approach and a gender perspective, i.e.:
• National Strategic Plan HIV 2004-2008 and 2009-2013; the plan for 2014-2020 is in draft;
• National Strategic Plan Renewal and Strengthening of Primary Health Care 2014 – 2018;
• Safe Motherhood and Neonatal Health Action Plan, based on the Safe Motherhood Needs Assessment 2014;
• National Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Policy of Suriname, 2013-2017.
B. Children’s rights
38. The Republic of Suriname ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child on March 1, 1993. In 2012, Suriname signed both Optional Protocols to this Convention — on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. On May 18, 2012, Suriname ratified the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. In the context of the latter, the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs organized a march on July 20, 2012 to raise awareness among the general public regarding the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. This march was organized in collaboration with the NGO Mati Fu Teego (Friends Forever).
39. Article 9 of the Compulsory Military Act of Suriname states that as far as the law provides otherwise, all males, holders of the Surinamese nationality, residing in Suriname and between the ages of 18 and 35 years, are obliged to serve in the armed forces.
According to this Act, Suriname is in compliance with the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Regarding the Optional Protocol on a Communication Procedure, the relevant departments of State are studying the effect, impact and consequences that such ratification will have on the nation.
40. The State wishes to emphasize that all forms of corporal punishment in all settings have been removed from law.
41. The Integral Policy for Children and Adolescents (2012–2016), includes a section that specifically focuses on combating all forms of violence against children. The
Presidential Task Force on Integral Policy for Children and Adolescents is currently working on updating the priorities for the new plan of action.
42. In the fight against child abuse and in support of the eradication of sexual exploitation, amendments to the Penal Code were adopted, specifically focused on the protection of children. Thus, child prostitution and indecent acts with minors are now punishable under articles 303a and 303b. The existing article on child pornography (art.
293) was expanded, while the addition of articles 295 through 306, also aim at protecting juveniles. A specific act was adopted to supervise all places of special care in order to regulate the establishment of those institutions, and to better protect the minors (Wet Opvanginstellingen, S.B. 2014 no. 7).
43. To commemorate International Day on the Rights of the Child, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing organizes several activities for children, spread out over the year. These activities have an educational character and include the placement of billboards for the promotion of children’s rights across the country.
44. In 2014 and 2015, the Ministry of Justice and Police conducted pilot projects to raise awareness with respect to violence against children. Activities for children, such as drawing competitions and radio programs, were the outcome of a survey on, among others, violence against children in Moengo, Sophia’s Lust and Goejaba. These activities are being evaluated and a follow-up is planned.
45. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing has the following benefits and services in place to combat child labor:
(a) financial aid to purchase school uniforms;
(b) medical insurance for national with low or no income;
(c) general child benefits;
(d) provision of food stamps;
(e) contribution and aid in crisis situations;
(f) social welfare for persons with disabilities;
(g) social welfare for families with low or no income;
(i) counseling, including by child psychologists, and through the Child Help Line (#123), which provides anonymous counseling by phone to children.
46. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing, furthermore, has done research on the child protection situation in Suriname and on developing a toolkit for a child protection system. The aim is to create a network in which all stakeholders — government and non-government — are involved and connected to each other in order to identify problems at an early stage regarding children, so that there can be an immediate response to help the children.
47. In order to meet the requirement, set out in article 5 of the ILO Convention on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor (ILO Convention no. 182, 1999) — namely to establish a mechanism that should ensure that implementation of Convention no. 182 takes place in a proper manner — the National Commission for the Eradication of Child Labor (NCUK) was established for an indefinite period of time. The duties and powers of the NCUK are regulated by decree (S.B. 2008 no. 115).
48. The National Commission for the Eradication of Child Labor is a coordinating, monitoring and advisory body tasked with, among others, formulating a Policy and Action Plan to eliminate child labor in Suriname. Stakeholders with respect to child labor and its worst forms are the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Justice and Police, the Ministry of
Education, Science and Culture, the Ministry of Welfare, and the Ministry of Regional Development.
