in different areas. In pursuit of that aim,
section III of this report sets out a number of proposed plans in support of
the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the
Republic of Yemen.

III. PROPOSED PLANS OF ACTION

A. Plan of action for the establishment of a home

for socially-handicapped juvenile girls

The problem

136. Field studies have drawn attention to the existence of a group of

juvenile girls who commit offences and are currently exposed to abuse,
oppression and exploitation when they find themselves in prison with adult
women. After spending some time in these conditions, they tend to become
professional delinquents because of the lack of a social rehabilitation policy
in the penal establishments concerned. It is therefore essential to establish
a special home for girls in response to the rapid social change that has
affected family and other social institutions. These institutions have been
unable to cope with existing problems in the absence of specialized social and
rehabilitation centres such as homes for juveniles which can play the family’s
role in such circumstances.

Aims

137. The proposed plan of action would have the following aims:

(a) To establish a special institution for the rehabilitation and

reform of juveniles;

(b) To foster an appropriate natural environment to reconstitute the

personality of juvenile girls and prepare them for release from the home;

(c) To remove anything that might remind the juvenile girl that she is
undergoing punishment;

(d) To foster an appropriate educational and cultural atmosphere, with

guidance and counselling, to promote readjustment of the juvenile and her
integration into society;

(e) To develop the juvenile girl’s social awareness so that she can
reintegrate easily after her release from the home;
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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(f) To use programmes comprising social and cultural activities and

sport to strengthen the juvenile girl’s moral fibre, reform her character
and teach her to cultivate a range of virtues;

(g) To provide religious and cultural instruction geared to the girl’s

age, state of mind and social condition.

Justification

138. Rapid population growth and the growing demands and everyday needs of the
family and society in response to social change and changes in habits, customs
and traditions have produced signs of moral degeneracy among juvenile girls in
some poor, needy and neglected environments as a result of family and social
pressures that have undermined family structures in a number of ways.

139. Juvenile girls are currently held in women’s prisons alongside hardened
women criminals. This situation undermines any preventive reform programme
for juvenile girls and there is no clear-cut policy to establish a juvenile
institution for girls where their behaviour can be changed and their previous
attitude towards themselves and others revised.

140. An institution of this kind, providing educational, social, sports

and vocational programmes, should offer many opportunities for productive
initiatives. The staff would be aware of any inclination to change on the
part of the juvenile girls in the context of therapeutic programmes involving
counselling, encouragement, empathy and sympathy in the event of failure.
They would also endeavour to enhance the girls’ self-esteem through
rehabilitation, training and instruction, in contrast to the current situation
in the prisons where juvenile girls are detained. Essential therapy would
be provided involving the entire staff of the institution through the
establishment of social relationships between them and the juveniles by
means of various kinds of activities.

141. In order to establish the institution the following measures would

require to be implemented:

Means

(a) Provision of a plot of land for the project;

(b) Design of a building suited to the rehabilitation, training,

educational and recreational programmes;

(c) Equipment and furnishing of the building with educational and

teaching aids in accordance with modern specifications;

(d) Installation of productive workshop facilities for rehabilitation,

vocational training and programmes of literary, cultural, recreational and
social activities;

(e) Appointment of the requisite administrative and technical staff for

the institution and provision of the corresponding materials and equipment.
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Funding

(a) Earmarking of the financial credits and appropriations required to

implement the project under the 1996-1997 investment programme budget of the
Ministry of Social Security and Labour.

(b) Steps to open up channels of communication with international

organizations that might help to fund the project.

(c) The budget: government contribution:

Forty million Yemeni rials (building costs);

Salaries of the staff of the institution;

(d) Foreign support:

Coordination with the Embassy of the Netherlands, UNICEF, the

Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the United Nations
Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) and the
International Labour Organization (ILO) with a view to obtaining
financial assistance to furnish the home and install the requisite
facilities for teaching, workshops and programmes of social and
cultural activities.

UNICEF: US$ 100,000;

SIDA: US$ 50,000;

UNESCO: US$ 60,000;

ILO: US$ 150,000.

B. Plan of action for the establishment of a training

centre for the staff of preschool educational
establishments (crèches and kindergartens)

The problem

142. The problem underlying the proposal to establish a training centre for
the staff of preschool educational establishments (crèches and kindergartens)
is the lack of instructors, teachers and administrators with specialized
training in child welfare, who should possess a number of academic, personal
and professional characteristics to qualify for this kind of responsibility.

