77th session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva |24 January 2018

Seychelles invited to engage in constructive dialogue

Seychelles has been invited to engage in constructive dialogue with the 18 committee experts of this United Nations Treaty body on the status of country’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Seychelles delegation at the 77th session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child held in Geneva from January 18-19, was led by Family Affairs Minister Jeanne Simeon.

The delegation comprised the principal secretary for Social Affairs, Linda William, and the senior legal officer for Social Affairs, Michelle Marguerite.

The focus of the discussion was the 5th and 6th combined report which Seychelles had submitted to the committee in June 2016, highlighting the progress made since the last report in 2011.

In her opening statement, the minister highlighted Seychelles’ commitment to the vision of the Convention of the Rights of the Child reassuring the committee that the country remains steadfast in its efforts to ensure that all children in the country, regardless of background or circumstance, develop their full potential, free from hunger and want, neglect and abuse and highlighting key advancements made in the promotion of rights for children.

Minister Simeon also outlined some of the challenges that threaten to undermine the hard-fought economic gains and progress made by Seychelles, with direct impact on the family, particularly the decrease in extended families and family support networks, the concern of absent fathers, the effects of development and globalization on the family unit, and substance abuse.

The committee experts in turn commended Seychelles for the progress made, particularly the great strides made in early childhood care and education allowing Seychelles to be designated  by the International Bureau  of Education, Unesco,    in 2017, as a best practice hub for this sector, the comprehensive and avant-garde social protection systems in place, the proactive effort and commitment at the highest level to tackle poverty and the continuous efforts to ensure that Seychellois children have platforms that promote their involvement in national development. However, the committee was also concerned by the delay of the state party in amending certain key child related legislations and implementing past recommendations to ensure better compliance to the convention.

The dialogue was a frank and fruitful one for Seychelles, shedding light on the work that needs to be done going forward to improve outcomes for children in Seychelles.

The committee will follow up on this dialogue in the coming weeks with a list of recommendations called the concluding observations.

The process to prepare for Seychelles Involvement at this 77th session was a multi-stakeholder effort and the work that follows this participation will rest on continued commitment to the rights of children and strong collaboration between stakeholders.