49. A national action plan for the eradication of child labor is considered an effective and adequate instrument to evaluate and analyze the national efforts made in confronting child labor. Domestic law and national policy are evaluated on a regular basis. The NCUK is in the process of finalizing the next national action plan, after organizing a workshop with stakeholders in 2015.
50. As part of the national action plan for the eradication of child labor, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing has developed the Conditional Cash Transfer Program (CCT-program), to financially accommodate families who feel compelled to let their children work to contribute to the family’s income. Through the CCT-program, a project funded by the Inter Development Bank (IDB), the government provides financial assistance to families, subject to their children complying with certain conditions, such as the obligation to attend school and perform well. This prevents children from falling into the dangers of child labor. Due to administrative constraints, the CCT-project suffers some delay.
51. With the revision of the Penal Code in 2015, the minimum age for criminal responsibility has been raised from 10 to 12 years — an improvement compared to the previous Act.
C. Trafficking in persons
52. The national strategy to combat trafficking in persons, titled ‘Roadmap Suriname Combating Trafficking 2014-2018’, was approved by the Council of Ministers on April 16, 2014 (Order 2014, no. 383). The strategy lays down the common theme through which all stakeholders will work together in the fight against trafficking in persons. Implementation of the policy will be evaluated, in part, based on the following projected outputs:
• The scope of trafficking in persons in Suriname has been adequately mapped in accordance with international reporting obligations;
• A comprehensive and detailed analysis of the stakeholders has been made and partnerships are formalized;
• The community is informed about this phenomenon, nationwide;
• There are formal structures in place to continuously combat trafficking in persons;
• There is a comprehensive legal framework, and relevant conventions have been ratified and implemented.
53. To implement the national strategy to combat trafficking in persons, adoption of new or amended legislation is not necessarily required. The proposal regarding the new government infrastructure for combating trafficking in persons, namely ‘CHAIN Structure 2.0’ has also been approved. The strategy and the new government infrastructure go together. The new infrastructure is, in fact, necessary to successfully carry out the strategy.
54. When the new government infrastructure, contained in the CHAIN Structure 2.0 comes into effect, all ministries will be compelled to obey the infrastructure in the fight against trafficking in persons.
55. The national strategy to combat trafficking in persons takes into account all victims, including women and children. In preparing for this strategy, the vulnerability of women and children exposed to trafficking was taken into account. In this context, organizations that are committed to the human rights and other interests of women and children, were invited to the stakeholders’ meetings. Among these organizations are: Foundation Stop
Violence against Women, Maroon Women's Network, Bureau Women and Child Policy, Working Group Integrated Child and Youth Policy, National Commission on the Eradication of Child Labor, Bureau of Rights of the Child and the Foundation for Children.
56. Annexed to this report is a list of the statistics on trafficking in persons, issued by the Bureau of the Public Prosecutor (Annex 1.) The list provides aggregated data in detail of the case, such as gender and age of the victims, and nationality of the victims and the perpetrators. The Public Prosecutor works closely with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit of the Police, and the Multidisciplinary Commission Anti-Trafficking in Persons. The work of the Commission, whose term expired in 2015, is being continued by a new multidisciplinary working group ‘Anti-Trafficking in Persons’, installed on January 22, 2016 by the Minister of Justice and Police. This working group, headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Police, must undertake action before the end of March 2016. One of its tasks is to combat child exploitation in and surrounding the village of Apoera, District of Sipaliwini. The capacity of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit of the Police will be strengthened.