Aims

143. The aims under the plan of action are:

(a) To create a body of Yemeni professionals capable of assuming

responsibility for teaching preschool children and of transmitting their
knowledge and expertise to other professionals;
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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(b) To create new employment opportunities for women in this vital

area;

(c) To create local training opportunities;

(d) To seek to attach the centre to model kindergartens and crèches

that would provide facilities for practical training;

(e) To involve the centre in supervision and monitoring of existing

crèches and kindergartens and those established in the future.

Justification

144. A field study of public and private crèches and kindergartens carried
out in recent years brought to light a number of shortcomings in the human
resources employed in such establishments, particularly private crèches and
kindergartens whose teaching staff had not been properly trained and used
inappropriate teaching methods. These projects require additional support
through the establishment of a training centre for kindergarten teachers and
instructors for the following reasons.

145. The tendency for women to seek employment has created an urgent need for
the establishment of kindergartens and crèches, and this has in turn created a
demand for qualified teachers trained in the methods to be used in such
establishments.

146. The changes that have occurred in society in response to economic,

social, political and technological change and changes in social mores have
created a demand for teachers with a high level of theoretical knowledge and
varied experience to meet children’s wide-ranging and specific development
needs with their spiritual, social and cognitive dimensions.

147. A large proportion of teachers in private kindergartens are not properly

qualified and need to enrol in a training centre of this kind so as to play
their role as teachers and educators as effectively as possible.

148. This type of project has an important educational dimension in so far as

it creates new employment opportunities in a vital area. In addition, the
centre will supervise the implementation of the programmes and activities
offered by public and private kindergartens and crèches, so that women can
enter the labour market with an easy mind in the knowledge that their role is
being played by a trained teacher whose skills are being used for the benefit
of their children.

149. The plan of action calls for the implementation of the following
measures:

(a) Provision of land for the project;

(b) Provision of the requisite human and material resources, the basic
ingredients needed to ensure the success of the project;
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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(c) Design of a building to house the centre or, failing that, rental
of an appropriate building for the purpose;

(d) Preparation of an outline curriculum and theoretical and practical

syllabus to form the basis of the centre’s work;

(e) Steps to establish a model kindergarten and crèche concurrently

with the establishment of the centre to provide an opportunity for practical
and theoretical training;

(f) Coordination between the Ministry of Education, Sana’a University

and the Ministry of Social Security and Labour to obtain approval for the
adoption of the project;

(g) Earmarking of the financial credits and appropriations required to

implement the project;

(h) Opening up of channels of communication with a number of

international organizations operating in this field.

Budget

150. The Ministry of Social Security and Labour and the Ministry of Education
will assist in establishing the training centre by incorporating a separate
budget for the project in their 1995-1996 budget. The sum involved is
estimated at 4 million Yemeni rials. Provision for payment of the salaries of
the staff recruited to work in the centre will come under the annual budget of
the Ministries.

151. Foreign support will be used to provide equipment for the centre,
to supply it with the furniture, materials and resources required for the
training process and to equip the crèches and kindergartens with the requisite
furniture and playthings:

UNICEF: US$ 500,000;

UNESCO: US$ 500,000;

SIDA: US$ 500,000.

C. Plan of action for the establishment of children’s

villages in the Republic of Yemen

The problem

152. Notwithstanding its social and economic progress, our country still lacks
certain facilities, especially social services such as care for paraplegics
and persons suffering from multiple disabilities, a system of foster families
and other services of the kind provided by SOS-Kinderdorf International
(SOS Children’s Villages) in a number of countries, including Arab countries,
whose practical experience in this field has proved successful in terms of its
beneficial and effective role in caring for the groups concerned.
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Justification

153. There is an urgent need for a project of the kind provided by

SOS Kinderdorf International, which has supported a number of children’s
village projects throughout the world. This need stems from the changes that
have occurred in many of the values, concepts and standards underlying social
behaviour and from the emergence of certain social problems, as a result of
which many orphans, children of unknown parentage and others have been exposed
to the risk of corruption and exploitation, especially under the difficult
circumstances obtaining in our country during the war.

154. Owing to the prevailing economic and social situation, many people who
would previously have been willing to adopt orphans and children of unknown
parentage are now unable to incur the expense and responsibility of rearing
and educating them. As a result, the children in question are deprived of a
natural family environment that would offer them security and protection. The
establishment of this kind of institution as an alternative care system is
necessary to extend the scope of services available to groups of deprived and
homeless children.