57. From the statistics obtained from the Public Prosecutor with regard to cases of trafficking in persons occurring in the period 2004 through August 2015, it appears that in this period 40 cases of trafficking in persons were investigated and prosecuted. The suspects were convicted and sentenced for sexual exploitation, forced labor, whether or not including sexual exploitation and smuggling of persons. In 20 of the 40 cases the victims were younger than 18 years of age. Poverty is an important risk factor for trafficking in persons. This was expressed during the treatment of penal cases involving trafficking in persons. The State argues that if people are taken out of poverty, the chance to become a victim of trafficking in persons also decreases. In line of this view, three social laws were adopted in 2014 within the framework of the eradication of poverty. These laws work preventively when it comes to trafficking in persons.
58. Within the framework of prevention of trafficking in persons, the State regularly publishes warnings through the media and the internet to make society aware of misleading calls for job application. With regard to the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of trafficking in persons, the State has introduced fast-track proceedings in cases of labor violations involving exploitation in the workplace (Ministerial Order of October 24, 2014, J. No.14/0566, S.B. 2014 no. 158). Furthermore, training and workshops were provided for relevant groups so that cases of trafficking in persons can be detected at an early stage.
59. The government has provided training for, among others, members of the judiciary, law enforcement officials, immigration officers and groups from civil society. The efforts in this area will be intensified. With regard to foreign victims of trafficking in persons, the government is considering various legal alternatives to deportation.
D. Indigenous and tribal peoples
60. With respect to land rights issues of Indigenous peoples, Suriname’s situation is unique in comparison to other countries, in that Suriname’s population includes two tribal peoples, the Indigenous and the Maroons, as well as several other multi-cultural groups, all of whom are entitled to a just distribution of the benefits of Suriname’s land and natural resources. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People, Prof.
James Anaya was invited to make a landmark visit to Suriname and assist the State in its efforts to recognize land rights of the Indigenous and Maroon peoples. Prof. Anaya endeavored to provide technical assistance to the State in its efforts to recognize collective land rights. In the report of his visit, Prof. Anaya included some critical remarks and noted that he is looking forward to further provide his expertise to the cause. Suriname intends to request the expertise of Prof. James Anaya when the moment calls for it.
61. Since 2010, the government of the Republic of Suriname has a new approach to resolving the issue of land rights, taking the position that it must fit within Suriname’s constitutional order. The Constitution of the Republic of Suriname, which is the supreme law of the land, takes into account the multi-cultural composition of our nation, the indivisibility of the territory of the Republic and the harmony and peacefulness that is typical of our beloved country. Suriname is also resolved to an integral approach, which means that the issue will be addressed in its entirety. Another element of the new approach is that the Indigenous and Maroon peoples are considered partners in addressing this national issue and not as a party against the State. Therefore, the Government will not support proposals containing elements that allude to separatist sentiments. Suriname has taken this position in communications with the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, noting that certain measures proposed or ordered by the Court prove to be difficult, if not unworkable.
62. In various correspondence with the Inter-American Human Rights System (Commission and Court), the State has expressed that its view on the situation of the rights of Indigenous and Maroon peoples in Suriname is unchanged. The State has commenced actions to resolve the collective land rights of the tribal peoples. In practice the principle of free, prior and informed consent is already being implemented. The State is now in the process of formally recognizing the traditional authorities of the tribal peoples through legislation. Clear structures of consultation with these communities must be agreed upon.
E. Education
63. Education on human rights in Suriname is provided by the Anton de Kom University of Suriname, the FHR Lim A Po Institute, and the Institute for Nature and Technology.
64. To improve the quality of education, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has undertaken the following actions:
• purchase of new school materials (textbooks, furniture etc.);
• strengthening the capacity of Inspectors to monitor the quality of the education and for guidance to teachers;
• creation of a division specifically for in-service training of teachers on a regular basis;
• reform of the teacher training colleges in order to meet the needs of the Future Student;
• drafting of programs to implement ICT in education.