Aims

155. The aims in establishing such an institution are:

(a) To create a substitute family environment with social,

psychological and health care for children who have been prevented for one
reason or another from growing up in their natural family;

(b) To monitor children’s upbringing in foster families;

(c) To formulate and implement cultural and health awareness programmes

for foster families through lectures and training for foster mothers;

(d) To entertain the children on various occasions by means of

excursions and other programmes of family and social activities.

Means

156. The children’s villages will require the provision of the following:

A plot of land large enough for 20 small houses, each consisting of

4 rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a small courtyard and measuring
not more than 150 m2;

A house for the village director measuring not more than 150 m2;

A house for the administration measuring not more than 150 m2;

An administrative building measuring not more than 20 m2 to provide

assistance for mothers and accommodate guests;

A kindergarten measuring not more than 20 m2;

 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Equipment of the buildings and administrative centre with the requisite

furniture and office supplies;

Recruitment of a staff of five foster mothers to work on a permanent

basis in the children’s villages in return for a monthly salary. The
house in which they work would serve as their permanent residence.

Measures

157. The following measures will require to be undertaken:

Monitoring of the acquisition of a plot of land on which to build;

Recruitment of foster mothers on the basis of detailed job descriptions;

Contacts and coordination with SOS Kinderdorf International to ascertain

whether it is willing to become involved in the project.

Budget

158. The Yemeni Government will assist in obtaining the plot of land, in
paying the salaries of the staff and in defraying the village’s monthly
expenses:

Cost of land: approximately 2,500,000 Yemeni rials.

Salaries and wages: 20 x 12 x 6,000 = 1,440,000 Yemeni rials.

Monthly cost of each house: 12,000 x 12 x 20 = 2,880,000 Yemeni rials.

Foreign support

159. SOS Kinderdorf International would participate as follows:

Construction of the village in accordance with the specifications

prepared by the organization for that purpose;

Equipment and furnishing of the village buildings;

Purchase of a bus to transport the children from their houses to

government schools in the vicinity of the village.

D. Plan of action for the opening of a social welfare department

at the Faculty of Education of Sana’a University

Identification of the problem

160. Many public and private bodies providing educational, social, health,
informational, cultural, recreational and other services are suffering from
serious shortcomings in the institutional care they offer to beneficiaries
because of the lack of professional staff qualified in the field of individual
and community service.
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Justification

161. Given the extent and complexity of child welfare and of children’s
needs for a sound and harmonious upbringing, and in view of the emergence of
institutional child welfare services in various government bodies dealing with
child-rearing and education, as well as the existence of other institutions
providing individual and community services, it has become necessary to set
up a specialized department that can play a beneficial role in comprehensive
development encompassing all aspects and sectors of society. One cannot speak
of comprehensive development where one component is developed at the expense
of another. Social development goes hand in hand with economic, cultural and
political development since they all serve the same aim of promoting the
welfare of the human person as the means and end of development.

162. It is therefore necessary to set up a department that can organize and

coordinate social services in every field so that they reach all beneficiaries
and have a tangible impact on both individuals and groups. The most important
of these services consists in proper child-rearing through the provision of
care, education and recreation, to which may be added the scientific and
objective steering of society towards the highest goal of these services,
namely the creation of a society based on solidarity, cohesion and awareness
of rights and duties.

163. Emphasis will be on the training and professional development of social

scientists, enhancing their awareness and promoting an enlightened approach
to the task of serving individuals and groups and remedying existing
shortcomings, and on the provision of access to relevant studies, books and
publications and development of social work in the department, with emphasis
on the practical application of fieldwork techniques. These techniques have
been almost entirely neglected in the case of social science graduates of the
Faculty of Arts, the Sociology and Psychology Department and the Faculty of
Education.

164. If social scientists are trained in accordance with scientific methods

that take account of prevailing social conditions, they will play a major role
in the design and preparation of programmes of services in all fields. They
will also be in a position to identify shortcomings, to take steps to redress
them and to prevent them from spreading.

Aim

165. The aim of the department will be the provision of qualified personnel to
work in the following fields:

(a) Social welfare services relating to education and educational

establishments such as schools, colleges, homes and centres for the disabled,
juveniles and the elderly, cultural and sports clubs, adult education classes,
crèches and kindergartens;
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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(b) Social welfare services relating to employment, including

counselling, rehabilitation and vocational training programmes;

(c) Social welfare services relating to public health and social

programmes, including medical care, such as hospitals and mother and child
welfare programmes, involving, inter alia, provision of the requisite
assistance through contacts with individual and group services;

(d) Social welfare services relating to social security and health

insurance and retirement programmes;

(e) Social welfare services relating to legal matters, including

juvenile and personal status courts, and provision of legal assistance for
the families of juveniles, the disabled, the homeless and low-income groups;

(f) Social welfare services relating to housing, that is to say

analysis and improvement of children’s living conditions and studies of child
adjustment in residential zones with a view to promoting the social changes
needed to enhance the cohesion of these communities, which may influence
children for better or worse through family and community values and
standards.

Means

166. The following means will be employed to achieve the aim of the
department:

(a) Recruitment of qualified third-level teaching staff specializing in

social welfare;

(b) Preparation of integrated social welfare curricula and provision

of technical and administrative facilities and qualified teachers of social
welfare subjects;

(c) Provision of lecture halls and appropriate reference material;

(d) Adoption of an official decision to open a social welfare

department at Sana’a University.

Measures

167. The Faculty of Education of Sana’a University will take action to

establish the department and the corresponding proposal will be submitted,
first to the Faculty Board and then to the Governing Board of the University,
with a view to its adoption and approval. Channels of communication with
international organizations would be opened with a view to securing their
involvement in material and technical support for the establishment of the
department.

Budget

168. The budget for the department would be incorporated in the Faculty budget
and investment programme. Coordination with the Faculty of Education of
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Sana’a University would be undertaken with regard to the opening of a social

welfare studies department, the budget of which would be drawn from the
following sources:

Estimated budgetary contribution of the Government: US$ 3 million.

United States Agency for International Development: US$ 3 million.

UNESCO: US$ 500,000.

Estimated total for the Government and donor agencies: US$ 6.5 million.

Summary

169. The Republic of Yemen ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child
in 1991 and took wide-ranging steps to implement its provisions, adopting
legislation and announcing the establishment of a Higher Council for Maternal
and Child Welfare in 1991.

170. The statistics show that the prevailing economic and political situation
impedes full implementation of the Convention and that the emergence of
certain practices constitutes an obstacle to sound child development, for
example the spread of begging and vagrancy among children and rising
disability ratios as a result of the prevailing economic and social
circumstances and the wars and conflicts that have led to a reduction
in family income levels or the loss of a breadwinner.

171. The statistics show that educational programmes and policies do not
correspond to the present size of the population and fail to meet children’s
real educational needs. The ratio of children benefiting from education to
the total population is only 54 per cent. Full educational coverage for
children has not been achieved because the principles and goals announced
are out of tune with reality. Free education does not cover educational
requisites and does not imply exemption from fees. Moreover, the public
authorities have not yet been able to enforce compulsory education or ensure
equality of opportunity in education despite the fact that schools now exist
even in remote regions of the country.

172. Although the public authorities are aware of the need to provide for
child welfare and although the media and cultural channels are used to further
that aim, Yemeni children do not benefit from such services as they should.
Although radio broadcasting began as early as 1959 and television
transmissions in 1965, the programmes have not fired children’s imagination,
responded to their aspirations or contributed to their development because of
the lack of material and technical resources and the fact that media coverage
does not extend to all parts of the country.

173. The statistics indicate that the number of children benefiting from
health services is steadily declining because of the inadequacy of children’s
health care, the increase in population growth compared with available health
services and the high illiteracy rate, especially among people in rural areas,
who account for 81 per cent of the population of Yemen.
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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174. In the case of social services, lack of resources and of sufficient

qualified social welfare personnel has led to a deterioration in child welfare
services and the emergence of psychological and social problems among
children. The increase in the number of disabled and homeless children has
delayed attendance to the humanitarian needs of children eligible for such
assistance.

175. The difficulties currently facing children in Yemeni society are

attributable to social, economic and political problems. Any improvement
in these conditions requires more support and a concerted effort by
international, private and government agencies and institutions to implement
child welfare projects that correspond to the provisions of the Convention on
the Rights of the Child and translate Yemeni legislation into practical action
that provides children with care, protection and support.