65. Access to education has been guaranteed by ensuring that primary education and secondary education at lower level is free of charge. Financial contribution for materials is set at SRD 10 (USD 2.45) and SRD 35 (USD 8.65), respectively. Students who cannot afford the contribution receive financing of materials from the government. Secondary education at upper level carries an enrollment fee of SRD 250 (USD 61.72). Financing for the enrollment fee or for materials is also available for the latter students who are unable to pay it. The government also offers free transportation to and from school for students living at a great distance.
66. Many new classrooms were built in de past five years, to accommodate the growing number of students. The Hostel in Atjoni in the District of Sipaliwini is ready for students at lower level secondary education, so that they will not have to leave their villages and move to Paramaribo for their education.
67. Compulsory Education is currently set by law for the ages of 6 to 12 years. The Ministry of Education is updating and expanding the Education Bill for Primary and Secondary Education at Lower Level. A major update will be the extension of compulsory education to the ages of 4 to 16 years. The Ministry of Education is implementing a pupil tracking system.
68. To prevent dropouts, a system is introduced that trains teachers to become a guidance counselor to help students who are in need.
69. There are a total of 92 schools in the interior. 17 schools are in Indigenous areas, 66 schools are in Maroon areas, and 9 schools are in Moengo and Albina which are located in a 70% Maroon area. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is making efforts to provide the number of qualified teachers required for these areas, and is quite successful.
Considerable investments were made in infrastructure, nationwide, with a special focus on rural areas and the interior.
70. Aiming for a higher enrollment, since October 2012, primary education is free of charge for all. The new Education Bill is in draft. Currently, the Ministry of Education is working with the private sector to reform the vocational training, especially for children with disabilities. More schools for Special Education are in planning. Existing schools will be made more accessible for those with a disability.
71. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing provides vocational training to persons with disabilities, aged 14-24 years, through its ‘Foundation Training Projects for Juveniles with Disability in Suriname’. With this training, the recipients are given the opportunity to work in order to meet their own level of welfare. The foundation implements the goal set in the Development Plan 2012-2016, namely "the role to play by creating conditions for the promotion of the welfare of people with disabilities." The vocational training courses are:
mechanical woodworking, textile handicrafts, construction carpentry, metalworking and horticulture. A course on ICT was started in October 2015.
72. On September 25th, 2015 the National Assembly approved the accession of Suriname to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In anticipation of this, the State has executed the Policy for People with Disability 2005 – 2010. A number of issues in the field of law and legislation, education and training, recreation and sports, and transportation have been addressed and realized. The following can be listed:
• The minimum standards for services, provisions and institutions for people with disability were drafted and adopted through the Act Alternative Care (S.B. 2014 no.
7), which applies to registered alternative care institutions;
• the Commission Supervision on Child Care Institutions (CTK) looked at care institutions for people with disability;
• A Bill ‘Provision for People with Disability’ (VMB), which regulates the socio-economic security of this group, is being prepared;
• The Foundation Training Projects for Juveniles with Disability in Suriname has the objective of teaching skills to children and juveniles with a learning disability between 14 and 20 years of age, so that they can actively contribute to the labor market in Suriname. The foundation provides vocational training in machine woodworking, textile handicrafts, construction and woodworking, metal working and horticulture;
• A lesson plan was published in the period 2008–2011 for teachers in primary education, on how to deal with people with a disability, in particular children;
• The Care for Persons with Disability (Dienst Gehandicapten Zorg), in cooperation with the Commission Policy for People with Disability, conducted a customer
satisfaction study among the customers of special care transportation, and made an inventory of the provisions and need for care transportation. The data collected is currently being processed;
• A study into the staffing situation at institutions, focused on people with disability, was also done by the Care for People with Disability, in cooperation with the Commission Policy for People with Disability.
73. Furthermore, the Government has realized a number of awareness-raising programs in the period 2010–2015, including media campaigns. In 2016, the evaluation of the
73. Furthermore, the Government has realized a number of awareness-raising programs in the period 2010–2015, including media campaigns. In 2016, the evaluation of the