References

Detailed bibliographical references and marginal notes appended to the

report are available for consultation in the secretariat.
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Annex I

Total number of schools and classes and of teachers and students,

by sex at all levels of general and religious education

Level Basic 3-year 4-year

secondary secondary

Schools 8 533 738 77

Classes 63 569 2 925 991
Students (male) 63 569 97 693 28 277
Students (female) 524 855 10 724 11 806
Total students 2 059 502 114 717 40 083
Male teachers 42 757 3 765 635
Female teachers 9 739 528 825
Total teachers 52 496 3 607 2 146
Yemeni teachers 45 926 903 2 012
Non-Yemeni teachers 6 570 2 704 134
Science colleges 213 480 13 572
Males 162 510 19 840
Females 50 576 1 865
Teachers 8 633 6 144
Religious schools 1 000 282
Classes 4 536 755

Source: Educational Statistics and the Central Statistical Office

(1992).
 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Annex II

Population distribution by sex and age group (1988-1990)

Sex Male Female

Age
group 1988 1989 1990 1988 1989 1990

0 - 4 1 176 900 1 200 680 1 212 410 1 519 410 1 183 820 1 190 600
5 - 9 959 620 979 390 1 030 000 888 590 935 280 977 460
10 - 14 696 940 796 000 169 930 621 030 664 330 713 460
15 - 19 480 490 517 600 555 730 475 980 496 820 518 070
20 - 24 317 470 338 950 366 030 376 690 386 620 401 310
25 - 29 264 570 269 400 274 060 355 070 355 560 354 360
30 - 34 231 480 234 650 238 970 314 360 320 050 325 980
35 - 39 210 970 213 220 214 810 365 180 273 110 279 990
40 - 44 180 380 184 140 188 220 205 230 212 960 222 060
45 - 49 154 480 154 510 155 970 172 230 174 950 177 820
50 - 54 137 270 142 520 143 560 143 560 147 110 119 070
55 - 59 112 560 114 700 119 300 212 370 115 090 119 070
60 - 64 91 800 88 580 87 820 87 820 95 400 91 500
65 - 69 66 610 66 070 65 880 67 810 98 540 69 780
70 - 74 53 290 47 120 43 670 56 860 49 070 44 940
75 74 550 71 830 69 260 84 440 18 370 78 320

Total 5 210 170 5 419 360 5 535 620 7 586 630 5 590 150 5 716 860

Source: Central Statistical Office, Statistical Yearbook for 1992.

CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Annex III

Figures for children attending kindergartens

Academic year 1993/94

Governorate Public Number of Total Private Number of Total

kinder- pupils kinder- pupils
gartens gartens
M F M F

City of 3 158 115 273 15 607 488 1 095

Sana’a

Aden 14 2 114 1 818 3 932 - - - -

Lahej 3 118 109 227 - - - -

Abyan 7 599 696 1 295 - - - -

Shabwah 5 364 307 671 - - - -

Hadhramaut 6 1 147 1 011 2 158 - - - -

Mahra 4 206 251 457 - - - -

Ta’izz 2 82 187 269 1 70 70 140

Hudayda - - - - 3 24 24 58

Ibb - - - - 2 35 35 82

Al-Baida* 1 2 2 4 - - - -
Mahwit

Total 45 4 790 4 496 9 286 21 736 617 1 375

 CRC/C/8/Add.20
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Annex IV

Specialized associations and benevolent associations and

activities offering family and child services

No. Name of association Location of Date of Groups served

activities establishment
1 Association for Sana’a, Aden 1988 Motor-handicapped persons of
Motor-Handicapped both sexes, especially
Persons children
2 Welfare Society for the Sana’a 1989 Persons with aural and speech
Deaf and Dumb impairments
3 Welfare Society for the Sana’a 1993 Mentally-handicapped children
Mentally Handicapped
4 Yemeni Welfare and Sana’a, Aden 1989 Blind persons of both sexes,
Rehabilitation Society specializing in child
for the Blind rehabilitation
5 Welfare and Lahej 1993 Rehabilitation of the
Rehabilitation Society disabled
for the Disabled
6 Yemeni Paediatrics Sana’a Children’s health care
Society
7 Yemeni Women’s Society In several Welfare of women and
governorates children: social,
educational, vocational,
8 Yemeni Women’s " recreational and cultural
Federation welfare and rehabilitation
9 Benevolent Social Reform Most governorates Support and projects for the
Society protection of orphans
10 Yemen Red Crescent " Material support, assistance
Society in kind, health care and
relief for families in
distress
11 Yemeni Volunteers Sana’a 1993 Family and child welfare,
Society counselling and guidance
12 Al-Hikma Society of Sana’a, Ta’izz, Material support and
Yemen Hudayda assistance in kind for
children and their families,
who are helped to look after
and rehabilitate their
children and to protect them
from begging and vagrancy
13 Local authority councils In every governorate Family welfare; establishment
of educational and recreation
centres

14 Family Development In every governorate Marginalized groups reduced

Society to the lowest levels of
society
CRC/C/8/Add.20
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 Annex VI

Social institutions serving homeless and delinquent children and number of

beneficiaries from the date of establishment until 1993

Year

Name of 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 Total
institution

City of 48 72 130 160 173 104 98 88 80 98 125 125 155 152 157 1 765
Sana’a

Aden Centre - - - - - - - - - - - 18 - - - 18

Ta’izz 32 33 73 93 104 91 88 54 57 57 50 62 46 64 62 966

Hudayda 65 63 77 92 100 59 76 42 75 83 67 72 83 92 69 1 115

Ibb 37 33 54 58 64 75 72 49 52 47 54 39 49 50 53 786

Sa’dah - - - - - - - - - 18 11 10 10 - - 49

Total 182 201 334 403 441 329 334 233 264 303 307 326 343 358 341 4 699
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 Annex VII

Public and private centres for the disabled: services and programmes

Name of institution Region Disability Responsible Capacity Type of service Number of Educational Vocational Additional
authority beneficiari programmes training activities
page 52

es programmes

Al-Nur Centre Sana’a Blind Social security 50 Education and 108 Braille tuition None Cultural, social,
care to preparatory recreational,
level musical
CRC/C/8/Add.20

Al-Nur Institute Aden Blind Social security 50 Education, care 25 Braille tuition Wickerwork Cultural, social,
and training recreational,
rehabilitation musical

Al-Nur Institute Mukalla Blind Social security 50 Education, care 80 Braille tuition Wickerwork, Cultural, social,
and bookbinding, recreational,
rehabilitation carpentry, musical
stonework

Cognitive Sana’a Deaf, dumb and Social security 120 Education and 238 Special tuition Carpentry, Cultural, social,
Development Centre mentally and the local rehabilitation for the deaf printing, recreational,
retarded council knitting, sports, musical
upholstery,
bookbinding,
agriculture

Rehabilitation Aden Motor Social security 60 Education and 50 Literacy Printing,

Centre for the handicapped rehabilitation secretarial work,
Disabled knitting, sewing,
carpentry

Project for Ta’izz All Social security Open Consciousness- 278 Consciousness- None None
rehabilitation of Lahej disabilities raising and raising and
the disabled within education education
society

Early home education Sana’a All Social security 80 Consciousness- 63 Education and None None
project for mothers disabilities raising and training
of disabled children education programmes for
mothers of
disabled
children

Rehabilitation and Sana’a Motor Health Open Natural therapy, Open None None None
Natural Therapy handicapped prostheses,
Centre prosthetic
equipment

School for the Deaf Hudayda Deaf and dumb Local council 30 Education 50 Special tuition None Cultural, social,
for the deaf: recreational
lip-reading and
sign language

Annex VII (continued)

Public and private centres for the disabled: services and programmes

Name of institution Region Disability Responsible Capacity Type of service Number of Educational Vocational Additional
authority beneficiari programmes training activities
es programmes
School for the Deaf Zabid Deaf and dumb Education: 40 Education and 48 Special tuition Sewing, Cultural, social,
Literacy rehabilitation for the deaf: handicrafts sports,
Department lip-reading and recreational
sign language

Rehabilitation Ta’izz Deaf, dumb and Hayel Sa’id - - - - -

Centre for the mentally Group
Disabled retarded

Home for the Elderly Sana’a All Local council 80 Care, 125 None None None
and Disabled disabilities accommodation
and the elderly

Home for the Elderly Aden The elderly Social security 150 Care, 45 None None
accommodation

Al-Salaam Sanatorium Hudayda Mental illness Social security 150 Care, 245 None None
accommodation,
therapy

City of Light Ta’izz Leprosy Health

Al-Salaam Hospital Aden Sana’a Mental illness Health

Mental Sanatorium Sana’a Mental illness Reform Society 34 Mental care and 28 None None
for Women therapy

Society for Motor Sana’a Motor Society for the 30 Education, 225 Literacy Printing,
Handicapped Persons handicapped Disabled rehabilitation knitting, sewing,
handicrafts

Mental Sanatorium Sana’a Mental illness Health

Mental Sanatorium at Sana’a Mental illness Interior Open 220 None None None
the Central Prison

Home for the Elderly Hudayda The elderly Social security 600 Care, 285 None None None.
accommodation Recreational
outings
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